DEO BAGH HOTEL, Gwalior- Decent experience in a heritage property but a bit over priced!

Here it goes:
Location- The location is not very central and because it is a new property, most of the auto/taxi would not know about this. Make sure you talk to some one in hotel before you reach, so as to guide you with the location and best means of transportation. The hotel could do with some signages along the main road.

Read more on Trip Advisor

10 suggestions for young Management Graduates?

MBA is the hottest career option today. No study needs to confirm this fact. In fact most of the graduates in India, whether they be Engineers, Architects, Accountants, Commerce or Science graduates, even Doctors have put an MBA as the preferred option to pursue after their graduation. Whether that is good or bad is a separate point of discussion altogether. The industry however feels that many of the management graduates passing each year are not up to the mark and lack employable skills and work attitude.

In the following lines, I try to enlist some key characteristics that an employer/organization would look for in a prospective employee that happens to be a management graduate.

1. Initiative

The young MBAs need to understand that whatever institute they pass out from and how much of a strategic thinker they might be, they will still need to get their hands dirty! They will have to work on ground to learn the nuances of their organization/product/services, before they can even think of ‘strategic plans’. They will need to work hard & work smart. Initiative also means proactively working towards betterment for the function and the company you work for. Very important is the passion for your organization, and your work. And to prove that passion and hard working nature, a little extra thing outside of your defined KRA would help. Your willingness & enthusiasm to work on new projects/challenges is bound to make your boss/organization happy.

2. Ability to contribute from day one

You may have gone through the rigor of the best MBA and might know the Kotler by heart, but that does not necessarily mean you are employable. An example is that you could be missing knowledge about a simple skill like photocopying, which might be one of your first tasks or be a part of your first task! A very good grasp on technology related tools and ease of working on applications like MS Office would be extremely important. Now this might or might not be in your MBA syllabus. Also very important are your people skills. You would be asked to deal with team members, internal teams, external agencies, vendors, customers etc. without much information about the organization and its processes. If you can ‘get work done through others’ at that instant, you are on the right path to be a ‘manager’.

3. Right communication skills

In the current scenario, communication skills can make or break your corporate life. Although many B-schools are now laying a lot of stress on building their student’s communication skills, this is still one of the sore points of most management graduates. Not just restricted to ability to speak in English (which of course is required), it also encompasses listening skills, writing skills, and reading & comprehension skills. The ability to think clearly and communicate it concisely & precisely is the backbone of good communication.

4. Right Values and ethics

Now, you might have the best of abilities and skills, but everything else is downright useless if you do not possess the moral values and ethics towards your organization, your colleagues, your environment, and the society at large. ‘Profit’ at any cost is thing of the past. And it has more to do with having a heart of gold. Companies with profit as motive are now seen as shortsighted. Having these kind of values ensure certain credibility for you as a person and that helps you get responsibilities and thus grow.

5. Willingness to learn

Yes, you might be the topper of your class or might have won numerous business plan writing contests, but real corporate life is not a management course! When working in an organization, be open to learning. And not just from your superiors, but your peers, and juniors also. On the job learning is something that will go a long way for you.

6. Academic fundamentals

Ok, so those of you were starting to think that everything you learnt in your MBA was not worth anything, relax! These fundamentals will be useful; in fact it is time that you now use these fundas on practical problems. For that to happen you need to remember what you learnt and keep on brushing the same.

7. Stay updated

World as we know, is changing by the second & new technologies evolve and become outdated with a blink. Stay updated on the current trends in your area of work and everything that could relate to it. Also, you ought to be updated at least superficially about the world and happenings in general. More than anything else, it could just help you start an interesting and educated conversation!

8. Multi-tasking

Something that your hiring manager might or might not tell you, but is bound to happen. So be prepared to multi-task multiple projects simultaneously with equal attention and efficiency! Which means you should be good at adjusting to different work conditions, managing your time by setting priorities and channeling the efforts of your team.

9. Working under pressure

An aspect of corporate world that goes without saying. Today the situations in organizations are worse than a pressure cooker. Complex products/services, changing consumers, competition, coupled with your personal pressure to perform, should not be too much to handle. When in a pressure situation, deal with it logically and calmly. Look up to advice from your experienced team members. Believe it or not, it might be a little difficult in the start but eventually you will get used to it, and may be start enjoying it too!

