My Kaleidoscope

Divine discontent

2006-08-27T06:23:00.000-07:00

There is festive mood renting the air in Mumbai. Celebrations of the much awaited Ganapati Puja is rife, yet the spirits of the common Mumbaikar are a bit dampened owing to the morbid jeopardy of terroist attacks lurking in their minds. All this has triggered a thought in me about role of Government here and the need for a true leader in Mumbai. Hence the reflections below..........

Are leaders made or born ? Are managers born or made ? Do you become a better leader or manager with time ?
Harvard Business School’s Abraham Zaleznik articulated the difference in his classic 1977 essay “Managers and Leaders: Are They Different?” Proclaimed Professor Zaleznik, “Managers and leaders are two very different types of people. Managers’ goals arise out of necessities rather than desires; they excel at defusing conflicts between individuals or departments, placating all sides while ensuring that an organization’s day-to-day business gets done. Leaders, on the other hand, adopt personal, active attitudes toward goals. They look for the opportunities and rewards that lie around the corner, inspiring subordinates and firing up the creative process with their own energy. Their relationships with employees and coworkers are intense, and their working environment is often chaotic.” Leadership is the value added; management is what gets automated, rightsized, or outsourced to Bangalore or Guangzhou.
Global markets provided an unambiguously clear opinion: They craved leadership. The Lord John Brownes, Jack Welches, Percy Barneviks, Carlos Ghosns, Andy Groves, and Bill Gateses are celebrated far more as innovative global leaders than as operational management exemplars. The leadership “brand” has become so powerful and compelling that successful managers are inherently considered “great leaders.” Ironically, however, people tagged as great leaders don’t have to be great business managers. Over the past two decades, managing a large corporation has changed beyond recognition. CEO supermen like Andy Grove of Intel and Jack Welch of GE are in short and unpredictable supply from a far too limited pool.
Yet the bursting of the dot-com/telecom bubbles and the disgraceful collapses of Enron, Arthur Andersen, WorldCom, Tyco, Parmalat, etc., have cruelly constrained the brand trajectory of the leadership label. Where governance was once the longest and most elastic of leashes that let leadership stray with minimal attention, it is now a beautifully upholstered cage with 24-hour surveillance and legal advisors on call worldwide.
In other words, the global rise of governance as a business concern reflects the pathological failure of leaders to manage. Accountability, transparency, and oversight will mean something very different to CEOs and the boardroom over the next 10 years than they did in the past. A new ecology of interdependent management, leadership, and governance is arising. Striking a balance among these three imperatives will be a greater challenge in years to come. Will those who meet that challenge emerge with better leadership, better management, and better governance? Today’s “leaders” have lost the right to be the only ones with the authority and legitimacy to answer those questions.
According to Charan the essential qualities of a successful business leader are the ability to sort out complexity because of the nature and number of variables and the structural changes in business. The second is managing external constituencies. And the third is you must be a social architect. You have to have those three. And of course, there’s a fourth: tenaciously mastering the business model.
And finally attitude described by a lovely Indian phrase in describing an affliction suffered by successful leaders: “divine discontent.” best explained as “Never satisfied. You’ll never reach that inner, ultimate nirvana.”

Alphabetical autobiography

2006-08-05T07:33:00.000-07:00

A to Zee about me :)
I almost died a blog death.Since all other ideas got drowned in work,here's something that flashed in my mind on a respiteful weekend .
Accent:Have a pretty neutral and charming accent thanks to my drop a few words from your vocabulary and add a few ones,like 'no' at the end of every sentence(god,that is scaring me a lot)
Booze:Sweet lime juice :)
Chore I Hate:Washing clothes(sans washing machine) I guess
Dog or Cat: Dog,preferably a snowy white poodle
Essential Electronics:Mobile phone and PC
Fav Perfume:Davidoff Cool Waters
Gold or Silver- Gold ( have a penchant for the priceless metal)
Home:I am a gypsy.Ever since I left the place I was born,I have never stayed anywhere for more than a year.
Insomnia:My work hours ensure , insomnia does not plague me
Job Title:Executive- Corporate Human Resource
Living Arrangements:I live as a PG at a bustling suburb in Mumbai
Most Admirable Traits:Hmmm..Well I am told that I am patient, humble, fair and unbiased..I dont take sides blindly.
Nature of work- blend of analytical and inter-personal
Phobias:Wriggling and writhing reptiles (snakes)
Quote: "One life.Live it" , "Live and Let Live"
Religion: I am not a very religious person but I like going to temples.
Siblings:One dearest younger bro ( an IITian by virtue and a happy-go-lucky chap by instinct)
Time I Wake Up- 7 am on weekdays and 9:30 am on weekends
Unusual Talent or Skill- Resilience , Will-power and ofcourse, my velvety voice :)
Vegetable I Love:Lady's finger, capsicum, brocolli
Worst Habit:Day dreaming
X-Rays, Last time:Last time was during medical checkup at the time of joining my current company
Yummy Food I Make:Veg Manchurian
Zodiac Sign:Cancer

