None of us is perfect. We all have flaws and some are more amusing than others.
I often face this predicament: In the middle of a serious meeting where a client is articulating his thoughts around the dwindling market share, I tend to go back-packing onto the terrain of a mountain in an amazon forest. This is a pure and simple case of day dreaming and is one of my consistent flaws.
Well, as Plato might have agreed, boredom is one of the key causes of day dreaming. So, I write to keep myself amused and interested.
How often do you have this urge to explore new hinterlands? If the answer is "a lot of times", did you ever ponder why you have that urge? My sense is that what we really crave for is not new post-card locations but newer and broader horizons. The ability to understand the beyond.
Marcel Proust famously said,
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eye"
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Up Close and Personal.
When you hear those three words, the last thing you might think about is an MBA.
But, if you are aware of the Josh Kaufmann's brain-child "The Personal MBA", you won't be disappointed at the word association.
http://personalmba.com/
A personal project which evolved into a pioneering solution to bridge the gap between advanced business knowledge and ever increasing number of aspiring students.
The tools used are surprisingly simple. A recommended list of business readings - that is all! Ofcourse there are discussion forums for members to enable discourse and intellectual exchange. The really strong chord though is that there is no $ 150,000 fee and a grand saving of more than a year's worth of time.
The course doesn't promise to offer a complete experience which is the hallmark of Harvard and Stanford. However, it may still be a better choice than the experience than most of the other schools have to offer.
On a slightly different note, Oscar Wild had a wise thing to say many decades ago:
“If you meet at dinner a man who has spent his life in educating himself - a rare type in our time … you rise from table richer, and conscious that a high ideal has for a moment touched and sanctified your days. But Oh! my dear Ernest, to sit next to a man who has spent his life in trying to educate others! What a dreadful experience that is!”
But, if you are aware of the Josh Kaufmann's brain-child "The Personal MBA", you won't be disappointed at the word association.
http://personalmba.com/
A personal project which evolved into a pioneering solution to bridge the gap between advanced business knowledge and ever increasing number of aspiring students.
The tools used are surprisingly simple. A recommended list of business readings - that is all! Ofcourse there are discussion forums for members to enable discourse and intellectual exchange. The really strong chord though is that there is no $ 150,000 fee and a grand saving of more than a year's worth of time.
The course doesn't promise to offer a complete experience which is the hallmark of Harvard and Stanford. However, it may still be a better choice than the experience than most of the other schools have to offer.
On a slightly different note, Oscar Wild had a wise thing to say many decades ago:
“If you meet at dinner a man who has spent his life in educating himself - a rare type in our time … you rise from table richer, and conscious that a high ideal has for a moment touched and sanctified your days. But Oh! my dear Ernest, to sit next to a man who has spent his life in trying to educate others! What a dreadful experience that is!”
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Take Or Give
Should we as humans rejoice the gifts we have or constantly flex our muscles to concentrate only on giving?
I hear "give and take". Never hear "give or take". But, it looks like that is a constant choice we make. How can we give AND take? Isn't it self-contradictory?
If we watch TV for sixteen minutes, should we be guilty that we didn't spend those minutes trying to solve the hunger of the kids in somalia? Did the globe warm up by a tenth of a degree before you finish watching Joe stick his head into a turkey? Did the carbon release from that TV help the ordeal?
Should you be worried or should you not.
Choice is constant. And, it is anything but binary. The third and most common form is not to choose.
Collective subconcious of the humankind may be the single most potent force available to mankind. If we can alter it, we can possibly achieve anything we need.
I hear "give and take". Never hear "give or take". But, it looks like that is a constant choice we make. How can we give AND take? Isn't it self-contradictory?
If we watch TV for sixteen minutes, should we be guilty that we didn't spend those minutes trying to solve the hunger of the kids in somalia? Did the globe warm up by a tenth of a degree before you finish watching Joe stick his head into a turkey? Did the carbon release from that TV help the ordeal?
Should you be worried or should you not.
Choice is constant. And, it is anything but binary. The third and most common form is not to choose.
