The Project Manager's Life 19

As professionals who work on projects, we must constantly be prepared to go where the client wants the work to be done. As such, we belong to a brotherhood of nomads. We are always on the road and never know with certainty where we shall have to travel next. Moin Nazar has captured this quite sharply in the following sher, which in a way is our motto.


पूछकर मेरा पता वक़्त राएगाँ न करो
मैं तो बंजारा हूँ क्या जानूँ कहाँ जाऊँगा

राएगां करना = to waste; बंजारा = nomad

शायर : मुईन नज़र

پوچھـ کرميرا پتا وقب رائگاں نہ کرو
ميں تو بنجارا ہوں کيا جانوں کہاں جاؤںگا

شاعر: معين نظر

As one nomad to another, may our paths soon cross. I leave tomorrow for another journey.

The Project Manager's Life 18

With projects, it often seems like there is either no project to work on or too much demand for our time on various projects. When there finally is work to be done, requests for our help seem to come from every direction and we feel pulled in too many directions. As we say in English, “when it rains, it pours.”

Of course that is from our perspective here on Earth looking up. The following sher gives us the perspective from the cloud’s point of view looking down.

ये एक अब्र का टुकड़ा कहाँ कहाँ बरसे
तमाम दश्त ही प्यासा दिखाई देता है

[ अब्र = cloud; दश्त = desert, arid plain ]

शायर : शकेब जलाली

يے ايک ابر کا ٹکڑا کہاں کہاں برسے
تمام دشت ہی پياسا دکھائ ديتا ہے


شاعر: شکیب جلالی

Ultimately, we have to prioritize and release the “rain” of our skills on the “thirstiest” projects.

The Project Manager's Life 17

In Western culture we occasionally use the Latin expression “experto credite” (trust one with experience). Of course, how do we know that the one in whom we choose to believe really is a qualified expert? The following sher, once again by Nidaa Faazli, provides a word of warning.

कभी कभी यूं भी हमने जी को बहलाया है
जिन बातों को नहीं समझे औरों को समझाया है

शायर : निदा फ़ाज़ली

کبھی کبھی يوں بھی ہمنے جی کو بہلايا ہے

جن باتوں کو نہيں سمجھے اوروں کو سمجھايا ہے

شاعر : ندا فاضلی

This sher also reminds me of a saying we have in English: “Those who can do, and those who can’t teach.” I personally do not adhere to this. I have the highest admiration for those who have dedicated themselves to educating others. Nevertheless, the saying is there and it pairs nicely with the above sher.

The Project Manager's Life 16

It seems that nowadays our industry has become obsessed with certifications. There are certifications for quality control, for program management, and for almost every programming language or packaged product. Without a doubt, some associates spend a tremendous amount of time hitting the books and studying for certification tests, the positive results of which are recorded in personnel records and in CV’s. Clients, in turn, scrutinize these while assessing the qualifications of individuals for acceptance on project teams. Sometimes I wonder whether or not real world experience counts any more. I still think it does. So, hit the books and take the tests, but get out and bathe in experience as Nidaa Fazli proposes.

धूप में निकलो घटाओं में नहा कर देखो
ज़िन्दगी क्या है किताबों को हटा कर देखो

शायर : निदा फ़ाज़ली

دھوپ ميں نکلو گھٹاؤں ميں نہا کر ديکھو
زندگی کيا ہے کتابوں کو ہٹا کر ديکھو

شاعر : ندا فاضلی

Likewise, we are constantly encouraged to approach problems with open minds, to “think out of the box.” In a different ghazal, Nidaa takes another jab at the kitaabi life.

बच्चों के छोटे हाथों को चांद सितारे छूने दो
चार किताबें पढ़ कर वो भी हम जैसे हो जाएंगे

सितारा = तारा

शायर : निदा फ़ाज़ली

بچوں کو چھوٹے ہاتھوں کو چاند ستارے چھونے دو
چار کتابيں پڑھ کر وہ بھی ہم جيسے ہو جائنگے

شاعر : ندا فاضلی

Perhaps it is the balance of the two perspectives that will enable us to perform better. A certain amount of book learning gives us a platform on which to stand if we aspire to reach up and touch the moon and stars, but we have to be willing to push the books aside and learn from experience if we are to be able to reach them.

We have cited numerous ashaar by Nida Fazli in these postings. If you would like to hear his poetry rather than read it, check out his recordings on The South Asian Literary Recordings Project Site ( http://www.loc.gov/acq/ovop/delhi/salrp/fazli.html ). Wa, wa!

There are also recordings in other Indian languages.

The Project Manager's Life 15

This sher by Sabaa Afghaani makes me think of the advice that those who have no in depth project experience can be prone to offer. It also should remind us that the “day of judgment” in a project is not just the day a major deliverable is expected. The focus everyday must be on the schedule and accountability.

ऐ वाईज़-ए-नादान करता है तू एक क़यामत का चर्चा
यहाँ रोज़ निगाहें मिलता हैं यहाँ रोज़ क़यामत होती है

सबा अफ़ग़ानी

اۓ واعظ نا دان کرتا ہے تو ايک قيامت کا چرچا
يہاں روز نگاہيں ملتی ہيں يہاں روز قيامت ہوتی ہے

صبا افغانی

वाईज़ = preacher, teacher; नादान = ignorant, foolish; क़यामत = Day of Judgment (from the Qu’ran). Alternatively spelled क़ियामत to reflect the correct Urdu pronunciation.; चर्चा करना = to talk about, spread a report; निगाह = a look, glance