Tribute to MJ... King of Pop (contd)

It is the final journey for the King of Pop.

It is after his death, he is remembered more and missed badly. This is a common phenomena. We fail to appreciate a living legend...

I am able to connect with MJ and his music/dance now, more than before. It is nostalgic for both me & wife. But, it is my son, with his interest in music and dance, who has discovered the genius. He goes around with a hat, in the middle of his term-exam-preparations, trying out MJ's steps.

He was so much innocence in his early days and such a fantastic dancer. I feel ( though no expert), he was more gifted with his dance, than his singing/lyric/music etc. Indeed, he lost that somewhere as he went up the success ladder. So sad...A lesson for all...Worth not emulating!

Some of his popular numbers ring a familiar tone. But, I fondly recall his We are the World. And, I am now more able to connect to his Earth Song. The message of his Earth Song is more relevant today ( & will surely be tomorrow and thereafter). He always had a passion to address the common issues around him. Worth emulating!

A fitting tribute to the King of Pop is if all his fans can live by these ideals of making this world a better place to live...

Board Exam for 10th Std

The new HRD minister, Kapil Sibal, has kicked up a debate on this hot topic.
He has held the bull by its horn.
One of the strengths of our country is its education and the value we accord to education.

• One of the first quotes that I read and internalised at the beginning of my early school-days was, 'vidhya dhanam sarva dhanaal pradhanam', in my mother-tongue (mallu!), crudely tranlated the most important wealth is the wealth of knowledge.
• Years later, towards the end of my student days, I evolved to more encompassing quotes: Education is for Life, not for living and The end of Education is Character - Sri Sathya Sai Baba
• But all along I was haunted by the need to memorise, and vomit at the exams.Every board exam was a nightmare.
• A lower middle class back ground ensured education was given the most important part responsibility and every other activity was linked to classes, exams and performance. While I excelled in all extra-curricular activities and enjoyed thoroughly, as I moved up the education-ladder, I had to give up my interests and focus on studies. Given a choice, I would have been happy to be a musician, sportsman, writer.... anything other than a banker, that I am!
• No regrets... More0ver, I believe in Karma...
• But, my only child enters 9th std, he is forced to get into the same 'junior-rat-race'. As a parent, it is my dream he pursues a profession of his choice and dreams... Thank God, I can afford it!
• But, with our education system remaining unchanged over the decades, can he ???
• It is in this context, Kapil Sibal's announcement is most exciting. I hope, he and his government takes it forward and implement immediately. WE NEED TO FREE OUR CHILDREN FROM THE PRESSURES OF XTH BOARD EXAMS... We have suffered, let us ensure our children are rescued !

A tribute to MJ

The world woke up to the shocking news of the death of M J. It marks an end to an era in the history of world music . Yes, his music was universal. He brought out one of those paradigm-shifts in the musical world. He will be lovingly remembered for his contributions to music. His 'Thriller' had a universal 'thrilling effect'
While Beatles and others belong to another era, MJ was our contemperory. He was at his peak when we were growing up. I was personally not into the fast-paced western music, but more of the original Hindustani/Carnatic music or ghazals. But there were so many friends who were die-hard M J fans. So, it was always part of the growing up years....
Watching the young MJ on CNN I wondered... He had a very unique boyish charm, he was different. The innocence, the confidence, and of course the exceptional talent, were very evident even at the beginning of his musical journey. I wonder when and how did he lose those characteristics!! He came to be known for his controversies, eccentricities, debt, etc. Sadly he was unable to fulfil his promise to his thousands of fans for 'one last stage performance'!
He will always remembered as a musical genius... May his soul rest in peace...

West Bound

20 June: I have hit the western coast...sea side is beautiful!

As I walked across the corridor to the last room in the floor, my heart missed a beat!! Did they allot me a suite ? Afterall, I am a proud memeber of their loyalty program. It turned out to be a room, next to the royal suite ( though nothing royal about my room - with an extra door separating the suite and my room, my room is more of a servant-quarters, from the location point of view !!)

The view from 7th floor room ! The sea is majestic. ( I hope with all the impact on environment by us, irresponsible inhabitants, the world remains beautiful and majestic for many more future generations)

Some things don't change (yet!). Why such premier properties don't respect my vegetarian preference for food. (If all these hotels got together and had more veg food, they will be making this world 'greener'. )

Then the preference was to get a good night's sleep, ahead of class room sessions next day ( quite tough to sit quietly and listen!)

Late into the night, I was rudely awakened when someone walked into my room.... !!! I heard the noice and immediately sat up. For a moment, I thought it was a dream! ( I am not into noctambulation!!) But the 'intruder', looked quite a gentleman and not one of those filmi-villians, was equally shocked to see me and made a quick exit ! Indeed, I had forgotten to put the additional latch/lock! I got up, locked up and got back. Then I realized, I was a bit shaken !! It was 0230 hrs of 21 June ! A day I will not forget too soon...

As suggested by friends, made a complaint at the 'guest services' counter of their loyalty program,three times over next two days. They have been religiously noting down the complaint, and not giving any satisfactory feedback.

Again, after sometime, I heard someone calling out, for over ten minutes. I had no choice to get up and check out. It was room-service trying to feed the occupants of the adjoining suite... at 0330 hrs !!! The room-service guy forgot there could be occupants in the servant quarters also ! How insensitive :(

At 53o hrs, my alarm woke me up for the third time! I had forgotten to change my weekly alarm at 530 hrs !!!

So, off to a poor start, borrowing sports-language. Things can only improve from here !

INDIA'S EXIT FROM WORLD CUP T20

Time for some interospection....
1. Fatigue ?? All players will (conspire to :)) take a stand against 'fatigue factor'... Sachin had indicated this specifically to Sehwag and Gambhir. Viru's body language at the group photoshoot ( when he stretched his hands, sleepy..) was a proof. The coach has come out with the same theory. BCCI was quick to criticise. Naturally, the tamasha of IPL is brain-child of the BCCI. The punishing, looooooooooong, schedule would sap the energy of fittest cricketer.
2. On top of it, the sheer pressure of the cricket crazy country on the shoulders of the cricketers...
3. was there some internal politics too? there can't be no smore without fire, goes the famous indian saying :)
4. there were lapses in planning and execution...
Time to go back to the drawing board... BCCI has to cut short the T20 to a T20-type ( shorter) IPL. They need to get a vibrant rotation-policy so that stronger bench-strength, lesser fatigue, more competetion among players.... IS BCCI LISTENING ?

