KREC'89ERS

In this episode, I caught up with Krishnananda Kamath from Chemical. He likes to call himself an underdog & has had interesting & varied experiences after College and has adapted to circumstances and made the best of it. You may be surprised to learn the various twists and tales in his career and personal lives, but laced with his enviable wit & humour.

“Do not stress on the problems you have today because tomorrow it will be in the past” is his mantra !

The Podcast is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music and Anchor.

Music credit: Creative Minds by Benjamin Tissot from the website, bensound.com.  Thanks to the Creators for sharing this sound clip, royalty free. Special shoutout to our buddy, Srikar B, who added a classical music overlay on the same.

In this renewed season of our KREC89ers podcast, I chat up with Sanjay Deka from Civil who has specialised in leading Civil Engineering Projects of social importance (notably Healthcare and specifically in the area of Cancer Care) for the Tata Group. His mantra of “whatever you do, do it from your heart” and treating every responsibility as your own, stands out. After 32 years with the Tatas, he embarks on a new journey in October with a startup focussed on Cancer Care.

With this episode, I have incorporated a new theme music, Creative Minds by Benjamin Tissot from the website, bensound.com.  Thanks to the creators for sharing this sound clip, royalty free. Special shoutout to our buddy, Srikar B, who added a classical music overlay to the same. 

Vinod Chippalkatti from E&C who describes himself as a simple but disciplined guy who sticks to basics and does the hard yards to achieve success for himself & for his team. In his own words, he is high on Compliance and good on Empathy. Hear this trailblazer & his illustrious achievements in the Space industry.

Haridass Ramadoss from E&C was an unassuming guy who was an affable classmate and was one of those proverbial guys who wouldn't hurt a fly. He utilized the stint at College to hone his skills and carried that out in his professional field. Dedicated to the core and a hard working guy. He was one of those silent warriors who made a difference without seeing that as a big deal. 

Unfortunately, as it happened, he lost his battle to the after effects of Covid  and passed away on 12th May 2021 leaving behind his grieving Wife and Daughter.

This is a special remembrance episode as batchmates recall & celebrate his life.

Translation (from Tamil) of the birthday wishes segment that Hubert had shared with Haridass :

"Hey Haridass, Birthday boy, how are you? I think you are starting your 55th year. It has been a long journey with you. We have done a lot together. We have been in touch though we did not connect for some years. That is really good. I wish to recall a few things. We have done a lot together amongst our friends. During College, except perhaps for you, me and a handful of others, there were hardly anyone who used to study during the afternoons. We used to feel sleepy a lot and I used to come to your room and even you used to be studying around 2.30 pm though you were droopy as well. We then used to go out to drink tea and eat murukku (crunchy savoury). I think Tea used to then cost around 50 paise and murukku around 5 or 10 paise, if I recall correctly. We never had money to eat more than 2 murukkus. But, you used to feel so happy after drinking Tea and eating two murukkus. And we then used to return to our studies with no one to disturb us. Dilo, Siva, Saravanan and others used to make a lot of noise during nights and therefore, we were unable to sleep properly. Hence, we used to study during the afternoon itself. I recall this vividly doing that with you and we have a done a lot together at College. And no one else used to be involved in this routine as everyone else were busy sleeping during the afternoon. And after we finished College, we applied for jobs simultaneously. I used to stay at Ennore and you at Egmore. I remember going to Shipping Corporation and some other Companies to look for jobs together. I then went to Carpanam and you went to MRL. And another thing that I vividly remember is that we were very happy that we started earning and could spend money at that time. I used to mostly come on Saturdays by train from Ennore. And when I came, we used to watch two movies back to back for sure. And after that, we used to eat and am not sure if we used to drink beer at that time. But, we have done this routine many a time entire Saturdays. On Sunday, we used to rest. I cannot forget these incidents. And then we lost touch for a while. And you became a busy Officer now. You are a big man. But, I want to tell you one thing that I have repeatedly told you before, Haridass. You are forever fretting about work even at this age. You should not sacrifice your personal life. You cannot enjoy your life only after retiring from work. We are all becoming old. Nowadays, I'm unable to do what I used to do 5 or 10 years ago. So, please slow down and learn to balance your work & life. You have a nice family with a Wife and a good Daughter.  You have lot of responsibilities towards them.  May be you should start travelling. You should go visit your daughter with your Wife and start doing such things. You  have worked a lot and it is enough and nothing else is required. Have a nice day with your family and I wish you many more happy returns of the Day. Bye, Haridas!"

The '89ers stand behind his Family and extend the offer of support to them, whenever they need.

Music credit:

1. Flashback by Monplaisir (pixabay.com)

2. Memories by Benjamin Tissot (bensound.com)

Siva Shanmugam from Mechanical perhaps needs little introduction. One of the live wires in the batch and part of the motley Sri Lankan & Malaysian bunch amongst us. Hear his fascinating journey laced with that in-your-face candidness and a distinct dose of Lankan humour. He says that he has grown younger and perhaps that is fuelled by his penchant for Lean Manufacturing in recent times ! In his words, he is focussed on the 3 Ms - Machine, Materials & Manpower.

Listen to some gems such as “If someone hits you, hit him back nicely with a smile” and many more. And wait for a refreshing surprise at the very end.

