As you like it…

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

It’s been a while since I have taken up writing. A albeit extended hiatus. So much has happened since I last posted something. Various, disparate lines are converging. Life has become like a symphony, entering the closing movement in which all previous themes are reprised and blended. Or like a novel in which the subplots are, with each passing chapter, revealing themselves to be ever more crucial to the main tale. I do not mean to imply that there’s anything ’final’ about what’s happening now. My journey will go on for many more delightful miles… but soon, I’ll reach a clear conclusion about which major road I am due to go down next. An array of bewildering options is boiling down to one inevitable choice.

Once bitten, twice shy. But what about thrice? Could it be third time lucky? When I look at things that has gone badly awry in the past. Since my disappointing experiences, I have steered clear of any painful repetition. Out of the corner of my eye though, I have been watching the situation carefully and making tentative attempts to see if it has improved. Something does seem to have altered now. Is it madness to have another go? Not if I am ready to apply all that I have learned. If I look back over my life, I may spot a pattern. I go through a phase during which everything changes at the speed of light. Then I stay in roughly the same position for a while. Then, just when I am ready to consider myself settled, the process of wild upheaval begins again.  

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Relationships…an honorarium – my Father

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Relationships are complex; and to my mind the relationship with one’s parents is the most sacred, and also more often than not, taken for  granted. Parents – we wouldn’t be there but for them. In this whole wide World they are the only people who will never grudge you anything, and will always listen, bend backwards and do absolutely anything for you. Stand by you always and every time. Yet, we tend to use them as our punching bag, to quell our own frustrations and anger at everything and anything. Rarely do we realise the fact that, they are our strongest allies and would mostly bear everything we throw at them no matter what. I myself had a very disconnected and distant relationship with my father. It was more bitter than sweet, and we could never really connect. We always had a barrier, which was more my fault than his. Maybe since he himself was an orphan having lost his parents when he was just a year old and having been brought up at the mercy of his relatives, never got to experience the relationship himself, instead experienced a lonely childhood. But in the hindsight, when I look back and reflect, he has always been a very loving father who just failed at expressing his love, and I blundered in understanding. I beseech all to unconditionally love your parents while they are around. We all come with an expiry date and the realisation will strike  only once we ultimately lose them. Alas, by then it will be too late to make any amends and we will ultimately have to live in regret for the rest of our lives. One year has passed since my father departed, and after he has gone, I realised that in my entire life I have never expressed to him that how much I loved him and to this day continue to love him. Not a single day, in these last 365 days have passed without this regret which I most definitely will carry to my grave. On his 1st anniversary of death, I just want to say to him that I love him, have always loved him and miss him very much…Rest in Peace, Achan. God Bless your Soul.

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Positivity, Confidence & Guidance

Posted on February 6, 2022 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

There are some arguments that nobody can win. The truth of the matter, with regard to that thorny old question; ’Which came first, the chicken or the egg?’ is that there is no ultimate truth. No logical process will ever decide it. Similarly there are many such unanswerable question in life. We always need to work around it, rather than through it. But some challenges in life are just not worth contemplating. Where, even if you can move a mountain, where are you actually going to move it TO? And what kind of an advantage will you gain for all that effort? Just think what could be possible if only you were to stop attempting the impossible! 

Whenever the world prepares for any sporting games, conversation turns to the issue of drug abuse in sport. When does an achievement become artificial? When it is fuelled by steroids and stimulants? When the obsessive determination to win stems from a warped experience of childhood? What’s relevant here is the whole notion of competition. What’s fair or unfair? Where DOES the need to prove oneself come from? At what cost should it be indulged? Pertinent food for thought now! However, Don’t ever underestimate the power of positivity. Confidence, in association with a little cleverness and being positive can accomplish a great deal.

