Back again...from China.....

5 years of silence is a looooong time, even for some joker like me.....but a friend reminded me that I used to have a Blog, so here I am.

My wife and I have just returned from China and are amused to see Times of India highlighting that Indian rate of growth is higher than that of China. Congratulations to the folks running TOI......

What they do not report is that China is probably 30 years ahead of India in Development, their Army is probably 25 times more efficient, the GDP is 5 times higher than India's, that we are starting from Congress led Zero level and the Chinese have a Communist party 100 times more effecient than anything that we have........ their trains run at 300 kmph with just one accident in 7 years and their Citizens can visit 100 plus countries ( incl. USA) without visa.

Gloating on half a percentage is India and Indians' folly. Self analysis is required, neh.......ESSENTIAL ,

My Prayers...Over-explained...

I was surfing on the net this evening and per chance, I happened to stumble upon a very elaborate translation of a very basic Indian prayer.

"Twamev mata, cha pita Twameva, Twamev Bandhu cha Sakha Twameva, Twameva Vidya, Dravinam Twameva, Twameva Sravasva, Mam Deava Devam."

The translation as I was taught since chidhood is as follows:

(O My Lord)
You are my Mother, and my father,
You are my brother, and my best friend,
You are my knowledge and my strength,
You are my everything, O my Lord"

I feel that translations of anything important should be short and precise. Descriptions should be left to describers. Meanings should be conveyed and points of importance should not be lost. Leave interpretations to those who WANT to interpret. A Prayer should remain a prayer, and should not become a discourse (with some one else adding his/her ideas to it).

Why should there be over explaination between God and me ??? We are at Peace with each other and understand each other. So.... beeeee...it....!!!

Let my Prayers be between me and my God. I do not need middlemen and explainations. Ta Thastu....

Attitude and Your Spine....

Someone recently sent me a joke which is not such a joke after all. It deserves a place in Management books. It goes something like this..

Heineken's CEO went to a bar and ordered a Heineken beer saying he wanted the most sold beer in the world.. He got one.

The next guy to come was the CEO of Coors and said he wanted the coolest beer in the world. He got a Coors.

Next came the CEO of Corona and said in Spanish that he wanted the beer that everyone in South America drank. He got his Corona.

Next came Vijay Malaya of Kingfisher. He ordered water ! All the CEOs were shocked and asked why??? Vijay Malaya replied.."Since all of you guys are not drinking beer, I also decided not to drink one...."

This, my friends, may be a joke...but reflects an attitude and a spine made of SS16 (Stainless Steel of the least corrosive quality), that we all should have to kill competition.

Jai Ho

My Uncle and Numbers...

One day Moses came down from Mount Arafat and gave the world the 10 Commandments.

Then some Mahatma of Christian faith gave us 8 deadly sins (Shoot.. did we not have enough of numbers and things to be scared of? Have you not seen books like 5 ways to riches, 7 things to do to avoid bankcruptcy, 9 things you must do before you kick the bucket, 6 lessons to learn about divorce, 11 reasons to kill your mother in law etc.,etc..)???.

A kind pope thought that 7 was a lucky number and concluded that avarice could be combined with another deadly sin. So, better make it 7 deadly sins instead of 8. Thanks to this Pope we have only 7 Deadly Sins...

As I understand life, there are only 3 deadly sins.

These are lack of education or knowledge, lack of compassion and then lack of drive or motivation.

These 3 deadly sins lead to all other sins that religions tells us about.

I am assuming that your cultural values are in place. So while Culture, Religion etc are in place, these are the three things (knowledge, compassion and drive) that you MAY be in control of..These will set you free...

What you are not in control of should not bother you anyway...right?

Today is 31st May of 2010., It is Baby Chachaji’s birthday (Ravi Saxena, my uncle and well loved one at that)..

I dedicate this post to him. Age is just a number. I pray that for Baby Chachaji and for all whom I know, age come slowly, gracefully and with health.

Those who give love to others, get it back in multiples.

Prayers and Best Wishes.

Namaskaar.

In the Presence of Greatness...

A few years ago, I was listening to nothing in particular on the radio when in a strong, deep and sonorous voice, someone started singing an Italian classic. I don’t understand Italian but was hooked immediately. I later found that the singer was Andrea Bocelli.

I promptly dispatched my secretary to MPH store to get a CD and since then I have been an ardent fan.

One of my few “Publicly Announced” goals for 2010 was to attend a live concert by Andrea Bocelli. As luck would have it, I didn’t have to wait long or travel far to Italy.

