The Music Room by Namita Devidayal - A beautiful experience

I always return from India with a small box of books –  personal choices of wife, son and myself. While son picks up the children's books, we try to thrust on him ‘better’ books on self-development, spirituality et al.

During our visit to friends @ Cairo, we had an interesting discussion. The hosts were reading books from the two opposite ends of the spectrum – lady of the house was reading ‘Shantharam’, he was reading a book on ‘halo’. He felt reading all such books/novels was sheer waste of time. The other two couples, including ourselves, had their own views. Interesting discussion, that was…!

Personally, I have been reading less of fiction-types, but more of other serious types. ( Though Shantaram is being planned, put off due to the sheer size of the book!)

Now, why all these…? I just finished reading a beautiful book – The Music Room, by Namita Devidayal. After finishing the book, I am unable to start another book. It had such a profound impact on me…

As a child, I wanted to become a singer, more like Yesudas. I started my classical music training at the age of 9, but could not continue as we shifted out of our village. I re-started with another master when I was 13. Again, we moved. Somewhere, I lost whatever little singing capability I had. I don’t know was it due to the serious typhoid or hitting adolescence. 

I had this fear, if I will be re-born just to fulfil the dream to become a singer! 

As my life took a fantastic twist and became Spiritual, bhajans stuck a chord. When I sang as part of a group, my cacophony would not stand out. My singing improved.Singing became one of the nine spiritual steps, ‘Keerthanam’. Thanks to repeated singing, cacophony became more ‘bearable’ ! From a follower, I became an occasional ‘lead-singer’. I was fulfilling a dream… to sing…’keerthanam’. 

May be, I don’t need to be re-born to become a singer, but to take care of other effects of Karma J

Against this background, I saw a book on music, in India. I saw the comments. On the cover, ‘Fantastic! A must for every musician and music lover – Pt Ravi Shankar’ and similar reviews on the back-cover. I picked up the book… The Music Room

Somewhere, my priority in life shifted to education, career, etc. Music was not a priority! Unlike the author, "Part of me is a mom and part of me is a singer and part of me is a writer and part of me is a party animal”.

So many of my friends are music-lovers. From film songs ( hindi/tamil/etc), classical (Hindustani/Carnatic), western, instrumental, devotional-singing, etc… But, for many of us, music is an integral part of our lives. For some of us, it is meditation/sadhana/spirituality…

"To play a raga, you must see it standing in front of you." – is the most inspiring thought in the book. 
The Prologue, Bhairavi, on the Vision is just Divine.

A big thanks to the author for sharing this wonderful musical-story… God Bless…

"….this kind of music is the closest one comes to spirituality. It's so meditative. It makes you forget the outside world. It's almost like going into a musical wonderland. "

"...The book is also about how someone from a contemporary, modern world interacts with someone from such a traditional world"…    http://www.rediff.com/news/2007/sep/20namita.htm

PS : A must read for all music lovers, who are from India, want to know about India, and want to understand what music means to Indians & beyond…

Moving stories of two young professionals

We have been MANGALORED...

check this out...HATE GOODBYES ! We lost some great, common people too in the crash.

we have been MANGALORED :(

Mangalore has always been a very special city for me. That is where I started my career, way back in early 90’s. It ‘looked’ similar to Kerala, perhaps greener. But, people were quite different. Having covered  into Hassan-road, Kanhangad in Kerala and Kundapura towards Konkan on the job, I got to meet a cross section of people of all three faiths, backgrounds, culture, etc. As a management trainee, professional life was at its best. Had three great bosses in quick succession, learnt some big lessons with them. (Professional life has never been so cool since then, having got in to the rat-race and ‘trying to climb’ the proverbial corporate ladder. )

Travelling into Kerala on work, I came across many people who had gulf connections. There would be several people slogging it out in Gulf and their family having a good life, blissfully unaware of the difficulties of their bread-winner in Middle East. (My childhood chum captured the essence of the suffering in his hugely successful movie, Arabi-Katha, in Malayalam). All of them invariably spent a fortune on their dream-homes ( thankfully, the lenders had not extended their tentacles by then, thus preventing the gulf-mallus from getting stuck in debt burden – that was even before the advent of ‘blade companies’, as the not-so-popular private money lenders are popularly known!).

Even for us, a credit card was a luxury, but we were aware of the values of living within means…Then, I had to make an official travel to Mumbai, by air. As I was dropped off at airport, the scenic beauty hit me. But, the location of the airport was a bit scary… I thought, this should have been a helipad !

Last year, I was back at Mangalore. I was back to spend my vacation, in typical NRI fashion. While all youngsters go to gulf and spend a fortune on their homes, I was in Gulf partly to fulfill my dream of financial independence and pay off my mortgage loans too!!! I was there with my mom, wife and son, on a pilgrimage. We covered Katil, Kollur, Murdeshwar, etc. We enjoyed the food, and also the liberal servings at Ideal Ice Cream, one of Mangalore’s pride! Mangalore was always a veggie’s delight.

Landing @ Mangalore airport, I was shocked to find the same airport, with little cosmetic changes. I thought again, this should have been a helipad. Now, I am no engineer/aeronautical expert. But, it was sheer common sense. We need no brilliance of Malcolm Gladwel ( as he explained in OUTLIERS), to make analysis of this disaster. The mountain-top airport should have been a helipad…perhaps !

A flight from Dubai…with many passengers belonging to DK & North Kerala have met the tragic end. Leaving behind hundreds of relatives, friends, colleagues and dependents. Many would have been bread winners for their families. 

In spite of our rich cultural & spiritual heritage, somehow we don't seem to value human life. So many deaths happen around us... have be become so insensitive. 

Most of them would have spent all their youth in the desert, to provide a comfortable life to their near & dear ones. All this because the establishment has failed to upgrade the infrastructure… We have been tragically  ‘MANGALORED’. :(

Turn veggie, prevent chronic diseases - Diet - Health & Fitness - Life - The Times of India

This is no great revelation. Most of us are aware. But one of the things we don't implement. We tend to postpone/ignore...

Right eating is a critical part of Spiritual Living...Hence blogging this link from ToI.

I feel, if we are on spiritual path, it helps to move from non-veggie to veggie. It would still help to move towards vegan.

Still better if we Go-Local & Organic. It would reduce the transportation impact on our planet ( 'Go Green') and also help local farming community. Positive impact of organic needs...we all know very well.

It is one of those elements of Spiritual Journey... worth trying to move, one small step at a time. But worth trying... trust me.

If you are not yet on spiritual journey, what are you waiting for ? A crisis, as someone shared with me recently ? ( Don't we have enough crisis around us already ?)

Happy Spiritual Journey!

Turn veggie, prevent chronic diseases - Diet - Health & Fitness - Life - The Times of India

T20 World Cup

Indian cricket hit a new low !

We put up a pathetic performance, individually and collectively.
IPL did not help our own players, but it helped someone else... KP attributes his success to IPL. Let us not miss out the fact he spent extra time at practice and working hard. Naturally, he was clear about his goal to hit form and make valuable contribution to his team's winning

If that was not enough, they are in news for wrong reasons...creating a scene at a pub !

Role Model

One of our fundamental responsibility as a parent to our children is to inculcate in them the right value system. A friend uses a more appropriate term, 'SANSKAR'! How true... !


This should be done by not preaching, but by practicing. But we forget this and try to preach than being a role model. Just practise !

