New year wishes from a faraway land

From: gopaalakrishnan karthik [mailto:gopaalakrishnan@yahoo.com]

Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2006 5:48 AM

To: Vedantham Mumbai; sridharshreya@sify.com; roshini sagar; santhanam vidyasagar; SRIDHAR; iyengar padma srinivasan; Srinivasan Raghavan; Sireesh S (WI01 - Consulting); sireesh santhanam sireesh

Subject: Happy n Prosperous New Year 2007...

30th December 2006 – 11.30 PM – Kuwait time.

Hi All

Hope all of you are doing great…and are just as eager as us (me and Vidya) waiting for the dawn of another year…

It’s been quite a long time since I have written something about my whereabouts. Well, my last mail was on the 27th of Oct 06 and two months have zipped past, just like that. What to say? Busy as a bee in setting up my house, buying furniture’s, electronic gadgets etc in all blowing up money in buying up what I wanted…a simple man’s dream fulfilled. After all are we not materialistic or should I restrict it to my self here. Anyways it was Vidya’s dream as well to have and live in a house the way we do now here in Kuwait . I can say, a dream cherished and thanks to God for everything. For I find here many people who eke out a living in real meager sums. Given that and given the way how my life has rolled up until now, I have to thank God for such a pretty decent and happy life.

What life has to offer beyond the shores of India ? Ask any gentleman and woman has lived beyond and the first thing they would say, provided they live off with a decent salary and good life style (living standards), is Quality of Life. Do you compromise on anything – Yes, wherever you are I am sure you would be treated or looked down upon as a second or third class citizen, no matter how big you are. You do not belong here and you are here to serve us…more pertinent to the Gulf States where the aspect of slavery is spelt out loud and clear. Does that disparage you…yes, sometimes it does, and after all have you not sacrificed your freedom for the sake of something. Well, in order to gain something we lose something…as the generic proverb goes. You whisk away such things and go business like focusing on the purpose and mission of your life. Finance professionals end up taking higher studies like International CFA program or CPA or even MBA programs from US in furtherance of a better, secure and more professional future with MNC’s, consultancy firms and banks…So you become divergent and other things become trivial because you are already blessed with two most important things which you do not get in India…Money and Time.

What it would mean to live life here in Kuwait…perhaps for a maximum of two years…and there after the search begins…right now I have learnt the art of setting up the house independently…taking decisions on my own on where to have the house, type of house, what to buy at what price and to our liking. Decisions that would have been entirely borne out of my parent’s wish list had I been in India . You realize something. Able to handle the visa processing of my spouse and she joined me on the 28th of Nov 06. Did we not wait eagerly for that date…and anxious were the moments at the airport until I saw her walk out of that immigration and check out…happy reunion after about 45 days. Had it not been for Ramadhan etc she could have joined me in 30 days flat.

As I had mentioned earlier some of the senior people out here have lived in other parts of the world and for them Kuwait is not the best of the places. Why so…in terms of facilities and recreations, especially for folks with family…it does not offer much. What it does offer instead, is hard cash, which rocks against any other currency and if you are a travel buff you can travel to all the near and far places around. One of my colleagues who works here as a senior financial analyst has already traveled to Bahrain, Jordan, Dubai and now to Rajasthan for New Year in the last 1 ½ years. Let’s see…what all we would get to see…in the near and distant future. Being first time out of India , our comparables are always with that of India and we find that life is better. Problem is nobody walks out here. Either it is too hot or too cold. Right now the temperature has fallen to below 5 degrees and without any car to move around we take a walk to nearby places, when others would be traveling by car. It’s good nevertheless. We have been to quite a few places around Kuwait and except for big malls and super markets it has not really much to offer. The ones which I really like are the sea side areas…and I live closer to one and you can enjoy yourself by taking a stroll by the beach side. It’s beautifully kept, neat and clean with the paved walk ways…it’s a joy to walk…by the noon and by the evening it can be biting cold and sometimes it’s not worth taking the risk in an alien country with your spouse.

