I am writing about a 'person' who is close to my mind and heart. More close to the latter. But when it comes to inspecting or even remembering cricumstances, this 'person' is often found in the former too. I will not be telling the name of this 'person'. Neither will I be telling the gender. But what I am trying to evangelize through this write-up about this 'person' is worthier than names and genders.
Any pursuit is sometimes like sculpting with a commodity called Time. As you proceed, the sculpture that emerges is often different from what was in your mind, Isn't it? Life's like that. Worse, while trying your best, as it emerges, you do not quite know what the final form will look like----the sculptor experiences moments of profound pain during this process even as he chisels away. In moments like these, my 'person' stood by my side and helped me with direction and affection. I have watched this person evolve and navigate through various devastating difficulties with the keenness of a photographer. Yet, with a shameful undertone, I remained only a photographer without doing much to bail out my 'person'. Certain circumstancial turn of events are such that they remain outside your circle of influence. All this photographer did was a silent prayer..a prayer that would fetch a smile down the time-line to this 'person'. That apart. Lets talk business as I always don't.
Dickens' thoughts across his mind aptly describes the DNA of this person as I have seen carefully over the months..It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness(yes, some of this person's choices were hopeless). it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair. Imagine a life which walked the above talk. Yes, I am talking about my 'person'.
But I must be really clear. I am no different from this 'person'. I have my struggles, my frustrations and my own fears--along with my hopes, goals and dreams. I have had some good seasons and some deeply painful ones. I have made some spectacularly good choices and some outrageously bad mistakes. I am very human---work in progress.
But the photographer as always, looks at the captured snap, reflects for a moment about the snap. This reflection about my 'person' and the conclusions drawn which I certainly do apply in majority of the circumstances are:
It inspires me a torrent of ideas (Observing a person closely is like that, isn't it).
Let me put it very systematically:
It gets me thinking about the importance of showing up fully in whatever you do--giving the fullness of your brilliance and playing full out. Being wildly passionate about your To-Do's. Being breathtakingly committed to your opportunities.
My 'person' in my mind asks the questions which does make me restless thinking about the answers:
how do you feel after an ultra-productiive day?
how do you feel when you've given your best, had fun with your folks and walked that extra-mile for friends?
how do you feel when you've brought more heart to whatever you do?
Feels pretty good, isn't it?
My 'person' gives out the performance of the life.
Wows the audience and gets them cheering.
And this 'person' has the capacity of being the Bono of selling staplers, the Keith Richards of accounting, the Jimi Hendrix of human resources. And when my person gets famous and people from all over ask for an autograph, I hope this person will drop a line for me. I would love to hear, if I am alive.
My 'person' failed more than most people. Failures in relationships, life etc. I used to wonder why this happened! But my 'person' never played the Poor Me and suffer from the dreaded disease of Victimus Infinitus.But now I get it, My 'person' was stumbling towards the best life. "Fail Faster; Succeed Sooner" Isn't it?
Failure is just a part of the process of getting to world class. Screw-Ups are the marks of excellence.
So Go Ahead;
Stretch Today; True joy comes when you put some skin into the game. Yes, you will start to experience more failures. But guess what? Success also starts to pay more visits like it has to my 'person'.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Gold, now is old.
Once upon a time my parents too were children.
My mother and her friends went to school alone ever since they were in the 5th/6th standard or even earlier. It was a daily routine of hanging out of a packed tin-box-on-wheels and then walking a good kilometre to school. Returning home would just mean retracing the path along with many others - some returning from school or college, rest from work. It could mean reaching home several hours late - either the buses were too crowded to hang from or there weren’t any due to strike or a heavy shower. In fact, when it poured and streets were flooded it was quite fun to wade through knee deep water. It was an unique concoction from rain and drain! Some of her class mates even swam in it!
I am sure their parents were concerned and anxious but could not really do much about it. Those days owning a car was rare. There was no concept of a cell phone to give a hurdle-by-hurdle update. So it wasn't really possible to ensure their safety and security by today’s velvet-glove standards. Parents were concerned but not paranoid of their well being. They could not literally afford to be! Interestingly, most of my mom's classmates whose parents had cars and even chauffeurs, travelled just like she did.
