Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Happy New Year 2009

It is good bye to 2008!
Numerology gave 2008 a perfect '10' (2+8). But, looking back it was no way near perfection, perhaps farthest in the recent years...
  • We may be on the threshold of a yet another great depression, an event in a century ( or are we deep into it already?!!). While things may not look up much in the coming year, I feel it is right time to LIVE FRUGALLY! ( check my earlier posts)
  • While economic voes are attributed to uncontrollable greed, living frugally just became more relevant.
  • On a personal front, it would have been a year of mixed experiences: some ups, some downs... some joys, some sorrows... some success, some failiures... But the key is to pick up the 'experiences' and lessons thereof, and welcome the new year.
  • NY Resolutions will never go out of fashion. So, time to resolve on key areas such as physical, mental and spiritual aspects of life...
  • Before soon, we would be ready to welcome 2010. Let 2009 not be a missed year...
  • Let us Eat well/healthy, read right stuff, work-out to optimum level, work harder (without expecting fruits of action), rest to the right level ( don't over-sleep & waste time), extract maximum quality out of Time... and, meditate unlimited ...

I sign off praying, Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Egypt Holiday


Books: I was weak in history, just did not enjoy the subject ( like so many other subjects!). So, I decided to read and get some basic knowledge before embarking upon the Journey!


I am hooked to the world of web. But, I was not satisfied with the initial results. Decided to pick up Amitav Ghosh’s From the Antique Land. I walked up to the top book store here. The salesman, a fellow expat from my homeland said, 'not availabe/not heard of'!!! He thrust a copy of Lonely Planet (LP). I was reluctant seeing the price-tag! I went by his strong reco and picked up. As I flipped through the pages of LP, I was overwhelmed by the sheer depth of information. I kept dipping into the info all along the trip and tagging it/making notes….
(I have lost the book and I am desperately trying to retrieve it thru my travel agent/Cruise)

I continued to look for Amitav Ghosh’s book all along the journey in Egypt. No luck ! Even Cairo’s leading bookstalls did not carry a copy of it. People were not even aware of the book, though it is rated as one of the best on Egypt!!

I also got to know more about their famous author, Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. As I read more about the author, I was interested! He led the life of a common man, almost like R K character, like visiting cafes, getting together with friends, etc. But, he was not allowed to write for sometime by the establishment and was even attacked by radicals!! Hence, I was keen to know about his thoughts than to read his famous books such as the Cairo Trilogy, etc. I was very fortunate to see a book in the most unexpected place, at the Nubian museum and was quick to grab it, Naguib Mahfouz at Sidi Gaber. And, I read it just like I would read an ‘unputtable’ fiction!

A separate posting is planned for some the thoughts that stuck me. But, would like to share a favorite…Friendliness can develop only when there is sense of spiritual closeness...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Egypt Holiday

Planning(!!): I have heard how people in the west plan vacation month in advance. I always wondered (and admired) how they are able to do. What normally happens with me is I plan a trip for a long time, but the plan remains in the ‘planning’ phase longer than required. Then it is last-minute finalization of tickets, accommodation, etc. Egypt was different, as I managed to plan and execute, a bit in advance. It was destination – Egypt, the land of Nile, Pyramids and Pharos.

Background: As the travel date approached, lot of developments around me, on all fronts!
Sudden demise of the closest family friend of my parents and the declining condition of a relative. Both, courtesy cancer. The report Cancer is likely to become the No.1 health problem seem to be happening ‘around me’! Then, the terror attack at Mumbai !.....
Hence, when a friend wished ‘bon voyage’, I was prompt to respond, ‘I would have preferred the solitude of Himalaya’. Thanks to the fantastic effort of the reputed travel agency, we were on board to Egypt on the scheduled date.

“EGYPT’ conjures up the images of a great ancient civilization, few centuries BC! Their sheer creation of structures such as Pyramid and other ‘temples’ and more importantly, to withstand the effect of the natural forces for all these thousands of years indicate the proof of their progress. Early morning flight ensured lack of sufficient sleep previous night.
We landed early afternoon, quickly checked into a hotel, dumped our luggage and rushed out to catch a glimpse of Pyramids at Giza. On the way, we picked out a few local versions of sandwiches as we did not want to waste time. The priorities were very clear.

The guide, an Egyptologist, had joined by then to give us some gyaan. We reached Giza. At we reached the ticket counter, behind we saw the upper portion of the majestic and mesmerizing Pyramid.





As we waited for our guide to pick up tickets, we finished our sandwiches.We drove for couple of minutes and then stopped to step out of our Toyota van. There stood the Pyramid in its full splendor. The sight was nothing but breathtaking !






As some of us, esp children, were fascinated by an opp to take camel rides, I was just glad TO BE THERE, near Pyramids of Gizaaaaaahhh!!!
We went out, had a late lunch and got back in time for the Light and Sound Show. The Sphinx and Pyramids, in the evening sunlight looked more beautiful!

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Souvenir, Sai Mahima released


Turn Veggie to Save the World

Rajendra Pachauri ( vegetarian for last 8 yrs) and Sir Paul McCartney ( veggie for 30 yrs!) to save the planet from greenhouse gases created by rearing livestock. Reasons :
  • planting of cereal crop for animal fodder,
  • fresh water usage
  • pollution due to use of agri chemicals

Dr Pachauri and McCartney cite a 2006 report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, which stated that livestock are one of the most significant contributors to climate change because 70 per cent of former forests in the Amazon have been turned over to grazing and livestock now use 30 per cent of the world's land surface

I am a veggie for last 20 yrs and proud of it :) Let us save the earth !

Source : Times of India

Mumbai Terror Attack

Mumbai returning to normal, very slowly... For Mumbaikar, resident or non-resident, Mumbai will never be the same! The politicians and establishment failed the common man. An operation of this magnitude was being hatched and executed, we had no clue about it.

Robhin Sharma in his blog has prayed for Mumbai.
Indeed, that is what many of us did... could do.... out of devotion ...and also due to a sense of helplessness !

Today people, across major cities, are on the street. Holding candle and expressing their sense protest. Gandhigiri... Mumbai will not forget this easily. We need action this time...from governments and establishment

Friday, November 28, 2008

Mumbai Terror Attack

We lost some precious members of our own Mumbai and guests -the hostages, members of NSG/ATS/Mumbai police...May their souls rest in peace.

Sincere condolences to the members of the family who lost their valuable lives in this tragedy. May God give them the strength to overcome this grief.

  • Like New York & London, sadly Mumbai has its own 'Sept 11'. Mumbai does not deserve it, for sure.
  • Israeli expert has questioned whether our forces were too fast to 'attack' terrorists. This is in line with the the question I raised in my earlier posting, whether our action was 'professional' enough. We need to address this dispassionately
  • NDTV got Shobha De on their channel to react yesterday. Now, they got Sanjana Kapoor on air. Both of them reflect the opinion of the silent majority of Mumbaikars. Prannoy Roy has assured Sanjana his channels would be with voices such as Sanjana in their efforts
  • This global phenomenon needs to be handled very strongly, from a position of strength and true to the values of Indian ethos.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Mumbai Terror Attack





Mumbai burns...most shocking attacks on Amchi Mumbai by terrorists. How could they just come on boat, land at Gateway of India and launch an attack at 10 different spots in our beloved city ?