While surfing the net, last month, I found that Mr. Bocelli was to perform in Singapore. Further probing revealed that the concert was sponsored and fully booked by YTL, a construction company. Attendance was by invitation only. In other words, if you bought a highly overpriced YTL apartment in Singapore, you will be given a couple of tickets for the concert. Dead end for me since I am in no mood to buy an apartment in Singapore for US$ 2 million.

Now, these big time artists don’t come all the way from Tuscany to Singapore for a single concert. So I surfed further and found that the next stop for the Great Tenor was Hong Kong, before he went to Taipei and then back to Italy.

Good old Hong Kong ! Dynamic Hong Kong! Good food ! After 15 years ! (And Mae has never been there before). I promptly booked the concert seats for Mae and self, booked the flight and the hotel.

On 4th of May 2010 I achieved my goal and heard Andrea Bocelli singing live from less than 15 meters away from where we were seated, right in front of the stage.

Hong Kong exhibition and convention centre was full to the brim. 15 thousand people ensured that not a single seat was vacant. The program was for 90 short minutes.

At 8pm the Master took the stage. From the minute he started, we sat suspended in time, misty eyed and enthralled. There is something about this man. When he sings, you know that you are in the presence of Greatness.

When Celine Dion was asked about Andrea Bocelli, after she sang a duet with him, she commented “If God had a voice, He would probably sound like Andrea Bocelli”. I can assure you that she was spot on the target.

For more that 2 hours, with many encores, the Master had us spellbound.

An experience that I shall never forget. Songs from Tuscan Skies, Vivre, Incanto, Faust and Carmen to name a few.

The simplicity of the man is amazing. Small frame, slim and thin, but with a voice that is as deep as a well and as strong as can be. Bocelli switches from opera music to modern and pop as easily as snapping fingers. Can you imagine someone switching from “Canto della terra” to “Can’t help falling in love with you” (Elvis)?

Friends, listen to his songs. My words are too feeble to describe what I experienced.

For those who would like to visit his web site, the address is :
www.andreabocelli.com

Soon I shall be posting photographs of the concert on my facebook.

Till then...

Ciao

ALL THESE THINGS.....

There was a time when we did not have TVs. We lived and lived well..Then the TV came to India (sometime around 1965-66). There used to be only one channel (Doordarshan) and the trnsmission was in black and white. Only New Delhi had TV, then Bombay (I refuse to call the city Mumbai). The last programme was 10pm news in English. On Saturdays we had Chitrahaar and on Sundays we had a movie. Once a week we had a programme called Fire Ball XL5, a futuristic series. Once a week we had Lucille Ball entertaining us and I loved that show. Then of-course we had the regular Krishi Darshan which we did not understand anything about. I still don't understand what is Kharif ki fasal (???).

We kids used to look at the top of the neighbourhood homes to see which one had an antena. Once we spotted the antena, we would simply walk up to the home, take off our shoes at the door, say Namaste Uncle or Aunty and place ourselves on any square foot of space available on the floor in front of the TV. Knowing the family was not important. The hosts were always generous and never refused entry, even if they had a house full of unknown kids.

Indians like all humanity went on an aquisition trail. After TV came color TV, then tape recorders, then stereos, then computers, then TV had 50 channels, then CDs came then VCD players and then DVD players, then mobile phones and now 3G and what have you...

And now we have the Blackberry and iPod, iPad and iTab.

I must admit that my life has become much more relaxed and convenient because of all the gadgets. I am 53, and I am in touch with work even while I am at the golf course.

Some of my friends lament the loss of simple and good old times when we did not have "All These Things" and were still happy!

I am celebrating the present and "All These Things" and the other wonders that humans will bring in the future so that I can enjoy life and live every moment more than the last one....

Happy Vaisakhi and Happy Every Day of The Rest of Your Life...Enjoy all these things...

The Volcano and Kabir Das...

A volcano has erupted in the Eyjafjallajokull (will someone please tell me how this is pronounced?) glacier in southern Iceland, sending huge amounts of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, which has caused almost half the flights over Europe, (especially Northern Europe) to be cancelled. There may be no flights taking off or landing for the next 3 days.

Naturally, this will have a serious effect on not just the economy of affected countries and destination countries, but also on personal lives. People will miss occasions that they need to be near their dear and loved ones. They may miss business and other opportunities that may never repeat themselves.

Reminds me of what Kabir (Indian mystic and poet) once said.

Kaal kare to aaj kar, aaj kare so ab. Pal mein parlay hoyegee, bahuri karego kab?