Racist attacks in Australia

The frequency of attacks on Indian students is increasing by day. My thoughts.......(food for thought for the Indian students Down Under):

• It is sad so many of our youngsters have to go abroad... a clear failure of our politicians/govts...
• They go for different reasons - to join courses/course-combinations of their choice/low marks do not help here/job related courses like hotel management, etc...
• They, not only get to acquire degrees, but also pursue their dreams beyond. Brain-drain for our country!
• The students acquire the value system of that society, quite different from ours. If they come back, they may bring back elements thereof... :(

One thing the students should not forget is we are in their country. Even if the hosts do not treat students like guests ( 'athithi devo bhava!!!), whatever the provocation, we should exercise restraint. Not easy to implement, but Gandhigiri won't be a bad idea. The students should collectively ensure better protection for themselves, with good help from Indian community, our offices there and Australian Govt.

Needless to add, Australian Govt has failed miserably to protect the seekers of knowledge...

World Environment Day

Today is W E D!
One more day .. further degradation of Mother Earth. All ancient civilisations worshipped nature and its components. But our generations have only been selfish to abuse nature and not to care for our future generations. What we will leave behind, may be a further degraded nature, for our own children.
Let us not forget NO stimulus package can save this (environmental) crisis. While world leaders have a definite responsibility, each one of us has a role to play.
It starts with us... from ME. Like switching off unnecessary lights, minimise use of paper, adopt GREEN Living/Lifestyle.. be aware... !

http://www.unep.org/

Fussy

The dog goes into a new hair-style... watch out for more postings.. the third snap, of its tail is only tip of the tail !

Where heart surgery are done for free-Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences

http://ia.rediff.com/news/slide-show/2009/may/25/slide-show-1-hope-and-healing-to-heart-patients.htm

Hats off to Rediff team for carrying this story.

I have seen the facility. It is truly world class in terms of facilities, but more than that truly divine( I can't think of a better term) in terms quality of Service. The service is extended without any expectation in return. The Service/Seva itself is the source of Joy !( as taught in Bhagwad Gita). A project of this magnitude, in a village, in interior AP, offering best in class treatment, is to be seen to be believed.
My mom has been part of the support-group (seva dal) who goes there on seva-to clean, help patients, pray, etc... etc.
Of course the service is never advertised, as it is seva! Is not word-of-mouth from satisfied 'customers' the best form of advertising ?
But, I was overwhelmed by the comments on rediff. Majority appreciate this selfless seva. Some have asked about the location/how to donate/demand same from our governments & business houses/etc. We all have a role to play to improve the lives of the needy around us, in our own small ways.

Let me conclude with the prayer, which is chanted at Puttaparthy at the end of all prayer-sessions, Samastha Loka Sukhino Bhavanthu

India among best places to tide over economic crisis: Servcorp survey

According to the Servcorp International Business Confidence Survey India has been ranked as the third most promising country to survive the economic crisis. That is great news... the newly elected Indian parliament should derive some comfort from this. But then, the cabinet should take steps to achieve this ! TO ERADICATE POVERTY
The survey which was conducted in April 2009 over a period of two weeks, was commissioned to understand the current mood, business morale and impact the economic downturn has had on businesses around the world.
Australia has been voted as the best place to be during this recessionary times by international business people, followed by China. (Sadly, the racist attack Indian students is what comes to mind now ! We need to rise above this... )
The third position is held jointly by India and Singapore while Hong Kong and Canada are in the fifth and sixth place respectively.
Interestingly, developing nations have emerged favourites among international businessmen as places which are best placed to tide over the recession as 21 of the 36 countries listed by the Servcorp International Business Confidence Survey are emerging market economies.
As part of the survey, Servcorp asked 7,500 international business people from over 24 nations to identify which nations they believe are surviving the crisis best. That is an interesting opportunity for third world leaders to use this crisis to eradicate poverty and other social ills.

It is all question of Leadership, not just political & admin or at top level only, but across all walks of life and by one & all. Each one of us has a role to play

IPL 2 Mega Final

Mega final is on... Bangalore Vs Hyderabad ! Wow, two great teams at IPL2. They deserve to be in the finals, just for the way they played their matches. A true re-surrection of sorts... redemption...
Kumble led from the front and picked up three key wickets of DC.
Gilly was not able to deliver, when it mattered, unlike his counterpart Kumble.
Dravid gave away his wicket, Kallis failed to deliver too.

Royal Bangalore is clearly the favourites even now. They should fight out and go for the win, with a clinical finish... I am enjoying it... commentary by Sunny, Shastri, et al. Expert commentary by AJ on Ndtv has been great. I watch cricket for its strategies, tactics and leadership.

Royal Challengers storm into final of IPL2

What a dramatic win !
It was a match between former captain of Indian (test) side Anil Kumble Vs current Indian captain (all forms of cricket), Dhoni. While Dhoni started off as one of the favourites of the tournament, Kumble's side was underdog to the core. But then he took over from KP, turned the team upside down and pulled off a series of dramatic wins. His captaincy stood out. He got some Indian youngsters to play at their best, got the best of Kallis, and last but not the least a dream-contri from Taylor. Of course, one of our best, Rahul Dravid was making his valuable contribution, without any fuss, as usual. If cricket is a gentleman's game, then it is thorough gentlemen such as Rahul, Anil, Sachin, VVS, etc make it so.
Apart from his captaincy, it was perhaps Taylors knocks that infused a new life into the team's morale and enthu. Indeed, we all love dogs, slumdogs and underdogs :)
I wonder, the owners of the team would gulp down couple of pegs and regret the past actions/utterances.
Tomorrow is a new day...it is a match between two greats of contemperory cricket-Gilly and Anil. Let the better team win... but my heart and head is with Bangalore Challengers ( despite its owner!)