Hotel Taj, is part of most reputed & respected Tata group, is a heritage builging, a world class property, an iconic brand of India and truly Pride of India. Oberoi property is one of the best in its class, world wide. Nariman House would have always been a soft target for terrorist attack - how could the security agency not anticipate a terrorist attack there ? Where is our preparedness/intelligence/preventive measures ????

It is a collective failure of all who are responsible for the security of the city, the financial capital of India and one of the best cities in the World. While the political leaders enjoy the security of Z-category protection, the safety and security of the common man was conveniently forgotten. The reaction of the political establishment, including the televised address of PM, was pathetic!

For God's sake, don't blame Pakistan blindly. If we forgot to lock our home and a thief enters our home ... who is responsible ? Police ? It is our primary responsibility to keep the home locked and secured. Our establishment, political, police/intelligence and defence/navy/coast guard, etc., failed us for not securing our own city.
The image of the burning Taj will continue to linger in our conscience for a long time. The image of an old man helped by a cop in a deserted railway station too...
We lost some senior cops, including ATS head and also NSG Major. Was our response professional enough ?
For God's sake, let us bury our ego and take all international help possible to solve this case.
And, Mumbaikars, let us not allow the policians to sing glory of the Spirit of Mumbai and wait for us to forget and move on. We need to maintain the pressure on political leadership to act now and Mumbai gets what it deserves

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Paul Coelho



Stuart Husband's article on Paul Coelho made me share my thoughts ....


  • He looks and dresses like a rock star...he is 60 yrs 'young' !

  • He is not irked by the fans who want to pose with him for a photograph or apprach him for his autograph ( Recently my son was shooed away by a body-guard of a Bollywood superstar at the lounge in Mumbai's international airport. Security was obviously not the reason. My son felt sad. I thought what is a superstar if he is not able to reach out to his fans !!) For me, someone like P C is a bigger star, esp when he has this humility !

  • one fifth of his 100 million books sold has come from THE ALCHEMIST. I liked the book, but never rated it as anything very great. But the line, WHEN YOU WANT SOMETHING, ALL THE UNIVERSE WILL CONSPIRE TO HELP US ACHIEVE IT is just great !

  • Hs background is interesting. Do check out http://www.gulfnews.com/weekend/books/10259315.html

  • His advise, FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS...

SPB at Saigramam

Saigramam celebrated birthday of Sri Sai Baba in their usual spiritual style... check out

Monday, November 24, 2008

Living in the present economic crunch

we are living in 'interesting times'. Collectively and individually too...

Just read an internet forward from a friend, Interesting Article from Adam Khoo - Youngest Millionaire. Few points stuck, sharing same...

  1. it is not necessary to live a flashy life, acquiring the expensive and big brands of clothes/watch/jewellery/accessories or travel first class.
  2. He suggests, save instead.
  3. He sympathises with people who lean on material things for happiness

What makes him happy ? when he sees his children laughing/playing/learning...when he is able to reach out to others to make them happy by inspiring/training them... cool !

LIVE life frugally ! bE HAPPY !

Master calls it, CEILING ON DESIRES

Monday, November 10, 2008

did you meditate today ?

Indian team wins Dada retires

Big day for Indian cricket... Indian team wins a series against Australian team... Kudos to the men in white...
  • A great team effort
  • Dhoni led from the front. He continues to maintain his cool. I like him for his captaincy, how he has retained his 'cool' and the character he exhibits on & off the field. To lift and carry around Kumble at Delhi was cool. To pass on the baton of captaincy, temperorily to Dada at Nagpur this eve, was 'cooler'.

Dada enjoyed few moments of 'captaincy'.

  • He brought about a new aggression to Indian cricket ( though taking off t-shirt at Lords was a bit extreme :) But then, that was his brand of aggression!)
  • Some of the best cricketers in the GenNext owes their career-progression to Saurav
  • Left handed batsmen have a natural advantage, but Saurav was very specially elegant.
  • He, with Sachin, made one-day cricket more interesting at the opening slot.

Couple of years ago, when he was down and 'out' of Indian team, I saw him at Hotel Taj Lands End, Mumbai. I wanted to go across and tell him, 'keep going & fight the system'... But true to his usual style, he bounced back. Indian cricket will surely miss Dada...

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Kumble Retires

Kumble also has decided to hang his boots ! Some thoughts...
  • He has always been a great fighter, a symbol of true aggression. People always think 'aggression' is to throw about your weight around, shout and abuse all in the vicinity. ( So common in our corporate life, esp in the field of Sales !!). It is perhaps his education, which the Master says 'should end in CHARACTER'. Or, is it 'sanskar' or upbringing ? Worth emulating, indeed...(He unusually exhibited his emotions yesterday, when he shouted at Amit Misra, for poor fielding)
  • Departure of Dada and Jumbo will leave a big gap. We have some exciting talent waiting on the wings, but not yet good enough to fill the vaccuum. No need to look far for examples. Ask the visiting Aussies
  • I agree with Sachin and whole lot of others. We 'don't respect seniors'. Our culture boasts of Respect for Elders as one of its pillars. But, that does not seem to be applicable to senior cricketers. Or is it change of our value system ???

We may produce more great spinners such as Kumble... but few will bring his character on to the cricket field. That is the true loss to international cricket.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Sri Yesudas at Saigram


Diwali Greetings


With the world facing the current economic crisis ( unanimously attributed by common man to GREED), there is more 'darkness'. But, too early to panic. Moreso, on the holy, auspicious occassion of the Festival of Lights!
I am writing this after Diwali, as we need to sustain the spirit of Diwali for days, weeks and months... It is our choice !
TAMASOMA JYOTIRGAMAYA... Let us take the first step from darkness to Light. It is the personal choice of each one of us...
Happy Diwali...

The Appeal by John Grisham

Finished reading this book. ( I was waiting for the paperback edition:))
John Grisham lives upto his reputation. A very gripping story, which looks so real. The story is definitely reflection of how the system is hijacked by a few to their own benefit. 'Krane Chemicals' is only an example. Ultimately each one of us contribute to the creation of such monsters around us. Author did not give a "happy ending", perhaps to make us think and act.

PS: Though very thought provoking, purely from the reading joy, I would not rate this book among the best of his books. Grisham still remains one of my favourite authors

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Mutual Fund

I GOT A MAIL from one of the mutual fund houses... a big brand of international pedigree. I, the financial advisor of my mother, had gone by the reco of my financial advisor & few cross checks among friends later, opted to invest in this fund.
I saw the attachment to the mail. SO, straight away went to same to check the NPV. After almost a year, I am shocked to see the NPV fall below the investment figure. I feel responsible for the same. I do feel guilty...
What irritates me is the mail has the routine covering letter... specifies 'PLEASED TO ENCLOSE THE INVESTMENT SUMMARY...' !! :)

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Kite Runner

Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
This is one book, which was part of my list for quite sometime. When I started reading, I got hooked. Very few books have got me so hooked...
It captures the struggle of a country in strife. Author narrates the contemperory history of Afghanishan thru the lives of two children and the world around them... both in early childhood and subsequently when they grow up. The author keeps highlighting the negative part of the main character's personality.
An entire generation seem to be losing out on their childhood... Quite a moving story... Strongly recommended.