Meditation

People have different opinions about 'meditation'. But still, many are yet to experience the beautiful experience of this simple activity! We don't find time for ourselves. We have time for everything else, many of it not very necessary to our personal life, happiness or spiritual growth.

I held on to the view we need at least 20 minutes of meditation to reach a higher level. This is based on the various readings, and a few popular techniques I have learnt.

But Master comes up with something out of world, as always. 11 seconds of true meditation enough, He says. He is obviously not trying to lower the bar. But actually raising it. If we can practice true meditation for 11 seconds, it may not be very difficult to practice for 20 minutes or beyond. But, in this Kaliyuga, where instant/fast food is more popular, we could reach higher levels of consciousness by reaching true meditation level for 11 seconds. Needless to add, rest depends on Grace of the Master, based on our sincere efforts.

Happy Meditating...

Dubai Visit

A short visit. Enjoyed the weather, it was pleasant esp during early morning and after sunset. It was not sultry either.

Morning walk was cool. Thought would not see many people on road on a Friday morning. But was pleasant to see few morning walkers and also a fairly big group of joggers, perhaps preparing/running marathon/half marathon. We, residents in GCC, needs to take care of our health better.

Dinner at Saravanabhavan was just great - great food, fantastic service and nice Indian-middle class ambiance ! A veggie's delight! Curry-leaves soup was a revelation.

Love the sheer energy of Dubai. Reminds more of amchi-Mumbai. People are always on the move.. in a hurry. Healthy too...

But the economy is yet to recover. People fear the property market may hit a new low soon. The fear is still there. A correction was definitely due.The dubai-story defied all economic to philosophical logic. But, at individual level, it has affected several people and their families... dreams gone sour. Feel bad for them.

In all, great experience @ Dubai, except at airport... was a big disappointment, on return.At check in,  immigration counter, food court, book-stall...etc. Not in sync with the energy & courtesy of Dubai! Wonder why I don't 'command' respect, not even basic courtesy. In spite of being decently dressed and putting up a confident, sincere smile. Food for thought.

Vishy Anand is World Champ yet again

Indian cricket team plays their do-or-die match at T20 world cup... they also need to pray for a favourable result at Aus Vs WI...

No such confusion elsewhere in Hungary. Champion of Champs, Vishy, won his fourth title. He proves he is one of the greatest sportsman from India. That too in a game which is all brains, and no brawn :)  The cricket crazy public back home will be too busy talking & intellectualizing about the fate of MSD & team...

Vishy's mother wants him to be a champion and also a good human being... Great lesson on parenting

In this era when sport and sportsman hitting a new low at individual and collective level, we have Vishy and Sachin. Proud of them !

A Short Trip Westwards, officially

A trip westwards… along the setting sun, late afternoon.

Reached airport very early, partly because of my recent preference to try & avoid last minute rush, and also an error from my side on the flight timings, fortunately I presumed ahead of ETA and not later ! Got boarding pass and sat down to kill some time… ( no delight @ check-in process!)

Finished off the last part of the beautiful book I have been reading! More on that later, in detail, to try to do justice.

Cleared my gmail, did some twitter and did not touch facebook, listened to some music, … all on the new IPhone.  Now, some of my friends have been asking about IPhone. After checking out various options, the toss was between IPhone and Blackberry. Apart from features and feedback from friends, the fact that unfortunately BB is being seen as a typical teenager phone (!) did not help. Having evolved from Nokia to  Sony Ericson to  Samsung, I have no doubt: IPhone 3GS is the cellphone.  Nothing else matches the versatility & convenience of IPhone 3GS. It is user-friendly. Camera is quite good. And, I am yet to explore the programs available at cost/free downloadable. To summarise, phone/music/camera/basic surfing are the features you are looking at on your phone, need not look beyond IPhone. I am yet to come across a techie who utilizes features beyond these.  One drawback I observed was the battery life. For all the fantastic features, the battery life is a disappointment.

Steve Jobs is considered to be the best of CEO’s, especially in tough market conditions prevailing now. He has redefined personal technology, thru Mac, IPod, IPad…. People have been lining up for IPad, having succumbed to the temptation…!!

A colleague, fellow-traveller, joined just in time. We boarded and took off… I took a short nap, as always. Somehow, I always got good sleep flying… though while travelling with family, my son has been quite critical about it.

Driving to hotel, the fellow traveler raised the question of customer service. When, two senior bankers are travelling together, service standards becomes one of the easy topics to pick up. While -he was unhappy about the check-in-to-boarding experience at departure terminus, he still seemed to be carrying the thoughts…we were sitting at separate rows, despite our efforts to get adjacent seats. I shared with him one of my favourite brands in all categories was Jet Airways and how their service standards have not only been good to experience, but also to emulate. I wonder, why so many other air carriers just fail to give minimum customer-experience (if not, delight) while flying. We were flying business class ( remembered Shashi Tharoor’s comment, ‘cattle class!)  I was also trying to cheer him saying we are going to another good brand, our hotel which we have specifically chosen based on our earlier experiences.  As the taxi hit the last stretch, the road by the sea, the hotel  stood tall, as though waiting for two demanding customers….

7Years in Tibet

Based on reco by a local friend, checked out this movie... Great movie. Characterization of young Dalai Lama was brilliant ! 

A sudden urge to visit Dharmashala...Pls do check out!

Seven Years in Tibet

A Short Trip to Dubai

I had travelled to Dubai... some thoughts!

• a short flight is always welcome. As the connectivity among the gulf countries are restricted to air travel or by road, I had to opt for air travel ( unlike the British leaders who prefer to go around in trains for their election canvassing ! Courtesy,  BBC telecast of a debate, last evening )
• a travel always enriches me with experiences. More so, when you have friends, former colleagues, relatives and other categories of contacts such as fellow-alumni... I got to touch-base with a cross section of 'contacts' and interact. 
• a book to accompany is always a critical part of a trip. I checked my recent purchases from India.    

• Then picked up BLIND FAITH by Sagarika Ghose, over the two books I am currently reading - PG Wodehouse & Richard Branson titles. I wanted someting 'unputtable' ..
• I picked up as the cover spoke about pilgrimage/ganges/mahakumbh, etc. (had bought it based on good preview)
• 'Blind faith' is about four characters on a pilgrimage. ( aren't we all on a pilgrimage ourselves? ). She's sketched out an India using her dichotomy of Western and Indian values magnanimously to further a powerful story. ( Source DNA)
• I even had a dream ( !!!) I was going blind ! 
• Now I feel stronger to go to Mubh Mela... also, go back to Haridwar. 
• It was quite unputtable...liked the flow. But was quite confusing ! At the end of it....a mixed feeling of like & dislike :)

Friends have been suggesting this is as the best time to travel and explore Dubai, thanks to the down turn and reduced crowd. Friends confirm the economy is yet to show 'real signs' of recovery, which may be a long and painful journey. ( things are a lot better at other GCC economies though!). Yet to explore Dubai, as I want to do it with family. 

Earth Hour 2010 to EarthYear 2011

Vice President of GM talks of future of Auto Industry : He said '96 percent of the transportation industry depends on this non-renewable resource'.  GM VP on future of auto industry

Elsewhere, on a Sky TV debate, the three British leaders were specifically asked what they did personally at their respective homes to tackle the risk of climate change.... Interesting response, but not convincing though.