New Cabinet at Delhi .... Contd

Lalu continues to be upset. But he seems to have accepted defeat with dignity, at least a battle. Lalu needs to be retained for railways for sheer performance.
Left is in soul-searching mode. Making some confessions...
Mamata, with all her tantrums, may not be a dependable ally for long term.
Congress party should not allow the recent success go into their heads and ill-treat the old allies.
They may have won a battle, but congress should ensure they do not lose the WAR !
Congress should get the best to head the key portfolios.

IPL2 Semi Final Line Up

the semi final line up is confirmed now, almost.
chennai and delhi, were tournament favourites all along. no surprises here.
hyderabad and bangalore were the worst performers last year. they have scraped thru to the last four, almost. hyderabad put up a good show all along, in spite of few setbacks. they deserve to be in the last four.
bangalore does not miss their high profile, expensive acquisition, captain-KP. Kudos to Kumble, Kallis, Dravid, Taylor, et al. In spite of all the poor handling of the players by the owner, it is good to note bangalore is in semis. It is surprising and a concidence, the owners of delhi, chennai and hyderabad are not prominent bollywood biggies/industrialists. less pressure ??
is that one of the reasons Mumbai is out too ?
SRK, Shilpa, Preity can get back to their own bollywood and continue their valuable contributions.
Cricket may finally triumph, in spite of the prolonged schedule/cheerleaders/highprofile owners/poor handling of players/tough weather/new conditions....

New Cabinet at Delhi

Congress party, UPA, Mrs Gandhi, Dr Singh, Rahul, all have their first test now in their hands - Selection of the Cabinet. All the voters who voted them, and pleasantly surprised them by giving them such a big mandate, will wait for the announcements.

With Karunanidhi and family camping at Delhi, on a day when Tamil Tigers lost their battle at Sri Lanka. What happened to all their crocodile tears? Do not touch Mayawati with even the proverbial pole. . No way, corrupt, incapable leaders given the mattle. We expect the UPA leadership to take a firm stand

The urban voters and young voters having voted them, they will not take anything less than the very best possible team.

The press has got into the guesswork. This will be easier for the channels and press than predicting the outcome of elections :)

Indeed... First Leadership challenge. . . for the core team of UPA. Some suggestions, though not sought!

1. Give Pranabda a key post like external affairs. Sashi Tharoor as his deputy
2. Finance ministry needs Montekh singh, commerce with Kamal nath
3. Home should be with Chidambaram. He still need to deliver to the Mumbaikar, for 26 Nov.
4. keep clean & non controversial AK Anthony on defense
5. Lalu is humbled. But for sheer performance, keep railways with him.
6. No chance agri for Sharad pawar. get a better leader for this most important post, who can touch the lives of millions of our farmers across the country ( we need a visionary of gandhian stature - afterall, india still lives in her villages)
7. We need professionals to manage sectors such as power, telecom. No politicians here pls. We can not afford any more Sukhrams

To summarise, get qualifiied and committed young leaders also. No slot for corrupt politicians.

Is Dr Singh listening ?

Congress wins Indian elections

Hats off to Indian voter who made a JAI HO!! out of the Dance of Democracy.
Of course, all the predictions were proven wrong. All the psephologists and experts can re-visit their models ...
By not encouraging the petty leaders who seek only absolute power ( which corrupts absolutely!), the Indian voter exhibited a maturity not seen before.
Mayawati is numbed. Jayalalitha is humbled. Lallu, Paswan is silenced. Left is disseminated. Sharad Pawar, Modi have disappeared !
For God's sake, there were so many PM-aspirants !!!
Congress swept the urban constistuencies. I believe the vote was for Dr Singh and his government. It was also against all the divisive policies of other parties.
I have often written in my earlier postings, we get what we deserve, including our Leaders.
Now the ball is in the Congress (I)'s court. Dr Singh, Sonia, Rahul et al should now deliver. No excuses. We need our own stimulus package. For God's sake, do something about our pathetic infrastructure. Let us get our basics right. Apart from our infra, let us work on our poverty, children, education, and the true Indian Ethos & Values

Mumbai Indians on their way out of IPL 2

45th match of IPL2 was between MI and Raj Royals.

• 4+5=9, is supposed to be an auspicious number, many Indians believe. But it turned to be luckier for Shilpa Shetty. She was seen on TV chanting mantras, while Nita Ambani was perhaps praying silently! God heard to Shilpa ?
• Or was it another case of 'God helps those who help themselves' ?Warnie defied the physical pain and led from the front. His captaincy is a real inspiration ( though his quick sip of beer on the sidelines may not go down well with many of us, Indian fans)
• Sachin put it rightly. They 'went into a panic-mode' towards the end of the game. If only he, Nayar, etc had stayed on and the tail-enders had better presence of mind !

I see MI on their way our of this edition too. Tom it is Chennai Vs Mumbai. Chennai seem to be clear favourites, and would be desperate to win after they were Bangalored in their last match.

PS : it was a pleasant surprise to see Guru Jaggu Vasudev at the venue of Delhi Vs Punjab!

Bangalore Royal vs Chennai Super

Royal challengers won a good match, against one of the favourites, Chennai Super Kings.
Most of the matches are a fight between my heart Vs my head. Again, while heart wanted MSD team to win, head was with Kumble/Dravid/Kallis! Bangalore played better, and deserved to win, though their batting did not come really good. The difference perhaps was the quality of fielding. As for my favourites, Kumble played well and led from the front, Dravid did not impress. Hope Dravid really fires in other matches to come.

As for the next match, no heart vs head. Both are with amchi Mumbai-Indians. I have some wonderful friends in Rajasthan, and is a great part of India. Like Dravid, a big knock is due from Sachin.
While humble bloggers like myself have been moving on steadily, one 'fakeiplplayer-blog' has hit bigtime! I got on to the bandawagon of followers pretty late though! Shall track it. I had picked up the book, Zoya Factor by Anuja Chouhan for its cricket-related plot and from an ad-exe. While the cricket enthusiasts speculate about the identity, this 'fake' could be someone like 'Zoya"!