10. Be honest

Well, somebody was right when he said that ‘honesty is the best policy’. Remember, your superiors know that are not too experienced and are bound to make mistakes. What they are looking in for is genuine effort and the right attitude. Even if you fail at something, be honest and acknowledge that you failed, but more importantly take home a learning. Down the line you are bound to succeed if you work with the same zeal!

Memorable Pictures 2

Part 2 of some of the memorable pictures i have clicked. As promised in one of my previous blogs.

A Masakali

Sunset at Udaipur

The three faced Shiva at a Rajasthani palace

A bright and fresh flower

A Pine tree in the himalayas

A picturesque view of cottage at Sattal

A Lotus bud

A thatched hut in the himalayas

Work personalities!

In my short yet eventful career, i have seen many types of personalities which you are sure to come across in your workplace as well. Some typical one's that mar the team/organisation are listed below.

Switch Manager: These are the 'electric' people who operate only through a 'switch'. Until the switch is on, they will continue to sit on issues, problems and impending work. The switch in most cases is a communication (in more stronger terms, a stinker) by their boss or someone who is fairly senior and in a position to create 'trouble'. So when the switch is put on, everything else takes a backseat and all they focus on is diffusing that particular situation. And when that situation is solved, another problem is brought to their notice through a switch and the cycle starts again. And they live their professional life like this (and with them their team does too), always in a fire fighting mode!

Courier: Very simple, these people simply get something and pass it on to somebody else. Or in another way, they get an idea from somebody and just pass it on to somebody in their team, without even bothering to read it once, forget adding any value. How could an organisation such amounts of money to someone who simply does nothing apart from forwarding stuff from one table to another?

Follow-up manager: These are the most irritating of the lot. They will follow-up with you for some work as if their life depends on it (and they will actually say that!). They will send a mail, then call you to tell that they have sent a mail, then send a mail to enquire about the progress and then call about the mail they sent, then message you that it's urgent. You could expect calls from them at odd hours, or on your personal numbers. Sometimes, they will be quicker than the mail- so their mail will come after they have come to your desk enquiring about whether you got the mail or not. Tip- add them to the spam. And when they enquire about the work, innocently tell them you never got the mail :-)

Mail junkies- These people live their life off the mailbox. They will send mails about work, marking a copy to your boss, his/her boss, the CEO, the chairman, even God sometimes! They are so conscious about what to write in their e-mails (it ought to be not too strict but firm!) that 90% of their time is spent thinking what to write in a mail to make their point. They are most likely to send long lists and pointers in their mails and address multiple people and issues in the same mail. And if some work is not done and you please you don not know about it, they will have one answer always- why don't you read your mails properly?

Hyper creative creatures- Although you will find them very smart and full of ideas, the first few times they meet you and splurge you with their creativity; after sometime you will just wish that you don't have to work with them. They usually don't have a life and will sit till midnight so as to polish the creative/idea/presentation..., lugging you with them. These people would want to make 5 options for all work that they have to do (whether a creative, presentation or concept note) and get a feedback for all 5. And then start work on a sixth one based on the feedback! Their favorite dialogue- i want more time so as to make it better!

Vellas- Found usually in the higher end of the hierarchy, these people will have a cabin, where they sit and play solitaire or Facebook, while their team, works their guts out. The only work they do is to forward the work that comes their way, to their juniors and ask them to adhere to the deadline. God forbid, if anybody misses the deadline, they will have to bear a nerve wrecking lecture by these perverts on work ethics, business needs, time management, efficiency, industry best practices and what not. They will leave at exactly 6 PM everyday instructing their team to complete the work without fail, so they could take a look next morning.

Corporate Beauties- Usually females (although there are males as well), these people will spend a major part of their time in office facebooking (checking pics mostly), going through fashion blogs, online shopping, planning their holidays, reading movie reviews etc. And the great point is they make everyone believe that they don't have time for any additional work. Sitting continuously on their machines for hours and hours together, if they are given some new work, they will rant about it for hours and always try to negotiate on the deadline.