Sudheer Kumar from Civil is a thoroughbred Mangalorean and a ‘local’ :-) Full of energy and thought provoking quotes, hear him share his multi-hop professional journey spanning multiple Countries, Companies and domains. And about his new found interests in Toastmaster Club and Singing ! An avid follower of epic speeches by the World’s Great. To paraphrase some of his philosophies and guiding mantra, he says ” Wipe a tear in every eye and bring a smile to every face” and “the pursuit of happiness is within the frame of your mind” amongst others in this episode.

Do not miss listening to the very end of the episode for a double treat and understand why he is apparently referred as a “Super Pen Drive” :-)

Sameer Vatsa from Mechanical is an affable big guy. He has explored multiple roles in his professional career and has built up a rich experience across diverse industry domains and continues to push his limits, much like his pet love of ‘Iron’. Telecom, Sales, Marketing, overseeing projects of National and strategic importance, E-learning, data science, you ask ? Sameer has ticked all these boxes and much more. Hear his journey and the go getting attitude that he has displayed all through. 

“Don’t limit your challenges ; Instead, challenge your limits” is his mantra.

Listen on to the fascinating episode. Probably sitting with him in his ever welcome Hostel room to hear his story was the only thing missing in the chat :-)

Sujatha Bhat from Civil is an unassuming batchmate. A rank holder in her own right, her professional journey and her deep interests in Yoga and Advaita philosophy are inspiring. She has a wide experience in structural Engineering amongst other aspects of Civil Engineering. A qualified Yoga instructor and practitioner for over 40 years, travel buff & nature lover with qualification in the Bhagwad Gita and Astrology to boot. Listen to her rendition of an extract from the Gita that underpins her approach to life.

In her own words, she has grown up believing in “Dhairyam Sarvatra Sadhanam” (“one can achieve almost anything with the act of courage”).

Sarvadada Swamy from Mechanical perhaps needs little introduction. An affable person who keeps it simple, stresses on the fundamentals and uncompromising on dedication & quality. Hear his journey from Chitradurga to China as he shares the aspects that KREC and his professional career shaped him & his family. As well as how the Bhagwad Gita is his guiding principle. I felt quite charged just recording this chat with him.

In this episode, I connect with Akshay Jain from Electrical & Electronics a.k.a Oxy. An achiever in his own right who did not hesitate to take professional risks, grabbed available opportunities, adapted and moved along successfully. Presently working as the Managing Director of Thyrocare at Bahrain, he is helping his Organization help millions of people in the Middle East Region and India amongst other countries, with rapid tests and diagnostics for CoVid. Hear about his passion for trekking that took him to the Everest Base Camp. HIs wife, Pallavi is a star in her own right. Check out her Instagram and Blog posts on topics ranging from Hindi/English Poetry, Home remedies, sustainable environment, repurposed toys, amongst others. 

https://pallavigoa.wordpress.com 

https://grandmasecretsrevealed.wordpress.com 

https://www.instagram.com/5rs_bh/?igshid=dkrx9nm1fz9 

https://instagram.com/littlefriendsbh?igshid=yx4bb89fx9qb

Episode #009 - In this episode, I convinced Veena Hegde from Civil to record at short notice :-). An Entrepreneur who stayed the course with her Civil Engineering Consulting Company coming out with a patented Engineering-Procurement-Construction (EPC) software solution for mega projects by the Public /Government sector as well as the Private sector. An outdoor person who loves hiking, travelling and photography. However, her concern for the Civic society at large stands out with her deep involvement in a variety of causes including blood donation, child abuse, education and many others. She has been a sterling contributor to our batch' Alumni events & activities. Do check her venture and her patented platform, Vyavastha at http://backend.co.in.

P.S: Minor technical note: We had a few technical glitches with connectivity while recording this episode. There are a couple of spots in the podcast that may have a slight audio fade. (Bear with me :-) )

In this episode, I chat up with my ever eloquent classmate, Neelanjan Patri or Neelu from E&C.  He shares his journey after graduating from KREC and talks about his learnings along the way. Die-hard fan of "Grateful Dead" , his music interests  co-exists with classical Indian as well as Hindustani music.  Tagged as one of the top 25 Thought Leaders in Utility Analytics in the USA, he talks about his evolution as well  his payback to the Community in the form of running a Day care center for under privileged sections of his City, Chattanooga at Tennessee, USA and being a member of the Board of the local University. He describes quite vividly about Leadership, the importance of mentoring and experimenting with roles in one’s career.

I open the New Year chatting up  Biju Balendran from E&E. Get some fascinating insights of his ongoing stint in the Automotive industry ranging from being Employee #1 and setting up the Renault Nissan Chennai Factory from scratch to  his cross skilling journey from Electrical & Electronics to Mechanical Engineering aspects besides his cultivated interests in fine Wine and his travels across the World. His Employee-first outlook, keeping things simple and being expressive are noteworthy.

And do check out his wife, Shano's website, Soulful Bakes at shanobiju.com, for some awesome organic baking recipes. 

A huge shoutout to Anshul, the budding musician and son of Vinay Rao (E&C), who has composed a topical New year piece that closes this episode.

In this episode, I chat up with Ravindran Kotieth from the Mechanical Branch who lives the maxim of "I exist as I am, that is enough". A trail blazer in his own right who chose to follow his dreams outside of the Corporate arena after a stint of over 20 years.  Simple and uncluttered thinking ! Hear him out.

His favourite inspiration :

“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.
One world is aware, and by the far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness, I can wait.”

-Walt Whitman