Manager, A man first..

Recently I have been reading a lot of books, and I came across a few lines in a Bigshots series book which say that to be a high achiever you got to be aggressive and should be able to take risks but there is no need to be sticking to values and rules. The one who is smart and has the ability to bend the rules will become a corporate highflier soon. Well, I understand that people who are driven by passion succeed in true sense but are people who compromise on their values become corporate highfliers? I have my own doubts! Any Manager is a man first. A man with his own set ideologies, patterns of thinking.. If a person don’t stand for what he believes, (here I mean values), I wonder the kind of achievement he makes. A person who can’t belong to himself can’t belong to anyone else too and that includes success.

Silence in Chaos...

Yes, That's the current state of mine. It seems as if I am standing in a chaos and don't understand what's happening around me. Life is rolling in a slow pace at IMDR, and with two more months to bid farewell, suddenly I find myself doing nothing productive. Yes I am reading a lot of books to kill the leisure but I am absolutely doing nothing which puts my creative skills to work. Just trying to enjoy leisure.. This weekend is supposed to be full of verve as its convocation time at IMDR, but somehow I fail to identify myself with it. May be I am getting effected by the inactivity bug! It seems as if I am surrounded by deadening silence and no where to go! People say Silence speaks, but for me, at times, it haunts!

Being rich in true sense..

Through a lot of discussions I had, I came to wonder what's being rich? Is being rich means having loads of material wealth, most of which you don't really put to use? Is rich means having a lot of comfort in life that everything comes to your footsteps and you don't even move your body? Or is being rich means being in content with what one has, having the ability to say enough, enjoying little things of life, having a rich inner life which is reflected through outward actions? Somehow, I find myself being evaluated on the kind of possessions or money I possess rather than the kind of individual I am. Does this really have meaning for me? Somehow, being rich for me is having self-worth which is not affected by an alien, having the courage and confidence to stand for one's values and the ability to make a positive difference in the world through a meaningful existence. As Gandhi says, " Nature provides for everyone's need, not greed".. I muse on the meaning of being rich if it doesn't lead to an enriching life.

A display of Intent and Interest..

We have a course this trimester called Indigenous Management, taught by our director Mr. Bhupatkar. As a part of this,I had to study the traditional copperware industry in Pune. I paid two visits to the Paud Chowk and Manik Chowk in Pune and the findings are eyeopeners. They showed me, how the traditional enterprises stood the test of times and how the Indian artisans adapted their skills and talent to manufacture worldclass products. These traditional copperware workers who used to manufacture waterheaters, utensils used their skills to design contemporary articles like flower vases, decorative articles etc and they are also exporting it to other countries like Dubai, Holland defying the modren marketing fundas like promotions, advertising, sales rooted in a small region. Hats off to their fighter spirit!! What interested me is that they are several families which are involved in this work since centuries and they carry their work with passion and pride. They are a real happier lot and their publicity happens through word of mouth. Guess their happiness lies in the quality of life they have and the interest they show in the work they do. Their intent to do something, their struggle to survive the changing times.. Really impressive!

Control of Technology on life

I think apart from increasing convenience of Human Life, Technology has increased dependence of Man on it. It actually has taken control over my life and I am unaware of it and am wrapped in nice little lies that I am technofreak!

Technology has made Man so isolated and lonely that we need its help to get connected and stay connected. Can't I feel connected to the world if its not through Cellphone and Internet? Can't I enjoy little joys of life, my interaction with dew covered roses, paper boats and the misty rains? All these questions are best answered within ourselves. The answer lies in not going to primitive ages but being beware and aware of our use of technology. Its a matter of Who is in control of whom and Who runs our life?

Bilbo's Last Song by J.R.R. Tolkien

Day is ended, dim my eyes,
but journey long before me lies.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship's beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Foam is salt, the wind is free;
I hear the rising of the Sea.