Keep a look, you are bound to find these in your workplace too. And yes, do add categories of your own and share...

Same War, Different Heroes!

Some noteworthy differences between Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev and why i don't like Ramdev :-(

- Anna Hazare does not own a trust worth crores of Rupees unlike Baba Ramdev. So while Ramdev has a 'set' business and is doing whatever he is doing for quick publicity, Anna is selfless and righteous.
- Anna Hazare does the right thing (fight against corruption) and gets support from followers. Ramdev on the other hand has to ask and coax his supporters to join him and later save him from the police. Many of the so called supporters are hurt and roughed up while Ramdev crossdresses and fleds to Haridwar !
- Anna Hazare talks less and does more, Ramdev does nothing but talks and talks (remember his viewpoint on gays and item girls. how can such a pervert fight for the democracy and the people?)
- Anna Hazare doesn't affiliate to any political party and does selfless service for the betterment of the countrymen. Ramdev on the other hand supports & seeks support from political groups like RSS and BJP.
- Anna Hazare does not run from his fast site and certainly does not need an 'army' to achieve what he has started on. Ramdev runs sheepishly (come on, the most police could have done was to arrest him for an hour and then let him go! Why so much hullabo about that?) and wants to build an army to fight the government. how is that different from a Maoist?
- Ramdev does not support Anna Hazare when the latter is on a fast. Anna, in spite of the fighting tactics of  Ramdev supports him and assured him, he will join him.
- The government respects (and probably is a little fearful of) Anna Hazare, but do not care much about Ramdev.

Lifestyle???

You hear about this word now and then, 'Lifestyle'. The most common phrase being 'These days, all diseases/disorders are lifestyle-induced'. A whole new list of disorders called 'lifestyle disorders' have emerged and a whole lot from the earlier disorders have been added to this list fully or partially.

Everyone has advise for people on how to cope up with these lifestyle disorders or avoid them altogether. Some of these being Yoga, Meditation, Exercising etc. Well, i have thought of some innovative & funny ways myself (and i am sure you would not have seen most of these earlier).

1. Don't read the newspaper. Or may be just go through the gossip and magazine supplements. Avoid the main newspaper altogether. No, bad news, no tension, no problem! If you get depressed easily, you could cut out even the magazine supplements.

2. Do at least one creative thing a day. It will lift up your spirits, make you feel more satisfied with life. It could be anything, painting, writing, sketching, etc. But don't confuse this with your hobby or something you like doing. e.g. your hobby could be reading novels, but that's not being creative. This is more to do with donning your thinking hat and getting your creative juices flowing. Creating something (good or bad isn't at all the question), gives satisfaction.

3. Real adventure. Get your adrenal rush. Go for an adventure activity like bungee jumping or visit your nearest amusement park for the wackiest rides available. The real (not kiddish) video games are also an option. Anybody who says that video games are not 'real' adventure hasn't yet played a good game. Basic idea is to induce the right hormones!

4. Shop Smart. I don't mean shop spending half your salary on most things you don't want and then get depressed all over again. I mean, plan your shopping, and look for offers on things you want. Nowadays, with more than one store in the same mall, you could buy different stuff (which you had planned on buying) from different stores at great discounts. Apart from the fact that shopping is therapeutic, when you will look back that you got everything you wanted (and planned for) at the least price possible, you will feel elated!

5. Do something for people around you. This could range from helping a friend shift his/her flat, to doing some service at the local blind school. And don't think of money when you wish to do something for the underprivileged, actually do something. On the ground helps! Satisfaction from this is guaranteed...

Trust these help. In case they don't you don't have any option but to succumb to the vagaries of your lifestyle!

Vacation Express!

Voila, it’s the time of the year, when everybody’s heading towards the mountains! So, for almost everybody who might be thinking of the usual destinations of Shimla, Manali, Mussorie or Nainital (for North India), I feel a little sympathetic. Why? Because, going to these locations is like getting away from Delhi (both from the scorching heat and the hustle-bustle of the city) and landing up in Delhi all over again! Yes, you do have the lake or the mountain, but what point is it when half of Delhi’s population is riding a boat in that lake or climbing up that mountain. I have been to all these locations and they all have the same problem (Shimla being the most oppressed, while Manali still makes some sense).