*PS : The politicians from these two states, Karnataka and TN are in the limelight, during the India Votes 2009. While Madam Jayalalita ( or Amma !) is tipped to be one of the Kingmakers, Deve Gowda/his son ( who tried to meet Sonia Gandhi clandestinely !!) are trying desperately to be in limelight !

mumbai indians

A great win for mumbai, clinical as one of the commentators rightly mentioned. Batting came good. Bowling was tight. But, fielding was brilliant. Jonty Rhodes must be proud of his team.
This morale boosting win should help them peak at the right time. They should strive to sustain this momentum. It is not going to be easy. They have some great talent. But they need to click as a team. Harbhajan seemed to be a bit aloof today. He did not seem to gel well today. All players need to rise above their personal issues and rise for the common goal.
Yuvi's comment last year was telecast on ndtv today !!! There are thousands of supporters all over supporting the team of Mumbaikars...
Regret to read about the new allegation sarrounding KKR, 'rascism'. KKR hit a new low...!

A great win for Bangalore team. Kumble and team played brilliantly. Taylor's effort was scintillating!

While the players must be reeling under the effect of fatigue, we viewers are feeling the fatigue too. IPL is just too long. Lalit Modi has to take into account the classic advise, brevity is the essence .... Thank God we have Indian elections also on idiot box :) JAI HO !

BBC Program by Mihir Bose

• program caught the essence of Amchi Mumbai ! also, very colourful shots...
• to get a share of bollywood was a good idea, being an integral part of Mumbai
• got on board independent voices of Shobha De, Ms Sanyal...
• Ms Sanyal and Deora (Jr) are the hopes of future India - young, educated, committed...category
• indeed, infrastructure of Mumbai is a big let down by all governments/establishment- local, state and national. Mumbai contributes to a substantial part of India's direct tax collections. indeed the political leadership is the sole problem, not 'execution', two reasons highlighted by MBose
• sadly, even mumbai indians, local team at IPL2 is putting up a pathetic show... an excellent proof of what Mihir said, 'inability of India's telented to collectively work for a common goal'
• some of my mumbai friends opted out of voting just because there were no inspiring candidatea and, no option of 'NONE OF THE ABOVE, on the (electronic) voting machine.

Indeed, democracy is one of the strengths of India. but we need some strong leadership at all levels, in all walks of life.

Fussy, My pet dog

Some snaps... by popular demand (Nazar mat lagana)

Best Job in the World

Best Job in the World
Role : Caretaker of a tropical Australian island - dream assignment to swim, explore and relax on Hamilton island for six months, write a blog to promote the area.
Ben Southhall, 34 yr old Briton, has been selected out of nearly 35K applicants !
A charity worker, his love for adventure and other interests ( bungee jump, ostrich-riding, marathon-running, trekking, etc ) helped him.
He gets to live for free in a oceanfront villa.... COOL...... !!
Best wishes for Ben, in the new role. Let us hope, he comes back with a stronger resolve to do more charity and selfless service
PS:Happiness does not lie in doing what you like, but liking what you do-anonymous

KKR

Avjit Ghosh's comments on Why KKR coach must go deserve a dekho by the management of KKR. Moreover some blunders like sending back Chopra and Bangar.
SRK's absence might have a positive impact on the team and they may perform better. I hope amchi mumbai's Mumbai Indians win !

Coach's strategies have failed to deliver.

Time to review and take some follow up actions ?

Mumbai, pls step out and vote

Sad to note the initial turn out at Mumbai is very low. Not fair :(
In spite of all efforts by celebrities, press, e-channels and others, the voter turn out is low.
It is too early in the day. But Mumbai starts the day early. For sake of elections, Mumbai should have started early and not like another holiday. May be organisations/government/etc should make it mandatory to employees to exercise their franchise!?

After all these decades of neglect, Mumbai need to stand up and take a stance.

• 70% of Mumbaikars live in slums. Slumdog Billionnaire is the immediate perception of world of Mumbai.
• The infrastructure is crumbling - no modernisation of critical transportation (incl local train), drinking water, sewage disposal, etc.
• 26/11 !

If all these will not shake Mumbaikar out of slumber, what will ?

It is question of future of Amchi Mumbai. The choice is ours...

Mumbai Indians thrash KKR

• Sanath-Sachin's burst did not end in a 200 plus score. But, the score was good enough to hand over KKR a 90 + run defeat.
• Time for KKR management to strategise afresh.
• As AJ mentioned, KKR has been unfair to Ashish and Bangar, no ordinary players from India. They have no businesss to handle players so unprofessionally. What is use of all strategies, if they can not handle PEOPLE, players ??
• Alternatively, throw away all strategies and tactics, let the players play to their hearts' content. SRK and Buchanan will be surprised to see the results.
• I feel bad for the players, esp Dada. Also, others in the team, including the Captain, who himself is struggling at average of 6 runs at IPL-2
• Captaincy, like LEADERSHIP, is not easy. I feel, Yuvi, McCullum, are struggling. Gilchrist, Shane Warne, Saurav are natural leaders.

GO ON.... Mumbai Indians !

Mumbai team on a roll

• What a treat it has been... Opening pair, Sachin & Jayasurya, gave a dream-start to the innings... most entertaining !
• Mid-way, the tempo seem to be waning. If the team don't go beyond 200, it would be an opportunity lost
• Amchi Mumbai on a roll ! Keep it up. Go ahead and repeat the performance while bowling. Please no sloppy fielding like KKR.
• It is cricket's superstar, Sachin, Vs. Bollywood's superstar, SRK.

JAI HO !

IPL2

• Rajasthan Royal pulled off a dramatic win over KKR
• Hats off to the Captain Extraordinaire, Shane Warne. Players like Warne enrich IPL by his game and captaincy. Youngsters in the team, Yusuf Pathan and 'Tornado' would have learnt a lot from the great experience.
• Even before the game started, my heart wanted Rajasthan Royal to win. Primarily because they are the defending champions and come out as a well-knit team. We all love the idea of a 'non-interfering boss', in all areas - at home, office, social settings...Shilpa Shetty, in the presence of Warne, made that statement!
• Can other teams claim that ? At least KKR, Kings XI, Bangalore-team... ?
• AJ rightly pointed out on NDTV about the (was it?) faux pas ... both KP and Yuvi. How can a captain be unsure of his playing 11 ??? This is a big let down and I blame the format of IPL too...
• While I am happy for Warne and team, feel sad for Dada. He almost reached the milestone, but was not able to guide the last mile...:(
• Last, but not the least... Birthday Greetings to Sachin. We are fortunate to be his contemperories !

Bangalored!