Collective subconcious of the humankind may be the single most potent force available to mankind. If we can alter it, we can possibly achieve anything we need.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Joe the Plumber
A good replacement for the palin if she decides to undergo a long term rehabilitation to cure the severe lack of intelligence.
Monday, October 13, 2008
World in a book shelf
Lately, my favourite bookstore has been a small shop called 'Raven' in harvard square.
It deals only in used scholarly books. The quite and dark non-confronting landscape of the store makes you feel immediatly at home. Unlike the other large commercial stores I mostly make my purchases at, this is a very small 'mom & pop' store with freshness and novelty.
They play interesting non-conventional music and everytime I have been in the store, I got delightfully introduced to an interesting new artist. Try 'Manu Chao' and you won't be disappointed. However, please be informed that it is all french and spanish.
I can't think of a place other than Harvard where such a store can survive.
The bookshelves are diverse and yet, structured at the core. As you browse through the sections of India, China and other parts of the world, you can't help but notice the distinct difference among the varieties of books.
Books on India mostly deal with the wounds of the age-old civilization and the challenges related to economic liberation. The narratives are often deep and critical of the government and the elite alike. The books are a testimony to the democratic values of the country.
This feelings becomes more sharp as you look at the section on China. The books about China all have a mystic title. As if the authors are trying to explore the unknown and the content always falls short of comprehensiveness. This speaks a lot about the role of individual and the freedom of expression in this famously oppresive state.
The section of Asia is also dense with books about the darkness of Afghanistan. The pain is described in poetic eloquence by intense american authors. How ironic that much of that pain is caused by their own country men.
As you move to the books on Germany, you can't miss the sub-section of Holocaust.
The imagery becomes to too heavy by this moment and if you are still man enough to be in the section, you can give me an advice or two about how to control emotions.
The other shelf I found is of great value is the one on 'media and society'. I ended up purchasing a book from this section titled 'Self-Help, Inc'. The book deals with many doubts you always harbor about Stephen Covey and other authors who sell the idea that it is possible to shift to an alternate reality. The author does a fine job of dislodging the claims of all the semi-bogus authors.It may be the one book I want to gift to my cousins in teenage if they should ever ask me any questions related with "before and after".
An other interesting book I found was titled 'Forbidden Knowledge'. A philiosphical exploration of the dark side of human ingenuity and imagination.
I quote from an analytical passage of the book:
"SARA: Axel! [He is pensive]. Axel, are you forgetting me already? The world is out there. Let's go live!
AXEL: No. Our existence is already fulfilled. Our cup runneth over. All the realities, what will they be tomorrow compared to the mirages we have just lived?"
It deals only in used scholarly books. The quite and dark non-confronting landscape of the store makes you feel immediatly at home. Unlike the other large commercial stores I mostly make my purchases at, this is a very small 'mom & pop' store with freshness and novelty.
They play interesting non-conventional music and everytime I have been in the store, I got delightfully introduced to an interesting new artist. Try 'Manu Chao' and you won't be disappointed. However, please be informed that it is all french and spanish.
I can't think of a place other than Harvard where such a store can survive.
The bookshelves are diverse and yet, structured at the core. As you browse through the sections of India, China and other parts of the world, you can't help but notice the distinct difference among the varieties of books.
Books on India mostly deal with the wounds of the age-old civilization and the challenges related to economic liberation. The narratives are often deep and critical of the government and the elite alike. The books are a testimony to the democratic values of the country.
This feelings becomes more sharp as you look at the section on China. The books about China all have a mystic title. As if the authors are trying to explore the unknown and the content always falls short of comprehensiveness. This speaks a lot about the role of individual and the freedom of expression in this famously oppresive state.
The section of Asia is also dense with books about the darkness of Afghanistan. The pain is described in poetic eloquence by intense american authors. How ironic that much of that pain is caused by their own country men.
As you move to the books on Germany, you can't miss the sub-section of Holocaust.
The imagery becomes to too heavy by this moment and if you are still man enough to be in the section, you can give me an advice or two about how to control emotions.