It is raining in parts of Middle East. It is hottest period in history in parts of India. Beautiful Sprint @ parts of US, confirms a friend there...

I still maintain the political leaders can not get us out of this threat. It is responsibility of every member of world population, whether we like it or not !

Amchi Mumbai Indians in IPL3 Finals... finally !!!

3rd edition of IPL, No.3 is proving to be lucky ( consistent with numerology ?!) for MumInds. Finally, they are in the finals... Though Sachin did not come up with a big knock, valuable contribution from several players ensured a good score. Pollard was great in finishing off in style, along with Tiwari. Malinga was very good. Perhaps a good toss to win, as Bangaloreans were under pressure all along. Ground support would have helped too.

Common man/Mumbaikar deserve this too... With IPL Gate getting murkier by the hour, the sport is at its best !

IPL Gossip to IPL Gate

The thought that not everything related to IPL was 'cricket', prompted me to categorise my thoughts on IPL3 as IPL Gossip. But, this has hit a new low... IPL Gate ! 

Thanks to the new-age platform, Twitter and the tweet by Lalit Modi... it has resulted in a series of cascading events... still 'falling' ! A smart minister ( young, suave, well-qualified and a man of letters and also, tweets), has lost his job.  While the urban youth is firmly behind Tharoor, the political parties, including his own congress, did not support him. Was it the Pushkar-connection that proved to be the last nail in coffin ? Perhaps, yes... While many may feel he did not hide anything and was quite transparent, the Indian politics and the public opinion is still not ready to accept this new political-kid off the block. The govt lost an efficient minister. Mallus, especially in Middle East, may feel let down, as he was their only hope...

But, the case still at the allegation stage - no definite culprits caught. Despite the assurance of FM, Pranabda, it is unlikely the real culprits will be booked. Lalit Modi, poster-boy of international cricket, may still lose his job. What about the source of his recent wealth, in spite of his Midas-touch ? Who are the real people behind the IPL ? FM, PM and the entire administration owe an explanation to Indian public. We can not allow blatant violation of business ethics on the sporting arena...

The demand to nationalise IPL was quite funny, to put it mildly ! To ban IPL was insensitive ! To track the sources of funds and clean up was the correct demand. A massive clean up is overdue and a herculean task. Is the central govt, in spite of their majority and a strong public opinion, willing to take up the responsibility ? Unlikely... With Sharad Pawar part of the cricket admin, the Chanakya of Indian politics will most likely pull off a compromise...at the cost of Truth and the Sport. 

ICC has chosen to keep off, conveniently. They don't want to rub BCCI on the wrong side. That defeats the very purpose of their existence - to protect the game. Cricket is no longer a gentleman's game... And for God's sake, majority of cricket lovers want the sport to be CLEAN. 

today's matches

MumbInds marches on.... this time with more valuable contributions from Pollards, et al. Other teams watch out, Pollard may be peaking just in time ! Now they should test their bench strength, rest for some, give one more opp to 'MP' Jayasurya (SL urgenly needs some sporty-politicians, just as in India), ... so that all are ready for action in Semis. Delhi was not able to handle the pressure. Would still like to see Viru, Gambhir, in Semis.

KKR crumbled. Due to pressure, loss of confidence....? Chennai had a comfortable outing. While KKR found the pressure too hot to handle, Chennai's Raina & Vijay ( IPL3's 'find'?) were playing without any pressure and the flow was evident. Of course, it was one of those days, when everything went wrong for KKR! Feel sad for Dada and all his passionate fans. Prince of Kolkotta and his men will be missed in Semis.


PS : Sadly, the franchise ownership, real/benaami, are in news. We would like to see more transparency here. 

Modi Vs Tharoor

I have been trying to reduce the 'gossip' content of my posts. But, now Lalit Modi-Tharoor episode on Kochi-ownership has prompted me to write this one... but, no gossip here. It is serious stuff...( Thanks to Twitter!)

As I posted earlier, there is lot of 'gossip' about the ownership of Kochi and many other franchisee. We care for the game...the way it is evolving...With politicians+bollywood+big business house+cricket  = IPL, transparency is more critical. Perhaps, a professional club would have been less evil...'perhaps' !

In that context, I am glad this controversy has come out in the open. All cricket-fans and common people want to know what is happening behind the curtains and who are involved.

Somebody will step in and try to sort out this controversy, to minimise the impact on IPL. But sportsministry and finance ministry should step in to clear the matter, for the overall benefit of the game and ethics respectively.

PS : Till such time, let us not give our coloured verdict on Tharoor. Indian politics need few Tharoors!

Saudi hopes 'magician' will fight traffic crime - Government - News & Features - ITP.net

Every effort is worth it...We, drivers on the road, need to be more responsible.

Saudi hopes 'magician' will fight traffic crime - Government - News & Features - ITP.net

Orange Cap to Sachin

The Little Master has a habit of reaching milestones with unfailing regularity. The 'IPL-movement' has been lucky to have some masters of the game taking the game and the event to a new 'league'.

In my previous post, I had shared the 'opportunity for the Orange Cap' to be on Sachin... The collective expectation of fans of MumInds ....The Orange Cap looks better on Sachin.
Once again, Sachin shoulders the responsibility of guiding the team to a challenging total, a score the opposition unable to unable to 'challenge royally'!

With Pathan out, MumInds have tightened the grip. It is only matter of time now.

To beat the Rajasthan team at their home-ground is an icing on cake. Shane Warne must be disappointed.

Great performance, MumbInds...

Messi- the greatest ?

We have been lucky to be part of a generation which had Maradona, Borg, Sunny Gavaskar, Jehangir Khan, Geet Sethi,  Padukone ( a personal favourite!)... earlier. Then, Tiger Woods, Federer, Messi, Sachin, et al. And no 'generation gap' here... We have been very fortunate.

The latest debate : Is Messi the greatest of all times ?
It is human weakness to make comparisons - at office ( hence the rat-race), at school/college and in the social circle. We are never satisfied the way we are... or the way others are. We make comparisons, which are usually unfair, as we do with our children.

Messi, is definitely going up the curve, for sure. He has all the ingredients of a Genius Blossoming. Ardiles think so. He says, Messi, unlike my favourite Maradona, ' is more focussed & much calmer...well protected by his family'. He also adds, 'you would never find him at a night club...a perfect boy'.


Tiger Woods is back in action. I love the golfer and happy he is back with a bang!
Nike has release a new ad ( though shot sometime back) featuring Tiger.  Not happy about it!

IPL Gossip - TVC, captaincy,

RCB pulls off a fantastic win. Happy for Kumble, Dravid, Uthappa, Taylor ( what a fantastic piece of fielding!), Kallis ( though would like to see Sachin pick up yellow cap:) !) and team... Bangalore supporter. NOT, the franchise owners, who did not treat the players well earlier on....

Robin Uthappa continues to make scintillating contributions.... Dravid was at his best in this version. I agree with Prof Dineo (on NDTV), he should 'unshackle himself'. There are many like us who follow cricket because of players like dravids, sachins, sehwags, and also kumble/dada, though they have retired. There is plenty of cricket left in all these cricket-greats. Some of them are loved because of the combination of  their game and their character, on & off the field. Hence, Dravid should unshackle himself...

Part of the reason may be because of the earlier experiences with the franchise-owners. While someone like Yuvi is alleged to be put off, players  like Dravid will retain the exemplary poise and make his bat do the talk. At least in future, players should have the option to opt out of couple of franchisee, if they chose to ( like the job-sites gives the opportunity to exclude current employer!) Hope Lalit Modi is listening.

