The Starfish
Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.
One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.
He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
As he got closer he called out, "Good morning! What are you doing?"
The young man paused, looked up and replied, "Throwing starfish in the ocean."
"I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?"
"The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die."
"But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!"
The young man listened politely. Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said- "It made a difference for that one."
I have been consistent in missing the 8 a.m. bus that takes me to office. Yesterday I was a bit lucky and found a cab just in front of the gate of the hotel. The cab even had a "Free Interpretation" board on it. Which means that the driver can speak English.
Me: City Hall?
Driver: ??
Me: City Hall subway station?
Driver: ???
Me: Cee-tee Ha-all sub-way sta-tion?
Driver: ?????
Me: (in sign language) Wait here. I'll come back.
Back at the hotel. "There is cab outside, could you tell him to take me to City Hall?" I come back along with the receptionist. Thankfully the cab is still waiting there for me.
Ms Lee: cit-thal?
Driver: Yes! Come in!
Me: Thank you!
I get down from the cab in front of the office and go Korean Bank ATM.
ATM: Select Langauage
Me: English
ATM: Korean English/Foreign English?
Me: wow!!
Most Koreans can't speak English. Some who can, speak "Korean English"!!
Me: City Hall?
Driver: ??
Me: City Hall subway station?
Driver: ???
Me: Cee-tee Ha-all sub-way sta-tion?
Driver: ?????
Me: (in sign language) Wait here. I'll come back.
Back at the hotel. "There is cab outside, could you tell him to take me to City Hall?" I come back along with the receptionist. Thankfully the cab is still waiting there for me.
Ms Lee: cit-thal?
Driver: Yes! Come in!
Me: Thank you!
I get down from the cab in front of the office and go Korean Bank ATM.
ATM: Select Langauage
Me: English
ATM: Korean English/Foreign English?
Me: wow!!
Most Koreans can't speak English. Some who can, speak "Korean English"!!
50 hours in Seoul
As I was completing my first fifty hours in Seoul, I was having the first experience with Seoul underground metro railway. We took a train from City Hall to Euljiro 3 (probably pronounced as Al-gero), shifted track and then took another train to Chungmuro. Then we discovered that our hotel is at 2 minutes walk from Chungmuro railway station. There are a lot of things that can be written about the metro. But I guess it's no different from metro rails in other developed contries. Every Indian knows about them either from his own experience when travelling abroad, or has heard about it from someone who has travelled. So I won't write much about it. I want to write about just one thing, that struck me, and I am not sure whether you'll not find it everywhere.
To come up from the underground railway station on to the road there are escalaters. These escalators are wide enough for two persons standing besides eachother. However on no step there were two persons standing. Everyone was standing on the right side of the escalator. The left side was free for people who were in real hurry and were running up the escalator to save time!! I loved this spirit!
As I was completing my first fifty hours in Seoul, I was having the first experience with Seoul underground metro railway. We took a train from City Hall to Euljiro 3 (probably pronounced as Al-gero), shifted track and then took another train to Chungmuro. Then we discovered that our hotel is at 2 minutes walk from Chungmuro railway station. There are a lot of things that can be written about the metro. But I guess it's no different from metro rails in other developed contries. Every Indian knows about them either from his own experience when travelling abroad, or has heard about it from someone who has travelled. So I won't write much about it. I want to write about just one thing, that struck me, and I am not sure whether you'll not find it everywhere.
To come up from the underground railway station on to the road there are escalaters. These escalators are wide enough for two persons standing besides eachother. However on no step there were two persons standing. Everyone was standing on the right side of the escalator. The left side was free for people who were in real hurry and were running up the escalator to save time!! I loved this spirit!
Sunday was independence day. And the usual question presented itself. "Will we have flag hoisting in our society this time"? Every 15th August and 26th January this question troubles everybody. May be not everybody, otherwise it wouldn't exist. It troubles some of the more socially conscious people in our society. It was past 10 a.m. and there was no sign of anybody. A notice informing everybody about flag hoisting had failed to arrive the previous day. The watchman too did not come up to remind us of our duty. Every year people's interest is dwindling. Or so they say. For as usual the flag hoisting and singing of our National Anthem did take place. More then a dozen people and about two dozen kids attended it. I was, of course, one of them.
I don't want to turn this blogsite into a site of quotations. It's just that I didn't get any time in last 2 - 3 weeks to write anything, nor do I remember having thought of anything that's worth writing. On the other hand, not only is it very easy to post a good quote when you come across it, but it is also very difficult to ignore it. So, my last few blogs have been copy-paste of goods quotes I came across. Adding one more to the series:
One element of maturity is the realization that we don't get away with anything. Any advantage gained or convenience taken, any private procrastination or insincerity, no matter how subtle or quick in passing, is paid for.
Hugh Prather
Clergyman and writer
Though I read this only yesterday, I have had this thought in my mind every moment for last few years. One has to do what is right and moral to the best of one's abilities, no matter how inconvinient or difficult it may be.
One element of maturity is the realization that we don't get away with anything. Any advantage gained or convenience taken, any private procrastination or insincerity, no matter how subtle or quick in passing, is paid for.
Hugh Prather
Clergyman and writer
Though I read this only yesterday, I have had this thought in my mind every moment for last few years. One has to do what is right and moral to the best of one's abilities, no matter how inconvinient or difficult it may be.
Another quote for the day
Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them
Let me not beg for the stilling of pain, but for the heart to conquer it
Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield, but to my own strength
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved, but hope for the patience to win my freedom
Grant me that I may not be a coward, feeling your mercy in my success alone
But let me find the grasp of your hand in my failure.
- Rabindranath Tagore
Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them
Let me not beg for the stilling of pain, but for the heart to conquer it
Let me not look for allies in life’s battlefield, but to my own strength
Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved, but hope for the patience to win my freedom
Grant me that I may not be a coward, feeling your mercy in my success alone
But let me find the grasp of your hand in my failure.