Daily life offered the work-out of today's gym. Naturally most of them were skinny. Obesity was an uncommon word found only in English dictionary. They had to become independent, understand and work through problems of the real world. She quickly learnt that people are generally good but some are not. She learnt that some had this obsessive need to wade through the packed bus and position themselves where ladies were. For some reason they would quite often get shouted at by the women around. Some other had an unusual tendency to be physically friendly with kids (She learnt the word paedophile lot later - till then they were just bad people). Then there were a few who seemed to have the undying spirit to laugh, joke and animatedly discuss sports or politics. They generally have a good time even while sweating to stand straight amongst the tip-toe crowd. All of these were part of life - even during exams. Each day was a lesson - an on-the-job-training on life skills.
By the time they returned from school there was hardly any time to play. But they did. There were no gated communities with Mexican grass lawns, tennis courts, swimming pools and winding jogging tracks. They had their entire neighbourhood streets and by-lanes to play any game that was the flavour of the season or whatever they could conjure up. It was fun to put up make-shift goal posts or wickets on the streets with slippers or bricks. Then there would be cars that would pass causing temporary hold-up and sometimes shift of the bricks for 'lagori'! After annual exams were over they had summer vacation. They would find a patch of land in someones backyard to put up their very own badminton court/lagori site. It needed skill to keep the shuttle on the court with poorly strung rackets and breeze that seemed to appear from nowhere. They used to play for pure fun and joy. There were no games lessons to be taken. They werent sent to soccer, tennis, cricket, painting or violin lessons. No preconditions of studs or snickers or jerseys. They weren't affordable. Games had to end when the sun went down and street lights came on. They ran home from wherever they were as the conch-shells sounded for the evening puja's at households. Life was not guarded by the walls of a gated community. Parents just could not afford to be so 'concerned' or 'caring'. They still had a blast. Absence of Xbox, PS3s and Nintendos or even cable TV meant children had no option other than inventing their own games and past times. But still mom and her friends hardly had a dull moment.
Friends' birthdays, visits to the cousins' were the special events. Annual picnic to the zoo was super special - preceded by weeks of excited preparation. A vacation out of the city was a mega event that came once in a couple of years. With so much fun who needed dining out? There were a handful of eateries anyway, rest were either too shabby or too expensive.
Not everything seemed to be fun. As a child She always wanted a bicycle. There wasn't one. As a teenager She still wanted a bicycle. Still there wasn't one. Hiring one was an option but at 60 paisa an hour it was an expensive proposition. So cycle remained a morning dream. Stealing a ride from friends, acquaintances and even strangers was a momentary joy but with a bit of shameful undertone. The intensity of want was nearly physical. The reality of not affording one was as stark. But looking back it seems that it is one of the biggest lessons of life - to want something so badly that not having - gives you a hunger that drives you to strive. Her son,(Jd) in fact, many sons and daughters of today will never know of it.
Decades have passed since. Increasing affluence has transformed the wonder years.
There is enough disposable affordability to make their/our children so safe and secure that they do not even know what the real world is like. Money is something that comes out of a wish-box called ATM, beggars are people who not have debit cards. Children do not get time to exercise their imagination. There is no need to invent since there is hardly a need that is unfulfilled. Where is the need to think of new games when Funskool is inventing them and our parents are ever-ready to buy? Where is the need to play imaginary cop and police games when we can have preprogrammed realism of 3D graphics? Where is the fun of simply playing when there are schools to give us lessons from soccer to elocution and our parents have enough money to send us to most? Our parents want their children to be so safe, so secure, so healthy, so happy that they(children/we) do not know how to cope outside the gates of the community. Their stomachs cannot take regular water. They cannot accept not getting what they want. Will today's children ever know what fun lies in the attics of their own imagination - joys that are beyond the realm of pre-loaded games? I wonder if they will ever know the bitter sweet sensations of longing - the never-ending wait for fulfilment, the intense pain of un-attainment and the lessons from its aftermath.
We think we can afford and hence we should. We should give our progeny a blemishless world. We should give them what our grandparents ventured not to our parents. We should shower them with the best since we can. In our affluent concern parents forget that they can afford because their parents could not.