Now Dada is upset his players did not handle the second 10 overs well. Dada is considered to be one of the best captains. Why is he blaming his team ? Prof Dino picking up on Dada? ( We all know, Dada is quite unpopular among aussies! )

NDTV got off with their post-match analysis even before the host was ready. The analysis are usually very interesting. But, we miss Ajay Jadeja! The breaks are too 'commercially long....' But the RAK bank TVC on Pehla is unbearable. Pls do not put us through the torture. But the Ford Fusion ad rocks...

IPL Gossip : MumInds finally lose

It was clash of VADA PAAV VS VADA-SAMBHAR. MSD won the toss, chose to bat, team put up a decent score, fielded well, restricted in form Sachin and walked away with a comfortable victory. Happy for MSD, one of cricket's coolest captains !

MumInds are still the best! Mind it..., 'rascallaaaaaaaaaaa' !

But the players looked exhausted. They may deny the length of the IPL is taxing. Partly because they want to be politically right, or because of money/exposure. But, it is quite visible. Though it is shorter version, the travel adds to their woes, as Sunil Gavaskar highlighted. The sheer intensity of the contest is tough on the players too. I personally feel, players like Sachin should retire from IPL and focus on India's games. There may not be many takers for this, but he is too precious to be playing in IPL-circus!

Talking of circus, Jaipur has approved the matches, with strings-"attached". They will have no cheer-leaders. I feel the concept is quite out of place. Also, no beer. Players like RajRoyal captain will not be able to take a refreshing sip @ stadium.

Lalit Modi was busy this evening, signing away autographs @ Chennai. He has become quite a celebrity ! He deserves all the accolades, surely. But, hope he considers such valuable feedback....!!!

Bucket List Movie

I watch very few films. I never experiment with films. Would even attempt to to watch only based on feedback/review/recommendation from very reliable sources, such as close friends, media, etc.

I came across one such recommendation and the title stuck... BUCKET LIST. Fever, sore-throat got me out of action over the week-end. I decided to watch Finally got to watch it...at home, with family. Saw it on the original, (yes, not pirated-proud of it !) Warner Bros Home Video.

We loved every moment of it... Fantastic performance by Nicholon, Freeman and others. Great script, good flow and some inspiring takeaways...

Some special moments

• Virginia rightly reprimands Chambers for not avoiding 'cancer' .... (readers, pls QUIT smoking!)
• A devoted family man is ''happier''! This is more relevant when more celebrities are joining the ranks of fallen heroes
• Laugh until I cry - that was a great item to be on the list. In our hustle & bustle, we forget to laugh. Master says, just as sweetness is the nature of sugar, happiness is our natural state 
• Find Your Joy ... that should be our constant search.. true happiness... spiritual happiness ( Sat-Chit-Ananda, according to Indian Philosophy)

Watch the movie... Make your bucket list... It is never too late to do so. Don't wait to get old !

IPL Gossip

Mumbai Indians pulled off yet another win, a convincing one at that. Sachin did not fire, still the Rayudus, Tiwaris and Pollards stood up & ensured the option to bat first was not a bad decision by the team, management and captain.

Sachin was never rated as a great captain. I agreed. A great player, great team guy , but not a great captain. But this time it has been different. Reason....

• You are as good as your team - the team has some great players, who have stood up, when necessary
• Leader has to lead from the front, Sachin has done that
• The support system has been good, surely. TA Sekhar, Robin Singh are some of the best

Talking of captaincy, top 5 teams as of date, are captained by Indians. Last 3 have foreigners as captains.

Is Preity listening? Last year, her bollywood-colleague's team made a similar mistake by not giving Dada the reigns. Intelligent people are those who learn from other mistakes.
Preity was at Mataji... May Mother bless her. Still, let the better team win tomorrow and therafter !

IPL is getting just too long. Too loooooooooooong... and next year, two more games. I will give it a miss, at least till semis!

Even now, I am not hooked 100%. Few minutes on treadmill, at prayer and family dinner are as important.

Vijay played a spectacular knock. Some of these players are going up the learning curve, quickly. RR almost chased. A great game, though I missed the match. ( was contributing to the economy of my karmabhoomi !)

IPL Gossip

As IPL3 enters the decisive phase, I am starting this new series...deliberately chirstined 'gossip' for the informal content and to get some extra-readership.

• KKR playing the defending champs. The defending champs are in the second half of the table, as of now, so not 'defending' very well.
• All three batsmen of KKR started off with a boundary each. Though Chris Gayle offered a simple catch to his team-mate ( Nothing 'kamaal' about it though!)
• Hyderabad team is playing. Sania Mirza, the Hyd girl, is in news for her marriage plans to a cricketer from 'not so friendly neighbourhood'! An unsolicited advise to Deccan Chronicle, owners of Deccan Chargers... 'Re-charge' Hyd team by including Sania's would-be in DC team. The franchisee can get the necessary go ahead, afterall they are part of the Fourth Estate !
• Though, Hyderabad is very close to heart, I want Dada's team to win (I am no fan of SRK. )
• Bollywood is having a bad time, as of now @ IPL. PunjabXI and RajRoyals are just not playing to their potential. 
• Gossip is things are not very good @ PunjabXI. Quite evident going by the body-language of the players. 

"Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude." Ralph Marston 

Earth Hour 2010 to Earth Year 2010

After the lip-service to Earth Hour 2010, I am going to try and live the year in the 'Earth Hour Mode'.

Part of the resolution to live life frugal, Green and thus, Spiritual. 

A long term push is required to make a genuine impact

Mumbai Indians .... emphatic win

I always feared, what if Sachin does not come good in a match. Will the others stand up and make a difference ? Afterall Gilly getting out early seem to be making a big difference to the end-result.

Today, Harbhajan made a fantastic difference! Sachin held the innings together, pretty well. All the main bowlers, Zaheer, Bhajji and Malinga made a great attack. Sachin's catch was cool !

Bhajji is back in form, at his aggressive self. He made a pre-match announcement he wanted MI to win and become the first team to move into Semis!! That is some aggression...

Some big names such as Packard, Bravo, etc are yet to fire big-time.

The team is going great as a unit. The seniors seem to be ensuring the team is held together very well.

My worry still remains... what if Sachin gets out quickly. Will someone else hold the innings together...

Earth Hour 2010 I did lip service too....

Last year, I did observe Earth Hour, with limited enthu. But I had decided 2010 will be different and surely, better.

Couple of weeks back, saw 'Earth Hour pop-up' on my gmail. I clicked, enrolled... then I realized I was on their Canada-sector :) Neverthless, I continued to receive email from them. That enabled me to make pleas on my Twitter, Facebook and blog... I tried word of mouth too... This morning, I sent a quick reminder to most of my email contacts... None responded...yet ! Makes me wonder, is it all worth it ?? Perhaps on a Sat evening, people are busy with their week-end plans !!! How many of us really care for our environment ?!!!

As I stepped out of office, I remembered to switch off the light. I made it a point to remind the cleaning team, to switch off the lights after they finish. 

When I walked back home (yes, 'walk'!) I saw the lights were already on. Again, made me wonder... living almost in the middle of desert, urbanised surely, we have too much of 'light pollution'. Same is the case with most urbanised landscape...The lights in corridors of our buildings are always on. I never miss an opportunity to switch off the lights during day time, only to find them 'on' almost immediately ! The awareness is low or may be we don't care...