How to handle the Credit Cruch ?

The Chinese CURSE just got more relevant : MAY YOU LIVE IN INTERESTING TIMES ! Things could not have got more interesting !
GE's Immelt says, 'he is paranoid' ! That coming from the head of GE, is surprising. While the politicians and the beaurocracy around them try to figure out a way out of this universal financial mess. . . I do not have much of a hope.
Stories of personal losses are slowly coming in the media. And people say, this is just the beginning !!
Time to stay cool... Handle the crisis bravely. Focus on improving skill sets. And, do not forget to MEDITATE

Sachin Tendulkar climbs the summit

Sachin reached the pinnacle of test cricket, at Mohali.
Success is about turning stones into milestones… he said this evening, while addressing the press. Indeed… I am delighted. I am happy I could watch the last lap of ‘his journey’.
Harsha Bogle and Ajay Jadeja were at their best in the program anchored by Sonali.

Krish Srikant reiterated how he has remained the same young cricketer he was 19 yrs ago. Along with his cricket-performances, it is this character that endears Sachin to his million fans.
His performance at the crease is supposed to influence the moods of his fans across India and abroad. Harsha went a step further. Just as Sir Bradman was there to inspire the people while they suffered during Great Depression, Sachin’s performances would be like summer showers in present economic scenario, affected by the current eco crisis.
I fully agree with Ajay when he say, ‘Sachin was not under pressure for targets, like bankers’. How true J ! Only a banker, in today’s economic scenario can fully understand !!
Little Master stands tall, full of humility and character, among cricketers of past and present.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Blog Action Day 08

Gandhiji said this world has enough for the needs of its population, not for its greed...
Many experts, mostly common man, today's financial crisis is the result of the greed of players in financial arena....
A crisis in any area of our lives first hit the common man, the poorest. There is so much poverty and suffering in the world. This needs the attention of every one of us


http://blogactionday.org/js/e36945634f181e2602517f2a3ef9d8500c0c7ab9
Poverty

Jet Airways reinstates employees

Jet Airways is one of the brands I always admired... Not only me, some friends also.
We were happy to move from blue to silver to Gold and finally platinum. Not as a status symbol, but we all genuinely appreciated their quality of service. There were occassions when I felt if their attitude bordered on 'artificial and snobbish' levels. But overall, this brand always delivered quality, consistently. I felt they always had a great team, at all levels and at all customer touch points.

In my previous job, I had the opportunity to interact with some senior managers. I always enjoyed walking into their office at Andheri and interact with them. Later, the contract became a key acquisition and a prestigious account, obviously.

I was surprised to hear about their decision to sack their staff en-masse. Were they under so much of financial stress to take such a decision ? That too, quite 'unprofessional', from a corporate angle. The politicians were quick to interfere. But, I was more surprised to hear 'the emotional decision' of Mr Goyal, to reinstate every one of them. Was it under political pressure ?

Let us hope, 'the best Indian airline 2008", and one of India's best brands tide over this crisis and come out in their true style

Booker for Aravind Adiga

Aravind Adiga has won the prestigious Man Booker award for his The White Tiger.

Michael Portillo, chairman of judges, said the book was an impressive work…’in many ways perfect. It is quite difficult to find any structural flaws with it’.

It is supposed to be about a protagonist who uses any means to fulfill his dream of escaping his village life for success in big city. He is also being criticized for painting a negative picture of modern India and its huge underclass.

I have not read it. Will grab copy right away… (Standby for update !)

At 34, he was the youngest finalist. It was his first novel. Cool… That is very inspiring for lot of people (yours truly included) who dream of writing a book themselves!

What does it take to do A PERFECT JOB ? A perfect job, whatever be the area, is divine... or worthy of Divine Offering !

Friday, September 12, 2008

New IPod Nano

Apple has done it again. They have unveiled
Ø the new models, with “shake control technology”
Ø new media player for PC, iTunes8
Ø Nano has Apple’s genius technology which automatically creates play lists from songs in the music library
Ø I Phone feature, ‘accelerometer’ technology extended to Nano. (Adjusts screens to how the devises are held and lets people shuffle music with ‘a shake’!)

Upgraded, slimmer Touch, with built in speaker (Now I am going to regret this. I now own an outdated Touch, though acquired not very long back L. I always it could have been lighter and should have provided a built in speaker, for that size! )

True to the reputation of Apple to keep continuously improving on their IPod. Apart from the new features, the new Nano is made with toxin-free components and is made of recyclable aluminium and glass. Great !

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Happy Onam

Onam greetings to all...
Onam, though a Hindu festival, is a festival for all and celebrated by all in Kerala and beyond( true to the spirit of hinduism, Sanathana Dharma)
This is celebrated to welcome King Mahabali, who visits Kerala, his erstwhile Kingdom, thanks to a boon bestowed by Lord Vishnu in His Vamana-avthaar. When King Mahabali ruled there was equality, purity and happiness. Something, we terribly miss today.
To bring back the true spirit of Onam is the need of the hour, and our individual responsibility. Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu...

Friday, September 05, 2008

5 Oct 08

Took off on time, thanks to almost an empty airport, being off season.
Sudha Murthy's book, Gently Falls The Bakula , kept me glued to the same and did not realize as time 'fly by' too. Occassionally, I looked outside. As we took off, it was desert, with different patches of landscape. Lateron, it was just sand all over ! After sometime, it was the grandeur of the sea ! ( The grandeur of desert landscape, sea... is almost Divine !)
As we came closer to India, it was raining outside. Thankfully, it was just overcast when we hit Mumbai... !
Mumbai's slums always made me feel sad. But this time, the city, esp areas which have slums had a blue-tint. Lot of these dwellings have blue plastic sheet on the roof, to protect from rains. That is spirit of Mumbai, they handle the problem in hand and just MOVE ON !
The airport has got more than a facelift. But, the quality of service, lot of scope to improve. As we drove into the city, taxi guy warned me of some traffic jams. I realized, I would hit the highway just in time to catch the office-crowd, returning home after a tough day. To add to it, it was first ( 1.5 day) Ganesh Visarjan. Not much traffic though, but got few glimpses of Ganesha procession, with its music and dance. Indeed, it is auspicious to be around when Mumbai celebrates its favourite festival...

It is great to be back HOME ! :)

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Dhoni for test captaincy

Going by the press reports, a case is slowly getting built up for MSD as test captain. Gary Kirsten's interview to NDtv is the latest, though he confirms Anil Kumble is doing 'a great job'.

MSD is a good cricketer and a good leader. But, test captaincy is a much bigger challenge. MSD needs to pick up the nuances of test-captaincy from the seniors in the team, full of ex-test-captains !!! MSD has exhibited this learning aptitute and also the humility, apart from the skills. We will be unfair to MSD by putting on him the responsibility of same, immediately. Couple of years later, as and when Anil retires, would be the right time.