Farewell, friends! The sails are set,
the wind is east, the moorings fret.
Shadows long before me lie,
beneath the ever-bending sky,
but islands lie behind the Sun
that I shall raise ere all is done;
lands there are to west of West,
where night is quiet and sleep is rest.

Guided by the Lonely Star,
beyond the utmost harbour-bar,
I'll find the heavens fair and free,
and beaches of the Starlit Sea.
Ship, my ship! I seek the West,
and fields and mountains ever blest.
Farewell to Middle-earth at last.
I see the Star above my mast!

Technology got no values..

I personally feel that Technology doesn't come up with values attached. So its no point in discussing which does more damage, a bike or a knife. Technology becomes advanced and more complex as our expectations from it increases and our curiosity, innovative spirit gets the best of the Human mind to explore new terrains of comfortable life.

Here I feel that the basic issue is to successfully marry technological advances into the culture or values of the society s technology doesn't come with values attached. Or else we go on creating more complex and complicated technology which is soul less and valueless. They may give us comfort but then they will take out the essence of life.

Regarding the argument that being tech-savvy becomes a status Symbol issue, All I have to say is that if we measure ourselves through the Society's Parameters, we end on doing things as a custom which may be personally nonsensical. No issues on that, but we need to be aware of our needs and actions!

BLACK… A movie full of grit and emotion!

I am impressed by the beautiful way in which BLACK is made. Truly it’s a movie, which sets a standard by strong characters, powerful story line and the artistic way of presentation. The movie depicts a deaf and blind girl and her relationship with her teacher, and how she graduates in spite of her shortcomings. Rani Mukherjee and Amitabh Bachan play their roles with ease. Ayesha Kapur who plays the childhood role of Rani Mukherjee gave a remarkable performance. The movie is touching and awe-inspiring! Hats off to Sanjay Leela Bhansali.

In Companionship with Nature!

Today is one of the most beautiful days of life. Though I say that happiness is a state of mind, the day went in quite well.. I have no words to express the exquisite joy I felt in experiencing the day. Morning I had a lovely walk in the Kamala Nehru Park and had a nice tea with my daily Daily. The day was picture perfect and quite pleasant. I experimented with Rajma and was just about to doze off when a friend of mine rang me up. We went to the Osho Theerth Park, which is otherwise known as the Naala Park. Wow! I have no words to describe the eternal bliss I felt being at the park. The songs of birds, the mild rumbling of trees and the flowing water…Never knew that a park could be so beautiful. It looked so natural and perfect. I just wondered how would the world look like if I find such scenic beauty everywhere instead of concrete jungles. How to describe the surreal experience of joy and love? Words fail me!

Finding Neverland..

Today I saw a lovely movie called “Finding Neverland”.. The movie is about a playwright and it depicts his strength of belief that everything is possible with imagination. Barrie, the playwright who is the creator of Peterpan is a child at heart who believes in dreams and imagination. The movie depicts how the playwright makes friendship with a widow and her kids, the way he encourages them to color their world with imagination and how he makes a very successful drama and creates an enchanting world of Neverland drawing inspiration from them. A movie which is so touching and moving… Worth watching!

A Poem with a Soul!

Just read about Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Robert Browning's love story and got to understand the meaning and sense in this poem.. I read it aloud and felt the experience of love! Really its a poem with a Soul..

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

By Elizabeth Barret Browning

Science, Technology and Ecology....

Its been a long time since I sat in a class and this topic came up coz its an elective subject for this current trimester. I have absolutely no idea what this elective is going to be and I kept quiet in the whole class like a dumb soul.. If one asks me what's your take on this issue, I have to say that I got a lot of fragmented thoughts. Well today I heard a lot of interesting observations to say the least and could see the interconnections among these terms. Science as something which is understood and technology as application of science to satisfy our current needs. Where does ecology figure in? It gets impacted by the influence of science and technology on man, his relationships and the processes which influence his quality of life. All this seem so complicated, but still it makes sense when I brood a lot on this issues. Well, one can ask the relevance of this topic, all I have to say is that science and technology in the current times have influenced the lifestyles and do dictate the standard of life. Somehow I feel that they make me dispassionate over their influence on the ecological system and I feel more distant from the relationship I have with Ecology. Guess I think this is worth pondering over, just to evaluate my stand on these issues as awareness defines maturity of thought process for me.