So, I am going to share some thoughts of my own for this holiday season:

1.   If you are looking for a quick getaway, think Jaipur or Agra for instance. Don’t yet raise the gun to my head, hear me out. This time of the year, the money you spend in staying at a two star hotel in Mussorie, might be able to get you a special getaway package at a 5 star hotel in Jaipur or Agra! I know it is hot as hell at both the places (worse than Delhi actually), but that is if you get out of the 5-star hotel you are staying at! And, if you are lucky, you might actually get a pleasant evening, in which you could explore the Hawa mahal or the Taj Mahal (Taj Mahal, by the way, in the evening under moonlight is an experience altogether). The sight might turn out to be much better than seeing your boss, with his family, in a boat in the Nainital (In summers, it gets so crowded, the boats can hardly move around without hitting each other!). This might be one of the rare chances when you could stay at a 5 star with your family, and not get ripped. And you get the best value for your money, whether it's shopping or food or other expenses. You could also indulge in a special theme holiday (Spa, Yoga, Culinary etc.). It is also very convenient to travel from Delhi to Jaipur or Agra. Check out special deals at hotels like Taj, ITC, Trident etc.

2.   If you are the beach kinda person you could head to places like Goa, Kovalam, or Kerala. Again, urge you to keep your gun down and read further! Yes, so, it might be hot as hell in Goa or Kovalam as well, but one, don't go out in the day and two, it will be definitely better than Delhi, with the sea breeze. These places will be less crowded during this period, you will get excellent deals and remember Monsoon arrives in those parts of India pretty early than Delhi. So if you perfect your timing, you could be holding hands with your spouse, walking on the beach, in a drizzle. Not bad, huh?

3.   You could always head off to the not so 'touristy' places. Some places i recommend are Bhimtal, Naukuchiatal, Sattal, Kasauni, Chakrata, Landowne etc. Not only will they be much cooler than Delhi, you can expect not to find hordes of people at these places unlike say Shimla or Mussorie. In addition, places like Naukuchiatal, Sattal, Chakrata offer something for the camper in you. You could stay in a tent, go trekking, do adventure stuff, learn fishing or just sit around the lake/moutain and enjoy the scenic beauty.

4.   Next, you could always go the North East states. They are cool, not too crowded and are unexplored. You could see and play in snow, have the special teas & drinks and enjoy exotic cuisines plus shop for the NE handicraft stuff. So basically, everybody's happy! Although i still yearn to make my first trip to this part of the world, based on what i know, i suggest places like Nathula Pass, Sikkim, Shillong, Gangtok, Tawang etc. Again, avoid Darjeeling, as it will be too crowded for comfort.

5.   Last but not the least, why go anywhere. Well, i don't mean, stay at your home and watch TV. Head out to a good hotel or resort in Delhi/NCR and chill out with your family. Just, don't get out of the hotel. Do indoor activities or laze around in their swimming pool, play board games etc. You could even take along your XBOX/DVD player and have fun with the family. Again this time of the year, you will find some amazing deals at these city hotels. Check at Radisson, Taj, Sheraton, ITC etc.

Hoep these are useful, and remember to have fun!

Memorable Pictures

Some of the memorable pictures i have clicked-Part1. Courtesy my Canon Powershot camera! More in next blog...




Nritya Mudra



Royal Sentry


























Rajmahal at Jodhpur



Sunset at a lakeside



Tree

What came first- Problem or Solution?

‘How are you?’ A question so ubiquitous, you hardly realize that you answer that everyday at least a dozen of times. However the only answers you might have heard or answered might be ‘very good’ or ‘very bad’, or variations therein. However, the answer that I have been wanting to answer for some time now is ‘I don’t know!’