Dada and KKR made a come back, finally at IPL3. I wonder, why the sole match was not scheduled at 4 PM IST, instead of 8 PM. There was no way to switch off lights at 830 PM, during the match. And IPL3 has been prominently paying lip-service to GO GREEN too... ! 

A friend here has opted out of the whole things saying 'earth has a natural mechanism to correct, by natural disasters, etc. Why bother?'... Interesting !


Another friend laments... 'we have switched off most of it, except A/c and TV. Family wants to watch a bollywood flick'! He was helpless...


As the clock hit 830 PM, I was out on an 'important' work - to take my son to get his xbox repaired, a long pending promise. I found the shops were no way near the 'earth hour'. ON way back, asked the laundry guy, 'why not switch off couple of lights'. He says there was a common switch for all the three lights! And why bother, the malls and other big buildings are switching off and saving a lot of power...he feels his participation was insignificant. Tragedy, a lot others think same too... !


All I could do was to get back, switch off as much possible and get into the evening prayer-mode. Escapist ? May be... The world does not seem to care and when you are helpless, prayer & meditation are the best options. 


Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu...

Tiger Woods to Return

Another TV news item that caught my attention while 'on tour' was Tiger Woods' return to Golf...

Like many other die-hard fans of Tiger, I have allowed him to drift away from list of Greats. It must be 'freedom' for many of us, also for him. Like many others, I now feel sorry for him. And now it is more of sympathty. Let us hope he is able to come out of it and focus on Golf, with Arjun (mahabharatha fame)-like focus, dedication and character. Of course, he needs a friend, philospher, guide and GOD, just as Arjun had Sri Krishna. As such, it is good to note he is 'going back' to his Buddhism, meditation.
  

Woods has long been connected to Buddhism through his Thai mother and he said his detachment from the religion had been behind his fall from grace.

"Going against your core values, losing sight of it," he said when asked how he lost control of his life. "I quit meditating, I quit being a Buddhist, and my life changed upside down.

"I felt entitled, which I had never felt before. Consequently, I hurt so many people by my own reckless attitude and behavior."  ( Courtesy : http://gulfnews.com/sport/golf/tiger-woods-returns-to-buddhism-1.601495  

Tendulkar on Wisden Cover

It is a fitting tribute to the great champion...

True to his style, he is making waves in the latest version of cricket, @ IPL3. Leading from the front, he made some scintillating, match-winning knocks. Cricket is fortunate to get a champion of his class, achievement, temperament and character.

Business Trip towards Eastern Province

Just back from a business trip to Eastern city. The weather was fantastic... Sea-side city reminded so much of Mumbai. The city was getting a 'new look' to receive a dignitary. So, the city looked clean, green and beautiful ( with plants and flowers)

The traffic had slowed down, but was quite smooth & bearable !

The nice weather prompted me to step out, before my colleague arrived to pick me up and walk up to the road, rather than waiting at the lobby ( thus saved some fuel too !) . The cool breeze was so nice. The tight schedule prevented me to take a walk around in evenings...

Could not visit the nearby bookstore. It was here the salesman suggested the book,  How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else. I have got so many of my friends to read same, both Indians and expats. Got good feedback too.

Talking of books, I am currently reading Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur ! Just started. But intro and first chapter has got me hooked ( else I would not have mentioned here:) !) He also talks about the importance of PEOPLE in business. In line with the powerful reco by so many other contemperory business greats ! The challenge is to get the right person on the right job ! very true... we all are living the challenge every moment, after all. I liked the section on SELF DISCIPLINE. Simple, but very powerful thought... ! I am a more conservative guy, unlike a more flamboyant RBranson.  But his practical thoughts on business are very inspiring...

The travel was enhanced by an excellent experience @ Sheraton. On earlier occasions I had posted my displeasure over the average service at the same property, without naming them. But, this time it was different. I wonder was it my SPG membership or earlier feedback ?

One of the first things I enquired at check-in counter was about availability of IPL3 telecast. The fellow-Indian at counter politely refused, full of empathy ( himself a cricket fan, I am sure !) That was a dampener. But was glad to see Obama get the medical bill through, a landmark 'CHANGE', he had promised... and now he has delivered. Caught few moments of the movie, INSTINCT. Looked interesting, with jungle, jail and powerful performance by Anthony Hopkins. Indeed, He learns that mankind's control of everything is a mere illusion and that the true values of existence can't be found so easily  ( Courtesy : http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128278/plotsummary ) 

But for a veggie, food is always a problem in ME. I missed home-food... dosa, et al. Glad to be back...home !

Incredible India

A minister invites a guest for the inauguration of second leg of the worli sea link... guest attends, and there is a controversy !! Reason, the guest-invited, Amitabh Bachchan and the ruling party(!!!) of Maharashtra, Congress+NCP. AB is considered closer to Samajwadi party, brand ambassador of neighboring state ruled by BJP !!

The minister should have the sensibility not to invite, though AB was a good choice and kudos to minister.

Having invited, is it not the collective responsibility of the cabinet, including chief minister, to stand by it? CM was seen struggling to come up with appropriate response to questions from NDTV reporter ! it looked so silly

Thankfully, this time it is not Shiv Sena.

How can they forget there are thousands/lacs of AB fans also. These fans are predominantly from age group 30-40's, whose kids may be fans of Kapoors/Hrithik/etc. How can Congress ignore AB fans beyond amchi mumbai ?

And what about 'athithi devo bhava' ?

IPL auction

The concept of IPL hit a new low/high ( I leave the choice to you, as I am confused!), with two additions. Firstly, the amount of money...then, the number of matches would go into 90s... Can it sustain viewership for that long ? TRP will be minus mortals such as myself... The brains behind IPL forget for sure the wisdom of 'essence of brevity'...

I hope Sachin remains with amchi-Mumbai's team. Sreesanth will be welcome @ Kochi, and he may harbour captaining the side.

Indeed, Sahara chief has attributed to 'a combination of materialism and emotion' for entering the fray now ! Indeed, all the franchise owners are into it for all reasons, other than cricket... ! Good for them, but bad for cricket !

Sachin's Day

Amchi Mumbai's team hit the ground @ now infamous FKotla, against one of the tournament favourites Delhi Daredevils. No doubt, Delhi looks a lot better balanced. To be playing with the home-advantage, an interesting tussle was in the guard. I had thought Delhi would walk away with a comfortable win. But, my heart was with Sachin & co.
And what a match it turned out to be... a comprehensive win against Viru and co. Kudos to Sachin for leading from the front. Good contribution by Tiwari and Rayudu.
Though IPL3 is at the initial phase, this win would have given a lot of self-belief for all the youngsters in the team. They just need to carry on...
Looking forward to a big innings from Sanath, which I feel is ovedue from the dashing opener...

Watching the repeat telecast now on ART channel, courtesy CricOne- could not catch up live action ! No complaints, because highlight spares the painful ads ... painful for the intrusion during the overs, after the overs and some ads of pathetic quality ( Rak bank should withdraw their silly ad!). While marketers may see this golden opportunity to tap Indian expat, going by the quality of ad, it could be the other way :)

IPL - An Unnecessary Evil ?