Translation : What you may do tomorrow do it today, what you want to do today do it now. What will you do if in a second there may be the end of the world.....
(or too late to do anything)…..?

In the business world, Microsoft’s Bill Gates has written a good book called “Business at the speed of thought”.

Read it friends. And read Kabir too. He was not a corporate person, but who says that management is the exclusive domain of managers? Our mothers managed a full household very well, in time, within budgets and with very limited resources etc...

Shed all procrastination friends. Life is short and time is a wealth that we continue to lose, never gaining…..Go out, work, travel, enjoy…

Cellphones and Toilets...

Times of India reports that Indians have 545 million cellphones and the number is growing faster than anywhere in the world.
However, only 31% of the population has access to toilets.
Congress/ BJP / BSP / JP etc.. all you dumbo political parties,...are you listening???
How can India become anything important on world scale when 70% of the public (750 million people) is defeacating or urinating in public or behind trees?
Despicable.....to say the least.

Is it Just a Game ???

Museum of Cricket……

Yesterday was the last day of my working holiday (if there is such a thing) in Melbourne, Australia. To cap the holiday, all of us visited the world famous MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and the MCG museum. While the grounds have been used for Aussie Cricket, Football and even Beatles and Madonna concerts, it remains the single most important venue for Australian cricket. And Cricket was what we were interested in. After all it is the greatest religion in India.

It was fitting timing as IPL3 is on and cricket fever is high all over the world. While we were late and could just see the grand stadium (it seats 110,000 fans) from a few meters away, we did spend a lot of time in the museum.

Trust the Aussies to create such a beautiful and informative edifice to the game of Cricket. From 1838 when 5 settlers registered the MCC (Melbourne Cricket Club), till date, they have collected everything of relevance to the game from Aussie point of view and displayed it for all to see. I was surprised to see that these pioneering guys had already printed the first rulebook in 1841.

3D video presentations have been added lately and you may just be fooled into believing that Shane Warne is being interviewed live a few meters away from you. That is if you did not know that he is in India leading his team in IPL….

There are too many items on display to list or even talk about.

But I would like to throw a question. In the richest game in India, whose players have broken all records (except Sir Don Bradman’s scoring average of 99+), where sponsors pay Billions of Rupees and Hundreds of Millions of Dollars per season, why can’t someone, especially BCCI (the richest Cricket body in the world) build something like MCG museum?

Because Indians don’t take things seriously….Lot of talk and no action. If there is action, it is substandard.

If it is just a game, why take it so seriously? If it is not just a game, do as the Aussies have done. Take it very, very, very seriously. Do something to honour our greats. From Ranjit Singh Ji and Duleep Singh Ji to Nari Contractor to Ajit Wadekar to Prassanna to Bedi to Gavasker to Kapil and Sachin and Yuvraj and all those who beat the Aussies to pulp many times if not regularly.

While Indians (players and businessmen alike) enrich themselves from this amazing game, does anyone think that it may be time to give something back so that the future generations remember what we accomplished?

Wake up BCCI!!!!

Shortest fairy tale...

Ganesan Thambipillai sent me something interesting. Here it is:

A boy proposed marriage to a girl. She refused. He lived happily ever after. Had drinks when he wanted, ate whatever he wanted, played golf, enjoyed good sex and farted whenever he wanted. She did whatever she wanted and whenever she wanted.

End of story

Kyaa baat hai yaaron....

Competing With The Chinese

The last few days have been great.

Since Mae and I returned from our holiday, I have had some good thrills. I am reading a book called "2 States" by Chetan Bhagat (kindly given to me by Pankaj Arora, our colleague and THE MAN in Vietnam), and I'm enjoying every page. Infact I did precious little in Saigon and Vung Tau (Vietnam), other than having a short meeting, giving a bossy lecture on what we should be doing for the next quarter, eating lots of food, drinking plenty of Hieneken with our managers and reading the book. I did find some time to see Rocket Singh on my portable VCD player.

Then a friend sent me this joke which had me in stitches for 2 days. I share it with you now:

You might like this. It's so hilarious... ..even an Englishman could not construct sentences using numeric, which is exclusive only to Malaysians and Singaporeans. Here it goes...

Ah Lek was asked to make a sentence using 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,10. Not only did he do it 1 to 10, he did it again from 10 back to 1.This is what he came up with.....