I really find it strange that this society prides itself in opening up to the western ways of living yet masks itself in its traditional glory. Everything perhaps needs to be performed behind the scenes to the private eyes of the owner. Why not share them with others as well…not really broad minded. Jeez these folks are really heavily built…both women and men folk…they are sure a bunch of folks who keep masticating all the time…all the restaurants are always busy…and I leave it to your guess what they would end up doing when they are back home. All work and no play make jack a dull boy.

As regards my work, currently I am managing the accounting of two companies one of which is called as Kirby Building Systems – they also have manufacturing plants in Hyderabad and Uttaranchal. They are also putting up a plant in Ras Al Kaimah – near Abu Dhabi , UAE which will be operational by the middle of next year. With the capacity expansions happening in all the existing plants and setting up of a new plant Kirby would be the largest Pre Engineered Building Steel manufacturer in the World and a major player outside of US Market. I am currently in charge of accounting only for the Kuwait part. My work profile consists of closing the books of accounts, Payables, Managing funds, liasoning with Auditors – E&Y etc. routine stuff. I am not currently involved in reporting which is taken care of by the financial analysts group. I take care of the accounting group and we in turn report to the Senior Manager Finance. I also take care of another company called as Kuwait Insulating and Material Manufacturing Company which manufactures Insulation material. They also have a plant in India and have now bought a plant in Turkey for US$ 250 MM and are actively looking for expansions and other synergies. Here again I take care of the accounting side of it for Kuwait operations. Being the initial stage it is taking some time to adjust to both the operations of the company as new things keep coming up all the time. The major thing to happen in the next one year’s time – SAP implementation across the group and the initial setting up would be done for India operations. Let’s see, if I would live up to that stage…or where my life would take me to. So far so good…job involves a little bit of administrative nightmare as well…but I wanted to have an experience of the same as this can prove to be a rounded experience in all. Once I settle down, I can involve myself in the analytical side of it as well.

It’s nice to have Vidya around; else what’s life without a partner. Especially one that is so loving and caring. Just that I am back to my lazy days…leaving the home part completely to her. Looking out for a suitable job for her so that she can be occupied by the day and also earning something for her own self and also some new friends in this part of the world. It’s always nice to know people. You get to meet so many people in India and you can hardly remember most of them…and here you would ache to meet up with people. That’s another pertinent difference. We are having a good time here together doing what we would like to do, spending time together…and loving each other much more than ever.

Keeping in touch with Mom and Dad at least on alternate days over phone. It's difficult and we do certainly miss them and all of you too. All said and done and all acquired and done...caring words and a resting shoulder is something that money cannot buy. But it is good to hear their voice...also in touch with Mama and Mami over phone once in a week. Life was a bit hectic for me in office for the last 2 months hence could not keep in touch with you all through my regular updates. And once I am back home, of course, I have to spend time with Vidya. For she is bored to death from 7.30 in the morning (time I leave to office) until 6.00 PM in the evening (I reach home). Since I have a laptop, I take the liberty to work from home these days. At least I can be with her.

It’s been a great year…2006…I guess for all of us. It was a sheer roller coaster of a ride…but then…life should go on and only rolling stones gather mass as the proverbial saying goes. And we should move on in search of farther lands…greater aspirations…to explore untouched vistas…to realize what life has to offer…beyond the smaller circle which we are normally accustomed to.

There is so much to life beyond what we do…what we want to be known as…just another bunch of folks who lived and died…or do we need to make an imprint in the annals of history…or at least be a kinder soul to the ones who are in need of us. I truly respect and salute Christians in this regard for their abundant charity work they espouse to do. Perhaps some of us do that in alienation or in isolation…but as a Hindu society…we are a fragmented lot as compared to Christians or Muslims for that matter. Perhaps I am wrong…but at least I want to do something in 2007 for some people who are in need…of food, shelter and basic amenities…as God had provided me much more that I could have asked for.

We wish from Kuwait a very Happy, Prosperous, Bright, Wonderful, Lovely, Cheerful, Fantastic 2007 and beyond.

Hey folks I completed this letter in one stroke exactly at 12.40 AM on 31st December 2006. Tell me, did you have a great New Year party this time and where was it…stay it touch…

Ciao,

Love

Karthik & Vidya.

Mail me @ Karthik@alghanim.com

That’s my official email ID.

#Kuwait