HUMOUR OUT OF UNIFORM - PULLING RANK AFTER RETIREMENT

HUMOR OUT OF UNIFORM

Does Rank Have Its Privileges  - Even After Retirement ?

STATUS EGO RANK

A Naval Yarn and a Teaching Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

The other day I witnessed an amusing spectacle of a retired erstwhile senior army officer trying to pull rank and jump a queue for renewing a CSD Card despite the fact that he was now a “retired nobody”.

Of course, he was put in his place by those around him who told him to get into the queue and he beat a hasty retreat.

When I was in the Navy I observed that there were two types of officers.

1. There were the confident type who carried themselves with poise and dignity, were well-bred, polished, cultured and courteous, honest, transparent, fair and upright in their conduct and quite humble, modest and down-to-earth in their behaviour. 

These officers did not need the crutches of rank – in fact, by their exemplary demeanor they enhanced the dignity of the rank they held and they always put service before self.  

They truly epitomized the term: “An Officer and a Gentleman”.

2. Then there were the insecure type who were excessively rank conscious haughty show-offs who believed in the dictum: “Boot your juniors and Bootlick your seniors”. 

They were unabashed careerists who put self before service because for them their rank and status were everything (yes, for these insecure types rank, promotion and their naval career was the be-all and end-all of life).

They knew, in their hearts, that without the crutches of rank they were zeroes, so they went to any extent to get promoted at any cost. 

It is this insecure and ambitious type of careerist officers who often get involved in unethical acts and tarnish the good name of the service.    

Snobbish and pretentious behaviour is a sign of low self-esteem.

So, if you see any status-conscious, pompous, egoistical snobs around you, please tell them this story (maybe they will introspect, reflect and change for the better):

Keichu, the great Zen teacher of the Meiji era, was the head of Tofuku, a cathedral inKyoto.

One day the Governor of Kyoto called on him for the first time.

His attendant presented the visiting card of the Governor, which read:

Kitagaki

GOVERNOR OF KYOTO

“I have no business with such a fellow,” said Keichu to his attendant, “Tell him to get out of here.”

The attendant carried the card back to the Governor with apologies.

“That was my error,” said the Governor, and with a pencil he scratched out the words GOVERNOR OF KYOTO, gave the card back to the attendant and said to him, “Take this card to your teacher and ask him again if he would please give me an audience.”

“Oh, it’s that Kitagaki?” exclaimed the teacher when he saw the card, “I want to see that fellow. Send him in.”

So that’s the secret – just DROP YOUR EGO.

Why is everyone so obsessed with rank, status, power, wealth, fame and other egoistic trappings?

Your individual qualities matter much more than your rank. 

Your external rank will go away one day but your intrinsic worth will remain with you forever, and maybe even remembered as your legacy. 

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this post?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL 
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for almost 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

BE YOUR OWN HERO - It is all about SELF ESTEEM

SELF ESTEEM

Do You have Self-Esteem

By

VIKRAM KARVE

Self-Esteem is much more than Self-Confidence. 

The word “esteem” is derived from the Latin word aestimare which means “to put a value on”. 

Thus, your “Self Esteem” is the “value you put on yourself”.

Your self-esteem is your conviction that you are uniquely valuable.

When you have high self-esteem you will have the capacity to live creatively, stand by your values, beliefs and principles, and you will have the competence to accomplish something vital to your individuality.

Is it possible to assess self-esteem? 

How do you recognize whether a person has self-esteem.

It is easy.

Persons with high self-esteem do not need to prove themselves.

Yes, if you have high self-esteem you do not feel the need to prove yourself to the outside world – you do not need to prove yourself to others.

Conversely persons with low self-esteem will be observed trying to prove themselves – they boast, put others down, show off, drop names, speak excessively and always talk about their themselves and try to hog the conversation, they keep telling you about their achievements and display snobbish behaviour. 