A car for one lakh in India???!!!!!

I have just read the interview of Ratan Tata in Business World where he talks about one of the most ambitious projects of the Tata Group, the one-lakh car. Felt very happy reading that it would be slightly bigger than Maruti 800 and would conform to the Indian Safety norms. I hope this would revolutionize Indian transport the way Ford’s Model T has done. I have a lot of respect for the Tata Group for their employee-concerned and the low power distance culture with a strong focus on social responsibility. His views on Indian Manufacturing are eye openers and awe-inspiring for the budding entrepreneurs. I guess three years would be worth the wait for their concept car, which would help the Indian public drive their way to revolution!

The Story of a Woodcutter...

Hey today I read a good story in the Tata Motors employee magazine…

Its about a wood cutter who works under a timber merchant. On the first day he fells 18 trees and the boss is quite pleased. Next day he tries very hard but could fell only 15 trees, the next day 10…and the number keeps on decreasing. He feels bad and incompetent but he can’t understand the reason . So he goes to his boss and complains of his failure. Then his boss questions him, when did u last sharpened your axe? His reply was well, I was so immersed in cutting trees that I got no time to sharpen my axe…

This story hit a nerve. Many times I resolve myself to the pattern of work out here that I really forget to sharpen my axe, to use my brain and to think differently. May be everyone needs a shelter to save oneself from the tensions of the day and to unwind too. Did u sharpen your axe today?

Exams Exams!!!!

Yup! My favorite pass time is back! Got exams from 19th till 21st. At least I would touch those 2 kg textbooks again for reference. Actually I am not against the spirit of exams, only the manner of conducting them. I just feel that the question and answer pattern of exams is just the trashy thing if those questions don’t make one to apply the concepts. Somehow I feel that giving theoretical questions in written exams makes one remember it only for exams. And the rating system encourages unhealthy competition too. Classroom evaluation and the internal assessment is quite a lot better but who will account for the incompetent lecturers? I think that exams should be a judicious mix of individual assignments, and student’s ability of application of concepts rather than having a system that puts student’s memory to test. What say?

Familiarity, does it actually breed contempt?

Well, as it happens I fail to see the wisdom in the sentence “familiarity breeds contempt”. I strongly opine, familiarity doesn’t breed contempt.. It actually encourages companionship.

My idea of life and priorities:

I prefer to say that I value brutal frankness in any relationship and freedom.. the freedom to share what ever you feel.. and the relationship should be pure that you can share your feelings.. and in the same way, you should respect other’s feelings and opinions… This calls for mutual dependency, which is really rare in Indian settings.. Ever wonder why it happens? It is because of the long barriers erected among people on basis of hierarchy, modesty and what not? If I cant really express what I feel to my dad, why the hell do I need one, just to provide for my pocket?

My theory of origin for contempt:

I think that basically contempt arises from familiarity because people play games with others.. According to me, every person is insecure. And added to that, he is a social animal… He needs company to survive and to feel that he is alive, but he doesn’t want others to control him.. at this stage, its fine.. the problem arises when he tries to control others.. Here, let me distinguish between power of control and power of love..

When you have the power of control over someone, you feel safe because you know the limits of the game, you know the weaknesses of the person and you bask at the power you have on him.

In the other case, in the power of love, you give the other person an equal change to decide and here power you have on him depends on the value he places on your relationship, which is always uncertain… Correct me if I am wrong. Since the uncertainty and the chances that you lose are high, no one cares to really love anyone, love for the person’s sake.. So people commonly try to lay their own rules and establish their own domains and hierarchy of control. It is because it makes them feel safe and secure..