- Rabindranath Tagore
Yes! I did see Spiderman 2 yesterday! I loved it! It is a perfect blockbuster masala movie - incredible action, romance, a couple of songs, some humour and some senti scenes. I had expected the storyline to be same as in part 1, with the villian replaced. However there were several unexpected twists and turns in the story, like Peter Parker deciding to quit being Spiderman, and ... no, no, don't worry, I am not going to tell you everything and spoil your fun. For I surely recommend you this movie. You may not think much about it at the end. But it undoubtedly keeps you thrillingly entertained for every minute its two hours duration.
It's one of those days for me when one just doesn't feel like working. I am just not able to concentrate on any task. It's as if the brain hasn't fully woken up this morning. May be it's because I am tired at the end of the week. So I am waiting for the day to end and go back home.
However if Sameer Rakheja calls me to tell that he has a spare ticket for Spiderman 2, then that would be too good. I am dyenig ... oops ... dying to see the movie. I saw part 1 thrice and loved it. Two times of the three, I saw it in Hindi, and I loved it more than the English version! I also love watching Discovery in Hindi rather than English. That reminds me, I have call up the cablevala and tell him to tune in Hindi version of History Channel. Did you know that there is a Hindi version of History Channel? I didn't know that until a couple of weeks back.
However if Sameer Rakheja calls me to tell that he has a spare ticket for Spiderman 2, then that would be too good. I am dyenig ... oops ... dying to see the movie. I saw part 1 thrice and loved it. Two times of the three, I saw it in Hindi, and I loved it more than the English version! I also love watching Discovery in Hindi rather than English. That reminds me, I have call up the cablevala and tell him to tune in Hindi version of History Channel. Did you know that there is a Hindi version of History Channel? I didn't know that until a couple of weeks back.
Topsy-turvy world!
My previous post surely deserves something in a lighter vein. So I am thinking what would it be if everything in the world were exactly opposite to the way it exists.
Like, what if everybody woke up when we are going to sleep, and went to sleep when we are waking up in the morning?
Like, what if everybody drove on the wrong side of the road?
Like, what if kids behaved in a more matured manner than matured people?
Like, what if people divorced, only to marry again?
Like, what if the candidate who gets fewer votes overall became the president of the country?
Like, what if the free press is just free to brainwash people?
Like, what if there were wars in which only one side participated, using destructive weapons to destroy non-existent weapons of a non-existent army?
The more we think, the more it sounds like we are talking of America!!
My previous post surely deserves something in a lighter vein. So I am thinking what would it be if everything in the world were exactly opposite to the way it exists.
Like, what if everybody woke up when we are going to sleep, and went to sleep when we are waking up in the morning?
Like, what if everybody drove on the wrong side of the road?
Like, what if kids behaved in a more matured manner than matured people?
Like, what if people divorced, only to marry again?
Like, what if the candidate who gets fewer votes overall became the president of the country?
Like, what if the free press is just free to brainwash people?
Like, what if there were wars in which only one side participated, using destructive weapons to destroy non-existent weapons of a non-existent army?
The more we think, the more it sounds like we are talking of America!!
One more mail moved to the "vedAntaGoodOnes" folder. Let me paste a part of it here:
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:30:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: "V. Krishnamurthy"
Subject: [Advaita-l] Vasanas
To: "advaita - L"
Namaste, Arun-ji,
Let me try to answer your question in an elementary way.
An important point in the central core of the Hindu teaching is the transmigratory career of man's soul. Though man is essentially divine, the divine is clothed in material external coverings and is camouflaged by the cloud of dirt accumulated by the mind. Mind is a nebulous thing that keeps on accumulating impressions, habits and channels of thinking. These constitute the Vasanas of the mind. These Vasanas give the individual his mental personality even before his upbringing in this life starts having an effect on him. It is something over which one has no control, because it is one’s past. It is something for which one has a share of responsibility, because it is the result of one’s own past thoughts and actions.
If you bring in, along with your birth, inherent tendencies that are bad, you have to contend with them and fight them yourself. This is the obligation implied in karma theory. The word karma simply means action; but in this context it connotes the entire aggregate of all past actions and thoughts, not only in this life but in all past lives. As far as the future is concerned you are totally free to do what you will and to create new vasanas and new karma for yourself. But if you are going to be carried away by the existing vasanas in your system and they happen to carry you into undesirable avenues it is nobody's fault except yourself. In this sense you are the architect of your fate. But in the sense that your tendencies are born with you and you have had no control over them when you were born (just as you did not choose your parents or your sex), to that extent you are ruled by your fate. The enigma of the theory of fate in Hinduism can be put into the following capsule: While the past controls, monitors and influences you, the future is in your hands.
Date: Fri, 16 Jul 2004 12:30:55 -0700 (PDT)
From: "V. Krishnamurthy"
Subject: [Advaita-l] Vasanas
To: "advaita - L"
Namaste, Arun-ji,
Let me try to answer your question in an elementary way.
An important point in the central core of the Hindu teaching is the transmigratory career of man's soul. Though man is essentially divine, the divine is clothed in material external coverings and is camouflaged by the cloud of dirt accumulated by the mind. Mind is a nebulous thing that keeps on accumulating impressions, habits and channels of thinking. These constitute the Vasanas of the mind. These Vasanas give the individual his mental personality even before his upbringing in this life starts having an effect on him. It is something over which one has no control, because it is one’s past. It is something for which one has a share of responsibility, because it is the result of one’s own past thoughts and actions.