PS. The final ODI loss to Sri Lanka was almost as humiliating as the test series. What we want is the consistency of Australians, not even of Kirsten's home team (after their white-wash by British team)

Friday, August 29, 2008

We too need A CHANGE

Just look around :
  • Floods in Bihar – a natural calamity or a man-made catastrophe for being irresponsible to our environment ?
  • Jammu and Kashmir – the state hit a new low
  • Communal violence in Orissa
  • Tata Nano project is a project of international relevance. It may our own ‘Ford T model’. But politicians will not allow the project to go beyond personal egos and look at common good.
  • There are other pockets of problems, such as the sign-board issue raised in Mumbai, etc. !!

    What is the root cause ? I think it is failure of our Political Leadership.
    Whose fault ? Our fault. We were irresponsible ; else incompetent politicians would not have been our leaders.
    Solution ? this is not easy. We need to be responsible. Need to feel empowered. Need to wholeheartedly accept Gandhian values such as non-violence, Satyagraha.. BE proactive.
    We can not wait for next election ( panchayat/municipal/state/national) to punish one set of politicians to be replaced with another set in their musical chairs.

Camel Race in Jordan

Camel in Middle East is more than a mere animal.

This animal is so much an integral part of desert life.

Among other things, camel used to the main source of transportation, till cars entered the scene.Check out the link for info on Camel race in Jordan, ME

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/index2.php?option=com_gallery&id=528709&img=0&mment=p

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Let us live frugally

The author has defined frugality as
•Acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner.
•Resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, to achieve a longer term goal.

We can still live well, but yet be frugal

Master calls it CEILING ON DESIRES... we owe it to this world, to our future generations and to ourselves

For the full article: http://www.thenational.ae/article/20080821/OPINION/619066641/1080

Olympics trivia

McDonalds in China
Ø Has focused on the traditional menu
Ø Offer Corn Cup with Happy Meals
Ø Condiments, different, reflecting local spices
Ø Focussed on traditional menu, emphasizing on beef, as beef is a luxury to many in china, and suggest success and virility !!!

A city in USA is planning to ban setting up new fast food joint.
World has tried to reduce the number of smokers through persuasion, but failed miserably.

Mac went ahead with aggressive promos, trying to get more customers and increasing consumption from existing customers :)

It is our choice - to eat or not to eat, junk food !

London 'School of Life'

The Maser says EDUCATION IS FOR LIFE... ( not for living)
We study...end up working and making a life.. but, we forget 'life' or 'art of living'.

Now a group of artists, writers and intellectuals has launched a new "university" in London, to help those too tied up with work to appreciate the finer things in life, like art, books and travel.
  • 'a chemistfor the mind' to dispense 'cultural solutions to everyday ailments'
  • operates out of a small shop in Bloomsbury, an arty district in central London
  • has a large free lance faculty
  • will cover subjects such as Life, work, family and politics
  • faculty will draw ideas from philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature and art. will try to discover what Plato, Shakesphere, Tolstoy and Freud had to say on compassion, empathy and self life
  • also on topics such as importance of punctuality, what books to read, etc.
How beautiful ! God bless them

Monday, August 18, 2008

Relationships

India lost the cricket match. No action at Beijing... Oprah show continue to be relevant.
  • Guest spoke about the integrity of her partner, over and above honesty...'her partner oozes integrity', she says !
  • She also took the discussion to capture the essence of a relationship: rise to a SPIRITUAL level

A Value System that cuts across all cultures and all relationships...

Saturday, August 16, 2008

My Raksha Bandhan message

Repeat : Satu Makela-Nummela of Finland, a 36-year-old mother of two, won the women's Trap gold medal in her maiden Olympic appearance.

A new online survey by Bayt and YouGovSiraj
- collected information from more than 2,600 women across MENA
- 41 percent of working women in the MENA region feel they have a lower chance of being promoted than their male colleagues
- nearly 50 per cent feel that they receive less pay than their male counterparts.
- nearly 30 per cent said that they were dissatisfied with their jobs

A feature in NDTV showed how some working women have opted out of their jobs and chose to be a Home-maker. They feel it was their choice. They were happy about it
(In fact, this is a new segment being tapped by the malls!)

Ultimately it is the question of proper evaluation of options, clarity on priorities and then, making a choice.

Oprah show carried an interview with Shriver. An important message was women should take out time for themselves. ( I would add, also MEDITATE)

"Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life, because you become what you believe" Oprah Winfrey

Mother of two also wins a gold

Satu Makela-Nummela of Finland, a 36-year-old mother of two, won the women's Trap gold medal in her maiden Olympic appearance.
  • "It is amazing," said Makela-Nummela. "I did not believe I would win today.
  • "I could not concentrate in the final because I was thinking of home. But it's good I did not think of the results or who was breathing down my neck.
  • "That made sure I was not under any pressure."

She is having best of both worlds !

Abhinav Bindra

India wins first ever solo Olympic gold, says a report in this part of the world. Some other points were inspiring ...:

  • "It's the best feeling of my life," said an elated Bindra, a winner of India's highest sporting award, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (sports jewel), in 2001.
  • "I was just trying to concentrate on shooting, I was not thinking about making history.
  • "For me life will go on. All my life I have just been punching holes in a blank piece of paper target". I think that is the secret behind his success... Focus and Descipline
  • "But I sincerely hope this win will change the face of Olympic sport in India. In our country, Olympic sports are not really a priority, I hope now they will get more attention." Indeed, we need to go beyond Cricket. Jeev Milkha Singh, Vishy Anand, etc deserves more from us, the sports-crazy nation !

You can check out his blog from my list of blogs ...(http://abhinavbindra.blogspot.com/)

Happiness

HAPPINESS !!! We all want to be happy. But how many of us are truly happy…? One of my senior colleagues would say, ‘happiness is a state of mind’. Indeed, but how many of us are aware of it ? How many of us are able to reach that level too… ?

Happiness is key to longer life, says a report. How many of us want long life ? What we want is ‘happy life’ – long or short ! Some excerpts from the report:

- Happiness does not heal, buyt protects against falling ill. ( Acc to Ruut Veenhoven of Rotterdam’s Eramus Univ)
o I always believed in this. I feel, if we are mentally low, higher are the chances of falling ill. Perhaps our immune system is linked to ‘the state of mind’. I have personally experienced this more than once.
o At the same time, once ill, then I go thru some kind of internal cleansing. This is because I end up reading spiritual books and listening to devotional music.
- Growth in material wealth loses its charm and does not add to happiness once the threshold level of $ 10,000 a year per head, is reached.
- Happiness can be bolstered by friendship & human community. Also, freedom, democracy, rule of law etc.

So, BE HAPPY !!

If you want to transform the world, to promote all-round prosperity in the country, pray that "All people should be happy." – Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Leaders in India Business Forum 2008

If leadership is your area of interest too... check out this




http://www.leaders-india.com/?gclid=CIjp2MGFk5UCFRLRugodd3lDgw

Friday, August 15, 2008

Happy Independence Day

Greetings to all Indians, in India, outside India, and all people world-wide who understand INDIA

Dr Singh next PM?