Finally, its not the familiarity which breeds contempt but the way in which we establish and maintain relationships, the little ways in which we play games with ourselves and with the world.. Think on it..

Marriage- A funny role play!

People marry because they want to become secure.. To feel that they can come home to someone.. And also they own certain rights on the other person which guarantees a certain commitment. I have absolutely no issues on the reasons as to why people marry and I do believe in the institution of the marriage, but I just want to be a little bit critical about it.

Marriage becomes intolerable when people cant transgress the boundaries of the relationships and do a roleplay which may not gel with their real personalities. Yes I do agree that rules and unwritten norms do exist but then one has to know when to come out of them. If wife has to take the role of a wife and husband has to act like one, wife has to please the other person and she has to adjust and mould according to him. And the husband bechara has to appear strong, and he has to defend his territory ,no? That’s the basic reason why men don’t like to come into kitchen- that’s wife’s job. The guy may feel as if he is ran down by 1000 trucks, but he has to put a brave face and be pleasant, why is that hypocrisy? What do one ultimately expect of life? The big joke is he thinks its because he loves his family, which is okay with me, but he ultimately deceives himself with an entirely wrong notion of love where he actually wants control over his family!

Even I long to feel secure, I don't want to lose my identity, independence and freedom: My spirit and enthusiasm which basically define my identity. May be I live in an idealistic world fantasizing that there is a person for me who will respect my identity. But if I like to have a realistic picture, is it really possible? I find that hope is a painful thing as it paints a romantic picture out of draconian surroundings.

Well,love should make life worthwhile..You grow by it. You learn the fun of giving and taking. One has to be aware of the role play and the unmentioned boundaries they set for themselves. Understanding the unwritten norms leads to awareness and helps in creating mature relationships. Am I being dreamy? If so that's the way I am!

Marriage-A Bond for life!

I was a little engrossed in thought related to marriages. Its real fun to see the way in which marriages happen in our country. On oneside extreme we have the so called love marriages where in the other end we have the arranged marriages which supply the feel good factor to everyone. Recently one of my friends had a love marriage where in the parents from either side were forced to comply. And one of my friends opted for an arranged marriage to make his parents happy. Looking at both the cases, I started thinking about the institution of marriage. Is it an agreement between two people to share life together or is it for convenience of the society. I agree that arranged marriages reduce the insecurities between the two families but does that really ensure a true bondage between the two people who choose to spend their life together. Institution of marriage enhances itself if there is a little bit of understanding and compatibility between the two. I hope that every couple has an opportunity to examine that before they enter into their vows of lifetime commitment. As someone says, Even a minor acquaintance can make people enter into marriage but in order to take divorce, one has to truly understand the other. Irony but true.

My New year celebrations!!

This new year has been real grand for me as I was in home for around 10 days. Incidentally I was home for my mamma's birthday and the day went in quite happily. This new year brought in quite a lot of good news, two of my good friends got placed in their dream companies and one has marriage on cards. What more can I expect in just a week of the start. I was wondering of wishing happy new year to everyone when everyday seemed just the same. But then the spirit of celebration, the joy of welcoming new experiences, the lessons of past; all that really keep the spirit of freshness and excitement. Wish you all a real happy new year blessed with success, joy and prosperity!

My Prejudices for Hospitals!

I just want to recount my phobia of hospitals through this post. I got selected for TCS during last year Dec 1st to join by June. That was fine until I saw the offer letter where in that offer was subject to Medical Test. All that reminded me of the typical hospital environment and that peculiar disinfectant smell. Believe me, it was not that comfortable idea to spend 5 hours in a Hospital where you have to rush through different departments inquiring indifferent and irate ward assistants. Somehow I am very biased for hospitals, more so because I feel really helpless before their ultimate authority and they seriously seem lacking in the E factor-Empathy. Somehow I could bring myself out of hospital in one piece after 5 hours in one piece as usual with a prayer-God never send me to hospitals again!