A Plan to Dissect

As hard as we force ourselves to make plans for everything that we do, we often lose track of what really works. An intuition of the importance of something is often far better than a rigorous logical hogwash. Go on You romantic idiots! You guys are the only ones with any chance to begin with - !

Funny Politik

"Lalu Prasad Yadav, the Railway minister of Indiam, mentions "Harvard" and "MIT" to the rural crowd. "I have gone to Harvard. Educated children know what Harvard is. I have gone to MIT, Singapore College. I have taught teachers all over the world," he says, as a crowd dominated by the Yadav caste looks at him with awe and amusement."


I don't know if it is just me but this could be the most ridiculous election campaign in India in the recent past. Strategically, India is at an inflection point and the world is looking at her with eager eyes waiting to immerse in her vision for the new world order and more. Inside, the leaders are trying hard to make it impossible! This is unpardonable and Indian politics definitely needs some serious purging.

Architecture of Knowledge

A very famous complaint I heard about Indians in general is that we are not too keen to share knowledge. Having studied at a school where open source technology was one of the most sought after fields for demonstrating geeky supremacy, I initially found it hard to digest the idea . But, having spent a few years in the industry, I experienced it first hand to realize the extent of the plague which crippled our society for years. The good thing though is that the youngsters don't fall into this trap of "the knowledge you collect is the sole reason of your position of strength and hence should not share it!!" I know it's not really a catch phrase and am not a person for catching phrases anyway.

Also, i have been doing this lately and you might find it interesting too. Start using the MIT open course ware. Let me tell you that it's a fantastic way to learn weird things you never had time to worry about. For example, that course in anthropology you could never take in college and cannot afford to go to an other one to take it, it's all available out there for free! So, why not enjoy a couple of chapters while you sip on a glass of that latest wine?

May god bless world wide web, MIT and all those things which enable them to exist.

Scottied

Time Travel

Amid tachyons, worm holes and warp drives; there could soon be a practical path beyond light on one fine morning.

The point is, would you really want to travel through time? And, if the cause and effect could follow any order - won't that be a real mess to be a part of?

I for one would rather sneak back into the bed sheets.

Chinese Tiger

“May you be born in interesting times”

So says an ancient Chinese saying.

Don't you agree?

If you haven't done it so far - pick up the "The White Tiger" and read it. It is the most original book out of India that I have know in the recent times.

Saw Dust

As we plough through the days of our life, there are a certain few things which keep us perplexed. Saw dust may or may not be one of those. However, you may want to count yourself lucky if it accounts for a little something. Why is an interesting question and I chose not to answer it.

Life is a Trek!

Boston
NYC
Philadelphia City
Trenton
Tucson
Phoenix
Detroit
Blacks burg
Chicago
London
Munich
Frankfurt
Bucharest
Cluj
Timisoara
Brasov
Budapest
Zurich

All of this in less than three months...and still counting!! It might be one of the most potent recession-proof lists on the planet right now.

- i love travel (funny i say that because it is my 13th consecutive hour at budapest airport and i still have 8 to go!!)

Contours of the wild

If you talk to men in green uniforms, they can tell you that the key for survival in a jungle is to not get overwhelmed by the immediate sorroundings. If you look a little beyond the greens, you can observe the range of colors and shades of light, and can sense the contours which define the landscape.

To fight the jungle is a futile exercise. A much better mode of action is to adapt and learn the tricks of the trade. If lady luck likes you, you may even thrive on the rare opportunities the jungle throws at you. Remember though that it is a risky life in there. If you see something move more than it should, you know you are in danger.

The jungle is unforgiving. There is no mercy and there should be no shame; taking risks is the only option. If you slip, make sure you slip from a height which will allow your back to recuperate in future.

If it doesn't, well, that is why they say it is important to know your prayers. Which language do you pray in? Silence doesn't count.

no caps

i just learnt that the ex-ceo of yahoo, jerry yang never uses cap sized letters in his memos. it may be the only thing we share common love for. only that he gets to live with his love and i don't. atleast for now. i hope.

am no psycologist but the way people write does indeed reveal a few distinct snippets of their personality. especially in work environments.

i see a lot of this in the emails from offices based in india. "please find attached, please let me know, please **** my brains off, etc"

you don't have to think too far to realize the state of affairs in thirld world corporate. bosses are usually 100 feet longer than the rest.

brings me back to the age old puzzle i often get into a tussle with. what is more important for an individual in his life? get there first or get there in strength?

oftentimes, people think acting sophisticated in life is a sign of strength. well, it is like a donkey trying to paint its body to finally be a tiger. it may be its only theoritically possible route to success but the key is to know that it won't work either. sophistication is an outcome of strength and not the other way round. a true test of strength, for example, is when you miss the flight because of an attendant's error. if you fail to see humor in pityful situations, you ain't that sophisticated.

yeah, too much preaching! but, i thought i should write it down so that i don't forget it myself. oh yes, it has happened before.

Frozen

Of all the things that stay with us, a broken pencil;

the smell of the fog at three a.m
when you were waiting

for the bus on the street corner

a slight whimper
when you tied the shoe lace for one last time

what is that really stays beyond?

the smell of the toasted coffee
grows on and swallows you;

you are reminded of the innocent smile
behind the scorn on the face

the only face you ever knew
and the sweetest kiss you never had.

Oh my Angels

“If you have come to help me you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us struggle together.”

- Lila Watson, Aboriginal Activist

New Beginning

Paradigm shift is bound to occur.

Below is a list of most likely events of change. Yes, We can:


1. Legalization of Marijuana
2. Zero or Negative take home pay
3. Black ain't an excuse
4. Pamela posing with her ex-terrorist pals on the cover of Vogue
5. Law becomes a lucrative profession. Again.
6. Hedge fund companies re-sized to popcorn stores
7. A new trend of ex-presidents joining Hollywood
8. Sarah Palin makes new russian friends. Naughty ones. In the neighborhood.
9. John Mccain goes back to Vietnam
10. Obama throws off his mask and winks at the mirror

Yes, We can.

Jumbo

.

Horizons

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"

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!”

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.

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.

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?"

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.