copyright parag shah

The Stranger in a Familiar world!

We often think that we live in a familiar world

Without a spoken word

We feel and see and touch and feel

And yet there is nothing left but our weary feet

Walking like ghosts of the past

We think we know everything of the present and the past

Strangely we dont

When I see a stranger , walking on the road

My car whizzing past on the familiar road 

I feel the stranger is familar just as the road

And when I meet a familiar person 

I wonder if its the same person 

The familiar then becomes the stranger

And the stranger becomes the familiar

And I wonder if I got it all wrong

Like the road unfamiliar, did I get it all wrong ?

We sometimes think that the most familiar

is the stranger 

And the stranger is the most familiar

We then hate the familiar

and love the stranger

As my car whizzes past I look into the rear view mirror

I realise that I give the power to the familiar

To hurt and to cut and to burn me

Atleast I dont give the power to the stranger

To hurt and to cut and to burn me

Its better to know the stranger in the familiar

Then to know the familiar in the stranger

And my car moves on..

Keeping my faith in human beings on...

Until I hurt and cut and burn again......

And I meet the stranger in the familiar again!

Parag Shah

October 2012

photo credit: parag shah

The pain of my loneliness engulfs me

Like my long shadow is longer than me.

Most say I have no reason to complain

But none but oh, where's the one who can understand the pain

The pain of being in a crowd and yet being alone

The pain of being unable to mourn

The death of a child yet born

That I could have carried life on

The death of a father a deeply loved

And could never him cuddled

The image of being thrown out of place I so dearly loved

To be thrown out oh I ask did I deserve to be so humiliated

I seek my happiness in others

But the others are busy in others

And as the morning light awaits my death

I shall ask my pulse about my health

It will smile, for it must have faded too...

Behind every fading life

Lives a loot

A loot of wealth and celebration

Of a burden oh so gone...

An ebbing life is like a celebration

Of the life coming in celebration

Of the man so dead...

I am not who I was,

I never will be who I am now

Yet, History says

What was, shall always be

What will be, always was

Me ,trapped somewhere in the loops of History...

Parag Shah

October 2012

Give your customer a comprehensive solution not just a product!

Give your customer a comprehensive solution not just a product!http://t.co/NXLXph8u

Give your customer a comprehensive solution not just a product!
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In 1988, I was appointed the distributor for Photophone India Ltd., the manufacturers of Hot Shot- the first cameras that were introduced in the 35mm and 110mm format. These were supposed to...

Give your customer a comprehensive solution not just a product!

Parag's Learning Log: Anecdotes that teach you a lot

Parag's Learning Log: Anecdotes that teach you a lot:  Anecdotes that teach you a lot I must have been barely 26 years old. I had gone to receive my father’s very close fri...

Anecdotes that teach you a lot

 Anecdotes that teach you a lot

I must have been barely 26 years old. I had gone to receive my father’s very close friend, and an outstanding film producer, Mr. Narsimhan at the Pune Airport. He was the producer of “Malgudi Days” a very popular TV serial in those days, based on a series of short stories written by the great author ,  R K Narayan.

I was driving the car on the busy JM Road, and Narsimhan Uncle (we still call him young man!) asked me to stop the car. He said he wanted to buy Chocolates for my kids. I found a temporary parking spot and told him in my usual annoyed style, “Go get it fast!” I don’t want the cops to come and fine me! He went to the shop and what looked like hours to me. I was getting restless in the oppressive heat and the fear of the cops coming and fining me.  “Young Man” comes to the car and is laughing away to high glory! I asked him “what is so funny ?” He said , “This can never happen in Bangalore!” I said “what happened?” He narrated something that taught me a big lesson. He said he went to the shop and told the shopkeeper to hurriedly give him some chocolates. The shopkeeper was prompt , but just as he was paying, the shop keeper asked him , who are you taking the chocolates for? He said my friends Grandchildren . The shopkeeper said wait, let me gift wrap them for you. He said “no no, I am in a hurry”. The shopkeeper shouted at him. Five minutes will not make a difference, but the joy of opening a gift beautifully wrapped is unbound. Don’t take that joy away from those kids. So you wait here until I gift wrap them for you! The shopkeeper was so stern that “Young Man” had no choice but to wait.

