Linkedout -- Bye Bye Linkedin

I joined LinkedIn in 2006, though not very active, checking Linkedin atleast once a day was a daily routine. Most of the time, it was to check out posts from my ex-colleagues, sometimes to track down people I would suddenly remember from work, and the rest of the time, it was just to scroll.

At the beginning of 2025, I decided to take a break from LinkedIn and deactivated my account. Reasons? 

1. Felt it was becoming more like Facebook, where people keep posting about their and their family members' achievements. It feels as if here, too, people are trying to get the maximum "Likes" or footfalls. Slowly and gradually, the platform started looking irrelevant.

2. No genuine engagement or connect with members.

I am very choosy when it comes to sending connect request of accepting. And so my network actually is very small, and I used to believe that I have few but genuine connections. But that was not the case. Many times, I never got a response to 1-1 messages. Many times, Interactions over the Posts felt very superficial

3. Job Opportunities 

I have been looking on and off for opportunities through LinkedIn all these years, but I never got an opportunity through LinkedIn. It was usually through job portals or through professional references, but never through the LinkedIn platform.  

So, last year I took a break from LinkedIn and didn't miss it much, but then in July, I went to Bangalore just to meet my friends and acquaintances, Met Sonu after 23 years, Yash after 14 years, and we started talking about other friends, and that's when I felt the need to be on LinkedIn. I came back and reactivated my account, and tried reconnecting with 2 of my Wipro batchmates, but after that, nothing much. 

Professionaly I took break 3 years back, deciding I will get back to academics and change my path if possible. But whatever I had planned didn't work out. And then recently, I thought I should check the waters and apply for suitable Job openings. It's during this process that I realised that nothing much happens through the platform. What matters is your personal connection with people and how you pursue each opportunity individually .

LinkedIn was the only social media I was in, Deleting the account still seems a difficult choice; it's like deleting all my work experience. What if someone asks for LinkedIn profile? 😕

Maybe having a resume is good enough ! So I guess finally its time to say LinkedIn - "Over and Out"

Today's Problems in different "Avatar"

 Christmas vacation, and my son wanted to watch Avatar : Fire and Ash at the theatre. Problem? He checked with all his friends, but none of them had seen Avatar 2 - The Way of Water. My daughter also has not seen the Avatar movies, so she was not interested. He looked at me - 2 - 2.5 years back we both had watched: The Way Of Water" together, and even though I had liked the movie, I was not sure if now, I will be able to sit through 3 hours movie in the theatre. Anyway, long story short, I decided to go with him on the 31st of December, 11:30 am show at Ariesplex. We bought tickets from the counter and went inside an almost completely empty hall 10 mins before the show time. By the time the show started, hardly 1/3rd of the hall was occupied. 

I had gone prepared with my mobile in hand, in case I found the movie boring or dragging, thought I would start sending New Year wishes. But surprisingly, even though a very predictable storyline, like the previous movies in this franchise, this one too is a beautiful, visually mesmerising! I didn't feel the need to take out my mobile. The only time I had to take it out was to check the time during the ending battle sequence, which I felt got stretched a little too much. 

So, basically, while watching the movie, I realised how beautifully the director has addressed the current issues of weapon and arms dealing, world politics and realignment of powers, the environment, and ecological conflicts. How I wish like "Tulkan" animals (Elephants)  can come together and fight back humans for their forest and home. 

Final verdict - one-time decent watch - could have been 2.5 hours movie, did feel some of the scenes were directly picked from the second movie. And in some way, I am happy that my son is interested in this franchise.

Life insights :)

 

Just the other day, my son was telling me that he remembers my advice that to know someone's true nature, you should watch them playing any sport (individual or team sport). I had told him this last year when he changed schools and moved to a school much bigger than his previous one. I was trying to prepare him for the change and adjustment issues he might come across.

Then I added that's the first level of assessment when you are in school and college.

The 2nd level is - you should see how they behave in a Restaurant (Munna Bhai MBBS advice) or any public space. 

The 3rd level is - you should watch how they behave with their family members at their own homes. (This one is really required if you are planning to go for any serious long-term relationship.)