2006-08-05T07:20:00.000-07:00

My Dream...
What are your dreams? What do you wanna do? My friend Janavi asked me this question while responding to my comment on her blog....and for some reason it took me a while to really answer that question....The shocker to me was that in the past few years I have been so caught up doing things and the kind of work that is no where close to my dream.....(simply coz am qualified for it!!)...On introspection and deep pondering, What do I actually want to do in life?Dunno if I still have hit the nail on the head....maybe this is it...maybe its just a phase...but I know that today if I close my eyes for a while and consider an Ideal world ...then my perfect state of being....would be as a traveler!Not a tourist...a traveler....exploring the world....not the Paris, NY's but the little towns, forests, cities that offer the real taste flavour of life.....seeing EVERY part of the world....everything there is to see....its an endless world.....full of endless roads, streams, galleys, riverbanks, forests and above all people....to be able to capture as much of the world there is....Every place has its own story, own flavour, own lesson, own experience and own memory to offer....and I want to assimilate it all!I know its a fantasy today--maybe some day I'll have the courage to give it all up and just take off...not knowing where I am gonna go....and yet knowing that the road I walk on will take me to the place I want would love to be in....Have started traveling a bit but most of the travel has really been more as a tourist....but well atleast there is a first step....there's hope!:-)....So..What are your dreams? What do you wanna do?

Thinking Big!!!

2006-08-05T07:01:00.000-07:00

Donald Trump said this to his elder brother when the latter had returned after leaving his job as an Air pilot..."Good...really good...I am glad you left the job...Why do you need to fly planes anyway when you can just BUY the airline!"This had come from the mouth of a guy who had still to make a mark in New York...who had still not placed a single brick in his real estate business!!But thats how it should be...
ALWAYS THINK BIG!!!
Only then can you find yourself where you really want yourself to be...

On Destiny

2006-07-31T01:03:00.000-07:00

Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must persevere and above all have confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted with something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.
~Marie Curie

Formula for Happiness

2006-07-31T00:59:00.000-07:00

Hi folks,
Want to be happy?

Here's my placebo , a simple formula -Count every blessing

:)

Mumbai talkies

2006-05-14T06:15:00.000-07:00

It's a difficult city. Like an eccentric old lady with a young heart and calluses on her feet, which she squeezes into pinching heels every evening for a prance around town to the watering holes - where everyone is free and young - and when everything else has closed, to sit by the sea and stare at the glittering surround of lights and marvel, 'Can a city be so beautiful?'A loving city too.

Not the closeting, claustrophobic love of your over protective mommy but the free, expansive and accepting love of that girl you lived with, the one you almost married, the one who left with a quiet and quick peck on the cheek in a skirt the colour of flame-of-the-forest.She almost threw you out so many times, but then you crawled back, a little pathetic, mostly human. And she smiled her wry smile and said, 'well, come in then.

A dirty city. Dust on your cheeks at the end of the day, black smoke from yellow-black taxis (with drivers who are both friendly and cut-throat), grime under the toenails, the largest slums in the world.
But oh so human. The cheeky, little car wash who hangs out at your signal and grins at your disgruntlement and wheedles the pennies out of you, laughing.The gang of eunuchs who sashay by as you sit on the broad ledge at Marine Drive eating peanuts and thinking of the future, and cheerfully bless you when you turn your palms up and say, 'nah, I'm can't. I'm broke'.

The vendors at Fashion Street who haggle like crazy and then chat about business being bad because of the rains.

That old Parsi gentleman (isn't there one always?) at the Irani restaurant, slurping tea beneath the lazy fan.

Human as as a crumpled suit, children in the playground, sweat, sadness, love.And yes! Alive. This is where the words run out because nothing can quite describe the strange, pulsating, hot, quirky aliveness of the city. It's stronger than anything else. It makes people forget the smallness of their apartments, rush hour commute, dirt, grime, pollution, corruption, flies.And for those, who've grown up there, it runs strong as blood through their veins. And for others, it has become a way of life.

A dreamy sequence

2006-05-13T01:45:00.001-07:00

Hi all,

Its been so many moons now , since I last made a posting. Well, like the proverbial phoenix , I 've resurged from my deep hibernation. Hibernation would be a misnomer considering the blitzkeirg of events that unfolded in my life. Have never felt so satiated as a B.Tech and MBA as I do now.....ofcourse not the one to rest on my laurels, I would strive harder to raise my bars and redefine my benchmarks in this beautiful journey of life. Feel blessed to have the good wishes of my family and friends with me always.

Armed with a deserving job and a rewarding career, I wanna harness my potential to the hilt and make my presence felt in my chosen field( my driving passion) that is HR. Apart from the new impetus in my career, I have found great friends in my affable roomies and wonderful colleagues Kashmira, Flora etc. and ex- colleagues Bharti, Nilam, Nidhi etc. in Mumbai. They are my lifeline in this vibrant yet busy city known for its anonymity.

I am loving every moment of my stay in Mumbai. Today is not a working day so am unwinding by way of blogging and probably catching up with some movie and a scrumptious lunch with my ex- colleagues. Life's on the fast lane and am I complaining? :)

Bye for now. Have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Pearls of wisdom

2005-11-15T20:00:00.000-08:00

There is not a shadow of doubt in the adage that " Experience is the best teacher"

However , naive and ingenuous you are , the hard slumps, setbacks and blistering jolts have their own way of temporising and annealing you from within.

A burnt child dreads the fire .The very resilient and strong-willed, resurrect like the proverbial phoenix and bounce back to take on life but with much prudence and tact than before.