Just the other day, I was in conversation with a very dear Friend of mine. He is a World renowned “Coach” who has been coaching, guiding and “helping” many top honchos in the Business World across 24 Countries. He also works with lot of other groups like Youngsters and provide guidance. He explained to me, very pertinently that all he can do is guide you to find solutions, the answers and solutions will have to be found by the Individual. Citing the example of Sachin Tendulkar, he explained that Sachin’s Coach Achrekar can only help him when he is out of the field, while in the middle of a game it will have to be Sachin who will have to do what he has to do.Sometimes, reflecting back I wonder, maybe I should have had a Coach to guide me in my endeavour. I had a Coach when I used to play Basketball. He would tell me things implementation of which helped me in my game and a better player out of me. Or in the Military Academy we had our “Ustads” who taught us everything from firing Guns to Missiles. Yes, without their support you would never learn HOW. Maybe things would have turned out “differently”. But then just like the example of Sachin, I have been doing what I have been doing in the field. However, maybe if I had a Coach it would have helped. People always look to someone for guidance. GURUS. And they do have a very pertinent and integral place in our lives. Who knows how things would have panned out otherwise.

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Happiness

Posted on September 13, 2021 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Happiness is a state of mind, and we alone are responsible for how we can make ourselves happy. We seek answers outside while all the time the answer is glaring at us from within. Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.”

Unfortunately, for a majority this truth is revealed quite late, by which time we have already spent a major part of our lives fretting and worrying, about what in the hindsight can be termed as trivial. In fact the secret to success is happiness. Being happy helps us resolve problems in a much better manner and it does improves our thinking. Our brains also function better when we are happy. Happiness starts inside you. Never put your happiness in someone else’s hands. When you take stock of the situation at a later stage in life, one does wonder what was the need for all that fretting and discomfort that we spent the major part of our lives. That is when you start reflecting on What If…

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SUCCESS AS AN ENTREPRENEUR – III

Posted on September 11, 2021 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

The grass on the other side is always greener. Is it genuinely green or is it actually an illusion. I ventured out long time back, and can’t really say that it has turned green, even though like the salt and pepper hair that I have now, it does seem to be interspersed with some green. And mind you I have spent some 21 years tending to it. A lot of ex-employees who were at one point associated with me did jump into the sea of entrepreneurship. I am not aware of how they fared in their endeavor and whether for them it turned greener almost instantaneously. One thing is however very certain, those who feel that entrepreneurship is indeed a get-rich-quick scheme are headed for a disaster. I meet so many people who rattle out the road map, get funded, create valuation and bring out an IPO / get acquired and then walk away with tons and tons of money. A select few hit par dirt and which triggered this berserk stampede. That is why today we find that 90% of startups are failing. 

Anyone who aspires to be an entrepreneur should have a innate desire to achieve success. And it has a long gestation time and the budding entrepreneur has to be prepared for the long waiting period during which the test would be severe and relentless. How does an Olympian win the Medal that he/she aspires for. There is no short cuts here.

You need to have a vision, ascertain the “WHY” factor and start small. Let the light far off be burning even though dim from afar. If Birbal could find warmth from the candle burning miles away then surely you can keep the desire burning till you reach your goal. Mistakes, aplenty are inevitable. But with each mistake the resolve should keep getting stronger. Never give up in the face of adversity. The situation will change eventually. The fire in the belly should remain burning. Perseverance and willingness to work hard. If you choose to be an entrepreneur then you have to choose to sacrifice a lot of other things. 

Your enterprise is your baby. Be proud of it. Never be dazzled with what is around you. A very senior person remarked to me recently about the location of my Office. It is my Office and I am proud of it. I am the “employer”, and if employees do not want to compromise and have their own locational preferences then it is their own restricted mindset and I cannot help it. Whoever heard of a well walking up to a thirsty person!! But then you can provide Value addition. 