When he narrated this incidence to me, I realized the importance of simple gestures in business. Give the customer more than he wants. Even  if he is not your repeat customer, it doesn’t matter, give him that joy. Mr Narsimhan was truly impressed by the culture of my city. Pune is otherwise known for very curt shop keepers. But this one incidence taught me so many things. It taught me that wrapping a gift for a child is important. Watch a kid open wrapped gift. He is so impatient and there is such joy when he sees something he wants! In true essence this is “Customer Delight”

Let me narrate another lesson .

I had started my first venture in 1984. 17^th June 1984 to be precise. It was a photofinishing Lab. I began on the 3^rd floor of a non-descript building on Laxmi Road. I knew nothing about printing color photographs, although I knew quite bit about Black and White Photography. I used to wait for hours for a customer to walk in. None would come. I was so frustrated; I decided to pick my bag and go get work from the Market. I went to some of the biggest dealers of photographic films in Pune. One amongst them was a man called Babubhai. He used to send his work to a Lab in Mumbai. He said, he was more than happy with their services and saw no reason to switch over. I would go to him every day and with hungry eyes look for work from him. He would give me nothing. But my perseverance paid off. One day out of sheer pity he gave me 10 films. I had my first customer! Armed with these ten films, I went to my lab, worked all night printed his photos and took them to him. He looked at the prints and he said “this is shit” I will never give you work. I was crestfallen. I begged him for another chance. I requested him to give me a sample of what he wants. I worked all night again and ensured that the prints were good. I lost money. I didn’t want to lose a customer. I could have been tempted to tell him , sorry this is all I can do. I can’t take 100% rejection. But I just wanted a satisfied customer. Your first customer is your best ambassador. Doesn’t matter what is the cost, he has to be satisfied. That chance will never ever come again. A first customer satisfied is far more important than the next one. Law of diminishing utility!  

The next day , I took the prints and he liked them ! I invited Babubhai to my office for a cup of tea. He said he would come. He came. I developed a good relationship with him. But he would give me no more work. I one day just casually suggested that I don’t expect him to give me all his work. But may be 10% or 15% is enough. He thought for a moment, and I said, it’s never a good idea to rely on one supplier. You never know anything can happen. He agreed. He would come every day and give me 15 films. It just about helped me break even. But every time he came, I treated him by receiving him at the entrance, escorting him to my office and offering him a cup of tea. My business began to grow. It reached a point where I used to get about 5,000 films a day. But Babubhai kept coming and slowly and surely I had converted him from 15% to 90%! The important thing for me was that he was my first customer, who supported me when no one was ready to back me up.

Sometimes, it’s a good idea to persuade a customer to be his standby supplier. He is bound to have a problem with his major vendor. You cease the moment that time! A lesson in marketing!

Years passed. Babubhai began to get old. He started losing interest in the business, my business was booming. But yet, he would come every week for his customary cup of tea, and I continued receiving him in my much bigger , larger office .

 One day, he said, this was his last cup of tea. He is getting too old and won’t be able to see me. I said I will come. I used to go once a month and meet him in his small but clean house. Just a week before he passed away he wept on my lap and said no one ever treated him with the respect I treated him with. The whole world is after money. You are a good man Parag. You respected me not for the business I gave you but the trust I reposed in you. I attended his funeral and had a tear to shed for my first customer.

A few days later, his son came to my office. He said, his father had left a Gold ring in his  dying Will for me. I said I cannot accept it. He said, he cannot keep it too. We decided to sell it and educate one child. I educated my first student free of cost from my first customer.

The lesson to learn is that never ever forget your first customer. Treat him the same way you treated him the first time he came to you. For he gave you faith , not business. That my friend is a big difference.  

I don’t pass a day without remembering Babubhai, my first customer. May his soul rest in peace

Parag Shah

22ndAugust 2012
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What is beauty?????

