A Song Without Melody

A life spent without any achievement to talk about, nothing to say to children about your experiments and experiences, nothing to be remembered for once you are gone is like a song without melody or music.

It is not a song at all.

To all my colleagues at Healol and to all my friends I send a message:

Travel
Experience
Experiment
Achieve
Create
Enjoy all of the above. And more

These are the DOs.....

The Don'ts are as follows:

Don't be angry,
disgruntled,
disheartened,
disturbing (heh heh),
disssatisfied without reason,
and please dont do anything negative that starts with "Dis" and is joined with another word. (Mind you Discuss is a single word).

Life can be a song. A song needs both, lyrics and melody. Lyrics bring the meaning (in life), music or melody says volumes about the way how we live.

Life may not be perfect, (since nothing is), but it can be good.....The Song of Life with Lyrics of Purpose and Deed, made beautiful by the Melody and Music of the way we live.

Let the music begin...

Jai Ho!

A Fortune Teller Told Me

I once read a wonderful book by Tiziano Terzani called "A FORTUNE TELLER TOLD ME"

The book's story is set in Thailand and is a true account of what happened to the author. (I have a special interest as Thailand is like my second home). A fortune teller tells this guy not to board a helicopter and it so happens that he somehow cannot (board) anyway. The guy replacing him does, the helicopter crashes, and everyone aboard died. The book is a book, part fact part emotions (not exactly fiction, but dramatized a bit based on facts). The crash really happened. People died.

So.....I read my own Janam Patri (Horescope) recently, at the age of 52, written by the "Great" Bhrigu Shastri, the greatest Hindu academic priest in his time. (Since my father was a Big Shot, nothing less would suffice). Bhrigu Shastri was the Greatest and since I was the youngest in the family (and therefore most loved and my father's favourite), I got most of everything.

I also learned (at great pain) to share and care. Slaps were frequent. Especilly if I ate before my mother. Kisses and hugs were frequent too. What to do? Indians will be indians.....What to do ? We are like this only....

When I used to come back from Delhi Public School, our family driver and family member (Gulzar Singh Gill) or Kaka as my father called him, (Kaka meaning Son in Punjabi) would have 100 grams of Kalakand for me. Indians will know what I am talking about. If I was naughty or misbihaved with Kaka, a swift and harsh reaction was to be expected from Papa (my father).

Getting back to what the Fortune Teller (Bhrigu Shastry) said about me when I was just a newborn. Gosh...It was so accurate that I have now started believing that there may be some sense in stars and numbers.

These guys, old guys, did have something solid. My predicted horescope is accurate to an extent that is amazing.

Which brings us to the question..... Can you really predict anything ?

My answer...don't discard "anything" before studying carefully. There may be a lot there, waiting to be discovered....Isn't discovery our purpose in life ??? Go forth, experiment, discover...Be blessed for ever....

Your Dharma as a Manager

O King, Be Formidable and Firm,
Like a Rock, and follow your Duty

(Yajur Veda)

The duty of Managers is not to be liked or loved. Their duty is to be effective.

You have to be effective for the organization, effective for all the stakeholders, including staff, company owners, bankers etc.

Yet most managers want to be liked and loved by their colleagues. It is a fatal mistake.

The Vedas say it quite clear as stated above.

Be Formidable and Firm as in Uncompromising on basic Principles. Or else you are lost forever. You lose sight of Principles and you are in un-chartered waters. People have gone to jail for straying. Don’t do it. It’s just not worth it.

Be like a Rock so that your integrity is uncompromised and unquestioned for ever.

Follow your duty to achieve (with integrity) what needs to be achieved.

Never compromise on being firm, or following your duty to what is your target.

Don’t let others under your care take short cuts too. Their idiocy will reflect on you.

That does not mean being inhuman. It means being a good, honest, hard working human being who doesn’t compromise on basic Principals.

Is there a choice ???

My Mind is Without Fear

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free, Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls. Where words come out from the depth of truth, Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection. Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habitWhere the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action, Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

(Gurudev) Rabindra Nath Tagore. Nobel Laureate.

When I was studying at Delhi Public School at Mathura Road in New Delhi, (at that time that was the only DPS, as I am talking of 1961 and I was 4 years old), we had a Principal by the name of Mr. Din Dayal. He was a six footer with a mind as sharp as a knife and a cane as long as could be. He ran a tight and disciplined ship. No b***sh*t allowed. If you come late by 2 minutes to school, you will feel the sting of the cane on your small palms.

The grandson of our then President Dr. Zakir Hussein, Salman Khurshid , (later the foreign minister of India and now Corporate Affairs Minister) was the Head Boy. He took pleasure in telling us that our nails were not trimmed proper, or our shoe laces were not tied neatly, and a small insult would follow. But he was always decent if not perfect (since the Prefects were under him). I guess he left the dirty work for them. But I do remember him fondly.

The only consolation from the daily tortures that we went through (of strict and uncompromising madams who taught us) was a chat with my good friend, Alberuni Kidwai, who happened to be another grandson of Dr. Zakir Hussein. He was my classmate, friend and a good one at that. Humble to the extent that was unbelievable. We used to come to school in the same bus (I 31), he from Jamia Milia Islamia University and I from Defence Colony. I truly miss him and hope that one day I will be able to meet him again.

Every day we had an assembly and every day of the week we had a different prayer. Naturally, Mr. Din Dayal would lead. Black gown and all in place. The one prayer that I remember most is the one that I have mentioned above. From Rabindra Nath Tagore.

In the days when you are 4 years old, these words make no sense to you. Now, at this age of mine, they do make sense and I am happy that I am a part of “my country”. I also understand "my father", better.

I have retained my Indian citizenship for whatever it is worth, I have retained Indian citizenship for my children. It gives us an identity. We did not chose to be born in a particular country or race, but it gives us a responsibility to do the best we can for our stock.

I have done most of my work in and with India and have tried to do as well as I could for myself as well as for India. This is for my personal satisfaction. So be it !

My mind is without fear and my head is held high……..My father …lead me where you want to…….thought and action is my responsibility.......The rest, I leave to you...