If you bring in, along with your birth, inherent tendencies that are bad, you have to contend with them and fight them yourself. This is the obligation implied in karma theory. The word karma simply means action; but in this context it connotes the entire aggregate of all past actions and thoughts, not only in this life but in all past lives. As far as the future is concerned you are totally free to do what you will and to create new vasanas and new karma for yourself. But if you are going to be carried away by the existing vasanas in your system and they happen to carry you into undesirable avenues it is nobody's fault except yourself. In this sense you are the architect of your fate. But in the sense that your tendencies are born with you and you have had no control over them when you were born (just as you did not choose your parents or your sex), to that extent you are ruled by your fate. The enigma of the theory of fate in Hinduism can be put into the following capsule: While the past controls, monitors and influences you, the future is in your hands.
Some years ago when the trees in our society's compound were shorter, we could see all the way up to the hill in Trombay, from our bedroom and kitchen windows. One day, looking out of the window someone said, "Hey, have you noticed that the glass has been washed spotlessly clean! The mountain looks so much clearer today". And I said, "There ain't no glass on the window. The window is as wide open as it was yesterday, and it always has been that way. It rained yesterday night!"
As the rain falls, it brings down with it all the dust that's floating in the air. As a result the air looks so cleaner. And it feels more pure and fresh. Have you observed it? You feel as if till yesterday you were looking through a tainted glass, and now it's been washed spotlessly clean! We all spot the greenery that monsoon brings with it, but rarely do we observe the magic that it does to the atmosphere.
That reminds me of Sameer. Speaking about his trip to London, Sameer said, "The first thing I noticed the moment I stepped out of airport was that the air was so pure. I could see things so far away, which we can never see over here." I would like to add, "except during monsoons!" Like most people he too had failed to observe it.
As the rain falls, it brings down with it all the dust that's floating in the air. As a result the air looks so cleaner. And it feels more pure and fresh. Have you observed it? You feel as if till yesterday you were looking through a tainted glass, and now it's been washed spotlessly clean! We all spot the greenery that monsoon brings with it, but rarely do we observe the magic that it does to the atmosphere.
That reminds me of Sameer. Speaking about his trip to London, Sameer said, "The first thing I noticed the moment I stepped out of airport was that the air was so pure. I could see things so far away, which we can never see over here." I would like to add, "except during monsoons!" Like most people he too had failed to observe it.
We must love them both - those whose opinions we share and those whose opinions we reject. For both have labored in the search for truth, and both have helped us in the finding of it.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274)
Theologian and philosopher
Sincerity and truth are the basis of every virtue.
Confucius (551-479 B.C.)
Philosopher
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274)
Theologian and philosopher
Sincerity and truth are the basis of every virtue.
Confucius (551-479 B.C.)
Philosopher
My Google Mail Accont!
Created a google mail account today. The id is same as my yahoo id, with yahoo.com replaced by gmail.com (I don't want to post the id here out of fear of spam). Few things about google mail struck me immediately on creating the accout:
* 1 GB storage space! (and last week I was rejoicing that yahoo has increased the quota from 6 MB to 100 MB)
* Search facility on emails. So you can search email messages in your account just as you search information on Internet using google.com.
* Keyboard shortcuts. This one will be handy for me as I am a keyboard guy, not a frequent mouse user.
* Only text ads. This should make it much faster.
Another thing unique to Google is what it calls "Conversation View". When a message is opened, all messages related to the opened message are "stacked" behind the opened message, kind of creating a "tab" for each message. You can click on any tab and open that message.
GMail seems to be quite different and more user-friendly than other standard mail sites. One can trust google to come up with technology that leaves competition far behind. In the search engine space, it was power of Google's algorithm that killed competition. With mail, at first sight, it seems Google's USP will be user-friendliness that is unparalled in today's mail programs.
Btw, if you go to gmail.google.com, there's no option to create an account. I read somewhere that one way to create an account is to (actually) buy it! But I am not sure whether it's really true. I got mine for being a active blogger on blogspot. (blogspot being owned by google). Isn't it surprising that while there are millions of sites dying to attract users for creating mail accounts with them, there's google proudly saying, "We'll offer accounts to those we choose". It's a power only businesses that consumers believe deliver top quality products possess. And Google is undoubtedly among them.
Created a google mail account today. The id is same as my yahoo id, with yahoo.com replaced by gmail.com (I don't want to post the id here out of fear of spam). Few things about google mail struck me immediately on creating the accout:
* 1 GB storage space! (and last week I was rejoicing that yahoo has increased the quota from 6 MB to 100 MB)
* Search facility on emails. So you can search email messages in your account just as you search information on Internet using google.com.
* Keyboard shortcuts. This one will be handy for me as I am a keyboard guy, not a frequent mouse user.
* Only text ads. This should make it much faster.
Another thing unique to Google is what it calls "Conversation View". When a message is opened, all messages related to the opened message are "stacked" behind the opened message, kind of creating a "tab" for each message. You can click on any tab and open that message.
GMail seems to be quite different and more user-friendly than other standard mail sites. One can trust google to come up with technology that leaves competition far behind. In the search engine space, it was power of Google's algorithm that killed competition. With mail, at first sight, it seems Google's USP will be user-friendliness that is unparalled in today's mail programs.
Btw, if you go to gmail.google.com, there's no option to create an account. I read somewhere that one way to create an account is to (actually) buy it! But I am not sure whether it's really true. I got mine for being a active blogger on blogspot. (blogspot being owned by google). Isn't it surprising that while there are millions of sites dying to attract users for creating mail accounts with them, there's google proudly saying, "We'll offer accounts to those we choose". It's a power only businesses that consumers believe deliver top quality products possess. And Google is undoubtedly among them.
What is the ticket window at Thane railway station littered with?
Newspaper pages? Wrappers for groundnuts? Train tickets? No. It's littered with bus tickets! Surprising, isn't it? But not on second thoughts. People come to the station by bus. They buy tickets in the bus and keep them in their shirt pockets. On reaching station, they walk to the ticket window. Take out money from their pockets to buy train tickets. Find that the bus tickets are still with them. Throw the bus tickets on the floor and give the money to the guy occupying the ticket window. Finally, there are hundreds of bus tickets scattered on the railway station!