Sad to hear from Capt Gopinath, less than 60% of population has come out to vote.
That is quite irresponsibile of us... That is less much less than the average at another literate part of country such as Kerala

• JAAGO RE...
• Amir Khan... pls make some more pleas so that the Bangaloreans can JAGO and go out to cast vote

Narayana Murthy INFOSYS

Every child has a decent access to nutrition and basic education...that should be the vision for the Indian leaders/politicians, fighting their elections, says, Infosys' Narayana Murthy.

Food for thought!

Day 3

A Dull day-3 at IPL2

• Chennai Super Kings, sponsored by India Cements, cements their position by their maiden win.
• Thanks to the fantastic knock by opener, Mathew Hayden, they put up a big score.
• Bowlers like Murali could go after the Bangaloreans.
• KP or Rahul Dravid unable to pull of a win.
• Sivamani was in the sidelines giving not only an indian touch to the beats, but also an african touch.
• Of course, the concept of cheerleaders is neither Indian not Cricket-type.

Lok Sabha elections prove to be a big attraction... with Karuna making contradictory statements on a daily basis... all Politics at its worst!

Thursday Thoughts

The week-end starts on the right note... Ceiling on Desires is the topic on Sai Global Harmony. Most appropriate in the current economic situation. Also, at a personal level ! I am almost disturbed to spend on 'professionally-essential luxuries' !
Ended the day with Sai Hamara, Hum Sai ke...While it would be more realistic to expect success in extempore speech, same approach to lead-singing could lead to a false start!

A simple thought remains...a big idea. Sai Group for Environment. SGE.

Sai teachings on spiritual/frugal living, based on the five human-values, ceiling on desires, spirituality.... !

Day 2

One more interesting day at IPL. Experts such as Sunny or Shastri would add, 'cricket is a great leveller' !

• Deccan chargers has humbled one of the favourites, quite comfortably
• Gilchrist and team deserves all the kudos for the fantastic effort. Also, local boy Gibbs.
• All the ideas of multiple captains.... ? SRK can shed some tears now
• The way VVS started off, I thought one more of FAB 4 would deliver today!
• Viru and Gambhir went about the task of demolishing the Punjab outfit. I look at them as one of the favourites.
• I repeat this is going to be IPL of class players, Sachin, Dravid, Gambhir, VVS, Saurav, Kumble, Zahir and Bhajji.... of course Viru too. All others will have difficulty to adapt themselves to the challenging conditions in S A.
• It is a coincidence all three teams owned by Bollywood biggies have lost their first matches.

KKR captain went on record with NDTV, he would like 'the cheerleaders' to be off the format. A cricketer from NZ does not appreciate the idea. There are whole lot of fans who share the view. I fully agree too. The concept of cheerleaders is a bad idea. Pls withdraw...

PS : WHY ICC has refused to approve ICL ? This is Mafia-type administration. Cricketers should remember, for the sake of Cricket, then should push ICC to veto the pressure tactics of BCCI and approve ICL. ICC owes it to the cricket lover.

IPL case study at Columbia, India Decides

OH God...! Idiot box...!

Lok Sabha elections alone would have been sufficient to get us glued to the box... Add IPL 2, tv channels could not have asked for more !

IPL has reached Columbia business school as a case study...
In the process, they would come up with some more ways to make more money and more cricket-ignorant youngsters would have got hooked to the game ! Bad luck for Cricket ?

Day-1

IPL 2 is off to a flying start.

• The playing conditions in South Africa are different. Not batsman-friendly like ours...
• The finalists of the last edition have been defeated ! That is beauty of cricket!
• The masters had a great day - Sachin, Rahul and Kumble. While the first two got the man-of-the match awards, Kumble missed it narrowly, after a 5-wicket haul !
• For all those proud owners of the teams it would be a humbling experience. As AJ said in NDTV, class is always permenant ( referring to another master of the art, Warne)
• Sachin got the maximum applause when Ravi Shastri was introducing the captains. We want Indian greats, Rahul Dravid, Saurav Ganguly to be the captain of these teams. It is afterall Indian premier league.

Fortunately the matches took place first, then the speech/'weech' as part of opening ceremony....
I could conveniently switch channel and listen to AJ

PS : I don't want KKR Jersey, so I refuse to participate in their contest on NDTV.

How Starbucks Saved My Life by Miahael Gates Gill... contd

Some more inspiring thoughts from the book...

• page 41-the author regretfully recalls how he had 'consciously or unconsciously derailed his colleague's efforts, as she was an African-American without the education or experience that mattered to him'. How often we come across such people in our professional and personal lives. As managers/leaders, we fail in our responsibility to ensure success and happiness of people around us.
• Pg 44: Indeed, at a spiritual level, ' WE ALL HANG BY A THREAD FROM THE HAND OF A ANGRY GOD'. Inspiring thought. (But, I firmly God never gets angry)
• Pg 45: It is a personal struggle for many of us go give up the thought that 'we are unique' and to give up the 'sense of a special place' in the universe'. It could be a sign of sheer ego/complex, very common indeed. ( Of course, at a spiritual level, we all are special...children of God)
• Pg 53: I am not a fan of Starbucks. But after reading about the culture, I am delighted ! But this was one of the best: at starbucks, nobody ever ordered anyone to do anything. it was always, "would you do me a favour?" Worth emulating!
• Pg 65: Miss Markham's faith in the little Michael is something we all could do to our children, students( by teachers), family and colleagues. Inspire them with more YOU ARE GREAT!
• Pg 73: Work is Dignity - if the world accepted this Gandhian philosophy, we would not be in in the middle of this 'depressing' Great Depression-2!
• Pg 206: This is my take-away from the book, as Crystal said: FOLLOW YOUR HEART. the author felt happiness he had never known before.

Indeed, EVERY DAY IS A LEAP OF FAITH ( pg 207)

FUSSY, My Pet Dog

President Obama had promised his children a pup as 'a reward for coping with the punishing election campaign'. The First couple now has a new member in their home...BO, six month old Portugese Waterdog ! Now we have the First Dog of USA ! Six months old pup is well trained already, so no hassles of toilet-training, etc. People have been speculating, but The President dropped the first hint of the imminent arrival at Jay Leno. True to his style. . .Congrats to the Obama family.