I am very indebted to my beautiful mother to have brought me up the best way.
She is singularly responsible for the way I think today, for the way I smile today.
Happy Mother's Day to my mom!
My mother and her friends went to school alone ever since they were in the 5th/6th standard or even earlier. It was a daily routine of hanging out of a packed tin-box-on-wheels and then walking a good kilometre to school. Returning home would just mean retracing the path along with many others - some returning from school or college, rest from work. It could mean reaching home several hours late - either the buses were too crowded to hang from or there weren’t any due to strike or a heavy shower. In fact, when it poured and streets were flooded it was quite fun to wade through knee deep water. It was an unique concoction from rain and drain! Some of her class mates even swam in it!
I am sure their parents were concerned and anxious but could not really do much about it. Those days owning a car was rare. There was no concept of a cell phone to give a hurdle-by-hurdle update. So it wasn't really possible to ensure their safety and security by today’s velvet-glove standards. Parents were concerned but not paranoid of their well being. They could not literally afford to be! Interestingly, most of my mom's classmates whose parents had cars and even chauffeurs, travelled just like she did.
Daily life offered the work-out of today's gym. Naturally most of them were skinny. Obesity was an uncommon word found only in English dictionary. They had to become independent, understand and work through problems of the real world. She quickly learnt that people are generally good but some are not. She learnt that some had this obsessive need to wade through the packed bus and position themselves where ladies were. For some reason they would quite often get shouted at by the women around. Some other had an unusual tendency to be physically friendly with kids (She learnt the word paedophile lot later - till then they were just bad people). Then there were a few who seemed to have the undying spirit to laugh, joke and animatedly discuss sports or politics. They generally have a good time even while sweating to stand straight amongst the tip-toe crowd. All of these were part of life - even during exams. Each day was a lesson - an on-the-job-training on life skills.
By the time they returned from school there was hardly any time to play. But they did. There were no gated communities with Mexican grass lawns, tennis courts, swimming pools and winding jogging tracks. They had their entire neighbourhood streets and by-lanes to play any game that was the flavour of the season or whatever they could conjure up. It was fun to put up make-shift goal posts or wickets on the streets with slippers or bricks. Then there would be cars that would pass causing temporary hold-up and sometimes shift of the bricks for 'lagori'! After annual exams were over they had summer vacation. They would find a patch of land in someones backyard to put up their very own badminton court/lagori site. It needed skill to keep the shuttle on the court with poorly strung rackets and breeze that seemed to appear from nowhere. They used to play for pure fun and joy. There were no games lessons to be taken. They werent sent to soccer, tennis, cricket, painting or violin lessons. No preconditions of studs or snickers or jerseys. They weren't affordable. Games had to end when the sun went down and street lights came on. They ran home from wherever they were as the conch-shells sounded for the evening puja's at households. Life was not guarded by the walls of a gated community. Parents just could not afford to be so 'concerned' or 'caring'. They still had a blast. Absence of Xbox, PS3s and Nintendos or even cable TV meant children had no option other than inventing their own games and past times. But still mom and her friends hardly had a dull moment.
Friends' birthdays, visits to the cousins' were the special events. Annual picnic to the zoo was super special - preceded by weeks of excited preparation. A vacation out of the city was a mega event that came once in a couple of years. With so much fun who needed dining out? There were a handful of eateries anyway, rest were either too shabby or too expensive.
Not everything seemed to be fun. As a child She always wanted a bicycle. There wasn't one. As a teenager She still wanted a bicycle. Still there wasn't one. Hiring one was an option but at 60 paisa an hour it was an expensive proposition. So cycle remained a morning dream. Stealing a ride from friends, acquaintances and even strangers was a momentary joy but with a bit of shameful undertone. The intensity of want was nearly physical. The reality of not affording one was as stark. But looking back it seems that it is one of the biggest lessons of life - to want something so badly that not having - gives you a hunger that drives you to strive. Her son,(Jd) in fact, many sons and daughters of today will never know of it.
Decades have passed since. Increasing affluence has transformed the wonder years.