People with low self-esteem are extremely self-conscious about their appearanceand desperately fish for compliments and are unduly concerned about what other people think about them. 

They may talk in an imperative tone of voice, try to pull rank and emphasize their authority and show-off their status, position or wealth, act in a boastful manner, always seem “keyed up” and move around in an excited manner as if in a perpetual hurry “to get the job done” and try to “dominate” others. 

Look around your workplace and among your friends. 

If you observe someone behaving in this way be sure that he or she has low self-esteem.

Close your eyes and recall some of your own interactions in the recent past, professional and social, at work and with your friends. Imagine as if you have gone outside your body and you are watching yourself from the outside as you interact and converse with others. 

Reflect and Introspect: Did you display any indicators of low self-esteem? 

Remember, an important internal indicator of low self-esteem is that you feel excessively self-conscious as you try to "prove yourself" to others around you wondering what they think about you and this sometimes causes you to feel internally stressed-out.

You can recognize individuals with high self-esteem by their body language. 

When they speak to you they make good eye contact and they are relaxed, calm, measured in movement, yet firm and decisive. 

A person with good self-esteem will exhibit a quiet confidence and will not fish for compliments, but if you do compliment them they will say “Thank You” and accept your compliment with politeness and humility. 

They are honest, humble and modest and are genuinely interested in other people and their achievements. 

They do not bother about external recognition as they have confidence in their own abilities.

Persons with high self esteem are always genuine and never “fake it”.

The bedrock of self-esteem is self-acceptance. 

If you have high self-esteem you will accept yourself as you are and you will not indulge in “image management”. 

Hence you will never be afraid of being “found out” since you will always project what you actually are since you don’t have to “prove yourself” to others.  

People with low self-esteem who are always desperate to “prove themselves” and impress others often fall prey to image management techniques and since they try to project an exaggerated or contrived (fake) image of themselves they always live under the fear of being found out.

Do you want to enhance your self-esteem? 

It is simple. 

Just start liking yourself. 

First accept yourself as you are and then learn to like yourself. 

Don’t bother about proving yourself to others. 

Take pride in your individuality. 

Be your own hero. 

Start enjoying yourself, be proud of yourself, and when you feel you have done something good, don’t seek praise from others but reward yourself for what you do and praise yourself. 

Remember to do this in all aspects of your life – at work and in your personal life as well.

Continual self-evaluation, self-acceptance and self-reward will produce a paradigm shift in your behaviour from being other-directed to being inner-directed. 

As you build up your self-esteem you will develop a strong sense of self. 

You will start liking yourself and will start believing in yourself.

If you do not learn to reinforce yourself and if you succumb to the temptations of image management to seek approval of others and get obsessed with “proving yourself” you may fall into the downward spiral of low self-esteem.

I will end with a quote from Samuel Butler:

The advantage of doing one’s praising for oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places.

VIKRAM KARVE
Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this article?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the link below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. 
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com   

     

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

HUMOUR IN UNIFORM - PEACETIME SOLDIERING - The ACR Dinner

HUMOR IN UNIFORM

THE ACR DINNER

A Pongo Style Naval Yarn

Short Fiction Story

By

VIKRAM KARVE

ACR – acronym for ANNUAL CONFIDENTIAL REPORT

Disclaimer: Please read this only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof. So first convince yourself that you have a sense of humour and only then read the yarn and have a laugh.

This happened sometime in the 1980s.

I happened to walk into the office of one of my Pongo colleagues for some work.

I saw a total of six Pongos, including my colleague, sitting around the table engaged in an animated discussion, so  I excused myself and told my colleague that I would come later.

“No, No, please come in,” my friend said, “in fact you can help us solve our problem.”

“Problem?” I asked.

“Yes, its about the ACR dinner,” he said.

“ACR Dinner?” I asked perplexed.

“You don’t have this in the Navy?” they all asked.

“Well, at least I have not heard of it,” I said.