I have built a goodwill by practicing integrity and taking very good care of my Customers. And this has definitely resulted in a very positive retention of Customers with solid goodwill. The Customers should not stop believing in your Venture. Never take them for granted. You exist only because of them and it can never be the other way round. If our reputation and integrity exceeds expectation then Customers will be willing to be associated with you regardless of the cost. It will not matter if you are more expensive. 

When you embarked on your entrepreneurial journey, was it a “risk” or a “gamble”. Just like success is never guaranteed, failure does not mean the end. Nothing is final. At one point, I went on to scale heights and in the very next year my business had plummeted. The slide could be stopped only recently and have again regained the upward momentum. Entrepreneurship has its flips and flops. Never be discouraged. If you do not give up, there is nothing that can stop you from succeeding…a true life story.      

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Success as an Entrepreneur – II

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and passion to reach for the stars to change the World. The grass on the other side is always greener. Is it genuinely green or is it actually an illusion. I ventured out long time back, and can’t really say that it has turned green. And mind you I have spent some 23 years tending to it. A lot of colleagues, who were at one point associated with me did jump into the sea of entrepreneurship. I am not aware of how they fared in their endeavor and whether for them it turned greener almost instantaneously. One thing is however very certain, those who feel that entrepreneurship is indeed a get-rich-quick scheme are headed for a disaster. 

Anyone who aspires to be an entrepreneur should have a burning desire to achieve success. And it has more often than not, a long gestation time. The budding entrepreneur has to be prepared for the long waiting period during which the test would be severe and relentless. How does an Olympian win the Medal that he/she aspires for. There is no short cuts here. 

You need to have a vision, ascertain the “why” factor and start small. Let the light far off be burning even though dim from afar. If Birbal could find warmth from the candle burning miles away then surely you can keep the desire burning till you reach your goal. Mistakes, aplenty are inevitable. But with each mistake the resolve should keep getting stronger. Never give up in the face of adversity. The situation will change eventually. The fire in the belly should remain burning. Perseverance and willingness to work hard. If you choose to be an entrepreneur then you have to choose to sacrifice a lot of other things. 

The hard thing isn’t setting a big audacious goals. The hard thing is laying people off when you miss the big goal. The hard thing isn’t hiring great people. The hard thing is when those “great people” develop a sense of entitlement and start demanding unreasonable things. The hard thing isn’t setting up an organisational chart. The hard thing is getting people to communicate within the organisation that you just designed. The hard thing isn’t dreaming big. The hard thing is waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat when the dream turns into a nightmare. And there is no formula for dealing with them.

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Time…Part I.

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Yesterday, while in the middle of a training program, something about time came up and I thought it best to share some of my thoughts on TIME. How often in any given day do we hear this oft repeated lamenting remark, “I just don’t have the time”.

I have personally practised this my entire life, where I rise quite early in the morning and in the matter of exceeding programmes, I have managed to accomplish as much in one morning hour as in two evening hours.

We are all quite familiar with the phrase “Time is Money”, in fact Time is a great deal more than money. If you have time you can obtain money—usually. At the same time you may have all the wealth in the World, you cannot buy yourself a minute more time than what you have. The scientists & researchers have explained space, but no one has been able to explain time. It is the inexplicable raw material of everything. With it, all is possible; without it, nothing.

Time is also an astonishing daily miracle. Every morning as soon as you wake up your time purse is filled with 24 hours magically, yours to spend as you deem fit. And everyone – the richest of rich and the poorest of poor gets exactly the same measure. It is the most precious of possessions. No one can take it from you, it is un-stealable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive. Use it as you like – there is no punishment for right or wrong. It is not like the ones who “use” time better are rewarded by an extra hour or two. Waste your infinitely precious commodity as much as you will, you will still be rewarded with a fresh 24 hours tomorrow. No mysterious power is going to come bearing down and pass any judgement, “this man does not deserve time, and cut him off the meter”. You cannot waste your tomorrow, it is kept safe for you, you cannot even waste the next hour, you can only waste the Present hour.