For sometime I have been encountering a strange & confused feeling. Not to say I’m feeling neutral (somewhere between very good and very bad), but more like ‘I can’t decide’. I call this ‘vague perplexity’. Just in case somebody is interested in reading further; here are some symptoms of this advanced syndrome:
1. It starts when somebody asks you casually, ‘how are you?’ and you are bewildered as to what to answer. If you say good, you feel you’re over optimistic, and if you say bad, you start wondering, ‘why am I bad? What’s bothering me? Are my problems so big?’ Yes, the best answer to the question, in question, would be ‘I am ok’. However, you will still think after answering that, ‘I am not ok’. Worse still the second person might be a bit too poky and might want to ask- ‘Why just ok? Why not great? What are you facing?’
2. You feel very much like doing something (e.g. you buy a book you had been planning to read for a long time, for your upcoming travel plans). But when the actual time of travel comes and you open the book, your excitement dies down. You do not feel doing the planned activity anymore in spite of absolutely no change in the circumstances.
3. This is a stumper! You start seeing good points in bad things (or people) or bad points in good things (or people). Your confusion in life is accentuated. You start thinking a lot and every time without any substantial result!
4. You want time alone; to think through things or in refined intellectual terms- introspection. You long for your own time when you are with friends, colleagues, etc. When you are actually alone, you start missing people around you. All the thoughts of introspection go down the drain and you start catching up with friends over phone! Howzzat?
5. When you are actually alone and start your introspective journey, you think a lot. Thinking about how to solve the problem, what’s the best solutions only to find there are no solutions. Or worse still, there were no problems to start with. It adds heaps to the already existing confusions!

Well, to me all this is certainly strange. Please share your similar experiences & if possible any viable solutions. The only problem is, I do not know the problem, I am asking the solution for. 

Perfect Misfit!!!

This was the second time i saw it. The machine operator at my office who looks after our photocopying requirements, was drawing something with his pen on a rough printed sheet... and believe you me, he was good at it! Although i thought of going to him to appreciate his skill and may be encourage him to further pursue his interest rather than churning out copies of useless reports and documents that nobody will ever benefit from, i didn't do it.

Why? Because the simple fact came upon me that he might pose to me a question i would not be able to answer and take the discussion further. The simple question that how pursuing this hobby of his will ensure his two square meals and sustain his family!

This small incident made me think about the broader picture. Why is it that most of the people in India do not pursue their interest as their career. Why is that a kid who dreams of becoming a cricketer kills his dreams somewhere in his adolescence and goes on to become a CA or a Doctor or worst of all an Engineer (Every 2nd person who pursues Science these days becomes an engineer. Pure demand-supply mismatch with engineering seats going vacant. More on that in the future blogs).

And i am not saying that these people who do not pursue their dreams become bad professionals out of lack of interest. Almost all turn out to be pretty decent in whatever they do. And most do not regret their choice citing reasons like- 'oh i was a kid at that time/i didn't knew about the world/I am a happy man/woman today!'

This primarily can be attributed to our habit of keeping everything 'safe'. We tend to be a very non risk-taking nation. And I could think of a very strange reason behind this non-risk taking culture that we Indians seem to have believed in (Engineering is evergreen/ Doctors will never be out of work, blah, blah, blah)

The reason i have in mind is believe it or not- 'the British rule in India'! Even though i am not a historian (not even distantly related), i could see some trend that suggest to this reason. India was a great source of knowledge and enlightenment prior to the foreign invasions (i am talking somewhere about the Dravidian civilisation). Even during the Mughal period, we had notable scholars, musicians, artists and architects. It was only after the Europeans started coming to India, it became tricky!

In order to rule India, 'free thinking' had to be curtailed. And the right kind of education leads to 'free thinking'. The agenda of the British raj was to propagate an education culture which would effectively churn out not anything more than 'Babus' and 'Clerks' for the British Raj, so that these could be used by the white folks. I suppose that was the time, rote learning became the base of education. So, memorise hard, pass some exams and you are in line to become a babu for a Gora Sahib. Logic and analytical thinking which form the basis of any learning and development were taken 'out-of syllabus'. And most importantly 'risk- taking' as a process had to be brutally killed. And the result is the present education system that we see in India. 'Herd-mentality', 'knowledge free, 'exam oriented', 'logic-less', are some keywords that define the education system now. The result is fairly well-known, most Indian graduates and MBAs today are non-employable, have poor communication skills, can't reason and think analytically, and so their career and growth has a upper-limit.