Panic after midnight
How often do you hear clock strike four in the morning? I have been hearing it quite often these days. Not long ago I boasted of an ability to fall asleep at any time at any place at will. There was a time I used to sleep fourteen hours a day, everyday!! Unfortunately things have changed now. Every other day I wake up in the middle of night, terrified that I won't be able to fall asleep. It's not that twisting and turning in bed for hours that bores me. What I hate about staying awake upto wee hours in the morning is that it spoils my day entirely. Sometimes even the entire week! When you doesn't sleep well at night, you are not enthusiastic during the day. It makes you tired, sleepy and dull. It lowers productivity tremendously. That's what has been happening to me frequently over the last two months. I try to recover the lost sleep on weekends but that's not always possible and often not sufficient.
I have spent as many sleepless nights in the last two months as I have spent twenty eight years before that. I hope this condition doesn't last for long. Insomnia is a big change to cope up with, for a someone like me who had the ability to fall asleep standing in a crowded local train!! Well, it's almost 11 p.m. right now, and the thought that's topmost on my mind is, "Will I be able to sleep well tonight?"
Good night. And best wishes!! :-)
How often do you hear clock strike four in the morning? I have been hearing it quite often these days. Not long ago I boasted of an ability to fall asleep at any time at any place at will. There was a time I used to sleep fourteen hours a day, everyday!! Unfortunately things have changed now. Every other day I wake up in the middle of night, terrified that I won't be able to fall asleep. It's not that twisting and turning in bed for hours that bores me. What I hate about staying awake upto wee hours in the morning is that it spoils my day entirely. Sometimes even the entire week! When you doesn't sleep well at night, you are not enthusiastic during the day. It makes you tired, sleepy and dull. It lowers productivity tremendously. That's what has been happening to me frequently over the last two months. I try to recover the lost sleep on weekends but that's not always possible and often not sufficient.
I have spent as many sleepless nights in the last two months as I have spent twenty eight years before that. I hope this condition doesn't last for long. Insomnia is a big change to cope up with, for a someone like me who had the ability to fall asleep standing in a crowded local train!! Well, it's almost 11 p.m. right now, and the thought that's topmost on my mind is, "Will I be able to sleep well tonight?"
Good night. And best wishes!! :-)
I have always fought against the Congress. I have fought against them for two reasons:
A. For what they have done to the country whenever they were in power, and
B. For the impression they have created that only those who are born or married in the Gandhi family have the right to rule the contry.
- George Fernandes in a interview to MJ Akbar on CNBC
A. For what they have done to the country whenever they were in power, and
B. For the impression they have created that only those who are born or married in the Gandhi family have the right to rule the contry.
- George Fernandes in a interview to MJ Akbar on CNBC
In the evening, everyone reaches home faster!
The other day as I walked out of the office with Hemant Phadnis, a colleague of mine, he told me that he brings his two-wheeler to office. Knowing that his house is just five minutes walk I was surprised, but quickly I realized that a five minute walk in the morning is sufficient to drench one is sweat, and I pointed it out to him. "No, it's not that. I don't mind walking in the sun in the morning. I bring my bike because I hate getting delayed by five minutes on my way home in the evening!" His answer really surprised me! So while I drove, I started thinking about it.
Long ago there was a science journal aired on DD wherein Dr. Yash Pal (the scientist with long hair, know him?) answered viewers' queries on various scientific topics. One curious question a schoolboy had asked (and I remember it because it was so odd) was that he always rode his bicycle faster and faster as he approached home from school. He wanted to know the scientific reason why he rode so fast!! The answer was that it was just his eagerness to reach home earlier that was behind his fast riding! I myself experience this everyday. On the way to office I average a speed of about fifty kmph, but on the way home I have to take efforts to keep myself at seventy.
Some years earlier when I was in school we had all gone to visit taatyaa maamaa. Ashutosh had just taken up a new job in a bank opposite BSE. He took a train to Churchgate and walked from Churchgate station to BSE, and did the same back home. I asked him how long it took between Churchgate station and his office. "In the morning it takes me half an hour, in the evening it takes me ten minutes". Innocently I asked, "Why? Do you take a different route?" "No", he said, "it's because in the morning I am going to office and in the evening I am coming back home!" Although the answer left me totally puzzled, the elders had a nice laugh and all agreed with him!
Now I understand ... in the evening everyone wants to reach home faster!
Long ago there was a science journal aired on DD wherein Dr. Yash Pal (the scientist with long hair, know him?) answered viewers' queries on various scientific topics. One curious question a schoolboy had asked (and I remember it because it was so odd) was that he always rode his bicycle faster and faster as he approached home from school. He wanted to know the scientific reason why he rode so fast!! The answer was that it was just his eagerness to reach home earlier that was behind his fast riding! I myself experience this everyday. On the way to office I average a speed of about fifty kmph, but on the way home I have to take efforts to keep myself at seventy.
Some years earlier when I was in school we had all gone to visit taatyaa maamaa. Ashutosh had just taken up a new job in a bank opposite BSE. He took a train to Churchgate and walked from Churchgate station to BSE, and did the same back home. I asked him how long it took between Churchgate station and his office. "In the morning it takes me half an hour, in the evening it takes me ten minutes". Innocently I asked, "Why? Do you take a different route?" "No", he said, "it's because in the morning I am going to office and in the evening I am coming back home!" Although the answer left me totally puzzled, the elders had a nice laugh and all agreed with him!
Now I understand ... in the evening everyone wants to reach home faster!
We reap what we sow. We are the makers of our own fate. None else has the blame, none else has the praise. Blame neither man nor God nor anyone in the world. When you find yourselves suffering, blame yourselves, and try to do better.