And the 4rth one  - How they behave with or in and around Animals/living beings. You can have a different interpretation of how people behave, but generally, you will get an idea of how they feel about the lives around.

You don't meet people by accident ..

Has it happened with you , that meeting someone for the first time, suddenly reminded of someone, you had met 20-25 years back, whom you had met only once or twice, and you realize how fortunate you were to have met them then and how you wish  now that you could meet more people like them when you are much wiser (hopefully ;)) . 

Ponytail Partha , I met him in year 1998 or 1999 at the badminton courts of Chinnaswamy stadium Bangalore on a weekend along with some of my other Wipro badminton enthusiast. Most of us were pretty regular and would ensure that at least 4 of us are there to occupy the court - Vinay Kamath, Deepak Embar, Prabin Deka were the guys who were pretty regular, and I knew them well from office. There were few others not so regular Sanjay, Mahesh but I knew them. Partha, was also in not so regular people and I didn't know him, and he did look like a senior as in experience and age 

Most of us were in our early 20s and in the range of 1- 4 yrs. of work experience, Deepak was the most senior around 4 yrs. of experience who knew people or rather was aware of people in positions in Wipro. So the day Partha came to play, there were not enough guys to play doubles. Partha did warm up sessions with Deepak and even though much senior in age, he had a pretty decent ponytail and made the younger guy sweat! and he had a ponytail too which none of the youngster had! absolutely impressive :) After playing singles he wanted to play doubles, but only 3 guys were there, so he asked me to join him.  I got little conscious (i did play pretty ok, but absolutely no good to play with him) and was not sure, but he asked me to join him.  What a game we played; he was so encouraging and supportive and - talking, shouting and laughing. 

It was after he left the court, I tried to figure out who Partha was, and Deepak filled in the information saying that Partha - 'N S Parthasarthy' was GM in Wipro (he was in Wipro for around 15 years) and had recently (1998/99) left and started a new company along with few other Wipro colleagues Ashok Soota and Subrata Bagchi - 'Mindtree'. I was wowed! That was my first time in life meeting and interacting with a Big Shot so close and personal.  His sportsmanship showed, what a well-grounded and rounded overall person he was, and I have no doubt he still is.

I never tried to keep connect with or follow Partha all these years and was surprised that after all these years, I remembered him, I remembered him when I met another so-called Bigshot recently and had not so great interaction -- that's when I remembered Partha.

I never realized how some people have influenced me in making my opinion about things in general and at times on specific matter and that's when it dawns that "You don't meet people accidently, they are meant to cross our path for a reason "

Mummy, what exactly are zombies ?

Mummy, what exactly are zombies ?

Eh Zombies !! when your teenager child gets curious about Zombies and is wondering about the possibilities of existence of Zombies - I was not sure what should I answer 😕 The fact is i have fairly enjoyed some dark humor Zombie movies (thanks to movies like Train to Busan and The Odd Family - Zombie on sale) and am sure my children were curious about Zombie after watching some animation or movie . 

So the first answer I gave like you have all the superhero characters (Antman, Spiderman, Ironman, Wonder Women etc etc zombie is also a fiction).

But mummy - Zombies are suppose to be dead people right ? - Yea Right Dead people .

So can dead people actually come back to life and start walking ? 

Well there are times you wish you could give a convincing answer. All this conversation was happening in our kitchen and it was fun talk , not serious discussion -- I have realised the best way to bond with your children is through such conversations on random topics 😊 Yea so coming back to Zombies, so I asked my daughter if she remembers "Lazarus" story (yea yea the guy who was raised from dead by Jesus) - Of course I know the story - came the answer - So, I asked - what do you think Lazarus was when he actually got raised from his tomb with all the bandage around him ? "Zombie !!!" there you got the answer 😀 and I tried walking like a zombie . We still smile when ever we hear the reading on Lazarus in church and look at each other and try not to laugh 😉

I am not sure what happened to Lazarus after he was risen from dead , hope his rotten body got healed. wonder if he could get back to his normal life , did people accept him as a normal person or was he a .... ? Any thoughts ?