“Our ACRs are due to be written in a month,” my colleague said, “and all of us are expected to invite our boss and his wife for dinner – and of course all the other officers and lady wives are invited.”

“Are you telling me that your performance appraisal will be done based on a dinner?” I asked, genuinely baffled.

“Well, I really don’t know, but then these are the hazards of peacetime soldiering,” commented my friend, who was a battle-hardened soldier, looking at me wistfully.

“Anyway, what do you want me to do?” I asked.

“Pick lots,” they all said.

“Pick lots?” I asked, totally at a loss.

“Yes,” my friend explained, “we have to decide the sequence of the ACR dinners. You know about the halo effect, don’t you? There is a big advantage in giving the dinner last, just before the ACR date.”

“Sometimes it is good to host the first dinner too – the first dinner sets the standard, and is also remembered,” said another Pongo sitting in the room.

So I did the honours and picked the chits and the ACR dinner dates were decided.

Of course, my wife and I, were invited to all the ACR dinners.       
VIKRAM KARVE

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this blog post?
I am sure you will like the stories in my recently published book COCKTAIL comprising twenty seven short stories about relationships. To order the book please click the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the link below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and he is currently working on his novel. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles in magazines and journals for many years before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. 

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com

Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve

Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve

Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm

Email: vikramkarve@sify.com        

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

 

BLOGGING - Personality Traits That Will Help You in Blogging

6 Personality Traits That Will Help You in Blogging

Click the link above and read a good article on Blogging

SOOTHING LULLABY - Chanda O Chanda - Lata Mangeshkar - Lakhon Mein Ek Song

Organizing the Blog - The Tickler File

The Daring Novelist: Organizing the Blog - The Tickler File: 

I've been doing this blog for almost three years.  And before that I had other blogs.  Many other blogs.  And I've taken them all seriously ...

To read further click the link below:

The Daring Novelist: Organizing the Blog - The Tickler File: 

Happy Blogging

PUNE REAL ESTATE PROPERTY GUIDE - BEWARE OF THE WORD “ANNEXE”

PUNE REAL ESTATE PROPERTY GUIDE

BEWARE OF THE WORD “ANNEXE”

Musings of a Clueless Novice Self-Styled Property Guru Part 16

By

VIKRAM KARVE

In the English Language, the word Annexe means Extension.

In Pune Real Estate Parlance the word Annexe may have different connotations.

So, in case you are thinking of buying a house in Pune, beware of the word “ANNEXE” frequently used in housing advertisements.

The word “annexe” is just used to exploit the snob appeal of the so called posh “upmarket” high-falutin localities.

Thus “Aundh Annexe” may be nowhere near Aundh, but in the back-of-beyond across the river, in places like Pimple Saudagar, Pimple Gurav, Pimple Nilakh or Navi Sangvi, which are in Pimpri Chinchwad (PCMC), whereas Aundh is in Pune (PMC) .

Kondhwa Annexe or NIBM Annexe may be somewhere way-off in desolate Undri or Mohammadwadi, far away from civilisation and with dismal social infrastructure.

Koregaon Park Annexe may be way beyond Ghorpuri or Mundhwa, which still have quite poor infrastructure and can hardly be called urban areas.

Wakad Annexe may be many kilometres away from Wakad in some out-of-the-way place.

In fact, I was quite amused to see that many upcoming residential projects in distant Thergaon and beyond are being touted as being in Wakad Annexe. (It seems that even Wakad is now acquiring status value!).

You’ve got the drift haven’t you – they just cash in on the name of the nearest posh locality to hype their project.

So, beware of the word “annexe”.

And remember one more thing – when buying a house:

“One Look Is Worth A Thousand Reports”.

I once heard a piece of wisdom:

Don’t Marry a Girl Without Seeing the Girl and Don’t Buy a House Without Seeing the House.

I think this applies to all types of property and real estate, whether it is land, a bungalow, a row house or an apartment.