The infinite future is before you, and you must always remember that each word, each thought and deed, lays up a store for you, and that as the bad thoughts and bad works are ready to spring upon you like tigres, so also there is the inspiring hope that the good thoughts and good deeds are ready with the power of a hundred thousand angels to defend you always and forever.
- Swami Vivekanand in What Religion Is; Chapter 2: Principles and Practices of Vedanta
The infinite future is before you, and you must always remember that each word, each thought and deed, lays up a store for you, and that as the bad thoughts and bad works are ready to spring upon you like tigres, so also there is the inspiring hope that the good thoughts and good deeds are ready with the power of a hundred thousand angels to defend you always and forever.
- Swami Vivekanand in What Religion Is; Chapter 2: Principles and Practices of Vedanta
Another of my friend's blogsite. This colourful blogsite is by Jeffrey:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/puremeteor
Some of my friends' blogsites:
Ramna's musings -
http://ramna.rediffblogs.com
Manasij's -
http://manasij.blogspot.com
Aniket, when are you going to create yours?
Ramna's musings -
http://ramna.rediffblogs.com
Manasij's -
http://manasij.blogspot.com
Aniket, when are you going to create yours?
No Bangalore trip is complete without a visit to Ramakrishna Ashram on Swami Vivekanand road (formerly Old Madras road). This time too, despite my hectic schedule, I visited the Ashram. It's always a pleasure to drowse oneself in the tranquility and piety of the place. I find it to be spiritually very vibrant.
This time too it was a joy to be there. It is a joy to read the words of Swami Vivekanand carved on the walls of the meditation hall. It's a joy to browse to the books in the bookshop. The library is also staffed with a lot of interesting books. (Somehow I have been to the library only once despite having visited the place so many times. May be because it's on the first floor and doesn't attract one's attention. And after browsing through the books in the bookstore on the groundfloor one doesn't feel the need to go the library).
There was one change in the Ashram this time. Two big statues of Swami Vivekanand and Shiva, respectively, have been errected just opposite the meditation hall. For some reason I didn't receive it positively. Somehow it seemed to have diluted the spiritual atmosphere of the place. The statue of Shiva immediately reminds one of Kemp Fort. No matter how beautiful the Shiva temple at Kemp Fort is, it is quite commerialised, and lacks the serenity of a temple. May be because of recall of Kemp Fort, or due to some other reason the statues seemed out of place at Ramakrishna Ashram. This new statue of Swami Vivekanand does not touch off spiritual thoughts as the one inside the meditation hall.
May be I didn't appreciate it just because it's a change from what I am used to. May be when I frequent it more I would start liking the statues. May be I just need some to get used to them. Let's see, I'll know later.
This time too it was a joy to be there. It is a joy to read the words of Swami Vivekanand carved on the walls of the meditation hall. It's a joy to browse to the books in the bookshop. The library is also staffed with a lot of interesting books. (Somehow I have been to the library only once despite having visited the place so many times. May be because it's on the first floor and doesn't attract one's attention. And after browsing through the books in the bookstore on the groundfloor one doesn't feel the need to go the library).
There was one change in the Ashram this time. Two big statues of Swami Vivekanand and Shiva, respectively, have been errected just opposite the meditation hall. For some reason I didn't receive it positively. Somehow it seemed to have diluted the spiritual atmosphere of the place. The statue of Shiva immediately reminds one of Kemp Fort. No matter how beautiful the Shiva temple at Kemp Fort is, it is quite commerialised, and lacks the serenity of a temple. May be because of recall of Kemp Fort, or due to some other reason the statues seemed out of place at Ramakrishna Ashram. This new statue of Swami Vivekanand does not touch off spiritual thoughts as the one inside the meditation hall.
May be I didn't appreciate it just because it's a change from what I am used to. May be when I frequent it more I would start liking the statues. May be I just need some to get used to them. Let's see, I'll know later.
Assertiveness Training
Basic Human Rights
I attended a one day session on Assertiveness, on Tuesday. It was a useful programme. What I liked the most was the list of individual rights enumerated by the trainer (Hema Mani, HR head of SRM BU).
The list of goes as follows:
1. The right to choose
2. The right to “be” (yourself)
3. The right to be respected
4. The right to make mistakes
5. The right to say “NO”
6. The right to ask for what we want
7. The right to ask for what we need
There are other things from the training that I post can here, but these rules are the best.
I attended a one day session on Assertiveness, on Tuesday. It was a useful programme. What I liked the most was the list of individual rights enumerated by the trainer (Hema Mani, HR head of SRM BU).
The list of goes as follows:
1. The right to choose
2. The right to “be” (yourself)
3. The right to be respected
4. The right to make mistakes
5. The right to say “NO”
6. The right to ask for what we want
7. The right to ask for what we need
There are other things from the training that I post can here, but these rules are the best.
Labels:
Human Rights,
Interpersonal Skills,
Training
My take on Lok Sabha 2005 results
Indian elections are like cricket match where the teams bat first and the winner is decided at the end by tossing a coin! BJP might have lost the toss and the match, but it has definitely scored more runs during its five years in power.
I believe it's better to perform well and lose, than to do badly and win. BJP's five years in power were the best years the country has had since independence. BJP leaders and supports should be happy about it rather than grieve over what happened. Indian elections are unpredictable. Sometimes you lose for no fault of yours. You just have to take it in stride. People will bring back BJP after they taste the deadly potion of Sonia and Leftists that they have cooked for themselves.
If a government of good people can lose because of anti-incumbency, one made up of clowns and bigots has no hopes of returning to power. Till then, though, the country will have to bear the brunt of it's follies.
I believe it's better to perform well and lose, than to do badly and win. BJP's five years in power were the best years the country has had since independence. BJP leaders and supports should be happy about it rather than grieve over what happened. Indian elections are unpredictable. Sometimes you lose for no fault of yours. You just have to take it in stride. People will bring back BJP after they taste the deadly potion of Sonia and Leftists that they have cooked for themselves.
