An Evening with Chirag Shah

It is a beautiful day and luckily today, Chirag (officially Chirag Shah) is slightly less occupied. Otherwise a busy person, he agrees for a brief chat and interview for my blog.  As we start, I ask him for a name and he says jo marzee bulalo (you can call by whatever name), but Chiru, he says, is quite common amongst family and friends. 

A Mumbaikar, relocating to namma Bengaluru is his first ever emigration. His experience living in a concoction of piquancy of the city gives him the courage to survive anywhere with ease. A vigorous person, he begins the day with Surya Namaskaars, small walks and a positive attitude towards Life. He maintains healthy eating habits, but stumbles when confronted with a Samosa, Sandwich or Misal Pav.

He is a perfect “Chef-Salad” – Chartered accountancy, Entrepreneurship, humor, management, level-headedness, mentoring, anger, patience and a passion for writing, all chopped up and mixed together in a vinaigrette of sarcasm and emotions.

When asked for personal background and who he is most attached to – “I am a male… Married.  You are putting me into a fix by asking whom I am more attached to. No male would have answer for this!!”, he asserts. Grocery, he adds, is one definite weekend activity, astonished at the amount of food that is consumed.

His mantra for Success – “Put your 100% in what you do. The outcome is not in your hand.  You are the only person whom you can’t lie or cheat to so don’t try to cover it. Success is a myth till you achieve it.”

A strong patron of learning from failures, he believes in the special training received by pursuing his own ventures. His roller coaster experiences translate into the skilled professional and considerate human being that he is today. An opportunist, he utilizes every skill to its advantage and sees every fall as a learning experience. Every day, he believes, has something to teach and a bundle of memories to add. Meeting and knowing people with unique mind sets and varied outlook, he reckons, adds value.

Appearing very calm at the surface, he is constantly planning and conceptualizing. Astonishingly, he is also a Karate Black belt and would have been an international player, but for his fractured arm that shifted his course. And we are glad that it did.

Combine a passion for writing with an avid reading habit and you can expect a masterpiece. Chirag is one of those rare combinations. It should come as no wonder that he contributed to the compilation of “The Scout” – a book on Headly who masterminded the 26/11 Mumbai blasts. He is currently working on a book about management and his experiences, which is due for completion. More books in the pipeline, he says. Immortalized in Ink, he will remain.

Before he joined us, he worked for a Canadian based outfit in Bangalore as Director- Operations. The out-going and experimental person that he is, his first ever job was working for himself – wherein the first eLearning Company in India teaching Chartered Accountants online was conceptualized. He was 20 then, and there has been no turning back.

He fondly recollects a call from an ex-employee’s mother, who hailed from a village near Chennai. The mother thanked Chirag for giving her Son an opportunity to work in their company because of which they were able to build a house. This call, he says, is the most satisfying complement he has received till date. 

Chill Maadi is a motto he lives by. The higher the expectations, the higher the stress, he holds. Typically sangfroid, marriage is the biggest stress, he remarks. On a more significant note, a mail or a call from the customer sighting dissatisfaction regarding support service creates anxiety, he adds. He maintains his composure by listening to Jagjit Singh Ghazals and being in the company of a round cushion which is his childhood buddy.

To lighten the mood a little, we did a rapid fire –

• If you woke up tomorrow as an animal, what animal would you choose to be and why?

Spider, if it is allowed to be called an Animal. I always like to climb back with every fall.

• Are you a sunrise, daylight, twilight, or night person?

I am Sunrise – I rise with a hope every day. 

• What item that you don't have already, would you most like to own?

Xbox 

• If today were the last day of your life, what would you be doing now?

Give all my passwords to wife, eat lots of ice-creams and rewind my life with my family. 

• Yamraj (The lord of Death) is before you and has come to take you along. However, he is feeling exceptionally generous and tells you he will let you live for as many years as you already have, but, you have to ask him a question that he cannot answer or give him a reason that he cannot fix. What would you do? (Note: you cannot choose to die.!!)