"1 day I go 2 climb a 3 outside a house to peep. But the couple saw me, so I panic and 4 down.The man rushed out and wanted to 5 with me. I ran until I fell 6 and threw up. So I go into 7-eleven and grabbed some 8 to throw at him. Then I took a 9 and try to stab at him. 10 God he run away. 10 I put the 9 back and pay for the 8 and left 7-eleven. Next day I called my boss and told him I was 6. He said 5 , tomorrow also no need to come back 4 work. He also ask me to go climb a 3 and jump down! I don't understand. I am so nice 2 him but I don't know what he 1."

There you are... You want to compete with the Chinese??

Forget it! I have a thoroughbred at home. I gave up 20 something years ago.

The Clerk Who Knew Too Much...

I once used to work for a Singapore based company which had an office in Rotterdam (in The Netherlands or Holland). Somehow, my boss had hired people there who were either incompetent, or pretended to be so, so that they can pass the dirty jobs to others. Result, all problems were in the lap of yours truly. Thank God. It gave me opportunity and experience.

Since I am a qualified and INTERESTED Pharmacist, I could talk and make sense to our MNC clients who wanted hard core chemistry solutions rather than a sales pitch. But it was a tiring and frustrating exercise.

So, I found a way to solve the problems and have some fun along the way, literally….. Since I had to be in Rotterdam or Milan every other month, I decided to land in Zurich on Fridays and travel to Amsterdam on Monday mornings. I would then take a train to Rotterdam or a short flight to Milan and be in time for work (say 10 am) in the office.

This went on for 3 years. Result? Yours truly has had more holidays in Zurich than in India!!!

But that was all for taking a break from my exhausting travel schedule. I never really saw Switzerland. Yes, I have visited many times. But never really arrived…..

My travels were long and very frequent. Once a very dear friend of mine (Dr. George Varghese) asked if I came back home (to Singapore) only to change my boarding pass. That hurt me, so like an idiot….. I replied with something stupid to hurt him back. I regretted the minute I opened my mouth. Like a true friend, he smiled and let it pass… George is a rock that any friend will be proud of. I wish him and his family well, always…..

Anyway, on with the story…

Mae and I went to Switzerland, were there for 10 days and returned last week. We were expecting 5-6 degree centigrade. We were wrong, we got minus 5 to 7. But, for a change, I was not there for a break from my busy schedule as in the past. I was there for a real holiday.

The highlight of the trip for me was a visit to Bern. We visited the home of one Patent Office Clerk. He had a hard time finding a job. He failed his exams and was refused entry to schools and colleges. He could not get a job as an assistant teacher in the local University for years. He managed to at least get an apartment to live in. He tried for 4 more years and finally got a job as an assistant teacher in Physics.

His name was Albert Einstein. The Patent Office Clerk who knew too much.

I stood by the desk on which he wrote his Nobel Prize winning work on Photons. The same desk on which he later formulated the Theory of Relativity. I took photographs in his single bedroom apartment. I admired the fact that in those times, there were 4 kids and two parents in one bed room, and they had to live with about 10 liters of water per person per day which had to be delivered to the 2nd floor (3rd story) from streets below.

We also visited the University of Bern. 21 Nobel prizes have been awarded to people who have worked there. What an achievement!

What would we be without the pioneering work of these people who dared to think out of the obvious? Can you imagine a life without Science? I thank god for all that these pioneers have given us.

Einstein is GOD for every Science student.

I have been to The Vatican, to Mathura etc. But never to Mecca as I am not allowed to enter that city because I am a Hindu.

BUT, I have been to the greatest temple for students of science… I have been to the home of ... Albert Einstein!!!

My homage to all the GREATS who have made our lives so livable and so very enjoyable. May you all be remembered for ever for your contribution to humanity.

To Prof. Albert Eienstien : Sir, Mae and I were honoured to be in your home. We felt your presence. We were amazed that you achieved so much with so little. You have proved that a mind is stronger than any machine.

I bow to you sir.

Sincerely…Humbled…..VK

Culturally Bankrupt ?

I have the good fortune of having the best of two worlds. My wife is (Malaysian) Chinese and I am (an Indian) Indian. Together our races constitute a good 40% or more of humanity. So, please dont fight with us. You can't possibly win. (We may fight with each other but that doesn't concern you lah !!!). We also have more festivals and celebrations than any other race. Of-course we spend almost 3 months celebrating some festival or the other but then we deserve it....

Yesterday we had the good fortune of having a few friends visit us at our new home in Melaka. Thanks to all of them for joining us on the 7th day of Chinese New Year which is considered extremely auspicious. I will not name names out of fear that I may miss out some unnamed. Mae and I send our gratitude to all who came to our humble home. Two cultures coming together. Wonderful !!! May you and your family have a wonderful year of the Tiger. Help the Tiger this year, whichever way you can. You will be helping the World. Cong Xi Fa Chai.