If a government of good people can lose because of anti-incumbency, one made up of clowns and bigots has no hopes of returning to power. Till then, though, the country will have to bear the brunt of it's follies.
Labels:
BJP,
Indian Government,
Lok Sabha,
NDA
Great parting words from a great leader!
"We have given up office, but not our responsibility to serve the nation. We have lost an election, but not our determination"
Great ending words from the greatest prime minister our country has ever had. An era has come to an end. Great Atal Bihari Vajpayee will never be the prime minister again. He will be replaced by an foreigner with no credentials. And with it begins another chapter of shame in the history of this great nation.
This day will go down as one of the most unhappy days of my life. I needed to hear these words to somewhat lift my fallen spirits - "We have lost an election, but not our determination". With determination, perseverence and wit, we will some day triumph and wipe out all these scars of shame.
Great ending words from the greatest prime minister our country has ever had. An era has come to an end. Great Atal Bihari Vajpayee will never be the prime minister again. He will be replaced by an foreigner with no credentials. And with it begins another chapter of shame in the history of this great nation.
This day will go down as one of the most unhappy days of my life. I needed to hear these words to somewhat lift my fallen spirits - "We have lost an election, but not our determination". With determination, perseverence and wit, we will some day triumph and wipe out all these scars of shame.
Labels:
BJP,
Indian Government,
Lok Sabha,
NDA,
Vajapayee
"Brain is a wonderful organ. It starts working the moment you get up from bed and doesn't stop until you reach office!"
It's a wonderful quote and it's true for many people we meet in the coporate world. Seems like they have left their brains at home. I can understand someone leaving his heart at home - that would be a felony. But leaving your brain at home - that's murderous. Yet we so many people guilty of it. Why should blame others - I can't say that I am not guilty of it myself. Often I work like a machine - without thinking. As if I am programmed to do things; programmed to press random keys on the keyboard and stare at the screen. It's a habit I need to break.
When I was studying for my engineering degree I had a rule - never begin coding before I have the code written down in my notebook. I followed it religiously and I became very good at programming. There is always a temptation type the code and run, without thinking about all the cases. Writing it down on a piece of paper helps resist that temptation. It forces one to think about the problem from all angles. Think about all the possible scenarios. It makes the code complete and reduces errors. In the end it saves a lot of time.
Today, I no longer do coding. But the rule that applies to coding should apply to other activities as well. Often I fall prey to the tremendous temptation to open laptop and start "working", without thinking about all the aspects of work. The pressure to complete urgent tasks is so much that I don't spend time on planning. It's a habit that I have to break.
In my school and college days I was always one of the laziest guys in the class. I used to study for hardly 20% of the time an average student in the class studied. But I always outscoreded even the most hard-working guys in the class. I should be able to replicate the same at work. I should be able to work 8 - 10 hours a day and still produce outstanding results. For that I need to apply the same techniques that I used at school to my work. I have to think and plan in so much detail that the time taken for execution is dramatically reduced. I know it's possible. And it is the correct way of working.
All the things that I need to do should be listed down in my diary in as much detail as possible. More time should be spent with pen and paper and less time staring at the screen. I should use my laptop as little as possible. Many problems require long uninterrupted thinking. The temptation to hit the keyboard interrupts thinking and causes loss of focus. The best way would be to close the laptop and think for a couple of hours and then open it and finish the work in half-an-hour. I think it's possible.
I even believe that every week we should work for one full day without the computer. Spend every Friday just thinking and planning. Think deeply about the problems you haven't resolved this week. Plan what you want to do next week. Don't boot the computer at all. Do all the important work that you can do without the computer. If that's not possible because you need to refer to emails or documents then switch on the computer but don't type anything. Just read and think. No typing. If you need to take notes, use your notebook. But no typing. Resist the temptation of "working". Do more thinking.
I want to implement this model. I will do it someday. And it will be sooner rather than later.
Do you carry a camera on a vacation?
Okay, we all carry a camera with us when we go on a vacation. Who doesn't want to capture the glore of a setting sun in deep blue waters while flocks of birds dot the sky, to relive it again and again? Well, for one, I don't! Not because I don't love to see beautiful pictures that remind me of my beautiful days. But because quite often in the concern to take good photographs we fail to experience the joy of the moment for which we have travelled so far. I have seen people so anxious not to miss the right moment to take a snap that they forget to enjoy the moment. They don't enjoy the moment when they are at the scene, but later try to enjoy it by looking at 4 by 6 inch picture of the same place. On the other hand, I love to be totally immersed in the moment. I don't care about taking pictures. I don't need any pictures. The happy moments of my life are burned in my brain forever.
Okay, we all carry a camera with us when we go on a vacation. Who doesn't want to capture the glore of a setting sun in deep blue waters while flocks of birds dot the sky, to relive it again and again? Well, for one, I don't! Not because I don't love to see beautiful pictures that remind me of my beautiful days. But because quite often in the concern to take good photographs we fail to experience the joy of the moment for which we have travelled so far. I have seen people so anxious not to miss the right moment to take a snap that they forget to enjoy the moment. They don't enjoy the moment when they are at the scene, but later try to enjoy it by looking at 4 by 6 inch picture of the same place. On the other hand, I love to be totally immersed in the moment. I don't care about taking pictures. I don't need any pictures. The happy moments of my life are burned in my brain forever.
India 675/5 declared. Sachin 194 not out.
"Yes, I was terribly disappointed, anyone would be when a score like 200 is around the corner. At the tea break we had decided that we wanted Pakistan to bat for about an hour and we knew we had to play positively, but I did not know we would declare just when Yuvraj fell. I thought we had a few overs left when I saw Rahul waving to us to come in. Once a team has declared, there is no point in going back and talking about anything. What's happened has happened." This is how Sachin described his feelings when Rahul declared first innings at 675/5, with Sachin at crease on 194.