The other shelf I found is of great value is the one on 'media and society'. I ended up purchasing a book from this section titled 'Self-Help, Inc'. The book deals with many doubts you always harbor about Stephen Covey and other authors who sell the idea that it is possible to shift to an alternate reality. The author does a fine job of dislodging the claims of all the semi-bogus authors.It may be the one book I want to gift to my cousins in teenage if they should ever ask me any questions related with "before and after".
An other interesting book I found was titled 'Forbidden Knowledge'. A philiosphical exploration of the dark side of human ingenuity and imagination.
I quote from an analytical passage of the book:
"SARA: Axel! [He is pensive]. Axel, are you forgetting me already? The world is out there. Let's go live!
AXEL: No. Our existence is already fulfilled. Our cup runneth over. All the realities, what will they be tomorrow compared to the mirages we have just lived?"
Banyan tree
Slight twinge in the ribs reminds me of the afternoon many years ago
When I lay down in the grass waiting for the rainbow
Sparkle in the eyes and spring in the knees
Waiting to jump ahead and run.
As the dry page flutters at the turn of the decade
The banyan tree doesn't have the same shade any more.
When I lay down in the grass waiting for the rainbow
Sparkle in the eyes and spring in the knees
Waiting to jump ahead and run.
As the dry page flutters at the turn of the decade
The banyan tree doesn't have the same shade any more.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Singular Drift
It is a striking thing to note that the primary goals of humankind are profoundly misplaced. Capitalism may have given us great gifts to savour but it robbed us of our basic identity as humans.
Everything is Hollywood now. If something is not, it will soon be.
Fast-food consumerism and late-night drudgery are fashionable and considered the traits of the intelligent segment of the society which is going to lead us into the future.
The drift appears so natural that anything which contradicts the stream of mass flow is visualized as an aberrant and soon weeded out by a cohesive effort of all moving parts of the system.
We live for our culture and inspite of it, we don't.
Everything is Hollywood now. If something is not, it will soon be.
Fast-food consumerism and late-night drudgery are fashionable and considered the traits of the intelligent segment of the society which is going to lead us into the future.
The drift appears so natural that anything which contradicts the stream of mass flow is visualized as an aberrant and soon weeded out by a cohesive effort of all moving parts of the system.
We live for our culture and inspite of it, we don't.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Blood-Bath
At the far end of the horizon,
Sun is glowing red and ready to set with purpose
As history is written on the walls of the street
Wolves cry out loud and run over the edge
Paper weight stops and looks at the glass window,
Wonders what the fat lady is staring at
At the other end,
opposite a small mud hut in Kabul
the kid covers his face with little wet hands
he doesn't want to go to school
"why?", he asks.
Sun is glowing red and ready to set with purpose
As history is written on the walls of the street
Wolves cry out loud and run over the edge
Paper weight stops and looks at the glass window,
Wonders what the fat lady is staring at
At the other end,
opposite a small mud hut in Kabul
the kid covers his face with little wet hands
he doesn't want to go to school
"why?", he asks.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Just walk!
One of the complex emotions we experience as city-dwellers is when we return to normalcy from a break at a beautiful forest. It brings with it such a roller coaster ride of emotions. As the miles turn to blocks, the daunting concrete skyline of the city looms on us like there is no tomorrow. At worst, it takes on the look of a devil ready to consume us head on. At best, the devil is asleep.
These may not be the most eloquent phrases to describe the feeling. Well - not any amount or style of language can even attempt to aptly represent the gigantic amount of loss.
The experience of the aching bones trying to grab the handle on the subway is nothing less than a heart break. Such a huge contrast from the day before, where everything you could lay hands on was either green in color or gold in heart.
Streets full of people look like someone sucked the wine out of life and left the mundane coke exhibit.
It pains to see that men have no option but to carry on with their normal lives. Even after they know that the joy of life lies not in what they do but desire. Beauty, as they said, may still be in the eye of the lucky beholder.