When I returned from Melaka, I was watching a Youtube video of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan singing "Is Karam Ka Karoon Shukr Kaise Ada?". This was a 4 part video and since I consider the man a giant in talent, I watched each moment of the video. To my horror, I saw that in the 4th part, a man walking to the stage and throwing Pakistani rupee notes in front of the master and his troupe as if he is tipping shoe shiners or lower beings. Imagine throwing money at Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan !!! I consider this sacrilage of the highest order.

Then, the video shows the audience, sitting like dumb ducks while the great master is singing the ode to his God in full emotional fervor. The audience had no emotion, no movement, all were like statues. Some were even looking sullen and disgruntled (what may be the reason? I don't know)..

What has happened to the "Subcontinent"?

Are we so culturally bankrupted that we cannot even appreciate the warmth, the richness and the depth of our own culture? Do we have to treat our best artisans like thrash? Throw tips to them like they were beggers?

No, you will say....These were Pakistanis that I mentioned. Indians are different.... Are they, really?
Well, when was the last time you actually saw a live performance and paid for it? Most probably you "enjoy our culture" in the cozy surroundings of home on TV. Paying only for the cable channel or tape/CD. That is not a crime, mind you, but if you really saw a cricket match in a stadium rather than on TV, you will know the difference. The energy is different. You are a part of "THE" event....If you are in a stadium, you are in the action, not just a "cable" spectator".

Artists have to eat too, you know? And should they not get paid well for their talent? Who do you think is more talented? Sandra Bullok who charges USD 20 million a movie or Amir Khan "The Idiot"?

We happily pay 100 USD for a Broadway show if we are around there, or GBP 70 for a Victoria Theatre show in London. That is a hell of as lot of money if you count in Indian Rupees. But that is different. Isn't it? Then we can make small talk but big boasts to our friends?" Oooh , you know we saw that play and so on and so forth...."

I ask you, as an example,...did you ever see Jagjit Singh performing live in Siri Fort Delhi ? My sister Lakshmi gave me this privilage. Bless her God. Fact is we have experienced a lot together. I also love to hate her. Mind you, Love is stronger than hate.

If you have experienced something like the live performance of Jagjit Singh or other great artists..., you will know what I am talking about... The artist gets his energy from the audience. The audience cheers the artist. One plus one becomes eleven. It defies logic but it is real. It is the same with culture...

If we claim that we have a "Culture", we should learn that there is a price to pay to claim ownership of it and to retain it. A price worth paying.

Lets learn this simple lesson and act accordingly. Ownership of culture comes with a cost/ price and responsibility. You want to have it and lay a claim to it? Then don't just talk but walk the talk. Pay for it. Not just in art but in everything that you call cultural !

Otherwise we will suffer a bankruptcy, worse than we can imagine..... Riches will be lost with time...

"Bada Hua to Kya Hua? Jaise Paed Khajoor, Panthi Ko Chayaa Nahin, Phal Lage Atee Door"...... Sant Kabir...Sufi Poet of India (who had no surname and therefore no caste, creed or religion). One of my favorite Indians of all times.

Translation....You may be big like a palm tree but so what? No shade for travellers and the fruit are too far up (to be of use to any one)??

So much wealth is in our culture and so little that we imbibe ? That joker who threw a few notes in front of the Great Ustad may be thinking that he is doing a favor..to whom?..

What bankruptcy is this ???

Cultural or mental ?

The Tiger Roars Again...

For me the Chinese New Year usually brings my Mother in Law from Australia, my wife’s family to our home, a barrage of Cantonese talk at the re-union dinner and some expenses for dinner and angpows. I take it all in my stride and actually enjoy the occasion as it is rare that our’s and my wife’s family gets together.

But I used to be scared of the Year of the Tiger.

24 (lunar) years ago, on Chinese New Year eve, I was returning to my home in Bangkok after dinner, driving a new brand Toyota Corolla which my company had bought for my use just 20 days ago. It was the start of the Year of the Tiger. I had stopped at a traffic signal. The light turned green and I had just started shifting into the first gear when another car came from the opposite side, at a speed which must be a hundred kms an hour, lost control and banged into my car.

It took me a while to understand what had happened. I tried to open my door but couldn’t. So I moved to the other door (passenger side) and got out of the car. Police was at the spot in minutes and took me to a hospital as I was bleeding profusely. A few stitches on my chin which was badly bust (and left a permanent scar), some very painful internal bleeding in my neck and two cracked ribs resulted from the accident. The car that I was driving was a near writeoff.