While the press was going ga-ga on this topic for last couple of months, we got into a similar loop at home, when our only son wanted a pet dog too. So, in Jan 09, we sort of linked it to best efforts ( not results though) in his final exams. We were reluctant to take this additional responsibility. Some friends, expecially dog lovers/owners, kept reminding us 'it is a big responsibility'.

We started window shopping. . .we wanted to look for a dog which

1. would be ideal for indoor ( poor dog needs to be able to step out and get some fresh air)
2. would not bark much (that is, control its natural instincts)
3. would not shed hair
4. would be easy to handle and less expensive to manage
5. would not be very ferocious ( dogs are animals afterall !)
6. would get-connected at first sight...an advise from our experienced (pet owner of BEETHOVEN!) friends from Australia ......

I should confess, I was looking for the above, but was more concerned about the price tag :) While the kid kept his focus on his annual exams, inspired by the imminent arrival of a pup, we kept looking around. Then we got the news two of his close friends were leaving, one at school and the other at our residential compound. So, we wanted to help him overcome the grief by getting him his pup.

Finally, on the last day of his annual exams, we both were back at our familiar pet shop ( 'known devil'!) We ran in to a dog which looked cute, slightly big for a pup( seven months young!) and I personally 'got-connected-at-first-sight' as it resembled to our dog during my childhood!!! The fact it was the one of the less expensive option helped too.

So, on March 11, the new member of our family made an entry into our household. We named it Fussy, same name of my earlier dog:)

KKR's new captain

The owner of the team has the last laugh. SRK, has decided to go ahead with the coach's plan to replace Saurav. The execution was done well. Couple of days ago, he apologised for the comments against Sunny Gavaskar. Yet again, one of the greatest among contemperory cricketers gets a raw deal. The owner and coach of KKR may be planning this as part of their strategy to recoup their investment.

If this is one of the inherent flaws of IPL ( and there are so many of them), Lalit Modi and Gang need to look into. Pls don't kill Cricket for the sake of this Mega Extravaganza in the name of a sport.

How Starbucks Saved My Life by Miahael Gates Gill

Few days ago, I was on the western cost. For a week-long, intense training on Leadership.
Last week end, at Eastern coastal city, on an official visit. After a four-hour drive and couple of meetings, I was exhausted.

Once back in room at Sheraton, I observed there was nothing to read. Hotel had left nothing inside nor did I carry anything. I was in no mood to ask for/read a newspaper either. I ventured out. And, I was glad to know a branch of my favourite bookstall was just next door. . .

As is my habit, I checked out new releases. Nothing stuck a chord. I checked at the counter for my list of books from my cellphone. Again, they had none of the books. Not even, Malcolm Gladwell's latest. I came back and was again looking at a particular shelf... the same salesmanager came across and suggested a book. I said I had read Eat, Pray and Love. Then, he pulled out another book, HOW STARBUCKS SAVED MY LIFE, perhaps the last copy of the same. I gave a quick glance and decided to go ahead with the acquisition. And, God bless the sales manager.

Some thoughts:

• The cover and the gist on the back cover got me hooked ( as always, I pick up only those books I get hooked)


• An inspiring rags to riches story of an Ivy league educated, JWT veteran, who gets his pink slip.


• He has already messed up his personal life.


• Ends up as a Partner at Starbucks Cafe, where he meets a black american young lady, his new boss


• He talks about 'his earlier life' and his new and inspiring life at Starbucks.

Indeed it was 'a wake-up call'

This is just not Cricket -Gavaskar's comments & SRK's reaction

One Australian coach ( Chappel) was our former coach. No comments on the damage done to the dressing room, based on the comments by some of the players in recent past. Of course, he popularized “Six Hats”!
Fellow coach, but now at Knight Riders, wants to try out multiple captains.
Another Australian, Ricky Ponting, is naturally in favour of the idea.
The Australians play cricket differently and they play it ‘real hard’. Naturally, their strategies and tactics differ from the us.
Gavaskar went slightly below the belt by criticizing Buchanan’s effort to generate employment to fellow Queenslanders. These are tough times indeed.
But SRK disappoints yet again ( check my earlier postings). He has every right to strategise with his core team. He has sunk millions to acquire rights. But the game is on the public domain. The passionate cricket lover has every right to question his/his cronies’ ideas. On cricket matters, we value the opinion of Gavaskar, just as we would value SRK’s opinion on matters related to Bollywood cinema. (Only Bollywood, not Bengali/Assamese/Kollywood/Mallu.Of course he made a mockery of a mallu superhit thru ‘Billu Barber’)
To say ‘ he has spent a lot of money in buying the team and would like to run it as he deems fit’ was sad. To say Gavaskar can buy his own team to try out his ideas was the limit. SRK’s ‘ghamand’ was visible there.
This is yet another the proof of damage IPL is bringing to the game of cricket. The money/bollywood, apart from the culture of Mallyas, et al, will only damage the game. Modis & Pawars need to wake up to this threat to this popular game. The former players and experts of the game need to take a stand.

Gmail turns 5

Google and Gmail, also 'Blogger', Google earth, etc. has changed the way we remain 'connected'. Check out http://gmailblog.blogspot.com/
Wished a close friend yesterday on his birthday. While we remain in touch on gmail ( both on gmail), I chose to call him to wish. He underlined the fact only a birthday could get me to make an ISD CALL !

My preferred 'mode of contact' is usually sms/mail. Now, with the focus on cost-cutting, all the more reason to avoid an ISD call ! ( I am quite vocal about it, to manage expectations of close relatives and friends - mom calls me, not otherwise, as she wants to help her son in his cost cutting focus!)

In these tough times, it is more critical to be in touch. While a phone call or a long letter is a preferred option, e-mail can be almost as effective. Kudos to Google... Many happy returns...

Earth Hour

Let us block our calender:

• Date: Saturday March 28, 2009
• Time: 830 PM
• Venue: your home
• Action: Simple, just switch off all possible lights/airconditioner/etc.

Pls pass on. . .

Varun Gandhi episode

This particular topic is getting much more coverage than it deserves.
He is one of fringe-politicians, trying to mis-use his oratorial skill, riding on the hardwork of his mother who nurtured the constituency for the young Gandhi...these irresponsible politicians do not deserve so much coverage.
He proudly declared he is a proud Gandhi, Hindu and Indian.