The valuable lessons life's trying situations have taught me are as below:-

1. Follow your mind and ne'r let your heart reign over the mind.

2. Believe in the vast repository of talent and knowledge you possess and take on the world with a winning attitude.

3. Never mourn over lost grounds coz life is not about empty numbers . Its only the weak at heart , who squander away precious moments , brooding and lamenting over the acrimonious past. Live in the present and strive for a better tomorrow .

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!Act,—act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,

Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Diwali Bonanza

2005-10-29T13:26:00.000-07:00

The festival of lights is round the corner and you dont miss that glint in the eye of the ubiquitous shopper.
And cashing in on this shopping fervour , are the retailers and dealers who are laughing their way to the banks. The indirect relationship between the nose diving Sensex and spurting purchasing power of the consumer is a plausible and an ostensible phenomenon during the Diwali bash.
This year has been no exception. The unprecedented rush and scramble for Diwali shopping for all and sundry is something I'm in awe of. Swarms of human thronging retail stores, malls, super markets, complexes, reminds of the saying ' been there and done it'. Especially , nothing on earth can beat the festive moods of the foot loose Gujarati customer with his varied preferences and zest for life.
Its a shopper's paradise here , and there's no stopping the cartloads of shopping ( token of love) coming home. The glow and radiance on the faces of your near and dear ones is priceless.
Last but not the least , its a win -win situation for both the buyers as well as the sellers , thanks to the umpteen schemes, lottery prizes to woo the customer and the surging footfalls per customer .
This is a lovely, mirthful , joyous moment of the year and its wonderful to see the smiles on every face.
Happy Diwali to all !

Trident power

2005-10-21T19:15:00.000-07:00

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
Saswati
Sash
Simi / Mama, Simone (courtesy , Papa dearest)

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
Saswati , Saswati and Saswati :)

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
Honesty and Simplicity
Unwavering faith in myself and God

Resilience and Humility

THREE THINGS YOU DONT LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
Naivety
the inability to say 'NO' to anyone
artlessness

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
Self respect and respect for elders
Dedication and hard work
Simple living and Peaceful coexistence

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
Nukes and WMDs
Losing my near and dear ones
Snakes (venomous reptiles ) .....oops!

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS (besides the cliched food , shelter and clothing ) :)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
My daily prayers
Newspapers and the revitalizing 40 winks

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
Trust
Commitment and care
Transparency

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE (NOT IN THAT ORDER ) :)
I'm simple, nice and forgiving
I'm malicious
I'm empathetic and kindhearted

THREE THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE GENDER THAT ATTRACT YOU:
Character , Sensibility and Honesty
Sense of humour and quick wit
Respect for women and chivalry

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW:
Go home (missing Mummy , Papa and Granny dear)
Read a good novel
Sleep (yeah u got it ! thats somethin' elusive with 6 days of office in a week )

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO VISIT:
Australia
South Africa
Kerala / Seycheles / Singapore

THREE KID NAMES YOU LIKE:
Sarah/Mehek
Sameer/Rahul
Tamanna

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
Be successful in all the roles I play on the stage of earth.
Contribute / donate to a spastic society and help the cause of women's literacy drive.
Write a book on cosmic bodies and get it published , hopefully.

Accidental Inventors

2005-10-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

Here are some fascinating stories of creativity and problem solving for accidental inventors .

As a potential inventor do you think of an invention?

Many inventors report stories of every day events that triggered them to think of some problem in a new way.
The inventor of VELCRO® reported that he thought of the invention while removing burrs from his pet's fur after walking in the woods.

You may recall Eli Whitney's story of watching a cat pull feathers through a cage -- it was how he thought of the invention now known as the cotton gin.

A less well-known story involves Catherine Ryan, who invented locking nuts to hold bolts in place. Her inspiration was how her own wedding ring kept getting stuck on her finger. She saw that if something in the nut could expand after a bolt was placed inside a nut, it would hold the two together

Other inventions come about when their inventors try to think of uses for things - vulcanized (heated) rubber for tires came about that way.

Have you heard of "yellow stickies" ( PostIt®)? They were the result of a "failed" adhesive experiment which was too weak to market, until the chemist figured out that a weak adhesive had good uses too.

Many times you can come up with a solution for a problem (or find a problem that fits your solution!) by either "turning a problem around" or selecting two or more things at random and using them to "seed" new ideas.
What does "turning a problem around" mean? It means looking at it from a different angle or thinking about it in a new way.

Example 1 - instead of thinking of shoes as protecting your feet from the ground, think of using something to protect the ground from your feet.

Example 2 - instead of thinking about how you can carry kumquats home from a store, think of how they can come to you - by delivery or growing your own - or do you need kumquats at all?

Carefully define a problem. Focus on what you are trying to do in the first place - instead of simply how to do things. If you focus on methods, " i.e . "I need a way to use a computer to count apples", you may not to count apples?

Try changing the question - start it with a different word - who, what, where, when, why, how, etc. Change your perspective on a problem - looking for something is not at all the same as finding it, and putting something away is very different from getting rid of it.

Think about something in an unexpected and way that expresses your creativity. Describe doing something in words for something entirely different - search and rescue your toys; turn your closet into a menu of clothes; or feed a thought. Identify a more basic problem - "I need to have about 1000 apples to sell every week" and miss a better solution.

Of course many patents issue on novel uses of things so don't just throw away an idea because it doesn't fit the rules.