What is Beauty?

All beauty is permanent.

That is the test.

Oh So I thought!

If a flower wilts

And yet looks beautiful,

Its permanent

It’s beautiful

If a smile turns to sadness

And you see the beauty of human pathos

Its permanent

And it’s beautiful

Some buildings get older

Yet look more beautiful than ever

The Taj Mahal

The Sabrata Familia

The Mease pavilion

The CEPT building in Ahmedabad

Should good Education help you

Discriminate between the beauty of youth

And eternal beauty

Eternal beauty has a quality about it

Timeless

Ageless

Static

Yet Dynamic

The smile of Mona Lisa

The words of Mirza Ghalib

The magnificence of of the Taj

How does one convert these unique experiences?

Into personal ones?

The first time my daughter looked into my eyes and laughed

The first time my Son curled his little finger into my hand

Almost handing his life over to me

The first time I took a lecture

And I saw faces brimming with awe and enthusiasm

But these are all fleeting experiences, frozen in the   essence of time

I seek therefore I feel incomplete

The sad part is

The beauty of a building has many horror

Stories of subjugation and human terror

The Taj was made with a lot of slavery.

Was the slavery beautiful?

No it could not have been.

Therefore the process of making something beautiful is more important?

Or is process never important?

Is beauty serendipity?

I was walking down my lane today.....

I Saw a family of 3 generations pick up beautiful flowers and throw them

In the air and I smelt those flowers

Was the human bonding more beautiful than the flowers?

What is therefore real beauty?

Is it a fleeting experience?

Is it the permanence of a great edifice?

Is it the love for the child?

I do not know

May be in the seeking of beauty, itself lies the beauty of human existence

Is beauty an experience?

Or a timeless, ageless building, poetry or a painting

That my friend the real question!

Parag Shah
22nd May 2012

बेटी क्या होती है ? 10th Feb 2012

बेटी क्या होती है ?

मैं नहीं जानता..

बस मैं येः जानता हूँ

यह तोह सिर्फ एक एहसास होती हैं

एक एहसास
मेरे रूह का एक टूकडा मेरे ही घर में ही रेहता हैं

हम उसे पूजा बुलाता हूँ

लेकिन मन ही मन मैं उसीकी पूजा करता हूँ

लोग कहते हैं की बेटिया माँ के दिल का टूकडा होती हैं

मैं कहता हूँ वोह तो बाप की रूह का हिस्सा होती हैं

जब मैंने तुम्हे पहली बार अपनी बाँहों में लिया

बस उसी दिन से मैंने जान लिया की तुम

मेरी रूह का हिस्सा हो

शाम जब थकान के मारे मैं घर लौटता था

तब तुम्हारी नज़रे सिर्फ मेरे जूतों पर होती थी

बिना बताये तूम जानती थी की अब

जूते निकलते ही

बिज़नस करने वाले इंसान

जादू की पुडिया के जैसे "पापा" बन जायेगे

आज पापा का मूड कैसा हैं उस पर

उसकी हसीं निर्भर होती थी

उसने कभी हट नहीं किया

उसने कभी मुझसे कुछ माँगा नहीं

बस दिवाली के दिन पागलों की तरह शौपिंग करती थी

जैसे कल सूरज उगने ही वाला न हो!

और जब उसे हर गुरुवार के दिन

मैं खिंलोने के दुकानों में ले जाता था

उसकी नजर खिलोनो पर नहीं

मेरी नज़रों पर होती थी

जब उससे दो रेड लाइन मार्कशीट में मिली थी

वोह अपने लिए कम

मेरे लिए ज्यादा रोई थी!

सभी रिश्तेदार यही कहते थे की

मेरे बच्चे बिलकुल बिगड़ने वाले हैं

मैं उन्हें हमेशा यही कहता रहा

मेरे बच्चे कुछ अलग मिटटी के बने हैं

वोह बिगड़ेंगे नहीं

अच्छे और तृप्त इंसान बनेनेगे

मेरा रूह भी मुझे हमेशा येही कहती रही

पापा आप फ़िक्र मत करना

मैं एक दिन सारी दुनिया को दिखाऊँगी

की तुम्हारी बेटी सच में अलग मिटटी की बनी हैं

एक दफा याद हैं बेटे?