Sonia Gandhi would have surprised many a politician by clearly indicating Dr Singh would be Congress' prime ministerial candidate. It is an unusual announcement, for Congress especially, even before the elections ! Mrs Gandhi has always surprised by her smart moves.

Dr Singh has the image of a 'Mr Clean'. India, known for its brain-power, truly deserves an educated person to be its PM. But, though Dr Singh can not be expected to become a 'politician', we expect him to be an aggressive Leader. For this he need not be a 'politician'. He exhibited some streaks of that right aggression in taking a stand in the nuclear issue, indicating he was willing to risk the survival of his government. He can count on the experienced people and more importantly the young brige, including Rahul Gandhi, Pilot, Scindia, etc.

He needs to be a strong Leader

Monday, August 11, 2008

Life at K

11 Aug 08 :

All TV channels went overboard to talk about the fantastic success of Abhinav Bindra ( I am proud of his achievement, as per my earlier posting). After dinner, good old maggi noodles, I kept surfing the channels.

The movie on Star Gold was one of those movies I wanted to see, but had not been able to... The Morning Raga. The story was fantastic. Shabana and all other senior actors did a great job. But the lead pair were not as good. The photography and the choice of location, awesome ! Music was good too. Well narrated...

The main strength of the movie was its story-line. Story of the lady who had to endure the loss of her son and her good friend. Also, the guilt of the 'responsibility' for her friend's death. It was also the story of another ABHI, the lead actor !

We all get stuck with past and find it impossible to overcome it and go forward. Indeed, Master rightly says, FORGET THE PAST, LIVE IN THE PRESENT

Abhinav Bindra

The hero is back home....
News channels have been chasing AB ( 'AB' has a magic !) right from airport to Rashtrapathi Bhavan and thereafter...
AB has earned a new nickname, 'MONK' ! I continue to be impressed by his composure. A true winner !

11 Aug 08

We won all earlier golds in team event, hockey. Yes, a team sport… Great!
To achieve as a team is indeed more important than to win as an individual, a la Japanese Management funda...

While the hockey team failed to qualify and as the cricketers went down to Sri Lanka or Ajantha Mendis, someone else did India proud.

Abhinav Bindra has won India’s maiden gold in an Olympic individual event. While the world around him went crazy, he remained cool as a cucumber. That was just cool!

The best wishes of a billion people are with Abhinav for his future success.. . .

Sunday, August 10, 2008

With a little help from my friends on NDTV

I had observed the rushes of the program earlier and wanted to see it. Why ?

Aamir is an active blogger !
Amir is a good actor. He is a great artist…
He takes a stand as a responsible citizen
His ensures even his ads clearly has his unique stamp of identity – whether coke and titan earlier.. or titan and Samsung now..
He has the guts to make a film such as Taare Zameer Par

I do not experiment with films, esp in theatres. At home, you can just walk away/switch off if bored. When I checked on T-Z-P among my friends, everyone gave ‘five stars’.
As I sat through the movie, there were so many occasions I struggled to keep my emotions under control. Very few movies have ever made such an impact on me. Hats off to Amir!

The movie captured the struggle of a dyslexic child. Also, that of his family… Just sit back and reflect on our childhood. Every one of us suffers from some form of dyslexia… Only the degree varies. We push our child to be the No.1, a Sachin ( in cricket) or a Hrithik, as Amir rightly said. But, then every child is unique. Every child is actually God’s gift…( till he grows up :))

As one of the panelists said, WE SHOUD DISCOVER OUR CHILD

Interestingly, 15 % of world population suffers from (not disability), but gift of Dyslexia.
Few names of dyslexic people who were lucky to blossom into higher levels of greatness:
Ø Picasso, Beethoven, Da Vinci,
Ø Carl Lewis, Richard Branson, Agatha Christie
Ø Walt Disney, Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise.

Indeed, the challenge is to accept, through love/understanding help the child to achieve self confidence… then achievement is automatic.

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Daily Inspirations

Take time to look around. . . it is too short a day to be selfish

Surfing the tv channels, stopped at Oprah Winfrey Show. Guest was Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love : One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia.

She writes. "I wanted to explore the art of pleasure in Italy, the art of devotion in India and, in Indonesia, the art of balancing the two."

Her Change Your Mantra
  • Write down happiest moment of day... everyday ! ( Self affirmations? )
  • Refine... ( set bar higher ?)

Learning

Oliver Wendell Holmes, "a mind once exposed to a new idea will never return to it's original dimensions." Powerful thought there.

When you are exposed to a new idea in a book that you read, whether you really get that idea consciously or not, you are not the same person you were before you picked up that book. At some level, you have changed. You see the world a little differently. You have grown.

So read for a change. Stay hungry for learning. Always be curious. And keep raising the bar.

Source : Robins blog

Friday, August 08, 2008

DID YOU MEDITATE TODAY?

Aug 29, 2008

"Meditation increases your vitality and strengthens your intelligence; your beauty is enhanced; your mental clarity and health improve. You acquire the patience and fortitude to face any problem in life. So, meditate! Only through meditation will you find the treasure you are seeking." — Mata Amritanandamayi

"Meditation gives you an opportunity to come to know your invisible self. It allows you to empty yourself of the endless hyperactivity of your mind, and to attain calmness. It teaches you to be peaceful, to remove stress, to receive answers where confusion previously reigned." — Dr. Wayne Dyer


08/08/08 !!

MEDITATION



Meditation is a favourite topic.

One of my fav quotes on mediation is Dr Deepak Chopra's : India gave meditation to the world, but today how many Indians practise it ?

Got this forward from a friend, titled SOLITUDE

Most people have never practiced solitude. Most people have never sat down quietly by themselves for any period of time in their entire lives. Most people are so busy being busy, doing something-even watching television-that it's highly unusual for them to simply sit, deliberately, and do nothing.

Catherine Ponder points out, "Men and women begin to become great when they begin to take time quietly by themselves, when they begin to practice solitude." And here's the method you can use.

From jet-setter to everlasting love, achieve it all, just by simplifying your life.

Do you ever wonder how successful people always seem to get so much done, but also have time to do the things they love? Do you often wonder "how do they do it?"

Now imagine yourself living the life YOU'VE always dreamed of; stress free and truly happy. This dream, can become a reality, and it's as simple as removing the clutter from your life and taking control!

To get the full benefit of your periods of solitude, you must sit quietly for at least 30 to 60 minutes at a time. If you haven't done it before, it will take the first 25 minutes or so for you to stop fidgeting and moving around.

You'll almost have to hold yourself physically in your seat. You'll have an almost irresistible desire to get up and do something. But you must persist.

Solitude requires that you sit quietly, perfectly still, back and head erect, eyes open, without cigarettes, candy, writing materials, music or any interruptions whatsoever for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Become completely relaxed, and breathe deeply. Just let your mind flow. Don't deliberately try to think about anything. The harder you "don't try," the more powerfully it works. After 20 or 25 minutes, you'll begin to feel deeply relaxed. You'll begin to experience a flow of energy coming into your mind and body.