Or, as, the holy birds' excuse for staying at home goes:
"The owl loves it's nest in the ruins
The huma revels in making the king
The falcon will not leave the king's hand
And the wagtail pleads weakness"
Each bird to his own!
These may not be the most eloquent phrases to describe the feeling. Well - not any amount or style of language can even attempt to aptly represent the gigantic amount of loss.
The experience of the aching bones trying to grab the handle on the subway is nothing less than a heart break. Such a huge contrast from the day before, where everything you could lay hands on was either green in color or gold in heart.
Streets full of people look like someone sucked the wine out of life and left the mundane coke exhibit.
It pains to see that men have no option but to carry on with their normal lives. Even after they know that the joy of life lies not in what they do but desire. Beauty, as they said, may still be in the eye of the lucky beholder.
Or, as, the holy birds' excuse for staying at home goes:
"The owl loves it's nest in the ruins
The huma revels in making the king
The falcon will not leave the king's hand
And the wagtail pleads weakness"
Each bird to his own!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
JobYantra
So, You want a job change? You got sick of the glass ceiling and too much of caffeine or worse, nicotine in your blood. A resume in hand, you made up your mind.
What do you do next? If you are in India, you may probably think of naukri.com and monster.com. Or, work with a placement consultant.
Irrespective of all the hype around them, the fact is they are mere images of an oasis. It is much more powerful and realistic if you have friends in the employer ranks to refer your application. What if you have no friends at your dream company?
A stalemate!
You have a unique skill set and you want employers who meet your unique needs. It so often seems like all the right doors are never open. Believe it or not, the right employers love you more than you realize. In the knowledge economy, the right employee is more precious than a bag of gold.
But, let's be realistic. It is so very impossible to find the right kind of job. Nothing seems to guide us to the right team or company. I emphasize on team because the quality of your life boils down to the quality of your team. The brand equity of a company accounts for zilch if the teammates are a sorrow to work with.
All this makes job search appear like a hunt for the wild goose. A fool's errand, perhaps.
Yes, but not after Job Yantra came to the party. It is a focused job platform accesible only via select partners. It means a far higher probability of the right employers screening your application.
The big elephants in the room are not laughing.
Read more at http://jobyantra.com/
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Ramayan 3392 AD
I recently discovered this fantastic comic strip, courtesy of a friend. A product of Virgin comics, it surely ranks among the best portrayals of the epic.
It also is a big relief after the popular trauma caused by Ekta Kapoor's (mis)adventures with things best left untouched.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Tigers and the Streets
I am currently researching to collect graphical stories of radically fresh human beings.
Below are the requirements to qualify for the study:
1. Should have broken atleast one of the major rules by which normal people live e.g., Drop out of college, Spend time alone for a couple of years in Siberia, etc.
2. Currently engaged in something really productive but unthinkable by an average mind. Should atleast have a surprise element which stretches the meaning of surprise.
3. No criminal history
4. Open to sharing personal story with the world
5. Free time for atleast a couple of weekends
If you meet the above requirements or know people who you think fit the bill, please write to me at sureshg3@gmail.com
Below are the requirements to qualify for the study:
1. Should have broken atleast one of the major rules by which normal people live e.g., Drop out of college, Spend time alone for a couple of years in Siberia, etc.
2. Currently engaged in something really productive but unthinkable by an average mind. Should atleast have a surprise element which stretches the meaning of surprise.
3. No criminal history
4. Open to sharing personal story with the world
5. Free time for atleast a couple of weekends
If you meet the above requirements or know people who you think fit the bill, please write to me at sureshg3@gmail.com
AMZ*Prime Club 866-557-2820 US
I just got charged $79 on my debit card and I can't recollect if I asked for anything!
No, It is not Internet Fraud, but, most people may chose to call it so.
I signed up for the free trial to Amazon Prime and after the trial period has lapsed, Amazon automatically enrolled me to an annual paid membership. When I checked back at the free trial and the fine prints that follow, they did say they would charge!
Don't worry if it happened to you too. You ofcourse don't want to pay Amazon for something you never wanted!