जब तुम इंग्लैंड में कुछ रोज़ थी

और तुमने हट पकड़ लि की

बस पापा अभी के अभी आ जाओं

मैं तुम्हारे बिना नहीं रह सकती ?

वक़्त गुज़रता गया

हालात बदलते गए

कुछ ग़लतिया मुझसे हुई

कुछ गलतियाँ मेरे रूह से भी हुई

गुस्सा बढ़ते गया

रास्ते अलग हुए

मैं तुम्हे येः बता नहीं पाया

पूजा मैं सिर्फ तुम्हारे लिया जीता हूँ

येही गलती मेरी थी
कही गलती तुम्हारी थी

कुछ हम दोनों की

रात को करवट लेता हूँ अकेला

पूजा मैं वही हूँ

सिर्फ हालात बदल गए हैं

अब मैं तुम्हारी राह देखता हूँ

और अब मेरी नज़र तुम्हारी बैग पर होती हैं

तूम बैग अपने कंधो से उतार ती हों

तो मैं जानता हूँ की आज का दिन ठीक गया

येः शहर मुझे भूल गया बेटे

जो इंसान बुलंदी पर खड़ा था

वही इंसान खु-ग़र , चित पड़ा हैं

लेकिन उसकी फितरत तोह येः हैं

के वोह कभी किसीसे कुछ मांगता नहीं

पर अब जब तुम्हारे जाने के दिन आये हैं

येः बाप आज तुमसे उसकी हसी और उसकी दुनियां
बुलंदी पर ही नहीं सही,

एक छोटी से जगह तुम्हारे दिल में मांगता हैं

बस एक बार मेरी तरफ , सिर्फ एक बार,

मेरी तरफ तूम एक बाप नहीं इंसान के नज़रियें से देखो

तुम्हे फिर तुम्हारी अधूरी रूह मिल जाएगी
बस येः एहसास करो के मेरे पापा एक इंसान भी है

और फिर भगवन भी एक गलती माफ़ करते है

आज मैं ज़िन्दगी के ऐसे दो राह पर खड़ा हूँ
की बिना सहारे के मैं उठ भी नहीं पाऊँगा

लेकिन मेरा ज़मीर मांगने की इज़ाज़त नहीं देता

बस आस तुमसे रखता हूँ
की सिर्फ तूम मुझे उठाओं

और फिर हम आहिस्ता

एक नयी ज़िन्दगी की शूरूआत करेंगे

फिर वही मोड़ पर आयेंगे की

जहा हम इस दुनिया के खेल में होंगे

आज मैं तुम्हारे तरफ उन्ही नज़रों से देख रहा हूँ

जिस तरह तूम मेरी तरफ खिलोनो के दूकानो में देखा करती थी

तारीख ,नसलों को यह मिसाल दे

बेटिया पूजा जैसे होनी चाहिए

बस एक बार , बाप को सिर्फ बाप नहीं

एक इंसान के तरह भी देखो

मैंने क्या कमाया?
क्या गवाया ?

येः मेरे लिए कोई मायने नहीं रखता

बस मुझे मेरी पुरानी वाली पूजा चाहिए

जो भागते मेरे पास आकर येः कहे

"पापा" हमारा रिश्ता तो आजा का नहीं

सदियों पुराना हैं

रूह-रूह से अलग नहीं होता

मैं आपकी वही पूजा
और आप मेरे वही "पापा" हों

और एक आखरी ख्वाइश हैं

उन चार कन्धों में से एक कन्धा
तुम्हारा भी होंगा

तुम और दर्शन मेरे रूह का टूकडा हो

मेरी अस्थियाँ "FLAME" के तालाब में छोड़ देना

आखरी सास और डूबती नज़रों से जब तुम्हे देखूँगा
मेरे रूह को सुकून मिलेगा

पराग शाह

फरवरी १० , २०१२