Living Like A Jewel

2005-10-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

"The value and significance

of a person's life

must be assessed in its entirety.

We must ask:

Has this been a life

which brightly cast the light

of conviction and justice

over past, present and future --

like a jewel whose facets

mutually capture and reflect?"

Daisaku Ikeda, Fighting for Peace

Shubh Durga Puja

2005-10-08T14:44:00.000-07:00

OM, YAA DEVI SARVA BHUTESHU MATRI RUPENA SANSTHITA,

NAMASTASAYA NAMASTASAYE , NAMOH , NAMAH

Navratri novelties

2005-10-04T18:33:00.000-07:00

With Navratri round the corner, the rapturous combination of solemnity , joy and mirth in the air , here are some delicacies to tickle your taste buds. Try these quick bites and relish them this Navaratri. Suit your palate :)

Happy Navratri!

Sabudana vada

Ingredients

150 gms sabudana, 250 gms potatoes3 tsp ginger-chilli paste, 2 tsp lime juice, 10 gms jeera, 1/2 bunch dhania leaves, 1 tsp sugar, 100 gms groundnuts
Method

1. Roast groundnuts and grind them into a powder.2. Soak sabudana for about five to six hours till they become soft.3. Boil the potatoes and mash them.4. Mix sabudana, roasted groundnuts, ginger-chilli paste, jeera, salt and lime juice. 5. Make small balls with the mixture. 6. Deep-fry the vadas and drain excess oil. Serve hot with chutney.

Doodhi halwa

Ingredients

1 kg doodhi or bottle gourd, 4 tbsp ghee, 1 litre milk, 100 gms mixed dry fruits (optional), 150 gms sugar
Method

1. Wash, peel and grate the gourd.2. Heat ghee in a kadhai.3. Add grated gourd to the ghee and cook till the gourd becomes translucent and soft.4. Add milk and sugar and mix well.5. Cook on medium flame for about half-an-hour till the mixture becomes thick.6. Remove from flame and garnish with dry fruits. Refrigerate for four to five hours and serve chilled.

Raw banana bhaji

Ingredients

2 raw bananas, 1 sprig curry leaves, 1 tsp dhania leaves, finely chopped,1 green chilli, slit lengthwise, 1/2 tsp jeera seeds, 1/4 tsp haldi powder, 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder, 1 tbsp curd, 1 tsp lime juice, Salt to taste, 1 tbsp oil
Method

1. Wash, peel and chop the bananas into cubes.2. Boil the chopped bananas with a tsp of haldi powder and a pinch of salt for about 15 minutes.3. Drain water and set aside.4. Sprinkle curd, haldi and salt over the boiled banana pieces and mix gently.5. Heat oil in a pan and add jeera seeds and curry leaves.6. Add the boiled banana pieces and stir gently.7. Add 1/4 cup of water and lime juice and cook for five minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve hot with chapati.

Maa- An apostle of immense love and strength

2005-10-04T17:17:00.000-07:00

As we stand on the threshold of Navratri , that heralds a colorful maze of brotherhood, harmony , festive gaeity and conviviality and religious fervour, I want to pay an ode to "Motherhood". Motherhood is symbolic to Maa Durga , the Universal Mother , the harbinger of power, justice, valour and gallantry . Analogously, a woman epitomises the Goddess in the true sense , with her impeccable qualities of head and heart. The parallels that can be drawn between the two are distinct and discernable.
Godess Parvati is the appearance of Prakriti (Nature) also besides being Shakti and the mother of the Universe. All the organisms have arisen out of the Nature, hence She is called Jagadamba. Mother Parvati s also known by other names viz .Durga, Kaali etc. But despite having so many names she is one in appearance. Although a woman plays ad infinitum roles viz. wife, mother, daughter , sister etc. , she portrays glimses of her motherly traits of love, compassion, strength, endurance, vitality in all these roles , thereby underscoring her similarities with Maa Durga.

The name "Durga" in Sanskrit means " invincible" . The syllable "du" is synonymous with the four evils of poverty, suffering, evil habits and famine. The syllable "r" refers to diseases . And the syllable "ga" stands for destroyer of evils, injustice and cruelty. She is a resplendent amalgamation of all the divine forces. Congruently, a woman when senses a lurking threat to herself or her family or when an imminent danger is inimical , she utilizes her strength, foresight and sensibilty to temporize the negative impact. Thus, she acts as the shield , a safety net who aims at safeguarding the larger interests of her loved ones. The quintessential mother in her
protects her child in the womb to the last shred of her breath from the assault of unwholesome extrinsic forces. As a wife , she blends the motherly attributes of love, care , patience and endevour into a heady recipe called emotional and psychological support . As a daughter she showers love and devotion to her ageing parents .

Having said this , I salute the indomitable personality of my mother for her unconditional love , care and dedicated support for the upliftment of her family. Thank you Mummy for everything.