• What young gandhi did is unfair to the term, GANDHI.
• Hindu : he should read more on Hinduism and Sanathana Dharma. Afterall, he is a 'man of words'
• Indian : same as above.

I request the news channels to reduce the coverage to this small news and focus on more important issues that matters to India and Indians.

Want to know what is inside Tendulkar's kit bag?

I have always been curious about the inspiring stories of great sportsmen - Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Pele/Maradona, Sergei Bubka, Phelps... Recently when asked, Phelps said he dreamt of being Michael Jordan of Swimming. Golf world is glad to see Tiger back in action as it would sustain the total 'industry'!

...and our own Prakash Padukone and Sachin Tendulkar. Years ago, I read how Saurav had carried an inspiring quote inside his kit. But this news about Sachin's kit was a good read. A reflection of the person. Kudos to rediff.com !

http://www.rediff.com/cricket/2009/mar/06flash-fun-want-to-know-what-is-inside-tendulkar-kit-bag.htm

Bapu’s Legacy

· America is the cradle of capitalism. A New Yorker, James Otis, has Bapu’s articles. He decides to auction!
· Indian government makes token noises and feeble attempts to negotiate with the owner and secure the items
· The owner puts forward conditions, such as reduction of defense expenditure and diverts the money for social causes (Good intent. But he should advise his countrymen to try and learn/practice Gandhian values too)
· Few prominent NRI’s enter the fray to ensure the articles reach India
· The articles are picked up for a staggering $1.8 mn…. by UB Group’s Vijay Mallya
· Govt claims they ‘procured the items through Mallya’ and confirms ‘it is UPA Govt victory’ !
Wow ! Govt had to take help of the liquor baron to get these articles…. Bapu always stressed on the need for purity of not only the goal, but also ‘the path’! These articles are symbols of Gandhian values and legacy. But, at what price ? Did our political leaders take a moment to think what would have been Bapu’s stand ? If we really want to express our love and respect for Gandhiji, we should practice his teachings and make his value system (more relevant today, than before) part of our social fabric. Food for thought for our political leaders…. And also for us, the responsible citizen.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

I read this book ! Finished this evening.

I had tried to pick up a copy as soon as it was awarded Man Booker Prize for 2008. But, was not available at the bookstall! Had to place an order and pick up much later!

Thanks to all the hype, my expectations were very high. After I picked up the book, tried to (religiously) go through the preface. But there was only 8-9 pages of comments from world over.
I read some of them. The expectation shot up further.....

The narrative is very interesting. Having born in a village myself and having worked in interior Karnataka ( Adiga's roots !), Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Mumbai, I could associate myself with several sections of the narrative. It is interesting at stages, funny and sad ...But, I read through quickly. More because of the anticipation ( so quite un-puttable) of the ending! Though I felt there was no suspense as the flow becomes quite predictive. But at the end of it, I am quite dissappointed. Coming in the backdrop of Slumdog, I feel what the Slumdog did on the movie arena, Adiga has done differently on the literary front. India is lot more than what they portray and definitely lot better and positive. I want to go back to a more inspiring category of books !!! Not a self help/autobiography, but something that I love reading!

PS : Perhaps I need to evolve as a reader to appreciate these books. I have great regards and respect for Adiga for his achievement from his very first book.

who am I ?

WE ARE NOT HUMAN BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE...WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY HUMAN EXPERIENCE

SLOW FOOD

Came across an interesting article on SLOW FOOD. Glad to share...
I saw a press report McDonald plans to open many more outlets, a proof no impact of the current crisis ! That is actually great news. My son loves the brand too, just like so many other kids. People continue to eat 'fast & junk' food.
Yesterday, Oprah show had few overweight, obese teenagers sharing the platform with a doctor and sharing their sorrows. An entire generation will suffer from the adverse impact of this junk food culture.
So, need for organic food, slow food, etc type of movents to sensitise all. Especially, our children.

• Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food...This movement was in response to Mac's plan to open a new outlet near historic Spanish Steps at Rome
• Fortunately Slow Food has picked up lot of mementum and more people are joining the movement. Of course, it is not just about food, but also educates people about biodiversity, the food production chain, taste... etc.
• "if developing countries start consuming meat at the same rate the industrialised world has done, we will destroy the planet quicker! Same with fishing. You can't have good ecology without good gastronomy and vice versa. Land, water, and a food community must work together", acknowledges Petrini.
• Slow Food philosophy has spawned an entire movement devoted to 'SLOW'... cities, schools, books, tourism and living ! Everything slow may not be appropriate surely, but then the essence of slow living is different, 'by enjoying life by accepting faster is not better and more is never enough'.
• ' take time to look around, it is too short a day to be selfish', said someone. (read long back, love it). It is to stop and smell flowers, listen to music around, be aware, be minidul.... happy living !

Slow Food is a non-profit, eco-gastronomic member-supported organization that was founded in 1989 to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.Today, we have over 85,000 members in 132 countries

http://www.slowfood.com/

India win T20 match at SL

What a match ! what a win !!
The match had all the usual masala of a T20 match indeed. The big names failed to fire. It was left to the Pathan brothers to raise their game to a new level and ensure the win. Hats off to the Yusuf and Irfan!

Earlier, SL pulled off a win in the last ODI. India lost the toss and failed to win the match !!! Was the toss crucial throughout the series ? Why was Sachin 'rested' in both the last two ODI? We have been unable to get to view the master play ? The team management is guilty of this. Not fair. Wonder what would be Sachin's state of mind as he takes guard in NZ! Let Dhoni and team management remember, NZ will be a different ball game altogether.

Sachin has volunteered to stay out of T20 team. We, the common cricket fan, would like to see more of him. But respect his decision. To quote Sachin, Tendulkar also said that the good show of the Indian team, in a way, acts as a balm for the countrymen in these difficult economic times. I fully agree...lacs of other cricket fans too...

Indian cricket is on track. Let these small glitches be avoided in true sportsman spirit.

Layoff Tracker

Number of layoffs since Nov. 1, 2008, at America's 500 largest public companies:
378,480

Source : Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/2008/11/17/layoff-tracker-unemployement-lead-cx_kk_1118tracker.html?feed=rss_popstories

India No.2 in ICC ODI Ranking

I watched IPL 2 story unfolding this afternoon with mixed feelings . . .But this is a real news to cheer about...
India has moved up to the second slot in ICC ODI ranking. This is great news indeed.