We never shall have any more time. We have, and we have always had, all the time there is. It is a profound and neglected truth.

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Success as an Entrepreneur – I

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realises that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow; he then becomes the rightful master of himself. Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.

Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself. No such conditions can exist as descending into vice and its attendant sufferings apart from vicious inclinations, or ascending into virtue and its pure happiness without the continued cultivation of virtuous aspirations; and man, therefore, as the lord and master of thought, is the maker of himself and the shaper of and author of environment.

Get up and get going. Let the power and potential of the circumstances work its magic. If there’s a limit to what you can physically do, at least allow your mind to wander freely in brave new territory. Courage is not the absence of despair, it is rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair. It should be easy to come up with practical, creative solutions to all problems. Forget plans and just resolve to do something that feels like it ’has a ring to it’. That ring, if you trust it, will prove to be made of 24 carat gold. And if you’re not sure what it is you should be doing, treasure your sense of uncertainty. Nurture it. Be proud of it. Remember that every great book begins with a blank sheet of paper. Every wonderful painting starts with an empty canvas. Every beautiful musical composition commences with a moment of silence. Every creative process, no matter how humble, requires you to bring forth something out of nothing. Which is very daunting. Usually, the best way to get going is just to do something. Anything. Then, at least, you’ve got something you can alter or adjust or improve on. That’s why what you are tentatively building is far better than nothing. 

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Lessons in Leadership

Posted on May 28, 2021 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Courage is not the absence of despair; it is rather, the capacity to move ahead in spite of despair.

My two leadership lessons. 

1. Look for a Solid Foundation:-

While you are in developing stage of your business, Invest all your resources including your time and energy in building the robust foundation which will take you to the next level . It will create an ideal platform for your business to grow into a much larger entity and take it to the next level. The strong foundation will enable you to pursue your growth and expansion plans. Resist the temptation for any quick (cheap) fix systems which can make it sloppy; rather make it as robust & reliable as possible.

2. Scalability is a matter of science:-

Scalability is when you take your growing business to the next level and essentially it is the result of linear strategic growth achieved over a period of time. For a business to be scalable, it must primarily focus on increasing the efficiency and overall value it adds. A proper scaling evaluation should be undertaken before making that critical decision. You also need to set the growth trajectory to follow i.e what speed, what route, what resources, when to pause and when to finish.

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ASTUTE CARE

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Capt. Shaji Kumar

Astute Care is led by a team of professionals who have the single minded devotion to fulfil the Values that it professes.

Results you can count on
Our Professional cleaners will provide consistent results. They will keep your home sparkling and fresh all the time. You won’t have to worry if company drops by unexpectedly. Your home will always be pristine. You’ll be proud to have spur-of-the-moment visitors.
Specialised Tools and EquipmentA professional provider will be aware of all of the major innovations and developments in the cleaning industry. They have invested their resource into finding the absolute best cleaning materials and equipment available on the market. They should have a wide range of supplies and specific tools and cleaning products for every job. They will know when and where to use each tool and will use these to deliver impeccable and high-quality cleaning results.
Trained and Skilled StaffA professional cleaning company will have a pool of highly trained and skilled staff. The employees are professional and have attended many hours of training. They will have unique training to clean all commercial environments and will do be able to deliver cleaning results efficiently. All of their staff should also be security vetted and background checked so that you are confident that they are hiring only the best teams of people.
Reduce your Environmental FootprintWhen it comes to environmental care, the cleaning industry has made great strides in recent years. A reputable cleaning company will be committed to ensuring that its products are as environmentally friendly as possible. They will have environmentally friendly solutions that are safe for both the environment and of course the people in contact with them.

All Service Professional are trained and certified by ALTA. (Astute Learning & Training Academy) – a non-profit initiative for the Blue Collar Workforce by Astute Outsourcing Services Pvt. Ltd. supported by Chaque Jour Aashirwad Social Welfare Trust.

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