You'll have a tremendous sense of well-being. At this point, you'll be ready to get the full benefit of these moments of contemplation.

The River of Ideas : The incredible thing about solitude is that if it is done correctly, it works just about 100 percent of the time. While you're sitting there, a stream, a river, of ideas will flow through your mind. You'll think about countless subjects in an uncontrolled stream of consciousness. Your job is just to relax and listen to your inner voice.

At a certain stage during your period of solitude, the answers to the most pressing difficulties facing you will emerge quietly and clearly, like a boat putting gently to the side of a lake. The answer that you seek will come to you so clearly and it will feel so perfect that you'll experience a deep sense of gratitude and contentment.

Trusting Yourself : When you emerge from this period of quiet, you must do exactly what has come to you. It may involve dealing with a human situation. It may involve starting something or quitting something. Whatever it is, when you follow the guidance that you received in solitude, it will turn out to be exactly the right thing to do. Everything will be OK. And it will usually work out far better than you could have imagined. Just try it and see.

You must learn to trust yourself. You must develop the habit of listening to yourself and then acting on the guidance you receive.

Action Exercises : Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

1. Select a specific time and place to sit quietly and practice one full hour of solitude. Don't put it off.
2. Take small periods of silence and solitude during the day, especially when you feel overwhelmed with problems or responsibilities.
3. Take action immediately on the ideas and insights you receive while in solitude. One good idea can save you months and years of hard work. The key is trust.

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Hamster


One of the joys in life is PARENTING... one of the joys of my son, is his pet... or pets. First it was to get his fish tank. Once it landed, then it was for his next one. First it was demand for a dog. ( One of fondest memories of late childhood is my petdog, FUSSY)
I was familiar with dog, cat, fish, birds, etc as an pet-option. Was not familiar with a Hamster!! As a pair of hamsters become part of the extended family ( Vasudevakom kudumbakam!), I explore the world of hamsters...
  • Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae. The subfamily contains about 18 species, classified in six or seven genera.

  • The name hamster is derived from the German word Hamster

  • They are used as lab animals, as 'easy to breed' !

  • They are most active around dusk and dawn, which has led many people to mistake them for being nocturnal. Their diet contains a variety of foods, including dried food, berries, nuts, fresh fruits and vegetables. In the wild they will eat any wheat, nuts and small bits of

  • fruit and vegetables that they might find lying around on the ground, and will occasional eat small insects such as small crickets or mealworms. They have elongated fur-lined pouches on both sides of their heads which extend to their shoulders, which they stuff full of food to be brought back to the colony or to be eaten later.

These info are from internet... The couple have been named Akbar and Jodha ( this is better than Amir Khan's dog's name... what is there in a name?)














Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Quit Smoking

Superstar Shahrukh has resolved to quit smoking... why ? For the sake of his children. Great !
He was earlier criticised for smoking in films & outside. May be, he would have 'inspired' many of his young fans to flaunt a cigarette qand got addicted.... They will, most likely, not quit along with him !!! Neverthless, 'better late, than never' !

We have a responsibility for the world around us...

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."- John Quincy Adams

Saturday, August 02, 2008

friend

"Who is a friend? It is someone with whom you dare to be yourself"- Frank Crane

Interesting !

Friday, July 25, 2008

Inspiring thoughts on Leadership

Three factors, integral to good leadership in corporate life is C - I - D:

  • Creativity
  • Integrity
  • Descipline

Acc to Robin Sharma, best practices that drive sustained personal development and changes in performance levels:

  • Daily affirmations
  • Visualization
  • Reviewing our goals and key performance indicators each morning during our Holy Hour to drive focus and enlisting the support of other people who are devoted to similar goals.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Trust Vote in Indian Parliament

As I got ready to leave for office, BBC was reporting from Delhi/India on the 'political tamasha' unfolding on the political arena.
It carried most of the negativities of Indian democracy and ended with a puppet show based on 'Singh is King' features PM, Sonia Gandhi, et al. We are proud of Indian democracy, but not the political leadership.

Finally, the Govt has pulled it off. The goal achieved, but the method adopted ?!?! While there were some inspiring speeches in parliament, some of it was not allowed by opposition. Flashing money in the parliament and all the tamasha thereafter, make us dumb with shame. Our freedom fighters will be turning in grave !

Dr Singh has come out of it stronger. I am happy for him. He was instrumental in taking the most important steps towards liberalisation. This would be another big contribution from him. An educated, soft-spoken economist, deserves more respect from the members of parliament in opposition and others. Today, truly 'Singh is King'

Friday, July 18, 2008

Nelson Mandela

Some inspiring lessons from this great leader :

1. Courage is not the absence of fear - it's inspiring others to move beyond it
2. Lead from the front but don't leave your base behind
3. Lead from the back and let others believe they are in front
4. Know your enemy and learn about his favorite sport
5. Keep your friends close - and your rivals even closer
6. Appearances matter - and remember to smile
7. Nothing is black or white
8. Quitting is leading too

SOurce : Robins Blog ( based on article in TIME)

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Enthusiasm


  1. Master says, live in 'present'... it is gift hence called 'present'

  2. Sri Sri says, 'mast raho'

  3. Enthusiasm comes from 'enthuse.' Enthuse means what? Theos. It comes from entheos – put God into your heart. So we say Constant Remembrance – think of the Master and do it. You have God in your heart and you are doing it; you are enthusiastic. Work must be done without knowing it is work. My Master used to say, "Work as if you are playing and play as if you are working." Shri. P. Rajagopalachari, President, Shri Ram Chandra Mission - http://www.srcm.org/

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Quote

"Even after all this time the sun never says to the earth, "You owe me." Look
what happens with a love like that, It lights the whole sky." - Hafiz, Sufi poet

Friday, July 11, 2008

Left-handed, a better LEADER?

One in 10 people in the general population is left handed - but lot of children in earlier generations would have been forced to switch hands :)
  • both Barack Obama & John Mc Cain are southpaws
  • in 1992, all 3 contenders : Gerofe HW Bush, Bill Clinton & Ross Perot
  • also few earlier : Harry Tryman, Gerald Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr, Clinton ...!

Pablo Picasso and Benjamn Franklin were lefties too.They also exhibit better communication skills. Are lefties better-equipped to handle the challenges of Leadership ? They seem to be...

Check out : Sam Wang & Sandra Aamodt's book in "Welcome to your brain : why you lose your car keys but never forget how to drive and other puzzles of everyday life"

KIM:A fitting champion for Woods' event

Tiger woods dominates the Golf-arena, God-like. His story would inspire people for generations, like many other great sportsmen, who have not only hit the pinnacle, but also remained a fine example of Character.

Tiger Woods is personally responsible for the success of this new player, Kim, who is considered to be the next Tiger !

In an earlier match, he was ('fashionably'!) late ... but found Tiger already there and was 'calm, cool, imperial and adult', like a true professional. And that was enough to 'wake up' Kim and swear ' he would change'.... Rest is history.... or history in the making !

It is just that one proverbial step that keeps us away from jumping from Good to Great !

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/06/AR2008070602177.html

Arushi Case

I was deeply hurt to hear the tragic death of this teenager . Did this world become less safe for our children ?? The allegation and subsequent arrest of her father was one of the shocking parts of the case.