Just do this:
Go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs/primeclub/account/homepage.html
and click cancel account. DONE! You will be refunded in a couple of days.
------------------------------------
p.s: This post is only to educate the fellow victims. Others, please do not judge me to be a miser. I am anything but that!
And, do remember to read everything which is in print when you buy something on internet!
No, It is not Internet Fraud, but, most people may chose to call it so.
I signed up for the free trial to Amazon Prime and after the trial period has lapsed, Amazon automatically enrolled me to an annual paid membership. When I checked back at the free trial and the fine prints that follow, they did say they would charge!
Don't worry if it happened to you too. You ofcourse don't want to pay Amazon for something you never wanted!
Just do this:
Go to
https://www.amazon.com/gp/subs/primeclub/account/homepage.html
and click cancel account. DONE! You will be refunded in a couple of days.
------------------------------------
p.s: This post is only to educate the fellow victims. Others, please do not judge me to be a miser. I am anything but that!
And, do remember to read everything which is in print when you buy something on internet!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Rabbits
It took a Fibonacci to see the beauty in arrangements of mother nature. To expect it of mere humans is equivalent to buying an empty cone of ice cream in hot summer!
Hope is too expensive to be wasted in black holes.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Monday, June 09, 2008
Commentary
Are you one of those who are fascinated by sports commentary? I definitely am one. The impressions of all my favorite sport moments are undoubtedly influenced by the commentary around the seconds.
As a teenager, I was in awe with the amazing comments of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig but always discounted the feeling. I never gave commentary the credit it deserves. Few commentators like Sidhu and Gavaskar are really discountable by any scale.
But years later, I realize that they all did have their strong influence on my cricketing mind (if I have anything like that). Off late, I have just come to love the commentators of Cricinfo. I almost read word to word of their comments on all key matches.
I should say the television commentary on the just concluded French open was of high standards but the NBA commentary sucks for the most part. It is blaring into the ears and is often too dumb in context. Very unfair to the game which is so brilliant in the nature of play.
My all time favorite piece of commentary is this: (note that unnecessary elements like names are removed)
"Look at this guy. He never walks away from the pain. I think that is what the measure of a man is. When faced by the choice between grief and nothing, he always chooses grief!"
Wow! so much better to hear anything like this than having to sip beer in a bar and watch Eurocup with no commentary!
As a teenager, I was in awe with the amazing comments of Harsha Bhogle and Tony Greig but always discounted the feeling. I never gave commentary the credit it deserves. Few commentators like Sidhu and Gavaskar are really discountable by any scale.
But years later, I realize that they all did have their strong influence on my cricketing mind (if I have anything like that). Off late, I have just come to love the commentators of Cricinfo. I almost read word to word of their comments on all key matches.
I should say the television commentary on the just concluded French open was of high standards but the NBA commentary sucks for the most part. It is blaring into the ears and is often too dumb in context. Very unfair to the game which is so brilliant in the nature of play.
My all time favorite piece of commentary is this: (note that unnecessary elements like names are removed)
"Look at this guy. He never walks away from the pain. I think that is what the measure of a man is. When faced by the choice between grief and nothing, he always chooses grief!"
Wow! so much better to hear anything like this than having to sip beer in a bar and watch Eurocup with no commentary!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Shivaji
There is a 300 feet statue of Shivaji being built on marine drive. People like me who do not belong to mumbai but belong to mumbai(!) are slightly irritated at the idea.
Why such mad love for Shivaji?
I spent three hours researching Shivaji and his influence on maratha society in particular and hindu society in general. At the end of the research, I realized that the 300 feet is just a spec of dust compared to what the man deserves.
Shivaji is not great because of the things he achieved in his lifetime. This is inspite of the grand scale of events which is much higher than the reach of ordinary humans. His real genius is revealed after his death. All the small steps he took in his lifetime were really his building blocks to empower the Maratha society with character and courage. The code of honour and the visionary defense strategy developed by Shivaji was what helped Marathas defeat Mughals in a war of 27 years post his death.
