Dear Readers
I have been sharing the posts of all my three blogs ( www.hrdian.blogspot.com, www.corporatepoem.blogspot.com and www.rajeevianlinesandverses.blogspot.com) in "rate my literature.com"(RML) , a site devoted to featuring the writing of amateurs.
Ms Padmaja Iyengar (who along with her son Etentacles administers the site), interviewed me for her monthly feature "Author's Lounge which traces the writing journey of various writers who regularly contribute to RML. With her permission, I am sharing the link for your perusal..
http://www.ratemyliterature.com/magazine/read/authors-lounge--in-conversation-with-paddy--mn-rajeev-aka-rajeev_5586.html ( presently this site is down for maintenance)
Authors’ Lounge – In conversation with Paddy – M.N.
Rajeev a.k.a. Rajeev Moothedath
M.N. Rajeev (a.k.a.
Rajeev Moothedath) is one of those rare persons who straddles a high profile corporate
career and his passion for writing with equal ease. It is not every day that
you see a busy corporate professional making time to read and appreciate
amateur writers. Well, Rajeev does that and how well too! He reads all the blogs
on RML and posts his well-considered feedback.
Rajeev deftly manages
to write sensitive poetry and interesting HR-based articles with equal dexterity.
His presentation of highly complex HR issues in simple terms that is understood
even by a layman, speaks volumes of his writing and presentation skills. While
in corporate parlance HRM refers to Human Resource Management, according to me,
Rajeev is a double HRM specialist – Human Resource Management and Human
Relations Management, concepts of which come across so well in his writes.
Rajeev’s documentation skills too are noteworthy. He has shared on RML the
details of many a corporate program that he has attended, of which he had
apparently maintained meticulous notes to be recalled and presented as articles
of great value to the reader.
It would interest you
all to know that he holds a key position in a leading automobile MNC in Chennai
and is also a member of the Chennai Poets’ Circle.
Come, let’s discover
together other facets of Rajeev’s career and personality!
1. 1 Hi Rajeev!
Greetings from RML! And a warm welcome to the Authors’ Lounge! Please share
something of your background and early life with us.
Greetings to you Paddy and the RML fraternity
.It is indeed a pleasure and privilege to be interviewed by you and to be
featured in Authors’ Lounge.
I was
born in Ernakulam, Kerala and had my schooling in Kendriya vidyalaya Ernakulam.
I feel it is my school that shaped my personality to a great extent as there
was a lot of focus on co-curricular activities and not just on studies. This
gave me the opportunity to participate in essay writing, debates, singing and
acting in dramas. We were encouraged to read news during the morning assembly.
We also had a good library from where we could borrow books and read magazines
& journals.
Those days we were required to choose
electives of study right from high school. I chose Economics, history &
English Literature. This meant being exposed to Shakespeare’s Julius Ceaser,
Thomas Hardy’s novel “Far from the madding crowd” and also to poetry of poets
like Shelley, Keats, Thomas Gray, Alfred Lord Tennyson and others.
After schooling, I did graduation in
economics and post-graduation in social work with specialization in personnel management
(as HR was then called) from the reputed Madras School of social work. This
opened the door to the corporate world and I joined as a management trainee in
Visvesvaraya Iron & steel Ltd Bhadravati, Karnataka. Later, I got LLB degree from Mysore University.
Since then I have been working in the HR function in both the public &
private sector companies. Presently I am the HOD of learning & development
(training) department in an auto major MNC operating out of Chennai.
2. 2 Wow! a
great start in life and an upwardly mobile professional career! Amidst all
this, when and how did the writing bug bite you?
It is an interesting
question. In view of the creative climate at school, I started writing when I
was around twelve years. The first poem was shown to the class teacher who had
edited it so much that it only vaguely resembled what I had originally written!
Later when I was in class X, I send a poem to Indian Express. Those days we did
not have separate children’s corner in newspapers. I received a regret reply
stating that my writing showed promise but that I need to keep on writing to
improve. Although, no publishing happened, I continued to write in a note book
which I called “A book of hobby” that now included short stories as well .Our
school had a competition for bringing out manuscript class magazines every year
to which I regularly contributed. Later I contributed to the college magazines.
After starting work,
the “Book of hobby had less and less entries. A poem would come on first
wedding anniversary and another at the time of the birth of first child. The
priorities had shifted unconsciously. During this period all writing skills
were limited to office correspondence for which there was fair scope as I was
then working in public sector.