The Golden Buddha

2005-10-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

In the fall of 1988 my wife Georgia and I were invited to give a presentation of self-esteem and peak performance at a conference in Hong Kong. Since we had never been to theFar East before, we decided to extend our trip and visit Thailand.
When we arrived in Bangkok, we decided to take a tour of the city's most famous Buddhist temples. Along with our interpreter and driver, Georgia and I visited numerous Buddhist temples that day, but after a while they all began to blur in our memories.
However, there was one temple that left an indelible impression in our hearts and minds. It is called the Templeof the Golden Buddha. The temple itself is very small, probably no larger than thirty feet by thirty feet. But as we entered, we were stunned by the presence of a ten-and-a-half-foot tall, solid-gold Buddha. It weighs over two-and-a-half tons and is valued at approximately one hundred and ninety-six million dollars! It was quite an awesome sight -the kindly gentle, yet imposing solid-gold Buddha smilingdown at us.
As we immersed ourselves in the normal sight seeing tasks (taking pictures while oohing and ahhing over the statue), I walked over to a glass case that contained a large piece of clay about eight inches thick and twelve inches wide. Next to the glass case was a type written page describing the history of this magnificent piece of art. Back in 1957 a group of monks from a monastery had to relocate a clay Buddha from their temple to a new location.
The monastery was to be relocated to make room for the development of a highway through Bangkok. When the crane began to lift the giant idol, the weight of it was so tremendous that it began to crack. What's more, rain began to fall. The head monk, who was concerned about damage tothe sacred Buddha, decided to lower the statue back to the ground and cover it with a large canvas tarp to protect it from the rain.
Later that evening the head monk went to check on theBuddha. He shined his flashlight under the tarp to see ifthe Buddha was staying dry. As the light reached the crack, he noticed a little gleam shining back and thought it strange. As he took a closer look at this gleam of light, he wondered if there might be something underneath the clay. He went to fetch a chisel and hammer from the monastery and began to chip away at the clay. As he knocked off shards of clay, the little gleam grew brighter and bigger. Many hours of labor went by before the monk stood face to face with the extraordinary solid-gold Buddha.
Historians believe that several hundred years beforethe head monk's discovery, the Burmese army was about to invade Thailand (then called Siam). The Siamese monks realizing that their country would soon be attacked, covered their precious golden Buddha with an outer covering of clayin order to keep their treasure from being looted by theBurmese. Unfortunately, it appears that the Burmese slaughtered all the Siamese monks, and the well-kept secret of the golden Buddha remained intact until that fateful dayin 1957.
As we flew home on Cathay Pacific Airlines I began to think to myself, "We are all like the clay Buddha covered with a shell of hardness created out of fear, and yet underneath each of us is a 'golden Buddha,' a 'goldenChrist' or a 'golden essence,' which is our real self.
Somewhere along the way, between the ages of two and nine,we begin to cover up our 'golden essence,' our natural self.Much like the monk with the hammer and the chisel, our task now is to discover our true essence once again."

By Jack Canfieldfrom Chicken Soup for the Soul

Quotable quotes

2005-09-29T18:14:00.000-07:00

People who laugh actually live longer than those who don’t laugh. Few persons realize that health actually varies according to the amount of laughter. - James J. Walsh

How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these. - George Washington Carver

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny. - Carl Schurz

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. - William Faulkner

Be a life long or short, its completeness depends on what it was lived for. - David Starr Jordan

Let us show, not merely in great crises, but in every day affairs of life, qualities of practical intelligence, of hardihood and endurance, and above all, the power of devotion to a lofty ideal. - Theodore Roosevelt

We do not believe in ourselves until someone reveals that deep inside us is valuable, worth listening to, worthy of our trust, sacred to our touch. Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight or any experience that reveals the human spirit. - e.e. cummings

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. - Kahlil Gibran

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand. - Chinese Proverb

Beauty is truth, truth beauty' - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. - John Keats

My personality autopsy

2005-09-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

Hi pals!
Just happened to bump into this interesting url
www.briomag.com/briomagazine/quizzes

Guess what it has to reveal about the Age I act. :-)
I fall in the 8-14 point bracket which says that I usually make responsible choices, and I also know how to relax and have fun. I've learned that its OK to the kid I am , but I'm old enuf to have to act like an adult sometimes, too . I must keep striving for this balance in life.

Yet another quiz to test my worth and I fall in the 10-12 points category.i.e. haven't embared on an ego trip , have found a perfect balance between insecurity and arrogance. God has given me abilities , but not all answera . Able to lead with focus on God . I care for others and look for chances to serve . Judge others by their heart , not dress or address. Keep living the World!

Whether I am impulsive or not, and i end up scoring 19 points that means I donnes me as a 'Perfect Plannner'

These many tests taken as of now.until next time.....byeee

Have a great weekend!

Vagaries of life

2005-09-22T18:40:00.000-07:00

Glad tidings or stormy weather -life moves on and gives us hope and faith to hold on ~ Peggy Noonan.

Well, yet another day waning and making way for a new tomorrow with sunnier hopes . Tis too shall pass' is at the heart of my understanding of things. 'There is nothing new under the sun'. Good times, lean periods, the seven fat years , breakthroughs , setbacks:It is not "new" , any of it , its the story of life on earth. The story of a revolving cycle of life.

Someone once said that at the heart of each victory is defeat , and at the heart of each defeat is future victory. We can rely on just one unchanging thing : the inevitability of change. Everything moves onward, nothing is stable. Yesterday's dead leaf is mulched into the soil that produces tomorrow's garden. The garden's flowers bear leaves that will fall and get mulched. So nature's in constant motion and this perspective helps us to overcome low patches in life. "Hope springs eternal thy human breast and every cloud has a silver lining ".