I believe Dravid would have declared the innings at that point had he been at crease on 194 instead of Sachin. For a man who has always played for the country and not for his personal records, it is perfectly understandable that Rahul would think only about the team and not care for any individual's record. Cricket is a team sport and all that matters is whether the team wins or losses (or draws). Individual record can be appreciated only as long as it helps the team achieve it's objective. After scoring 675 the only thought in a captain's mind has to be about getting the opposition in and out asap. Six more runs scored off Tendulkar's bat would not have helped India achieve that. Giving the bowlers more overs to bowl to the tired Paki batsmen might have.
It is such a pity that a man who has scores of records against his name should play for personal achievements and unabashedly speak it out. As a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar, I am terribly disappointed with him.
"Yes, I was terribly disappointed, anyone would be when a score like 200 is around the corner. At the tea break we had decided that we wanted Pakistan to bat for about an hour and we knew we had to play positively, but I did not know we would declare just when Yuvraj fell. I thought we had a few overs left when I saw Rahul waving to us to come in. Once a team has declared, there is no point in going back and talking about anything. What's happened has happened." This is how Sachin described his feelings when Rahul declared first innings at 675/5, with Sachin at crease on 194.
I believe Dravid would have declared the innings at that point had he been at crease on 194 instead of Sachin. For a man who has always played for the country and not for his personal records, it is perfectly understandable that Rahul would think only about the team and not care for any individual's record. Cricket is a team sport and all that matters is whether the team wins or losses (or draws). Individual record can be appreciated only as long as it helps the team achieve it's objective. After scoring 675 the only thought in a captain's mind has to be about getting the opposition in and out asap. Six more runs scored off Tendulkar's bat would not have helped India achieve that. Giving the bowlers more overs to bowl to the tired Paki batsmen might have.
It is such a pity that a man who has scores of records against his name should play for personal achievements and unabashedly speak it out. As a great fan of Sachin Tendulkar, I am terribly disappointed with him.
I love to drive in traffic. I get bored when I am driving on an empty road. I also love to be in places where there is a lot of activity. Like bazaars. I love to stand on a cornor of a busy street eating a sandwitch and chai. The only thing I hate about it is unnecessary honking of vehicles. Most to the vehicles have horns that are too loud. There has to be a law that restricts decibels of automobile horns. Screeching horns should be banned. Only soft horns should be allowed. There is no reason to believe that louder the horn the more is it effective.
By the way, this reminds me - I do need to change the horn of my bike. I rarely use it because it is too loud. Some day I may have an accident because of reluctance to honk.
By the way, this reminds me - I do need to change the horn of my bike. I rarely use it because it is too loud. Some day I may have an accident because of reluctance to honk.
I want to reach a stage where I can think about my work just the way I think about having a vacation - no worries, no stress, no negative feelings. But I am far from that state. The moment I think about work, I feel an undercurrent of stress or tension. Only a firm conviction that I have done my best will enable me to reach that state. I must be convinced that I have not made any mistake, that I have never shown lack of commitment, that I have never violated my rules. Only then can I have peace of mind with regards to work.
I left office "early" yesterday and reached home at 7:45 p.m. (I come to office at 9:30 a.m.). The last time I had reached home before 8 p.m. was, I guess, on 27th Jan! I have been so busy last 6 weeks. And it will be so for two more months. It is surely affecting me. I think I need a short break. Even half-a-day would do me good.
shyaamchi aaee
maajhaa mulgaa hushaar naahi asa koNi mhanTla tar malaa vaaeeT vaaTNaar naahi,
paN maajhaa mulagaa bhitraa aahe asa koNi mhanTla tar malaa tyaachi laaj vaaTel.
- shyaamchee aaee madhye shyaamchyaa vaDilaanche udgaar.
Yesterday I saw shyaamchee aaee on DD Sahyadri. It is as good as any of the Hollywood classics I have seen. Excellent characterisation, first-class acting, perfect depiction of pre-independence rural milieu, and lastly, messages to remember.
So I have added Shyamchee aaee (original in Marathi, not the English translation) in my list of must read books.
maajhaa mulgaa hushaar naahi asa koNi mhanTla tar malaa vaaeeT vaaTNaar naahi,
paN maajhaa mulagaa bhitraa aahe asa koNi mhanTla tar malaa tyaachi laaj vaaTel.
- shyaamchee aaee madhye shyaamchyaa vaDilaanche udgaar.
Yesterday I saw shyaamchee aaee on DD Sahyadri. It is as good as any of the Hollywood classics I have seen. Excellent characterisation, first-class acting, perfect depiction of pre-independence rural milieu, and lastly, messages to remember.
So I have added Shyamchee aaee (original in Marathi, not the English translation) in my list of must read books.
Are some people more lucky than others?
A pschycologist by the name Wiseman conducted more than ten years of research to find out says a mail I received some days back. After monitoring the lives of hundreds of men and women who considered themselves either consistently lucky or consistently unlucky, he came up with the following conclusions.
Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends.
Research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles:
* They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities
* They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition
* They create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations and
* They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good
Here are Professor Wiseman's four top tips for becoming lucky:
* Listen to your gut instincts - they are normally right
* Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine
* Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well
* Visualise yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call.
Luck is very often a self-fulfilling prophecy!
Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends.
Research revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles:
* They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities
* They make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition
* They create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations and
* They adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good
Here are Professor Wiseman's four top tips for becoming lucky:
* Listen to your gut instincts - they are normally right
* Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine
* Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well
* Visualise yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call.
Luck is very often a self-fulfilling prophecy!
My two day week!
It's past 1 a.m. right now, and I am sitting in office hoping to finish today's work - rather yesterday's work, for it's already tomorrow now. These days there are only two days in my week. The first day of the week is Sunday. The second day begins on Monday morning and ends on Saturday night! This time the second day has been even longer - it began last Monday and will end, hopefully, this Saturday. That makes it thirteen days long! And it's still five days before it ends! sigh!