There is enough disposable affordability to make their/our children so safe and secure that they do not even know what the real world is like. Money is something that comes out of a wish-box called ATM, beggars are people who not have debit cards. Children do not get time to exercise their imagination. There is no need to invent since there is hardly a need that is unfulfilled. Where is the need to think of new games when Funskool is inventing them and our parents are ever-ready to buy? Where is the need to play imaginary cop and police games when we can have preprogrammed realism of 3D graphics? Where is the fun of simply playing when there are schools to give us lessons from soccer to elocution and our parents have enough money to send us to most? Our parents want their children to be so safe, so secure, so healthy, so happy that they(children/we) do not know how to cope outside the gates of the community. Their stomachs cannot take regular water. They cannot accept not getting what they want. Will today's children ever know what fun lies in the attics of their own imagination - joys that are beyond the realm of pre-loaded games? I wonder if they will ever know the bitter sweet sensations of longing - the never-ending wait for fulfilment, the intense pain of un-attainment and the lessons from its aftermath.
We think we can afford and hence we should. We should give our progeny a blemishless world. We should give them what our grandparents ventured not to our parents. We should shower them with the best since we can. In our affluent concern parents forget that they can afford because their parents could not.
What they can afford is within reach, what they cannot - compels them to reach out. What we have means for - shapes our children to face the familiar. What we do not, shapes them to face the unknown. Let's deny them some of what we can afford. Let's give them the chance to become.
I am very indebted to my beautiful mother to have brought me up the best way.
She is singularly responsible for the way I think today, for the way I smile today.
Happy Mother's Day to my mom!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Dent-Cause
I happened to personally meet this fantastic person near his residence at Lavelle Road, Dr.Devi Prasad Shetty. Here is the man who lived the philosophy I evangelize. "Lead without Title", to show up fully and to make a difference.
Dr.Devi Prasad Shetty was born in Kinnigoli of the South Canara District in India. He's a gifted cardiologist, family man and--above all else--a humanitarian.He's most famous for his extraordinary hospital--Narayana Hrudalaya--which does most of its' surgeries for a nominal fee and majority for free. Dr. Shetty says, “If I am given a choice I would like to treat only poor patients. But unfortunately the economic reality does not allow me to do that." He is the man who charged the rich more and served the poor free of cost. Technology gives the rich what they already have but it gives the poor what they can never dream of having. Poor people in isolation are weak but together they are very strong. This simple thought gave birth to the novel idea, "Yeshasvini Micro Health Insurance", a joint venture between ISRO, Narayana Hrudayalaya and Karnataka State Co-operation Dept. In the first 20 months of 'Yeshasvini', 85,000 farmers had free medical treatment, 22,000 farmers had free surgeries, 1400 farmers had heart surgeries; all for just five rupees per month!!! Dr. Shetty also founded "Arogya Raksha Yojana", a joint venture of Narayana Hrudayalaya, Biocon and ICICI to provide free OPD consultation, cashless surgical facility, diagnostics at discounted rates.
Everybody will agree that his greatest achievement has been his work with children. He operates free for kids under twelve, and of his 13000 operations in a 16 year career span, over 5000 operations were on children
I respect him as a great business head and an amazing human being. Lets talk business as I let you know my reasons for it:
Leadership as a human being is all about having an impact. Making a difference. Leaving things better than you found them. Isn't the purpose of life : To find a cause that's larger than yourself and then to give your life to it? Sure, it's important to make profit in business.Sure you want your enterprise to be operationally excellent. Sure you want high quality products and services. And sure you need to keep innovating and growing your brand. But isn't having an impact in the world--by positively influencing others--what business is ultimately about? Greatness in business as well as in life comes by being an inspirational human being. Dr.Devi Shetty uplifts people around him by his attitude and his very presence. Extraordinary human beings like him live their message, They walk their talk. And above all else, he is my inspiration.
One of our biggest regrets on our deathbeds is that we weren't reflective enough. At the end, the billionaire gets buried next to the street sweeper. We all end up as dust. So lets learn and have some fun. While chasing success I urge you to stay devoted to the lives you touch. Hope you enjoyed reading about my hero.
So a gentle question from Jd who wishes only the best for you : What dent will you make today? What cause will you pursue today? What contribution will you make today--at work, at home--in life??