Too Much Too Soon
Check out this article... captures the essence of what is wrong with the concept of IPL

Though I am a die-hard fan of Indian Cricket, I am following IPL with reduced interest. I would watch expert comments/analysis, highlights, etc than the live telecast. I see more negatives in the concept than positives.

Change is something no one can stop. If Lalit Modi would not have thought of the concept, someone else would have. So, no point in blaming him.

Yesterday, NDTV carried comments from more bollywood biggies, who are unhappy they were not (yet) franchisee-owners: Saif/Kareena, Salman Khan, Sanjay Dutt, to name a few. What makes them brag about their automatic eligibility to be franchisee owners ? SRK/Shilpa Shetty, ??? We would be rather better off getting couple of professional cricketers & their companies/cricket clubs such as MCC to own. It will add value to 'cricket', not 'glamour'.

You can not expect politicians and other administrators @ BCCI to take note and make mid-course correction. Money and Power are involved here! The average cricket lover needs to think and take a stand...

Inspiring India

A trip home is very nice. If destination is ‘spiritual’, great ! Even if the duration is as short as a week.  A week is enough to get spiritually-re-charged..

To start the flight at 4 AM means, no sleep! When the flight is a bit delayed, still worse. We have chosen not to fly our own Air India and opt for the local airlines, on their better record on punctuality ! On a spiritual journey, such small tests are part of the experience!

Thanks to all those leaders and officials, India’s roads are definitely getting better. The national highways are a lot better. While working for several years in truck/bus industry, ‘better roads’ was always a mirage for all the stake-holders. But now, it is a reality, almost…

I still spotted couple of traffic cops taking bribes on the highway! The roads may have improved for the transporters, but not the harassment!

The transport industry has to take equal blame, having sustained the practice. They should go by the Tata Tea TVC – khilana band karo… ( of course, pilao bhi nahin and not even ‘chay/paani’!)

The temperature was high for a Feb/Mar, across most parts of India. Surely, effect of Climate Change. We need more Greenathons, more frequently !

Relatives are being advised to cancel their annual vacation to Kerala this year, as the temperatures are at all time high. Add to this, the power-cuts! God’s own country…. ! (Back in Gulf, it is getting hot here too. Thankfully, no power cuts here!)

I returned re-charged, Spiritually, with a stronger conviction on ‘human-values’, purpose of my life and a resolve to move towards the goal of my life.

Thanks to my Master, the journey was beautiful, as always…

Women Reservation Bill

I am totally for Women-Lib. I have been fortunate to have a great mother, loving sis, wonderful wife and few good friends in opposite sex. But, this bill is just not the right solution. Nor a move in the right direction. I think it is yet another proof of political myopia. Mrs Gandhi may be personally motivated to fulfill a dream of her late husband ( one of the genuine leaders in dynastic families in India, post Independence). The reaction of few political parties and valuable loss of Parliament time....

Sachin, The Master

Sachin Tendulkar's name has appeared more than once in my humble blog.

I feel it is our fortune we are contemperories of greats such as Sachin. With his recent knocks, culminating in yesterday's 200, he has gone up a few notches as one of the greatest of the sport. ( It does not matter, 'one of ' or 'the' greatest !) It is all matter of perceptions. But, he is a genius who has given more to cricket, than what he has got, though he got 'a lot'! That is one of the signs of true greatness.

His very presence at the crease and how he goes about is truly inspiring. At crease, ' he is at work'. The dedication, commitment, attitude, etc he exhibits is worth-emulating in our professional life.

He has caught the imagination of the nation for his value-system and character. He, perhaps, personifies Indian ethos and values. Knowingly or unknowingly, we are proud of him for that too. This has become more relevant after the 'fall' of Tiger Woods from the pedestal.

Once, standing in lunch-queue with my senior colleague...he asked why I was limping. 'I had suffered a knee injury while playing table-tennis !! :) ' He said, at least you got it playing, look at Sachin. He has got a ( shoulder) injury ' while not playing'. That was the disappointment of a big fan of Sachin, who could not think of Indian cricket without the genius. Even at home, my family thinks it is unlike me for my idolizing the genius.

He dedicated the knock to all his fans in India ( next time he should add, Indians abroad too, like yours truly...).

Safari @ Kenya

Started uploading Kenya Photographs... animals in their natural habitat, healthy and happy, was a wonderful sight. But we started the trip at animal 'orphanage' (!) at Nairobi. Hence, starting off with some of the snaps taken there... More to follow, original :)

Animal Orphanage, Nairobi

3 Idiots

Amir Khan is an actor who has given us some great movies..

• Taare Zameen par, would have helped many a parent to be more sensitive 
• Dil Chahta hai, prompted me to re-connect with some of my good, old friends
• Rang De Basanti, made many urban youth to be more aware of  common issues around us
• Lagaan... etc.

So, I waited for the initial response of his (now, not so) new film, 3 Idiots. I was confident he would ensure quality, as he has done in the recent past ( did not like his Gajini, personally though). The feedback from friends was 'must watch'! Got to watch last week...

Though the movie was 'inspired by' one of Chetan Bhagat's books( my favourite among all by him), I felt the controversy could have been avoided.
It does take a comic look at the hostel life, our parental pressure to become an engineer/doc and of course, on learning by rote in our educational system. ( CBSE's recent decision to do away with board exam is in the right direction, finally....)Most of us have different memories about all these three aspects.

I was fortunate to be in hostels, in 9th & 10th and then for the management degree. I rate both these stages of  my life as two most important milestones in my personal life... For what I am today, I owe a lot to these two stages of life. (More about it, later for 'autobiography'!) So, only very pleasant memories of hostel life.( No ragging experince either, thank God)

Career: All of us, who belong to the middle class category, would have felt similar experiences. My mom wanted me to become a teacher - as respectable, decent income and lots of vacations. Dad wanted me to follow his footsteps to fauji ( army) initially. I was not in favour of army, as I wanted 'freedom' and  better 'earning potential' ( wanted to reach financial stability, unlike many faujis). Then, he wanted me to become ....yes.... an engineer ! I did not get very high grade in engineering entrance and I would do only computer science or electronics, nothing else. So, I dumped that stream and hit Commerce and became a banker.... I never had the engineering bend-of-mind, though I was good at Maths & Physics. Fortunately, parents supported my crazy career ideas ( for 1980's). Not many parents were/are in that league, for sure... Kudos to Amir for bringing out this important aspect of our lives...

And, Freedom & financial stability, is very relative... 'everything is in mind'! I feel we should encourage our children to pursue a career of their interest and passion and be best in that field.Then they will not 'work', it becomes fun...

Learning by rote is perhaps one of the fundamental flaws of our educational system. Lot of my friends feel otherwise, and are in favour of all the thrust on memorising and pressurizing children in their school days. Though I don't blindly support the western model, we need to modify our educational system to enable our children realise their potential. I was at the receiving end as I was very bad in memorising, hence such strong views.