You must visit the site and see the property for yourself, walk around and get a ground reality feel of the place you are going to live in.

Also you must ensure that what you see is what you get.

That is why it is always better to buy a home in a project that is completed and ready possession. Otherwise you may be in for a big surprise when you actually move in, especially if the project is located in an “annexe”.

In case you are interested in reading my clueless ramblings on the Real Estate Scene in Pune – the random musings of a novice self-styled Property Guru, here are a few links you can click.

But before you click a link, please do comment on the post you have just read above.

ARE YOU THINKING OF BUYING A HOUSE IN PUNE

Part 1: WHY ARE PROPERTY RATES SO HIGH IN WAKAD PUNE

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/why-are-property-rates-so-high-in-wakad.html

Part 2: REAL ESTATE PRICES IN PUNE – HYPE AND REALITY

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/04/real-estate-prices-in-pune-hype-and.html

Part 3: HOUSE HUNTING IN PUNE - 5 TIPS FOR PROPERTY BUYING

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/04/house-hunting-in-pune-5-tips-for-buying.html

Part 4: TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/05/are-you-thinking-of-buying-house-in.html

Part 5: The Real Estate Triad – Quality, Appreciation and Rental Value

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/pune-property-quality-appreciation.html

Part 6: WHO IS BUYING PROPERTY IN PUNE - End Users, Investors or Speculators

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/who-is-buying-property-in-pune-end.html

Part 7: Living in WAKAD PUNE - Social Infrastructure

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/wakad-social-infrastructure.html

Part 8: SMART HOME - a Gimmick Best Avoided - Smart Homes May Not Work in Pune

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/smart-home-gimmick-best-avoided.html

Part 9: LIVING IN PUNE - WALKING IN WAKAD - Musings on Urban Town Planning

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/06/living-in-pune-walking-in-wakad.html

Part 10: CART BEFORE THE HORSE URBAN TOWN PLANNING MODEL of PUNE

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/cart-before-horse-urban-town-planning.html

Part 11:  PUNE –  “Destination of the Past” or “City of the Future”?

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/05/pune-cons.html

Part 12: TUM TUM SCENE IN WAKAD Pune - Travelling to Hinjewadi

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/03/tum-tum-scene-in-wakad-travelling-to.html

Part 13: STAY INSIDE STAY COOL

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2011/04/living-in-wakad-stay-inside-stay-cool.html

Part 14: Eating out in Pune – WAKAD FOOD GUIDE

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/08/wakad-food-guide-eating-in-pune.html

Part 15: PUNE PROPERTY PUZZLE – Are You Thinking of Buying a Resale House

http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2012/08/pune-property-puzzle-are-you-thinking.html

HAPPY HOUSE HUNTING  

VIKRAM KARVE 

Copyright © Vikram Karve 2012
Vikram Karve has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
© vikram karve., all rights reserved.

Did you like this article?
I am sure you will like the 27 fiction short stories from my recently published anthology of Short Fiction COCKTAIL 
To order your COCKTAIL please click any of the links below:
http://www.flipkart.com/cocktail-vikram-karve-short-stories-book-8191091844?affid=nme
http://www.indiaplaza.in/cocktail-vikram-karve/books/9788191091847.htm
http://www.apkpublishers.com/books/short-stories/cocktail-by-vikram-karve.html

COCKTAIL ebook
If you prefer reading ebooks on Kindle or your ebook reader, please order Cocktail E-book by clicking the links below:
AMAZON
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005MGERZ6
SMASHWORDS
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/87925

Foodie Book:  Appetite for a Stroll
If your are a Foodie you will like my book of Food Adventures APPETITE FOR A STROLL. Do order a copy from FLIPKART:
http://www.flipkart.com/appetite-stroll-vikram-karve/8190690094-gw23f9mr2o

About Vikram Karve

A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.

Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page:  https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm
Email: vikramkarve@sify.com

© vikram karve., all rights reserved.