I later heard from the police that I was lucky. In the other car were 5 drunk teenagers. The driver had both of his legs crushed on impact, the front passenger did not use seat belt (in those days it was not mandatory to wear seatbelts as only few new models had them), so he went head first through the wind screen and had brain haemorrhage and was in coma when I last enquired, the passenger sitting behind the driver died on the spot and the other two passengers had broken bones.

While I was cleared of any mistake/fault of mine or traffic violation, I lived in physical and mental pain for days. The shock of the accident and resulting deaths, not to mention the necessary trips to the police station every other day wore heavy on me.

For years I was afraid of Chinese New Year eves and especially the Year of the Tiger.

Rationality has prevailed since then. The fact that I survived relatively unhurt as compared to those other unfortunate people who were involved in the accident forces me to think that I got a lucky break, even if I broke a rib or two.

I think life is what you make of it. This episode can either be considered a lucky escape by me or I can say that I was unlucky to be involved. The cup is either half full or half empty. We can decipher issues either way. It is our choice.

I now choose to consider myself lucky. I am still happily around, enjoying Chinese New Year goodies, with family and friends. I hope that my colleagues, friends and family also count their blessings and look at the positives of life rather than the negatives.

Another Chinese New Year of the Tiger has started on 14th Feb 2010. I am not scared anymore.

I wish you all have a wonderful Year of the Tiger. May you and yours be blessed with Health, Happiness and Peace. May you have roaring Prosperity this year and many more to come. Cong Xi Fatt Chai.

Please also pray for this magnificient animal, the Tiger. We have precious few left in the world. Please do all that you can to sustain this and all other wonders that God gave us. Blessings on those who act...Love to all.

Does India Respect Diversity ?

Is there really Unity in Diversity?


In Between Here and There….

I just saw a disturbing but very well made Hindi movie called Darmayaan (In Between) on TV at my home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The movie is about transvestites in India. It is a "not to be spoken about" subject in India. My congratulations to the Producers and Directors. Very well made movie and one that should make us sit back and contemplate. We should also give credit to all these people who had the guts to address a difficult issue.

Ms. Kiron Kher made her mark as an actress with the movie Devdaas. In this (Darmayaan) movie she deserves an Oscar if there was any in India.

I don’t think the producers will any make money on this movie but they have made a point. The world of transvestites is worth looking at. Thinking about India and thinking as Indians....

Consider the numbers....maths....

Knowing that India has 1.1 billion people we should look at everything rationally and mathematically. Isn’t India about numbers anyway?

After all, Aryabhatta was born in India. India gave the world zero (0) and decimals too. My fellow college mate at BITS Pilani, Sabeer Bhatia made HOTMAIL. Before that DNA, and therefore the science of life was discovered by Hargobind Khurana. Vinod Dham invented Pentium processor which powers most of the computers in the world. Now we have an Indian born scientist who has “discovered” the chemical structure of Mitochondria and how cells get energy and therefore how we survive, and this was done with the help of the pentium processor invented by Dhamm.

(I cannot understand how Obama got the Nobel Prize??? My prizes go to Bhatia and Vinod. Khurana already has a Nobel Prize. These other two guys changed the WORLD) !!!

Khurana will be worshipped as GOD someday as stem cells become the treatment of the day, but that is a different issue.

And, all this sh*t comes from India….

But how does India treat it’s citizens who are so called “different” from others??

Let me decipher this for you.

1.1 billion people: That is 1,100,000,000 people.

1 percent of that is eleven million .

0.1 percent is one million and another hundred thousand.

Assuming that 0.1 percent of India’s population is gay/transvestite, we are talking of nearly the entire population of some small countries. And my friends, these are INDIANS!!!

Should we not treat them as Indians and with respect as we feel we ourselves deserve??? Why should they be marginalized. Do you want them out of your "system" ? Ignore them or let them suffer and die ?

One million (or more), Indians may be in need of your help or just your understanding.

I am going to stand by them. What about you ?

The Problem With Dreaming...Or Not Dreaming

Ek din maine soucha,
Sapno ka hisaab banaoon,
Kyaa paaya kyaa khooya maine,
Is ki ek kitaab banoon…..(Accountancy)

Dekhaa…

Kuch sapne paida hote hee mare hoowey they…
Kuch Zindaa they magar darey hoowey say…
Kuch ke liye main zindaa houn..
Kuch muzhko zindaa rakhte hain magar zara say…(Reality Check)

The above poem was written by me for my son Abhay (in a minute) when he questioned if I really wrote poetry for my college magazine "DISHA" of BITS Pilani in India. That is history, not to be debated, but just to be acknowledged for what it is.