Dr.Devi Prasad Shetty was born in Kinnigoli of the South Canara District in India. He's a gifted cardiologist, family man and--above all else--a humanitarian.He's most famous for his extraordinary hospital--Narayana Hrudalaya--which does most of its' surgeries for a nominal fee and majority for free. Dr. Shetty says, “If I am given a choice I would like to treat only poor patients. But unfortunately the economic reality does not allow me to do that." He is the man who charged the rich more and served the poor free of cost. Technology gives the rich what they already have but it gives the poor what they can never dream of having. Poor people in isolation are weak but together they are very strong. This simple thought gave birth to the novel idea, "Yeshasvini Micro Health Insurance", a joint venture between ISRO, Narayana Hrudayalaya and Karnataka State Co-operation Dept. In the first 20 months of 'Yeshasvini', 85,000 farmers had free medical treatment, 22,000 farmers had free surgeries, 1400 farmers had heart surgeries; all for just five rupees per month!!! Dr. Shetty also founded "Arogya Raksha Yojana", a joint venture of Narayana Hrudayalaya, Biocon and ICICI to provide free OPD consultation, cashless surgical facility, diagnostics at discounted rates.
Everybody will agree that his greatest achievement has been his work with children. He operates free for kids under twelve, and of his 13000 operations in a 16 year career span, over 5000 operations were on children
I respect him as a great business head and an amazing human being. Lets talk business as I let you know my reasons for it:
Leadership as a human being is all about having an impact. Making a difference. Leaving things better than you found them. Isn't the purpose of life : To find a cause that's larger than yourself and then to give your life to it? Sure, it's important to make profit in business.Sure you want your enterprise to be operationally excellent. Sure you want high quality products and services. And sure you need to keep innovating and growing your brand. But isn't having an impact in the world--by positively influencing others--what business is ultimately about? Greatness in business as well as in life comes by being an inspirational human being. Dr.Devi Shetty uplifts people around him by his attitude and his very presence. Extraordinary human beings like him live their message, They walk their talk. And above all else, he is my inspiration.
One of our biggest regrets on our deathbeds is that we weren't reflective enough. At the end, the billionaire gets buried next to the street sweeper. We all end up as dust. So lets learn and have some fun. While chasing success I urge you to stay devoted to the lives you touch. Hope you enjoyed reading about my hero.
So a gentle question from Jd who wishes only the best for you : What dent will you make today? What cause will you pursue today? What contribution will you make today--at work, at home--in life??
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Nirvaana?
IT has been considered as an almost Nirvaana in Indian families. It's an honor if the son/daughter in a house is aiming/pursuing/completed an MS(Of-course, in US dude/babe) program or works away from the country. The middle class of India or at least a section of it, has found hope and avenue for its aspirations in the ever-growing IT industry. IT has helped people to contribute and grow with the companies they work for.
Let me pen down a few thoughts that just keep floating across my mind when I hear the word-IT revolution. Most of the below stuffs were thought after hours spent in observation. I am eating Bhel Puri with my closest guys and gals while I finally decide to let this out.
Why would we swim when we can row? Rowing is more efficient and definitely faster. Rowing looks like a natural and practical choice unless one does not have a boat or a row or just plain wants to be in water. There is something very uncanny about rowing though. The rower actually sweats to go reverse - with his back to his destination. Swimming may be harder but at least one can see where he is heading!
The IT fellows are working hard. Project schedule rather than biological clock dictate their sleeping hours. Entire life is rearranged around deadlines, tours and engagements. PowerPoint takes precedence over conversation. Outlook is the tool in Windows rather than a powerful faculty. Conversations are punctuated by quick glances at sms or mails on the mobile rather than pauses natural to a dialogue. Early morning walks aren't away from home to the nearest joggers lane rather towards the home - after a night-out at office.
The sun never sets in the global economy. So unless you are the customer you are destined for a schedule famously known as 24/7. But a customer has a customer too. So at the end of it - we are all in the same proverbial boat. Drained, cracking and fatigued - we keep ROWING.