It also applies to happy moments , and perhaps more valuably . As it sharpens our pleasure and we cherish the times , for they wont last forever and it would be ungrateful not to appreciate them while they are bestowed on us.

My academic front had once experienced a blip ,a momentary slump . Atleast , I felt so, coz my expectations exceeded the end result. But, I soon realized its a bad phase , I have to keep doing my work , keep attempting to produce better result and persevere harder to get what I deserved. I became so engaged with my work and thoughts that I forgot I was in a bad time. I could find more coherence , more depth in other spheres of life and swiftly glided over the tide , with flying colours :)

Therefore, everything in life changes and whatever happens, happens for the good . There is always a purpose behind what God does .So, next time happiness comes your way, take a moment and send a Thank you note to the Maker above , and pause to breathe in joy before it vanishes into infinity. Similarly, for bad times, remain calm and cool in the face of it and immerse yourself in work and the impending storm will pass .

A high wave comes, a crushing wave comes, a gentle swell follows , Whatever comes, stay in the boat and enjoy the ride. Time is fleeting , so savour each moment :)

An utopian dream

2005-09-17T18:30:00.000-07:00

We have all likely had experiences with overtly prejudiced people who are brash and forthright in their religious intolerance and criticism about other religions and belief systems. These are the people that will argue little religious points of contention until they are blue in the face never letting anyone else having a say and definitely never even considering any other point of view.

Fortunately, as more and more of us are examining and searching for our own spiritual nature, we are becoming more tolerant of other faiths , other spiritualities, and other belief systems. This is often an unexpected part of the spiritual journey. As we learn to understand the viewpoints of these other individuals, we learn to respect and tolerate their alternative beliefs. In return, we come to expect respect and tolerance from others. This brings the issue of tolerance to the forefront of our minds and we soon feel the need to speak out for religious tolerance.

Although we have made giant strides in secularism and tolerance to all religions , thanks to the liberal and modern outlook of the youth , the progressive education system and its by- product that infuses self control and security in the minds of people. Still , what appalled me today , on the last day of Ganapati Puja , is the existence of latent undercurrents of subtle intolerance between the two major religions of India, that may have flared to spark off communal fracas . In the so called sensitive pockets , security was beefed up , to the extent of gearing up the RAPID ACTION FORCE on their toes. It was as if a full -fledged stage were set to thwart the communal elements lest they should raise their ugly heads. As the Ganapati processions scuttled through these areas, for immersion of the idol, fear gripped the minds of the ordinary commuter.All main roads were cordoned and traffic was woefully sparing , as if a Emergency / curfew were declared. It was a bit queer to behold this temporary impasse in a city vibrant and constantly pulsating with the ebb and flow of time. However, peace proved deceptive and violence erupted in a part of the city, much to the chagrin of the vigilant forces who had to resort to teargas shelling and firing. Fortunately , there were no casualties except for some collateral damage. A glaring display of the potent threat posed by religious intolerance.
Nonetheless, subtle intolerance is still intolerance. It doesn’t actually reduce the incidents of intolerance, it just tidies the appearance a bit.

Despite the passage of 58 glorious years of independence and pathbreaking accomplishments in diverse fields viz Defence, Space, Nuclear power, Telecom, IT, Sports, Showbiz ,Tourism to name a few , grimacingly the largest democracy of the world , is still in the throes of this religious cold war . Its only by divorcing politics from religion , I hope we can weave our nation, India into a land of peaceful and harmonious coexistence of human race and where life is celebrated in its true sense.

Tongue in cheek

2005-09-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Had a hearty laugh browsing these jokes yesterday ......And just what the doctor ordered , here they come to tickle the funny bone. Ensoi!

The CEO
A fellow had just been hired as the new CEO of a large tech corporation. The CEO who was stepping down met with him privately and presented him with three numbered envelopes. "Open one of these if you run up against a problem you don't think you can solve," he said.
Things went along pretty smoothly, but six months later, sales took a downturn and the CEO was really catching a lot of heat. About at his wit's end, he remembered the envelopes. He went to his drawer and took out the first envelope. The message read, "Blame your predecessor."
The new CEO called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous CEO. Satisfied with his comments, the press - and Wall Street - responded positively, sales began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him.
About a year later, the company was again experiencing a slight dip in sales, combined with serious product problems. Having learned from his previous experience, the CEO quickly opened the second envelope. The message read, "Reorganize."
This he did, and the company quickly rebounded.
After several consecutive profitable quarters, the company once again fell on difficult times. The CEO went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope. The message said, "Prepare three envelopes."

So you want a day off?
So you want a day off? Let's take a look at what you are asking for!
There are 365 days this year.
There are 52 weeks per year in which you already have 2 days off per week, leaving 261 days available for work.
Since you spend 16 hours each day away from work, you have used up 170 days, leaving only 91 days available.
You spend 30 minutes each day on coffee break. That accounts for 23 days each year, leaving only 68 days available.
With a one hour lunch period each day, you have used up another 46 days, leaving only 22 days available for work.
You normally spend 2 days per year on sick leave. This leaves you only 20 days available for work.
We are off for 5 holidays per year, so your available working time is down to 15 days.
We generously give you 14 days vacation per year which leaves only one day available for work and I'll be damned if you're going to take that day off!