Sometime around the
year 2000, I developed an interest in writing articles on the corporate life,
its priorities and challenges. Some of them were published in the management
section- Avenues’ of the Deccan Herald,
leading newspaper from Bangalore. National Institute of Personnel
Management, Mysore Chapter also published my articles in their annual
magazines.
It was in September
2012 that I decided to write a blog on HR matters. After I had written a few
posts, someone suggested that I make it available on Indi blogger for better
readership. This proved true But more importantly, it exposed me to creative
writing in the form of poetry, short stories etc which prompted me to resume
poetry writing and start a separate blog for nonprofessional writing, touching
on general subjects. I also started a
blog exclusively for corporate poems. Later another noble soul introduced me to
RML and the warmth I received here was an inspiration to keep writing. Today,
if I have been able to post more than 90 blogs it is on account of encouraging
readers.
3. 3 That’s
interesting! What is the difference you find when you write a
profession-related piece and a literary piece like poetry? And which according
to you is more difficult?
The spark is the same
whether I am writing a professional article or creative poetry. It is just that
a lot more time needs to be spent on the article as it tends to be longer. For
me, a quicker output is possible when writing poetry. But the satisfaction one
derives on completing either of the forms is the same.
4. 4 Here on RML, we have had the privilege of
reading a good number of your professional HR based articles. Do you believe
that the principles you speak of, can be applied to our day to day life too? If
so how?
You may have noticed
that most of my articles are related to the basic human nature like practicing
core values, power of appreciation, civility in behaviour and power of storytelling
to drive home a point. These can be applied with benefit as much in our
personal lives as in a professional environment. As for example expressing
appreciation & thanks to your wife for her wonderful cooking would make her
happy as would an appreciated employee for work well done.
Disclosing more about
yourself & seeking feedback from others (Johari window) will enhance trust
whether at home or at work.
5 5 I for one
know that you are a very committed and passionate corporate trainer. What
motivated you to take up training? And how did you hone your training skills?
In the
initial stage of my career I had the good fortune of being selected for a
“Train the trainer” program. 21 of us got trained and were expected to train
the remaining 520 executives of the company. This assignment was in addition to
our regular work. I found myself enjoying this activity. Later, I volunteered for
similar OD initiatives. One’s skill, confidence and comfort levels tend to go
up over a period of time. I also got the opportunity to see many trainers at
close quarters and appreciate the varying styles & its impact on the
participants
6 6 How do you
manage to divide time between your family, profession and writing? How do you
prioritize?
Today,
the children having grown up (both sons are working), do not demand much time.
On the contrary, we have to demand time from them which they may prefer to spend
with peers & friends!
Writing
is mostly done in a few lines or para when I get the time & inspiration.
When it adds up to a whole article, I publish in the blog/RML.
As
ideas come to mind, I note them down in a small book to be developed later.
7 7 Do you
read a lot? What kind of writing appeals to you? Who are your favourite
writers?
I used
to read a lot more than what I am doing presently. The interest & taste in the
nature of books have also changed over the years. Enid Blyton books as a child,
then P.G.Wodehouse, James Hadley Chase Erle Stanley Gardner (Perry Mason),
Agatha Christie and Harold Robins. Over a period, the interest in fiction
dwindled and I got drawn to books of Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Deepak
Chopra, Wayne Dyer, Brian Weiss(Many
Lives, many masters), Louise Hay(You can heal your life),Dr Bernie Siegel(Love,
Medicine, Miracles), Anita Moorjani(Dying to be me) and James Redfield (Celestine Prophesy).
Simultaneously
the books of management authors like Moid Siddiqui, Edward de Bono, Spencer
Johnson, Dr Marshall Goldsmith. Kennath.H.Blanchard and others also interested
me. I also read books on spirituality (Eckhart Tolle- Power of Now,
Publications of Osho / Ramakrishna mission/ Ramana Maharshi/Brahmakumaris)
8. What
is your message to all the young writers out there, who are passionate about
writing, but are caught up in their professional preoccupations and family
pressures and commitments?
I
only have a simple message for all the bright, talented youngsters who have an
interest & flair for writing and are also working. Do not let what happened
to me, happen to you.The profession should not put a break to your creative
pursuits. Keep writing a few lines every day and before you know it, you would
have a substantial body of work in writing over the years. The wonderful
internet is today available to you. Therefore publishing & readership is
not a problem. So make the most of it!