A real king who served his people with great kindness or simply a genius at his work. India needs many more of his statues to remind us of what we can be if only we can believe in the possibility.
Why such mad love for Shivaji?
I spent three hours researching Shivaji and his influence on maratha society in particular and hindu society in general. At the end of the research, I realized that the 300 feet is just a spec of dust compared to what the man deserves.
Shivaji is not great because of the things he achieved in his lifetime. This is inspite of the grand scale of events which is much higher than the reach of ordinary humans. His real genius is revealed after his death. All the small steps he took in his lifetime were really his building blocks to empower the Maratha society with character and courage. The code of honour and the visionary defense strategy developed by Shivaji was what helped Marathas defeat Mughals in a war of 27 years post his death.
A real king who served his people with great kindness or simply a genius at his work. India needs many more of his statues to remind us of what we can be if only we can believe in the possibility.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Why is Obama Good for the World
Imagine when you were a kid.....running around the folks of your family in the backyard of your home.
Now imagine this: Everybody in your family was white except you. You were black!
Obama had a unique problem.
Being black in America is very different from being black anywhere else. It has very different connotation and an overwhelming load of baggage associated with it. The best way for any black kid to deal with it is to have a cushion of black family which can completely absorb and distill his or her apprehensions about society.
Obama never had this luxury. He never really understood why things were the way they were.
All he could do was play basketball and smoke pot to appear as tough as any other black kid.
Fortunately or Unfortunately, he wasn't really good with the ball or pot or the girls.
Later in his life, he travelled to Kenya to discover his own roots. Reminds me so much of the epic stories of Abdul Kalam traveling to meet a Monk to understand why he could not become a pilot and Steve Jobs hiking across Himalayas with a dollar in pocket to discover the purpose of life. Somehow, great minds think alike and i wonder how!
Great leaders are born when extraordinary self inquiry results in a mental framework where they finally realign the inner self with the outer. Most of the times, it is a great thing to do.
So, Obama was born and the whole world is now waiting to see what does it really mean for the planet.
Whites in Texas, Blacks in New York, Africans in Kenya and Mullahs in Afghanistan may have a thing or more to worry less about. Hillary and McCain have everything to worry about.
Hopefully, this relief will last for more than a single term of US presidency.
Harvard Law is surely an interesting program. I Like.
Now imagine this: Everybody in your family was white except you. You were black!
Obama had a unique problem.
Being black in America is very different from being black anywhere else. It has very different connotation and an overwhelming load of baggage associated with it. The best way for any black kid to deal with it is to have a cushion of black family which can completely absorb and distill his or her apprehensions about society.
Obama never had this luxury. He never really understood why things were the way they were.
All he could do was play basketball and smoke pot to appear as tough as any other black kid.
Fortunately or Unfortunately, he wasn't really good with the ball or pot or the girls.
Later in his life, he travelled to Kenya to discover his own roots. Reminds me so much of the epic stories of Abdul Kalam traveling to meet a Monk to understand why he could not become a pilot and Steve Jobs hiking across Himalayas with a dollar in pocket to discover the purpose of life. Somehow, great minds think alike and i wonder how!
Great leaders are born when extraordinary self inquiry results in a mental framework where they finally realign the inner self with the outer. Most of the times, it is a great thing to do.
So, Obama was born and the whole world is now waiting to see what does it really mean for the planet.
Whites in Texas, Blacks in New York, Africans in Kenya and Mullahs in Afghanistan may have a thing or more to worry less about. Hillary and McCain have everything to worry about.
Hopefully, this relief will last for more than a single term of US presidency.
Harvard Law is surely an interesting program. I Like.
Monday, May 12, 2008
A long turn
At the end of the tunnel
Distant from the far
The page turned
A squirrel walked up
It said:
"How are you?
"Want some tea?"
I replied
"Why not?"
"It smells good here already!"
Distant from the far
The page turned
A squirrel walked up
It said:
"How are you?
"Want some tea?"
I replied
"Why not?"
"It smells good here already!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)