The Yuppie
As the highway patrolman approached the accident site, he found that the entire side of the BMW had been ripped away, taking with it the driver's arm.
The injured yuppie, a lawyer obviously in shock, kept moaning, "My car, my car," as the officer tried to comfort him.
"Sir," the patrolman said gently, "I think we should be more concerned about your arm than your car."
The driver look down to where his arm should have been, then screamed, "My Rolex! My Rolex!"

The Speaking Tree

2005-09-06T05:35:00.000-07:00

Hi readers !
Recently, I came across this intriguing and thought provoking anecdote . Here's some food for thought for all u folks :-) Happy reading and rudimenting (the mind):-)

There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted. The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season, and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches and better times are sure to come some time or later.

The 90/10 Principle

2005-09-04T13:00:00.000-07:00

Have you heard of this before ? Discover the 90/10 Principle.

Aim of the experiment :To discover and implement a sure shot panacea to a majority of stress related ills of life on the fast lane .

Tool required: 90/10 Principle

Principle :10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down.The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%.

The other 90% is different. We determine the other 90%. How? By our reaction. We cannot control a red light, but we can definitely control our reaction .

Experiment :

Case 1 -You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened.What happens when the next will be determinedby how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase.Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worser. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning.

Q. Why did you have a bad day?

A) Did the coffee cause it? B) Did your daughter cause it? C) Did the policeman cause it?

D) Did you cause it?

The answer is " D". You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Case 2 - Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time".Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and yourbriefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Observation : Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how we REACTED. We really do not have any control over 10% of what happens.The other 90% was determined by our reaction.

Inference : This is the incredible outcome of the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. If someone says something negative about us, we need not be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. We don't have to let the negative comment affect us! React properly and it will not ruin our day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.The plane is late; it is going to mangle our schedule for the day. Why take out our frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Instead use our time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? :) Its a vicious circle and tends to make things worse.

On the contrary ,a display of composure and patience , aids us in steering clear of undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartburn.

Bottom line: We must introduce this 90/10 principle in our lives and reap its rich dividends :) The success rate is phenonmenal. Have taken a leaf from it in my own life , and life ne'r seemed as simple and sweet as it is now . Ofcourse, the taste of the pudding is in the eating :-)...Right?

Try it out folks, and do share its positive impact on your lives .

Have a good day!

Floral Crafts

2005-08-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

The wonders of nature, in all their abundant glory are reflected in the artistry and craftsmanship endemic to Indian households. India being endowed with an assortment of natural floral delight and smacks of a rich bounty of spices, herbs and condiments. A traditional way to capture the essence of a summer herb garden is to make a potpourri, a mixture of colourful, fragrant flowers and leaves displayed in a bowl, sachet, or whatever container you choose. You can use many different herbs, flowers, and leaves in your potpourri; you are only limited to your imagination. It is probably best to use a few recipes at first though, experience will soon tell you how much of each fragrant flower or leaf to use. Potpourri has become synonymous with aromatic mixtures.
The method of preparing it is simple and the one I am sharing with you here is something I learnt way back during my T&D team project .This is particularly popular as it is easy, and colorful results can be displayed in bowls, potpourri balls, or used in herb pillows.
The basic ingredients fall into four categories: Flowers for scent and colour, aromatic leaves, these represent the second largest group in a potpourri mixture and their scent is often more powerful than that of the flowers, select those that will harmonize well with others. Dry leaves whole and then crush some to release the scent. Complimentary spices and peels, these have a strong aroma and should be used sparingly. Add one tablespoon each to flowers and leave mixture, to obtain the best scent is to grind dried whole spices before adding to flowers and leaves. Last but not least is the fixative, these are available as powders at many herb and spice shops or drug stores and are used to absorb and hold the other scents so they last longer. The most popular vegetable fixative is orris root, its sweet violet scent doesnt effect a blend strongly; other prominent ones are sandalwood, dry lavender etc.Use one tablespoon per cup of flowers and leaves and use 4-6 cups of flowers and leaves mixture. Add a few drops of essential oil (an aroma additive), or your favorite perfume.
Seal your potpourri mixture in a jar allowing it to mellow for approximately 10 days. To properly blend the ingredients, shake the jar lightly every couple of days. Now you are probably wondering, where is the actual scent to these mixtures? The actual scent is the flowers, leaves and spices themselves, but if you prefer a stronger scent you may add the essential oils that coincide with the flowers, leaves and spices you have chosen.

Here's your fragrant home-made pot-pourri ready to be devoured.

Musical Pot-pourri

2005-08-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

Music they say knows no boundaries .....a true melting pot it speaks the Universal language of every heart and its aroma permeates through the vastness of geographies.

A die-hard musical buff that I am , any genre of music that sounds melodious to the ear and soothes the inner-psyche wins hands down for me. A class of discernible music ; music that transcends the soul is what I call truly glorious. This is something that feeds my rock-solid penchant for it and stokes this musical fervour in me. Just as 'a good wine needs no old chaff ' , so also good and quality music needs no crutch or clout for its recognition and popularity. No amount of aggressive promotion can turn an infra-dig, shoddy piece of music into an all time hit and no amount of impregnation and lack of publicity can restrict the fragrance of a captivating piece of music to waft into the listener's heart and step into the hall of fame. Little wonder, ancient musical luminaries like Tansen, Mozart, Beethoven have stood the test of time and are so popular even after several moons have slipped by . And the enchanting Sufi music , and the bewitching folk -lore of Rajasthan have floated beyond their places of origin .