The media went a bit overboard in terms of coverage of this case. While it is one thing to keep the case alive and keep the conscience of the nation, it is another thing to cross the lakshman-rekha.

Now, thanks to CBI, the case seem to be in the last phase of resolution. But, I am glad to hear the father is absolved of the allegation.
"Today, be a little bolder. Reach a little higher. Be a little kinder. Be a bigger dreamer."
- Robin Sharma

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Business Leader

Kevin Roberts, global CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi : excerpts from his interview....

  • Key to a successful campaign : All you need is love - Indeed…That is the case with anything...esp to reach a level of excellence
  • He accepts he is not a team player and would always like to lead a team - This is more than ‘autocratic’ style of leadership :)
  • His personal, and his company’s success depends on the next big idea & he is always focusing on it...
  • His main job is to inspire his 7000 plus employees - That should be the case with every leader, in every field of activity... INSPIRE !
  • In 2006, he developed the Lovemarks marketing technique - based on the idea that the strongest brands are the ones that establish an emotional connection with the consumers.
  • Today, he says, is the "age of the idea"
  • While dealing with Toyota, a senior there said ‘Kevin, you will never know more about cars than Toyota,but we will never know more about the people that buy them than Saatchi & Saatchi." "So to me the consumer is boss."

Role of business is to make the world a better place.....INSPIRING STUFF


http://www.arabianbusiness.com/518547-the-power-of-love

Friday, July 04, 2008

Journey

Journey through life in courage, joy, peace, charity and all humility - Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Follow your DREAMS

"If you can dream it, you can do it"- Walt Disney

  • Destist to Singer: a professional dentist, Andrew Bain, 35, will swap his drill for a microphone. This opera loving dentish has signed a four-album recording contract with Sony BMG, worth 1 mn Euro. After years of juggling two carriers, he will take up singing full-time. He says, "it is a dream come true". He says, he will miss patients, but not the drill :) Another example of POWER OF A DREAM
  • But Australian treasury chief, Ken Henry, is yet to chuck his job for a full time role of animal lover. He has taken five weeks leave to nurse endangered wombats ! While the press has criticised this ( what else can we expect!), he has responded, ' this place does not stop when I am not there " ! Cool

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

India's Nuclear Deal

Communists have termed it as anti-Muslim and warned SP it would affect their vote bank. That is crude politics...

Communists are allegedly clouded by their inherent anti-US stand ( read it as pro-Russian/Pro-Chinese )

Congress failed to build up a favourable public opinion. They should have visualised anti-US stand by some of their key allies and opponents. They should have been ready to handle it, if they also were serious about it.

The so called 'Leaders' among the polilticians have just failed to understand the long term utility and advantage of a nuclear deal and rise above petty politics... as usual


Democracy is one of our strengths. But, we continue to be victim of irresponsible political leadership. Afterall, they are our leaders and we chose them. We get ( political leadership) that we deserve !

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Parental Responsibility

Indian Minister, Mrs Renuka Choudhary, wants stricter measures to control drunken driving by youngsters. She has suggested impounding the licence of not only the guilty, but also parents of the youngster. She feels the parents are as responsible for it, as the youngster himself/herself is.

Can I have your opinion ? Pls use poll option... thanks :)

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Journey thru The Mahavakya on Leadership

28 Aug 08

More thoughts on Leadership...Source, one of those mails forwarded by a friend:

CHARACTER VS REPUTATION - we get confused between these two. While we end up chasing reputation, we should be focussing on character. The difference, being

  • Reputation is what people think we are, and Character is what we really we are
  • We end up managing perception and reputation, esp in organisations of all sorts.
  • Character is revealed by actions, not words
  • Our character is revealed by how we deal with pressures and temptations. But it's also disclosed by everyday actions, including what we say and do when we think no one is looking and we won't get caught.
Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." - Abraham Lincoln

it is WHO WE REALLY ARE

13 Aug 08

Hard Rock Cafe : The world's leading collector of rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia, it operates under the logo ‘Love All Serve All’, and is owned by a 500-year-old Native American tribe. http://www.kippreport.com/kipp/hard-rock-cafe/


19 June 08
Leadership has always been a subject of interest for me, for a very long time... long time before the management school gave me a structured peep into this. The exposure at my alma mater gave me a new direction, forward.

An opportunity to present the subject for a select audience of family friends was a good experience. This made me go through the book selected for the presentation, take out my own paper clippings on leadership ( and dust them clearn:) ) and most importantly, think on this fav subject...

The presentation is over. But the thought process continues. I feel among other things, this 'hobby' helps to divert too! But three personal take aways:

  1. Bring back focus on physical fitness - only a soldier ( author) can talk about it convincingly, as he stresses in the book. Dad, also a soldier, was always an inspiration.
  2. Habit of writing diary - If Benjamin Franklin could mould his character through this, why not ?! But I find it an opportunity to 'interospect', write down the frustrations and dissapoints of the day and try to move on ! Happiness when shared, it doubles. But, I would rather 'share' negativities with my own diary and thus try to halve it !
  3. Learning - Author says the purpose of improving knowledge in the work related area is to develop sixth sense/intuition. Brilliant, I feel. So, more focus on improving knowledge on the work related matters.

The journey just got more interesting !

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Amitabh goes back to school

Amitabh was in news for his new passion of blogging.
Now he is in news for his visit to his alma mater. I am sure that would inspire some of his fans to reconnect... they may visit their own alma mater, get in touch with old friends... ( I did that personally after seeing the movie, dil chahta nahin :) !!)
Of course, RGV's Sarkar Raj hits theaters tomorrow.

For once, the superstar is in news for right reasons... Let us re-connect & give something back to our favourite schools and colleges ! Happy re-connect-ing !

Thursday, May 29, 2008

IPL

As the semifinal line-up is drawn, some thoughts :

  • It has been going on for too long.... though the matches got tighter ! As the count of the match is flashed, even my son raised an exclamatory remark at the quantum of the count!
  • Vijay Mallya is an icon in his area. But, he proved to be a poor sponsor by washing dirty liner in public. That too Rahul Dravid, one of the most loved sportsperson of our country, for not only his contri in field of cricket, but the overall elegance and character he brings into the game, on the field and off the field. Character is most important, afterall, in every field.
  • Sharukh came out supporting Rahul. But, he was unable to bear the string of losses. He made an issue about his permission to be with the team at the pit, but what inviscible ! ( as he would talk about Aamir Khan's absence from film-award functions). Shahrukh had made an earlier statement 'he loves to be a winner 'of sorts, but seemed dissappointed with his team's inability to get into the last four
  • I am a fan of dada too. I always admired his leadership skills. He salvaged some cricketing-pride in the last game, by leading from the front.
  • Sachin indeed is my favourite cricketer. Sad, he could not play in the earlier matches and managed to lose some closest matches. I have great admiration for his cricketing genius, and also the character... the way he carries himself around. But felt, he was not a sharp leader ! Afterall, God would not give everything to one person :)
  • Some crowds were vociferous in the support of their hometeams. Yuvraj was most vocal about same at Mumbai. The best advise came from his own coach on NDTV to react with the bat and ball, by raising the bar ( and not by cribbing about it !) Indeed...