What I admire about Amir Khan is his passion for work. His passion can be seen & felt even by even a movie-goer. His ad campaigns ( titan, tata sky, paanch ke barabar coke ad, etc) were different. His 'athithi devo bhava'/Incredible India! campaigns are very timely and relevant. Was glad to hear he is a voracious reader and almost a fitness freak. Of course he is a fellow blogger, and all comparisons end there :)

Personal Thoughts

As I looked at my ( this) humble blog... on the left side appeared a nice quote... Peace is its own reward...Mohandas Gandhi ( wonder, why can't they use simple Gandhiji!)
Indeed, Peace is what everyone wants, at all times. But, we would not be part of creating peace, but 'pieces'! We don't step back and look at... if we are adding to peace or reducing... Either way, we affect the people around ourselves and also ourselves.
A hectic day @ work ! Most parts of the world, including the sole superpower, is reeling under the burden of mounting unemployment. So, to be gracefully employed, is by itself Grace ! To be able to think 'valuable' ( though would like to think indispensable!) is still better.
Intuition works... as I hit the sack late last night, I knew today will be tough. To prepare, opted to read few lines from a spiritual book on Master...to get a peaceful sleep :)
The day got off to a tough start, and held momentum till late eve. By the time I few big hurdles, it was 4 pm. Too late for a quick lunch. When busy, you don't feel hungry either.
Another ton by Sachin does not raise the spirits...as it was not a match-winning knock... and too busy to track!
But, at end of day, when hunger catches up, I wonder... how millions see through days, without a full meal in a day... how will children go through a hungry day?... If only God had ensured NO Hunger as part of his wonderful creation....

Incredible India

India perhaps hit a less incredible, low today...thanks to our political leadership, our elected representatives and some of our icons :

• Rahul Gandhi has claimed his trip to Mumbai a huge success. Surely he has won some brownie points. But travelling by train was not 'so cool'... even to the youth of Mumbai, whom he was trying to win over. ( He might have been inspired by a similar gesture of the Queen of England recently. But she was grace personified). The silent majority was unhappy with Shiv Sena's direct/indirect threat. But Rahul has not handled the issue well either. By downplaying the martyrdom of some local, popular cops, he has distanced not only the quintessential marathi manus, but also the average mumbaikar. Both resident & non-resident, son-of-the soil & migrants. While they will not accept Shiv Sena's stand, they will not be fooled by Rahul's immature response, more than words, his action. While Rahul or Shiv Sena may claim they won the battle, the hard-working, average mumbaikar is losing his battle, day after day.... with no hope of the political leadership making a difference to his quality of life. 
• Another youth icon, SRK, has not done any better. When he got the 'canvas' ( all the news-hungry channels), he used it well, by saying his daughter asked him if they may have to move out of India! Yet again, he disappointed his fans, many of who are educated and will not be swayed by his handling of the situation. It was a disgrace we did not pick up any of the T20 champs. But, as the owner of a franchise, even KKR did not pick up any. Then why the crocodile tears and all this tamasha... The average cricket lover and movie-goer feels cheated. 
• Jairam Ramesh is one of the most respected politicians. But the way he lost his cool to a passionate member of the audience, was poor leadership. 
• The way Pranabda handled an instigating Modi ( CM of 5 cr Gujarathis, as NDTV's puppet show would add !), showed our political leadership in poor light. 
• To top it all, No.1 cricket team ( among just 10 test playing nations, Bangladesh included), got off to a good start and failed to sustain momentum, in Nagpur, Maharashtra!

All this happening when common man is suffering the price rise. The threat from across the border took a new twist... the world is suffering, not only from economic slowdown, but also from the impact of climate change....people from all over the world are extending a helping hand to the Haitians to get back on their feet... But, our politicians are busy politicking...with some good help from others. INCREDIBLE !!! 

world around

We are living in interesting times.... as Chinese proverb says...

First it was the greatest golfer ever, falling from the pedestal. Now there are others in a hurry to do same, footballer, cricketer, etc.

Another Numero Uno to disappoint ( and also add risk to human life) is Toyota. Yesterday, as I got into my friend's Toyota FJ Cruiser, he mentioned, 'don't mind, break is not great !' I thought, he was only making a current joke ! But then when I saw him struggling to stop his car, I realised it was afterall not a joke ! We associated Toyota with quality and performance. But the mass recall exercise will make a big dent on their impeccable reputation.

CNN reported yesterday Apple;s comps have a minor color problem too!

To top it all, last evening, the no. 1 pizza brand delivered after almost 100 minutes ! The red hot indicator was 'pure white'. Cold pizza, delayed delivery meant a spoilt apetite. They may not have lost one of their customers, my son. But defenitely lost me... my resolution to eat healthy just got a big boost !

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Publish your own book

We dreamt of becoming a sportman/singer/actor/etc as a child....till much later into adolescence...

here is an opportunity to write your own book... one of the options, that is

start blogging... then through Blog2Print by Google, you can publish ... start blogging !

Turn your blog into a book!
Blog2Print from SharedBook turns your blog into a soft cover or hard cover book. You pick the cover, add an optional dedication, then preview and you're done. Prices start at $14.95.

WEALTHY traffic violators... Beware!

Traffic fines have never been fair... when someone receives a ticket for violation, he complaints about others who are left scot-free for making similar violations, if not more serious. Also, the quantum of fine was always linked to the category of error. But that is now set to change...You may be fined depending on 'your wallet'

At least Europen countries are taking the lead by pegging speeding fines to 'capability' ( not willingness) to pay. That is income-level !Switzerland, Finland, etc are current examples. Many other european countries set to join.

IPL3

If we wanted to keep Pak players out of IPL3, we should have done it with lot more finesse and professionalism. If IPL is getting less sporty and more commercial every year, this was a new low. We can not ill-treat sportmen, whether they are our own ( a la hockey players/Bindra recently) or others. Let us BE FAIR !

Character in Leadership

The story of Tiger's personal life has come as a big shock to all his fans, world over.

I always felt celebrities, just like us common people, have the right to privacy. But, once you are on public domain, you are subject to scrutiny, rightly or not. I wonder how such great achievers miss out on this important aspect of life, 'character' ! We have heard of so many people and their deviations from the 'prescribed path'. Is it due to the upbringing, society, situations, education, value-system... ? Master says, THE END OF EDUCATION IS CHARACTER

Personally, Tiger 'has' been closest to human greatness in sport. As a child, we always wanted to excel in our favourite sport (not golf though). But the change he has brought to the game, apart from his personal achievements, is what makes him truly great. In my office, I have a small model of what I would like to be ( from one of the training programs): a  Teacher ( profession), a restaurant owner, a singer, or a Tiger Woods! To achieve greatness in one's own chosen field ( usually we are in a particular profession by accident, not by choice) and to give more to the profession than take !


We need not be guided by these so-called great people, not bench-mark against them. But aspire simple greatness, in a holistic sense... That is Spiritual & closer to Divine, man being crown of God's creations

Winning generates momentum, but character sustains it. Tiger's story is a cautionary tale about character. http://www.giantimpact.com/articles/read/character_the_key_to_sustaining_momentum/

Indian Scene... when not incredible!

India lost yet another big match. While the Sri Lankan's took a gamble to field in the last match, to be better prepared for the final, we were glad about a good victory. But when it mattered, our so-called 'strong' batting line-up failed, yet again. We need couple of senior, matured players in the team. Dravids/Sachins/etc. Quite a few hearts would have been broken, due to this. Sadly, people would have skipped their work and stayed indoors to watch the match !!!

While the cash-rich, pampered cricketers made a mockery, there was some good news on the hockey-front. Thanks to Kalmadi and Pillay, and all those who came forward with cash offers, hockey team will get back to what they love the most. Hockey India definitely failed to handle this crisis, if not prevent. The players looked so much unlike our cricketers. They come from humble background, and have lived on a big dream and hope. The establishment has no business to be unfair to the players, in the name of playing for country vs playing for money. Their dreams involve both...