A good example of fine captaincy (MSD), team effort, team-management(esp, manager/ Robin Singh/Venkatesh Prasad), selection committee ( Kris Srikanth & Team) and may be, less interference by BCCI ( :) ! )

Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba on Meditation

"Meditation should be performed enthusiastically, withfull faith and care, and strictly according to the disciplineslaid down. If this is done, it will bestow not only allhappiness and all victory but even the vision of the Lord.Therefore, begin meditation, each one ofyou, from today —even from this moment!"-Dhyana Vahini ch.1 p.8

Krishna told Arjuna that....while meditating the body should not touch the earthor another body. This is because contact with the earthmakes the individual lose the divine current generatedin him during meditation.
Meditation will be more meaningful if desires arecurtailed. Less luggage, more comfort make travel apleasure; fewer desires make the journey of life easierand happier."-- Summer Showers in Brindhavan 1979 p.117
"Everyone has the right to achieve this high degree ofsuccess (in meditation). I do not say this in just a quiet tone; I declare thisloud enough for all quarters to hear. Knowing this, meditateand advance! Do meditation and progress! Realise the Atma!"Dhyana Vahini -Ch.2

IPL auction 2

It is again auction time... yet again.

• 'Auction' of sportmen is still not palatable, as I posted last year ( American elections, Lincoln... all top of mind and hence more linkage to 'slavery' ??)
• More celebrities enter.. with Shilpa Shetty, etc. and the glamour quotient :)
• Mortoza going for 12 times the initial level indeed is the proof of celebrity ego, I feel.
• Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen goes for top two bids, ahead of last year's topper, MSD
• King of good Times, owner of Bangalore team, has to put up with KP and another player, whose alcoholic affinity would make it interesting. Mallya might see the value of a professional like Rahul Dravid, when he has to handle these players now!

The sportsmen suddenly see their future more secured and I am happy for them. . .But I still have the nagging feeling, the 'sport' is moving away from its core values! Lalit Modi, BCCI, former cricketers....are you listeing ?

Neo Sports' dANUBE Lizards ad

I love wordspace for its continuous music, no commercial or gyaan-baazi. We do not have such luxury with cricket telecasts, these days.
But this hit a new low when Neo Sports started telecasting some sub standard ads.
While Western Money Union is a good commercial, all their other commercials have been quite 'painful'! The ads on tissue paper, masala from Adil, etc...
The new Danube ad featuring lizards is UNBEARABLE. My family insists on changing channel, not even 'mute-ing', whenever the ad is telecast.
The joy of a wonderful match is robbed by these below par commercial.
Is it not the responsibility of a channel to ensure the total telecast/product/package is worthy of a VIEWER-DELIGHT !

Obama's Car

President Obama

Riding the unprecedented popularity and expectation, Obama takes over the post of the most powerful position on earth. With the WE CAN campaign, he stirred the nation into action.
He has challenged the status quo. He defied the prediction of several experts to reach to this level. A high decibel campaign, innovative vehicles such as e-channels to reach out, getting a cross section of celebrities to endorse, a relevant punch-line ( We Can!)...

Hats off to America....

Often we reach a point to make a choice: Personal preference Vs Common Good. We come across such situations in our personal, professional and social roles. Every choice has an impact, in short/medium/long term. Needless to add, our motto should be common good, which over a period of time should become a habit. We should always place the society/nation/others/
company/institution/group ahead of ourselves.

Americans had the guts to place the nation ahead of personal preference by voting to office a Black American. History would judge this as one of the defining moments of America. Americans, through this choice, showed why they are indeed a great nation.

Obama has generated himalayan expectations. Let us pray for his success so that he is able to live up to the expectations he and his campaign have created. America and World badly needs such a Great Leadership!

Death of a relative

In one of my earlier postings, I mentioned about the declining condition of a close relative. He merged with the Divine, last evening.

Last few weeks were painful for him and also his family. A former soldier and then a banker. He was a foodie, also a smoker. He had a passion for walking... he would walk long distances, chanting mantras. Perhaps, being a former soldier, he never came across as a religious guy. The image of him was that of a perpetually happy person! As the first to leave among his fellow-siblings, three elder to him and four younger, he 'moves on', leaving behind many grieving relatives.

Personally it was a shock to hear that cancer is the disease. I was more concerned, over the last few months/weeks and then days/hours, when his visits to hospital became frequent and his suffering became unbearable. ( He admitted to my mother, it was getting extremely painful and 'scary' - unthinkable for us, who looked at this uncle as the true hero, strong and joyful). Thus it is also an end to his pain and suffering, also fear. Wonder, what was the 'fear'!

He moves on the Journey to Divine. This happened when India celebrated Pongal/Sankranti...It happened yesterday, when the holiest Makara Jyoti makes the annual appears at the Sabarimala, giving bliss to millions. Indeed he was a precious jyoti within the extended family...

Leaving Microsoft to Change the World

Thanks to the magazine, FRIDAY, read a great feature on John Wood.


A chance meeting with Pashupathi, at Nepal... A visit to one of the local schools and the library with virtually ' no books'! It was the beginning of a beautiful journey...
He quit his high flying job with Microsoft and got into philanthrophy, big time! From donating books and helping communities to build schools, his ROOM TO READ has its presence in India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, South Africa, etc.

• True to Microsoft style, John brought his corporate mindset into his Room to Read also : THINK BIG. (I always wondered why people start off with small activities when it comes to Seva/philanthrophy and be easily satisfied. John Wood is a definite exception.)
• He was inspired by biographies of Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela....
• His father was a great inspiration, who instilled the value system of working very hard. And made him read lots of books.... when he was a child that is:)
• He thinks three things children should get are: Immunisation, Clean Water and Education. (Of course, I would add, bread)
• Check out : www.roomtoread.org and http://www.leavingmicrosoftbook.com/

Grab an opportunity to make a difference. John Wood did that... truly inspiring!

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

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...

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!

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

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.

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

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

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

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...

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.

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

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...' !! :)

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.

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 !

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 !

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...

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 ! :)

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)