Let the best team WIN !

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Bollywood hooked on to Blog

Shobha De's take on 'the art of blogging' :

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Columnists/Shobhaa_De_Mere_paas_blog_hai/articleshow/3069489.cms

The world of blog is one of the wonderful things to happen recently. Shobha De has given her usual touch to this article, to be read as any other comment on Bollywood ( defintely not about the art of blogging !)

Interesting fact is Amitabh Bhachans & Aamir Khans of the world may give just the impetus needed to make this'art' more popular in India

Friday, May 02, 2008

My IPOD

Steve Jobs has been a great inspiration. Pepsi to Apple by John Skully was one of the popular books among management students of our times :) But perhaps the genius of Steve Jobs was IPod. The fact he continues to innovate on the great product is proof od his greatness.

IPod remained in the list of my must-buy for a long time. But, affordability was the issue ! Meanwhile Apple continued to innovate and go beyond ( I Phone, etc)

Affordability is very relative! When it became 'affordable' ( on relative terms of course!), I kept delaying the inevitable! I continued to track the developments as a student of innovation/marketing/etc.
Robin Blog made an inspiring question - "what is your IPOD?"

I delayed the purchase further...partly the cost/value for money...
Main reason was different now: wanted to peg it to some great personal achievement ! Parameters thereof very personal..JUST TO CHALLENGE MYSELF

Monday, April 28, 2008

indian cricket downhill

Times of India asks, is indian cricket going downhill...?
You bet...
of course, it is going downhill... IPL as a whole is the embodiment of this 'journey' downhill! Too much of anything is bad, even if it is Divine Nectar, Amrut, it is said ! We seem to be picking up the bad aspects of Aussie cricket and losing our own individuality & culture.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Amitabh Bachchan turns blogger

India's Hindi Superstar, Amitabh Bachchan, is the new addition to the wonderful field of blogs !

An extract from the press release ( courtesy : Times of India)
HE has now found a new way to reply to inconsequential gossip about him. The superstar has signed up with a website where he will post his comments on a blog. In a press statement issued by the website, Bachchan said, “it will allow me to express myself, share and reflect my emotions, thoughts, opinions and listen to what people have to say to me and show them the real side to my larger-than-life image that they see through media. It’s a platform, which I control and share my own drama without anyone editing or interpreting my thoughts.’’ “What’s most important to me is that I can now share consequential replies to the inconsequential gossip that do the rounds. I have always wanted a platform, where I can speak for truth is always stranger than fiction. People will now be able to get an unedited version of my views, ideas and thoughts, straight from me,’’ he added.

Aamir is the first Indian actor and perhaps the only one who seriously blogs. His posts at www.aamirkhan.com are widely read and the actor religiously checks the responses to his views. The reclusive actor prefers to voice his views and uses the blog to clarify some serious issues like the Tibetan protest and his decision to run with the Olympic torch.

Both these celebrities are into blogging for the same reason, we all blog :) We may not be a celebrity (yet!) ... but our life, thoughts & feelings are no different to them. SO go on, and dive into the wonderful world of blogging !

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Live Life Fully

Got this message recently... very inspiring ! So relevant from a spiritual angle. If we are not consistently enthusiastic/happy, I feel we are not fully spiritual ! BE inspired

"We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life,when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about."- Charles Kingsley

Saturday, March 01, 2008

New CBSE Format

Times of India has reported CBSE 2008: Students pleased with new format on Day 1.

As long as the format frees a child from memorising all those lessons, I feel it is a step forward. Kudos to CBSE.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Words are Weapons

Got this forward from a close friend, "Words are Weapons' by Michael Josephson. A google search ( thanks to Google !) on him threw up his website, 'CharacterCounts!' That got me hooked and then I read thru the mail fully.

Pl check out : http://charactercounts.org/michael/2008/01/words_are_weapons_5513.html

Indeed, words are weapons. In today's high pressure lifestyle that the world is increasingly moving into, all types of weapons, including pen and word, just got more destructive. I am sure it is affecting many people across all types of relations (professional, social and personal). Professional forget elementary lessons of communication such as be a active listener, responsibility of communication lies with communicator, etc. In social & personal situation, we forget the words leave lasting impact on others, at times straining relationship beyond repair. On a spiritual level, we forget the concept of ahimsa extends to not only physical violence, but also thought & word (not just 'deed'). The Master goes a step ahead. He advises, 'talk to someone as you would talk to Him and listen to someone as you would listen to Him' . How beautiful !

I have consciously penned my comments under heading 'happiness' and not 'be inspired' !
BE HAPPY

You are invited to give your comments

Saturday, February 16, 2008

customer service

Just read 'Robins Blog -- Chicken Wraps at Gas Stations' , forwarded by a friend. He is a delighted customer impressed by not only the taste of chicken wrap, but also the cleanliness and above all, the service.

I was looking for 'brown' kuppoos at the local mall. This mall is definitely not one of my favourite, but then wife loves it for the proximity, the range of stuffs available there & value for money. Son loves it for their bakery's croissant, mini-pizzas, samosas, etc. For me the only silver lining is the small book shop by the side where I pick up my copy of Gulf News and other magazines ( of late, malayalam newspaer for mother in law )!

Coming back to the local version of bread, the salesman indicated me the 'brown version' is available on the other side. I went there and was unable to find it. I came back and asked the elderly salesman once again... He was perhaps having a 'bad day at office' as he said, aap to peeche pad gaye ! I was in no mood to give the old man a piece of mind or a gyaan on customer service. I would rather walk out, and try not to return.

At Shoppers Stop, Andheri, when I protested to at the cash counter for their poor service, the cashier said I could give my feedback in their feedback book. (I am one of their privilege customer and I was flashing same at the counter !) I told him, 'I would rather walk out and not return' than take the trouble of trying to lodge a complaint/pen a feedback !

Customer service . . . !

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Bhajji episode

An indian abuse ( gaali) has gone international, thanks to Bhajji. This lingo used to be prominently used in northern part of india. Thanks to this episode, this will become part of cricket's 'own terms' and will go beyond the game. 'Chakh de' has competetion ! People not familiar with this gaali and other related gaalis will be curions. This may go on to become one of prominent terms with more google searches, etc.

Indian cricket establishment stood by him to fight the racial abuse. This punjab da puttar has got off the hook on racial abuse, but needs to be punished for using such foul language on the cricket field. Cricket used to be a gentle man's game. How can he get away with a 'maa ki' gaali ? 'Mathru devo bhava' ( mother is equivalent to God) is one of our core values.

Bhajji and all those who stood by him, have done disservice to Indian cricket and brought disrepute to our country

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

how to extend 14 years to your life

According to a Reuteurs Report, People who
  1. drink moderately,
  2. exercise,
  3. quit smoking and
  4. eat five servings of fruit and vegetables each day

live on average 14 years longer than people who adopt none of these behaviors.

No surprises here... but how many of us do it actually ? Of course, I would add PRAYER AND MEDITATION, as my wife adds and I concur