Yamraj how about a selfie, people want to know how you look 

• You are face to face with a demon who will grant you 3 wishes, on the condition that you cannot ask for any personal benefit. He will disappear after you have asked to never be seen again. You have 5 minutes. You will be his dinner if you do not ask for anything. What would you ask?

o   Make India a Super Power

o   At least 30 Gold medals for India in next Olympics

o   Grant me 5 more wishes please 

• There is a wooden suspension bridge that takes you from one bank of the Niagara Falls to the other. All your hearts’ desires are at the other side of the bridge. Would you cross it?

No, because there are many hearts this side who desire me more 

• If you had to leave behind everything you currently have and only then cross the bridge, would you do it?

Still not, I am a very satisfied guy. 

• Which is the One thing that has been in your wallet for the longest time? Do you still have it?

A card with some numbers given by someone my family believed in. It is with me for more than 20 years now. 

A glance at the clock indicates it is time to draw this evening to a close. With his experience and maturity, I ask him for advice and he says "Stay put".

If you win, you learn. If you lose, you learn more

Meet with Murli

He is fondly known as Murli and is formally known as Murlidhara. Our request to know his nickname is politely brushed aside.

A dedicated, hardworking and simple person, he hails from namma Bengaluru. A person of simple tastes, he doesn’t move around lot. His travel plans are generally with Family, during vacations.

A Bachelors in Computers from PES College, he says Masters Education was never on his mind. He completed Masters in computer applications from SJCIT College, Chikkaballapura, Karnataka as it was his parents’ wish. He believes that this was the turning point in his life.

After completing MCA, he worked for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as SQL support for Human resource department for very small duration. He dreamt of building a career in the IT field and moved on to join a start-up company RCS technologies as JAVA/JSP developer.

When quizzed about his family, he says “Hum Panch”. His Dad is an Ex-HAL employee and Mom, Home maker. His partner Amitha is a Home maker. They are blessed with a daughter – Nishka who is studying. They are his pillars of support and encouragement.

A balanced man that he is, he devotes his success to the belief of his team. He finds strength in his team and recons it is worth more than anything to work with such concoction of diverse people. With each one bringing different working styles, he says has helped him both personally and professionally improvise.

His greatest challenge: “Shuffling resources when they are already on another Job.”

The Best and Worst: “Best is achievement and Worst is Opportunity to improve. Both are equally important.”

Best compliment: “To hear that a Projects Go-Live is a success”

Funniest incident: “I won the first place in Dance [DJ floor]. I am definitely not good at dance. It felt more like I was exercising to get slimmer. So yes, it was a surprise that I bagged the first place”

On work/life balance: Things are smooth and it would not have been possible without Family support. Stress does not have a place and he steers clear from anything that will bring anxiety. He has his feet on the ground and holds his head high up, making it easy to strike a balance.

On a more personal note, he is a Movie buff and a fan of old classics [Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, and English]. In music, he is partial to Bollywood. MTV was his Favorited channel during school/ college. In food, he savours spices and South Indian food.

In weekends, he prefers to stay at home and enjoy his favorite activity – watch TV. But more often than not, his family plans otherwise.

Stories to share:

During my bachelor’s degree, I bunked classes just like my friends but somehow I never had shortage of attendance. My friends always whined about this and somehow believed that I had been attending the classes without their knowledge.

Another instance, it was Diwali time and we thought of doing something fun. There was a small passage right next to my class. We fellows lit a small piece of Agarbatti and joined it to the wick of a cracker. Class was on and after sometime there was loud Boom! Everyone rushed to see the spot and our gang also joined the mob as if we do not know anything.

First year MCA, again Diwali time, entire class mass bunked and left to our respective hometown. Next day this message went to the Principal. One of my friend called me to inform; Principal is calling everyone back and report immediately. I was not interested to return so called Principal and told him I have a flat tyre, so will meet tomorrow. Principal cracked joke angrily, not to worry I will send my car to pick you. Somehow I managed to stay back home and attended class after Diwali. Everything was normal.

There are many such funny moments. Good old college days are always evergreen in our hearts.

Believe in Yourself. Always be satisfied with your work.