Ironically, none of the people involved have anything to do with a cause that is noble enough to warrant the price. We are not talking about doctors or scientists working for the cause of humanity - life saving, life giving or life enhancing. We are not talking about soldiers defending a land or kindred souls reaching out to the helpless. The product release that made my relative (He is one of a highly respected stalwarts in an MNC) postpone his daughter's very first birthday or yet another return home dawn after dawn - was targeted for Christmas - the season of joy and giving! It is a high tech toy that may get a child excited with its new gaming features. A gizmo that may keep him interested for less than a decimal of the time it took tens of people to make it. It all seem like dark humor.
What I cited is not an isolated case - either in time or place. We are a global colony of rowers in every walk of life. Other than the hobos, rest of us are mere paddle pushers stalked by an unseen destination and egged on by a navigator. Reminds one of Ben Hur in the Roman galleons.
Technology was destined to make our life easier, if not full-filling. In reality, it is disfiguring the lives of almost all who work in it or are touched by it. Between them it a sizable part of the populace. If the engineer's technology gives the salesman more time it only means an additional hour for an additional client. In the infinite irony of life, the salesman may now be hard-selling his time-share vacation plan to the engineer - convincing him of the many ways to enjoy the time the latter doesn't have. One more client and he can meet his company's sales goal.
We are all rowing when we can swim.
I will be failing in my duty if I don't say that I will be a victim of my above observation soon. Therefore, am having my foot pressed on to the clutch, thinking which gear to put..Can I escape this joke by choosing something else?! Yes, I can. After-all, I love life.
Let me pen down a few thoughts that just keep floating across my mind when I hear the word-IT revolution. Most of the below stuffs were thought after hours spent in observation. I am eating Bhel Puri with my closest guys and gals while I finally decide to let this out.
Why would we swim when we can row? Rowing is more efficient and definitely faster. Rowing looks like a natural and practical choice unless one does not have a boat or a row or just plain wants to be in water. There is something very uncanny about rowing though. The rower actually sweats to go reverse - with his back to his destination. Swimming may be harder but at least one can see where he is heading!
The IT fellows are working hard. Project schedule rather than biological clock dictate their sleeping hours. Entire life is rearranged around deadlines, tours and engagements. PowerPoint takes precedence over conversation. Outlook is the tool in Windows rather than a powerful faculty. Conversations are punctuated by quick glances at sms or mails on the mobile rather than pauses natural to a dialogue. Early morning walks aren't away from home to the nearest joggers lane rather towards the home - after a night-out at office.
The sun never sets in the global economy. So unless you are the customer you are destined for a schedule famously known as 24/7. But a customer has a customer too. So at the end of it - we are all in the same proverbial boat. Drained, cracking and fatigued - we keep ROWING.
Ironically, none of the people involved have anything to do with a cause that is noble enough to warrant the price. We are not talking about doctors or scientists working for the cause of humanity - life saving, life giving or life enhancing. We are not talking about soldiers defending a land or kindred souls reaching out to the helpless. The product release that made my relative (He is one of a highly respected stalwarts in an MNC) postpone his daughter's very first birthday or yet another return home dawn after dawn - was targeted for Christmas - the season of joy and giving! It is a high tech toy that may get a child excited with its new gaming features. A gizmo that may keep him interested for less than a decimal of the time it took tens of people to make it. It all seem like dark humor.
What I cited is not an isolated case - either in time or place. We are a global colony of rowers in every walk of life. Other than the hobos, rest of us are mere paddle pushers stalked by an unseen destination and egged on by a navigator. Reminds one of Ben Hur in the Roman galleons.
Technology was destined to make our life easier, if not full-filling. In reality, it is disfiguring the lives of almost all who work in it or are touched by it. Between them it a sizable part of the populace. If the engineer's technology gives the salesman more time it only means an additional hour for an additional client. In the infinite irony of life, the salesman may now be hard-selling his time-share vacation plan to the engineer - convincing him of the many ways to enjoy the time the latter doesn't have. One more client and he can meet his company's sales goal.
We are all rowing when we can swim.
I will be failing in my duty if I don't say that I will be a victim of my above observation soon. Therefore, am having my foot pressed on to the clutch, thinking which gear to put..Can I escape this joke by choosing something else?! Yes, I can. After-all, I love life.
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