Oh! I think I better push off now, or I will have to wake up before I go to sleep! I'll do the rest of the work when I come back to office today. Good night guys! I hope you are luckier than I am.
Oh! I think I better push off now, or I will have to wake up before I go to sleep! I'll do the rest of the work when I come back to office today. Good night guys! I hope you are luckier than I am.
Came across the following in thesaurus:
Liliaceae - Includes species sometimes divided among the following families:
Alliaceae; Aloeaceae; Alstroemeriaceae; Aphyllanthaceae; Asparagaceae;
Asphodelaceae; Colchicaceae; Convallariaceae; Hemerocallidaceae;
Hostaceae; Hyacinthaceae; Melanthiaceae; Ruscaceae; Smilacaceae;
Tecophilaeacea; Xanthorrhoeaceae
Wonder whether any sane person can ever spell, pronounce and memorize all these words, or even some of them!
Liliaceae - Includes species sometimes divided among the following families:
Alliaceae; Aloeaceae; Alstroemeriaceae; Aphyllanthaceae; Asparagaceae;
Asphodelaceae; Colchicaceae; Convallariaceae; Hemerocallidaceae;
Hostaceae; Hyacinthaceae; Melanthiaceae; Ruscaceae; Smilacaceae;
Tecophilaeacea; Xanthorrhoeaceae
Wonder whether any sane person can ever spell, pronounce and memorize all these words, or even some of them!
Courage is the price life exacts for granting peace
This quote by Amelia Earhart, foremost woman aviator and the first woman to fly over Atlantic, actually forms the opening line of her poem titled "Courage":
Courage
Courage is the price which life exacts for granting peace.
The soul that knows it not, knows no release
From little things;
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear
Nor mountain heights, where bitter joy you can hear
The sound of wings.
How can life grant us boon of living, compensate,
For dull gray ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul's dominion? Each time we make a choice we pay
With courage to behold resistless day
And count it fair.
No other quote I have heard, I believe is more closer to truth than this: Courage is the price life exacts for granting peace.
Speaking of courage, Swami Vivekanand says, "From all our vedas and upanishads if we were to pick out just one word that's more important than all others, it's abhih - fearlessness! Always say, 'I have no fear'. It is fear that brings misery, fear that brings death, fear that breeds evil. You have to go beyond all fear. So from this day be fearless."
Indeed, there can be no peace without courage. As I struggle each day towards peace, I pray I shall never fail to have enough courage.
This quote by Amelia Earhart, foremost woman aviator and the first woman to fly over Atlantic, actually forms the opening line of her poem titled "Courage":
Courage
Courage is the price which life exacts for granting peace.
The soul that knows it not, knows no release
From little things;
Knows not the livid loneliness of fear
Nor mountain heights, where bitter joy you can hear
The sound of wings.
How can life grant us boon of living, compensate,
For dull gray ugliness and pregnant hate
Unless we dare
The soul's dominion? Each time we make a choice we pay
With courage to behold resistless day
And count it fair.
No other quote I have heard, I believe is more closer to truth than this: Courage is the price life exacts for granting peace.
Speaking of courage, Swami Vivekanand says, "From all our vedas and upanishads if we were to pick out just one word that's more important than all others, it's abhih - fearlessness! Always say, 'I have no fear'. It is fear that brings misery, fear that brings death, fear that breeds evil. You have to go beyond all fear. So from this day be fearless."
Indeed, there can be no peace without courage. As I struggle each day towards peace, I pray I shall never fail to have enough courage.
Quote for a lifetime .... 4
For seeking wise guidance there's nothing like ancient Hindu epics. Here's
one brilliant piece of advice from the Mahabharat (Shantiparva, chapter 70) :
Be religious, not bigoted;
Virtuous, not self-righteous;
Devout, not fanatical;
Gather wealth, not cruelly;
Enjoy, without elation;
Speak gently, not insincerely;
Be brave, without boasting;
Be generous, not wasteful;
Give, not indiscriminately;
Speak boldly, not harshly;
Make friends, not with the ignoble;
Fight, not with friends;
Seek information, not from the unreliable;
Serve your interest, without hurting others;
Ask advice, not from the unwise;
Praise virtues, not your own;
Trust, but not the evil;
Punish, not thoughtlessly;
Love and guard the spouse, without jealousy;
Be refined, not supercilious;
Feed delicately, not unwholesomely;
Enjoy conjugal pleasure, not over-much;
Honour the worthy, not proudly;
Serve, without deceit;
Propitiate, without fawning;
Be clever, not out of season;
Be angry, not without strong cause;
Be gentle, not to the mischievous;
Worship Deity, without display.
one brilliant piece of advice from the Mahabharat (Shantiparva, chapter 70) :
Be religious, not bigoted;
Virtuous, not self-righteous;
Devout, not fanatical;
Gather wealth, not cruelly;
Enjoy, without elation;
Speak gently, not insincerely;
Be brave, without boasting;
Be generous, not wasteful;
Give, not indiscriminately;
Speak boldly, not harshly;
Make friends, not with the ignoble;
Fight, not with friends;
Seek information, not from the unreliable;
Serve your interest, without hurting others;
Ask advice, not from the unwise;
Praise virtues, not your own;
Trust, but not the evil;
Punish, not thoughtlessly;
Love and guard the spouse, without jealousy;
Be refined, not supercilious;
Feed delicately, not unwholesomely;
Enjoy conjugal pleasure, not over-much;
Honour the worthy, not proudly;
Serve, without deceit;
Propitiate, without fawning;
Be clever, not out of season;
Be angry, not without strong cause;
Be gentle, not to the mischievous;
Worship Deity, without display.
Labels:
Mahabharata,
Quotation
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