Ex-Nucleite Reunion Meet

It was shear luck when I came to know from one of my past colleagues about the Ex-Nucleite Reunion meet organized by my last employer Nucleus Software. At first it sounded like a joke but it in fact was a reality. An invitation had been sent out by Nucleus to all its ex-employees to come to the same. Must have gone to my old rediffmail id which i rarely use now. Thinking again I felt company might be looking at influencing some to join back. When I reached the venue (which was within the company premises) first person I met was the one of the company veterans and Product Management Group Head. I asked him jokingly if he has become an Ex too...he laughed and said no. He remembered exactly what I had said to him at time of leaving the company and asked about where I did my MBA from and what am I doing currently. It was really heartening to see that even though 3 years have passed people still remembered, even though I had interacted not much with many. One of the project lead's commenting "I still remember the Fish Bone diagram you had taught once". Many familiar faces in the party. There was a separate photo shoot section where people could go and click their pics in group and get the printed copy of the same in a short time. Good atmosphere, people remembering old times. Many had come down from Gurgaon travelling for about 2-3 hrs. I felt the bonding between people in Nucleus is much higher than what I have seen in other companies.

Many HR policies have changed since the time I left. The difference could very well be noted by just seeing such a get together being organized. MD Vishnu Dusad gave a short speech on the recent achievements of the company and thanked all "Ex" for their contribution in company's success journey. The concluding remarks being " Once a Nucleite always a Nucleite ".

I had never heard or thought of any such event being organized by a company. Appreciated not only by me but all who had come. The effort made by the company to reach out to its "Ex" and acknowledging their contribution in company's success. The reason may go beyond just contribution by motivating some talent from the "Ex" lot to join back but still praise worthy .

While leaving all "Ex" were handed over some goodies . Good friday evening indeed !

Bilderberg Group

Never heard across of this group before coming across an article on BBC. So what is Bilderberg Group? "an elite coterie of Western thinkers and power-brokers" That's how BBC's Jonathan Duffy quotes it. The group whose roots go back to 1954 was initially formed with the desire of making the relations between US & Western Europe more amicable. The headquarters are in the city of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands.

The big difference of this group from others like World Economic Forum is the secrecy. No press, no disclosure on topics discussed. The group meets on annual basis with highly influential dignitaries in the field of politics, business & media. Obviously when something of this stature is kept private, conspiracy cannot be ruled out as indicated by many observers , on the other hand being free from the hassles of press these influential people might find it more relaxing to express their views and debate without fear. As per those who had been part of it in the past the intention is noble but secrecy to it makes it questionable.

Time Stops at Shamli

Ruskin Bond's another good read . A collection of short stories (in all 21) with some stories as short as 3 pages. I liked the most named "A Crow for all seasons" where the author depicts normal crow's life and how they think about the humans with whom they are used to living for so long. Quite humorous and with some interesting things to ponder on, all conveyed to the reader in a subtle way. Most stories are placed around in the northern hilly regions of India where the author hails from. Though the stories are all fictional one can feel the touch of reality when he describes the story line and you could not help but stick to the book once you start reading. Other reviews on amazon & mouthshut.