Come to the poem now....

The fact of the matter is that we need both, dreams, as well as reality. If we don't have dreams we cannot fulfill ourselves. If we don't have reality we are not in this "real" world and so dreams will never be fulfilled anyway!!! Dreams are like a painting which needs a canvas of reality to be painted upon.

This (poem writing) was a couple of years ago... What I wrote still makes good sense to me. I hope that the New Year brings dreams closer to reality for all whom I know.

2009 is coming to an end. I pray that all whom my family and I know, friends and foes alike, do well and "May God's Blessings Be Upon You and Your's for ever..."

PS: Please don't call me before 3pm on 1st January. It will be some time till I recover from the hangover......

Happy New Year And May The Good Lord (whomsoever you may worship) bless you with Health, Happiness and Prosperity. Cheers, Let the party begin !!!!

Ignorence Is Not Innocence But Sin

The heading comes from a book "NIGHT SINS" by Tami Hog.

I am not a fan of the book or of the Author. The book is a good attempt but not a masterpiece. But then, who am I to judge?

However,the heading reminds me of what (Mahatma) M.K.Gandhi said once. It was in Hindi. The translation of what he said is (approximately) as follows: "If you don't condemn and oppose injustice, then you have agreed to accept it" (and hence you are a co-accomplice to the injustice).

This means that you are now a partner in the injustice....wherever and however it is being perpetrated.

Let's now get to the business/ management world.

Truth not told may mean supporting a lie!!!

Shoot! that is a terrifying thought....

Guys and gals, Managers..., please understand the difference between truth told and truth untold. The difference will make or unmake a situation or even a company.

Remember, The Truth Will Set You Free......If telling the truth gets you sacked, the company and the boss don't deserve you.

Satyameva Jaite ! (The Truth Will Win In The End) ....

Smile if you are a Manager

A Real Smile Does More Than Cure Your Ill Feelings. A Real Smile Melts Away Opposition…. (The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Swartz).

Busy in the business of running our daily lives, we have forgotten how to smile. Especially when it comes to work, we are so concerned with looking professional that we end up looking like stuck up idiots. I once worked for a company where my boss made it a point to look angry whenever he entered the office. For good measure, he would throw a tantrum within the first few minutes. The idea was to scare and intimidate everyone around. He succeeded quite well and we all made an effort to stay out of sight. If asked a question, we would keep our honest opinions to ourselves and try and tell what we thought the "boss" would like to hear.

I accept that anger can be used as a management tool. But once in a while, not all the time! When the manager comes into the office, his/her mood can set the mood of the staff for day. What would you prefer ? Happy employees working in tandem or people shit scared to tell you the truth and too intimidated to do anything meaningful ?

To all Healol managers : Please smile more often. Especially when you enter the office. You will be able to achieve more. A smile melts away opposition. You are ALWAYS on Candid Camera…..SMILE lah !!!

The Indian Revenge (and Be Quiet)

I NEVER talk politics on my blog but just could not resist this one...

The Indian Prime Minister in in the U.S. of A this weekend. And he is lecturing Obama as to what should be done in Afghanistan and what should be done to Pakistan !!! How times change....

I am amused. This modern day Chankya strategy really seems to be working!!!

Fact....., China invaded India in 1962 to teach India a lesson ( as per Mao's words). Now they have learnt a few lessons themselves. India has one man called the Dalai Lama. Supposedly he is Chinese but speaks English in Indian accent. China cannot fight that one man with all it's nuclear or non-nuclear arsenel. As they say, a single mosquito in the room can spoil your sleep. Dalai Lama has been spoiling Chinese sleep for 50 years. May he do the same for many years to come. I call it the Indian Revenge.

(My wife is Chinese and she too is capable of this atrocity of loss of sleep on me. I love her anyway or atleast we both tolerate each other). That is the Chinese Revenge.

Fact..... Pakistan, with all it's terrorists and politicians (who support terrorism), is a failed state. I once read an article from one Major Ayaz Amir, in Dawn of Pakistan, that said that ISI should continue bleeding India slowly and continuously by terrorist acts since the Pakistan Army cannot win an all out war against India. This guy (Major Ayaz Amir) must be eating his words with a pinch or a sackful of salt now. Pakistan is at war with itself. What do you mean by winning this war in NWFP, Balochistan or rest of Pakistan ? Killing it's own citizens ? How many killed and how many displaced ? Pakistan WANTS to look good in the eyes of the world. It does not want to BE good. The Pakistanis try to justify or explain away each atrocity committed by their ISI trained criminals at home or abroad. Now the world is watching on CNN and Discovery channel the crimes that were planned in Pakistan and were committed in Mumbai. Major Ayaz....Indian revenge ...???