Imagine the world without the natural sound of music. For hundreds of years, Mother Nature has graced us with her bounty of musical rythms in the form of the sweet chirping of birds, soft gurgle of springs , pitter -patter of raindrops, swish of the breeze and a host of pleasing euphonies. All this combine to have a relaxing, refreshing and revitalising effect on the human mind embroiled in many a complexities.

This is an ode to real music and I hope the sanctity and purity of which is preserved for several generations to come.

Waltzing past the clouds

2005-08-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

A misty mornin', gettin drenched in the first monsoon shower, verdant green foliage and a pipin' hot and scrumptious meal... Sounds like a sumptiously delightful fare, doesn't it?.
Well, this is not some utopian dream folks but an earthly experience which is truly BREATHTAKING !!!
Courtesy , the picturesque hillstation called Satpura in Gujarat . Recently, one of my colleagues had been on a trip to this panaromic locale and has carried some nostalgic reveries with her in form of snaps and word-of-mouth. And I must say , even though I've not actually witnessed the mystic beauty of the place , the pictures spoke volumes . It was like God had moved His heavenly brush and painted variant shades of hues on a canvas. Something worth mentioning are the lovely shades of green dotting the meadows and the springs cackle to life producing this soft gurgle of water rivuletting.

Truly, its a different experience travelling to a hill station in the monsoons.Although , the roads are not very driver-friendly its worth the trouble when you behold the spectacular landscape and the Nakki Lake. Its nature in her resplendent glory is what my colleague quipped. Her extolling of the scenery, the ropeway rides, the serenity and bliss has bowled me over. Hopefully , I chance upon an opportunity to visit it in near future.

Vicissitudes of life

2005-08-24T15:26:00.003-07:00

This is not my first brush with writing; nevertheless I am uncannily excited about opening a tiny window of my life . This apparent gush of emotions could be in the wake of crunch moments in the recent past. On retrospect, I feel it’s been a wonderful roller coaster ride.
It all started in the City of dreams, M where I landed one fine Tue morning, the 2nd of June raring to walk into the portals of “Corporate world”. The initial phase of introduction, orientation to the banking world, pros and cons of its business initiatives and more of corporate gyaan and rubbing shoulders with a wannabe of freshers.
The professional life in M started with a bang but it was not for long. As I was getting into the grooves of M fast track life and had found great friends in Maitri, Vinita, Jayashree, Priya, my small yet beautiful world crashed like a pack of cards, when I was shunted to B, the city with a unique blend of the old and the new world charm. Here I was this lone young girl with God to guide her in yet another uncharted, unknown trail.
Without sounding vainglorious, a braveheart that I am, undeterred, I was determined to take stock of my vagabond’s life and resolved to start life afresh. On this positive note, and with the support of some nice and helping colleagues; I feel lucky to havin’ met them, I am now well settled and my life’s back on track .
During this “incubation period”, I had experiences of flash floods, water logging and incessant lashing of rains something unprecedented to this so-called dry region of India. Grappling with daily commutation in waist deep water, power cuts etc. made me a tough and resilient person.
The floods have subsided now and life’s back on its feet. I have found new company in the form of my landlord Uncle and his very amicable family. However my heart lies with my dear parents and brother way back in V. Missing u loads Mummy, Papa, my l'll bro and Maa!
Amidst all the travails and tribulations, something else happened that brought a whiff of fresh air with it. I saw a dream in the horizon and I pray to God that it comes true and is realized soon.

Musings of a woman

2005-08-24T15:17:00.000-07:00

Blogging they say is the buzz word for many a netizen! L'll wonder, the idea of creating my own platform of voicing my thoughts , experiences and musings is what enticed me to delve into it.
Being able to hobnob with diverse personalities is surely gotta be interesting...what say all?

Well , to begin with I am this girl next door , happy -go-lucky who dares to chase her dreams. The woman in me wants to break free and express her deeper emotions. Are u ready folks? :)

As a woman I feel we are brave, resilient and we endure. It is the never ending task of sharing. We share our families, our lives, and ourselves. To each day we bring to life the light in our eyes. With daily tasks we work unceasingly. Never complain. Never question. And at the end of the day, when the family is put to bed, we stay vigilant over their bedside. We are the guardians angels, the caretakers of our children. We are the ladies, who share our thoughts with our beloved. We are the women, who look into our parents eyes.
We are the one playing multiple roles with such grace and panache`. Our demeanour is quiet and mild, shy and soft. We do our best to be the most important lady of the day. All we ask is that your smile belongs to us. Your kindness leads us with tender care through the day. So all we ask is to be by our side, loving us all the while.
Who defines us? We define who we are, by believing in our selves. It is the path we take. It is the less trodden path, but it has made all the difference. I wouldn’t have had it any other way... The trials and tribulations, life’s not easy. But we endure... Believe that we are unique in the world. Bright as a summer day, light as a rainbow.Raising a toast to the liberated spirit of a Woman !
"One who rocks the cradle rules the world ". Are u with me ladies?

Wear Sunscreen

2005-08-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

www.generationterrorists.com/quotes/sunscreen.html
This is BY FAR the best, most insipirational thing I've ever read in my life, and I just felt like sharing.
http://www.generationterrorists.com/quotes/sunscreen.html