As children, most of us dreamt of becoming a Kapil/Gavaskar/Vijay Amritraj/Prakash Padukone/Pargat Singh/etc... Looking at this, we don't regret... can not complain... ( no sour grapes here) though corporate politics is no better usually...

Safari @ Kenya .... contd

Our guide in Kenya spoke eloquently about the impact of global warming on Kenya.

Countries like USA, China and India can not shy away from their responsibility. USA should lead from the front as the sole superpower. China aspires to be next super power, they need to think and act like a leader. India is a spiritual country. We need to take the plunge, instead of waiting for US or China, to take the lead. The political leadership has to take the important step to save the earth...

Glad to read about Wang Shi, businessman from China, who went in search of snow at Kilimanjaro and found no snow. (He was inspired by Earnest Eeminway's ' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'. We need more such influential people to take the lead. They can inspire people around them. Celeberities need to take a stand too. Priyanka Chopra, India's popular film actress, is actively supporting Green Initiatives in India. We need more such popular & successful people to take a stand and make a difference

Meditation

One more inspiring thought on MEDITATION...I hope many people will have 'I WILL MEDITATE DAILY' as one of the NY resolutions. Resolution or not, pl don't miss the opportunity to experience true joy... bliss...!



"The only thing on which you can be prodigal with your time is meditation, is sadhana, because that is what takes you up on your evolutionary path. But unfortunately, most of us, most of the abhyasis, have little or no time for meditation."

Shri. P. Rajagopalachari, President, Shri Ram Chandra Mission

India, these days...

• Indian cricket team struggles against Bangladesh, and a captain's knock by MSD ensures a win. Why are we not able to play consistently well and thrash such teams as Bangladesh?!!
• Clinical wins... Australian cricket team does it quite well. But, 'Australia' reminds their recent attack on Indians living there.  
• Hockey team has to protest...stage a walk out... ! What a shame ! They play for our country . . .
  
• A cop is denied emergency treatment by two senior TN ministers ! We are so insensitive... and our political leaders are embodiments of such insensitivity. 
• Shashi Taroor has got himself in trouble yet again. Now he is becoming more predictable to get himself into trouble regularly :)
• Sanjay Dutt has quit too. Stick close to.... ( He should check In Search of Excellence, for inspiration!)
• Perhaps Taroor and Dutt are not cut out for politics ! But Taroor is popular among the youth ( TED was brilliant). He has the guts to voice his opinion, even on Gandhiji & Nehru !!! We need such politicians also. He should go and tackle australian problem... may be he may adopt Gandhigiri !
  

Parenting

Came across a report on Dubai Airshow...sharing thoughts not on the actual air-show, but a related report on GOOD PARENTING !

Massimo Tammaro is a happy man.. as a child he dreamt of flying. At 41 he is just doing that, and enjoying every bit of it. He thinks he was 'lucky'... He attributes the secret behind being a successful fighter pilot to : a combination of a God given gift and his mothers good parenting.


Source - Gulfnews

Happy New Year...

The celebrations are over... time to get back to 'business' !
One more year behind us. Time to look back and introspect. Pick up the lessons and move ahead.
Live in the Present, Here & Now...

It has become fashionable for people either to-make-resolutions-to-break or, no resolution at all. To resolve or not to... is a personal choice :) But what is life if we don't move , that too in the right direction, preferably with a gear shift!



Some personal thoughts, resolutions that will guide me throughout 2010:

• Be fit and healthy- self, family (and others )
  
• Go green... go organic, go local
• Smile... Reach out
• Grab an opportunity to make a difference 
• Be frugal - spend less/right, save more 
• Manage time still better
  
• Still lesser TV, more books ( switch to Kindle ?), learn a new form of art
• Work harder, more passionate, but try for joy @work - work-life balance, family focus
• Proactive leadership
• BE SPIRITUAL

Wish you and folks a great year ahead. May 2010 be the best year for you....Let me have your thoughts too, thanks. 

Safari @ Kenya

Nairobi - Giraffe Feeding !

Safari@ Kenya - Nairobi Local

Nairobi is very much like a third-world city-capital, with its slow traffic, pollution, predominantly lower middle class/poor people rushing around trying to make both ends meet... The average person on street lives a life insulated from the inflow of trourists, for over four decades now. Sadly, whether the colonial rulers or the invaders from other parts of world or even their descendents, have not helped country to go up the 'real' development-curve.

The animal orphanage was our first stop. Any 'orphanage' is a sad story, this no different. The animals were in zoo-like conditions. It had cheeta, lepord, (not so) wild buffallos, ostritch, birds and few monkeys....

The tired looking big-cat was not an encouraging sight. A lepord was hyper-active. The birds were beautiful!

But the big, pleasant surprise was the twin-lepords which sprinter Usain Bolt had 'adopted'... they look as majestic the great athelete himself !

Safari @ Kenya

Waiting for boarding announcement, after clearing the formalities of international/ late-night travel, sat down to clear personal mails. The timing was perfect-as a mail read 'Tourists robbed in Kenya'. Just few days ago, there was a newspaper report on tourists killed in Nairobi. Also, the surprising reaction from all who came to know of my destination (Kenya!!). Of course, when I checked the mail, full of expectation of 'some gory details', it turned out to be a troop of monkeys helping themselves with the luggage atop a car ! Of course, the monkeys found some of the clothes most intriguing !

The flight from Dubai, on time thankfully though at 130 AM, reminded me of Jetairways back home. Smaller aircrafts, but very friendly and professional staff on-board. Night travel is quite unbearable... nothing to beat the comfort of a bed !

Reached Nairobi 'very' early morning. The airport is quite old, the new wave of airport-improvement-projects have not hit Kenya yet (despite a prominent presence of Chinese construction entities) ! The staff at immigration were very friendly, surprisingly. They greeted, completed the process slowly, but always engaging us talking about cities/states of India, including 'God's own country' ( my native state), 'Bhopal' (my passport issued from there), etc. I wonder, why immigration staff at almost all airports are serious and give all incoming passengers a suspicious look! Professional difficulty !! :)

Checked into a hotel. Nothing worth mentioning about the hotel, hence identity of property withheld!

After getting ready, we set out to discover Nairobi.... :)

Sachin's 96 at ODI

We have got one more point to 'discuss' !!

Karthik should have tried to give strike to Sachin and facilitated Little Master to reach the milestone.
But it was more important to win the match and Sachin should be happy with the 'winning knock'
If he was keen on 100, he would have accelerated the scoring rate when in 80's, as commented by Sunil Gavaskar

Perhaps, Sachin (his critics may not beleive) actually does not play for records!

Good for him, for the game and the spirit of any team Sport

Back from vacation !

William Osler - "We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from life." (Source-Gmail)


Back from vacation. Just got busy @work and catching up on couple of pending things on the personal front. Lots of thoughts and experiences to share from Kenya@Safari. 


But more importantly, our leaders and elected/non-elected representatives at Copenhagen are showing no signs of visionary, responsible, representative and matured leadership. While the future of Earth is in their hands, they are clouded by their egoistic and narrow minded ( at times, related to the country they represent). It is time to rise above and do what we need to save the earth for future generations. Our children will not forgive us if we miss this golden opportunity to get back-on-track. The silent majority need to voice their opinion. The few protesters at Copenhagen are being treated like street-criminals. Most shocking.... 


We need decisive action from the world leaders...on climate change at Copenhagen.