No explaination required here. Enough to say that those who sleep with the devil get impregnated by the devil and so be it........ Nov 26th is the anniversary of Mumbai attacks. I hope that Major Ayaz (who is now a politician) may find time to reflect where his advice has taken his country.

Fact....Russia got it's first US Dollars from India after the collapse of Soviet Union and therefore their economic system. Russia was and has remained a good neighbour to India. It is gaining economic strength due to it's energy resources. A strong Russia means a good strong friend for India. If you live in a good neighbourhood, chances are that you will progress too. Pakistan chose to be with the far off US of A. India kept USA at an arm's distance. The fact of the times required that India needed a friend in a hostile neighbourhood, being surrounded by East and West Pakistan and China. Now USA drones are firing misslies inside Pakistan. Call it friendly fire Maj. Ayaz ??? Or call it the Indian revenge ??

Fact....Bangladesh (formerly East Pakistan, and liberated by Indian help) is quietly succeeding in economic terms. It has forgotten it's Pakistani and fanatic religious past and is concentrating on uplifting the lot of it's people. Why can't we all look at this country and learn from it ? Gramin Bank was formed here. Biodiversity is preserved, recycling is done as a matter of survival, carbon footprints of industries are minimal, no major wars or insurgencies, the only problem is between two women as to who will be the chief. This country is doing what others would like to do without making a big noise. Though being on the frontline of all weather problems, be they be tsunamis, ocean level rising or typhoons, the Bangladeshis are really trying hard to take the country somewhere. The Pakistanis are trying hard to commit suicide. Indian revenge ???

Friends, this is the crux of the matter. Don't shout when you are half way there. Get there and then (when you are there), there will be no need to shout. The world would know that you have arrived. Indians should learn from Bangladesh. I admire that country and wish them the best. May your efforts be rewarded...Jai Ho......

Ambition..the dirty word

Ambition can be a fiend or an angel. Ambition can be likened to a spirited, speedy horse; it can carry us quickly over much ground if we keep a proper rein on it and guide it along the right road, but if given too much rein, it is in danger of landing us in the ditch.

B.C.Forbes (Founder of Forbes Magazine, 1917)

When talking about the ambitions of managers and colleagues, we often get confused. Either the person is “over ambitious or has no ambition at all!

Much as we use, respect and revile the word AMBITION, we fail to define the limit when a person has just the right amount of ambition. Do we expect each and every one to have the same amount of ambition? Or do we expect some to be very ambitious and others to hold their horses, both, just to suit our selfishly thought out script of how life should be at that particular time with that particular person?

Is being ambitious important or simply doing one’s best is good enough?

What defines the fine line between ambition and stupidity, between an angel and a fiend or between soaring to great heights and falling headlong into disaster, all due to ambition?

I think that I have confused myself enough with this debate. Flying in the air like birds must have been an impossible dream of man for centuries, now it is done regularly, and that too at twice or thrice the speed of sound. A machine which calculates a million times faster than a man was a ridiculous thought, but today our hand phones have more brain power than a dozen professors of mathematics combined. A man walking on the moon was fairy tale material till it was actually done. Looking at and talking to a person sitting a world away must have been a fantasy till just a few years ago. Now we can't imagine a world without live television, real time data transfers and video conferencing.

And all this happened because someone had a stupid ambition to do what was considered mission impossible. The guys who achieved all this did not put a rein on their ambition as the great finance guru Mr. Forbes postulated.

They let their ambition run wild. And thus, they changed the world for ever!

At the end of the day, I think ambition is a positive word, which is used to define the state of mind of people who dare and succeed in their set goals. Those who may be daring geniuses, but do not succeed are called stupid and “Over Ambitious”. There is a fine line here. Great success seldom comes at the first try. Great success at something amazingly different, achieved at the first attempt is more likely to be a lucky accident rather than real achievement. Hence, ambition needs an indomitable spirit and perseverance before one sees success. In the meanwhile, be ready to be laughed at, ridiculed and/or ignored (if you are lucky).

Mother Teresa once said, “When you are successful, you will have few real friends and many real enemies. Succeed anyway!”. In other words, let today’s failures be the foundation of future success. Be ambitious. Define and strive for your goals. You owe that to yourself and to all those who define who and what you are in God’s universe.