The way forward is not to wage a war against UK, neither will cursing the system make any sense. The only way forward is that the government takes gigantic steps towards ensuring a paradigm shift in the present education system, rather than concentrating on 'enrollment figures' and number of graduates/MBA/Engineers India churns out. And we as parents or guardians or influencers need to encourage kids to pursue their dreams. To make sure that they fail and learn and are not afraid to fail again.

To end, a quote i had learnt a long time back-
"A ship is safe in a harbour, but that's not what ships are for" (William Shedd)

The shocking truth behind CWG...

Well, i am sorry to add up to the already gigantic pile of stories on Common Wealth Games 2010. But this one is much more than a story. It's a brilliant and thought provoking attempt to uncover the truth behind the mess called CWG. Is CWG a self inflicted wound? Yes, if you believe these conspiracy theories.

Conspiracy theory no. 1
According to this theory the CWG 2010 was deliberately made a mess by none other than our sports ministry. They planned it out from the start. Right from bribing the international officials and presenting lowest quotations for getting the CWG 2010 awarded to India; to ensuring that the preparations are slower than a 150 year old drunk snail. All was planned. Why, they had to. The objective is that of deep emotional and patriotic value. To ensure that Indian players win all the medals in the games and make us all proud! However, even after making dogs poop on athletes' beds and ensuring that most of the bridges are faulty and fall down just 10 days before the games, some athletes have started pouring in with no intention of going back. The ministry has convened a meeting to tackle with this unforeseen situation and hopes to at least land 50% of the medals for India.

Conspiracy theory 2.
Well, it could be a shock to most economics students and scholars but according to this theory all this was planned by the planning commission in consultation with the finance ministry. It makes simple economic sense. For the uninitiated, we get awarded the CWG 2010, our politicians and VIPs make a fortune out of substandard infra, poor execution and planning, bribes for contracts, etc. etc. Then where do they spend that money? In a shopping mall near their home, or on a new car, or may be a helicopter, fifth marriage of their 8th son and so on. Only this demand driven economy is something that can take us ahead of China. (And yes every politician & official involved had to sign an undertaking that they will not spend more than 5% of their booty outside India, and that too not in China, at any cost)

Conspiracy theory 3.
For those of you who are die-hard Rahul Gandhi fans, it's time to switch to theory no. 4. NOW! Yes you guessed it right, the whole planning (or the lack of it) was a crop that nurtured in the young MP's fertile mind. He, very cunningly planned and executed this, of course without coming into the limelight and using the PM and his cabinet to achieve his goals. (Yes Smt. Gandhi tutored rahul on this tactical approach). The aim was to create widespread employment for the population of India. It was also necessary to do this to ensure success of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). So, bridges were built at exorbitant labour fees and it was ensured that they fall in due course of time, to be rebuilt again, by the same laborers at double the fees. You could not imagine how much employment this has generated across various strata. Right from a labor who tills garden to the Swanky Babu who is the project head for the common wealth games 'village'. What an idea sirjee!

Conspiracy theory no. 4
All this was the vengeance motivated work of our bollywood superstars, who formed a consortium to ensure that the infra being built for the games is not upto international standards, and that Delhi does not become a global destination with pedicured lawns, hi-end transport system, superb infrastructure and brilliant locales. Imagine if this would have happened, all the producers would have wanted to shoot their next blockbusters in Delhi, giving places like Switzerland, Australia, New York, London a miss. That would be a huge loss to the celebrities who like these destinations and like to travel there to shoot. The locales add to the (non-existent) storyline and help gain eyeballs (apart from of course the micro-minis the actresses have to flaunt). And believe it or not the consortium was led by the two people whom no one ever can think to be united on something- Shah Rukh and Salman.

Conspiracy theory no. 5
And this one is just too easy to understand. It was the Indian media channels and newspapers behind the mess. why? Imagine who would have seen their channel if everything had worked on well. The careers of many journalists and editors was at stake. The modus operandi was simple. They used to go out in the night, get the labor to eat, drink and enjoy the camaraderie and report the next day that work was still not complete. Some even took things in their hand by cutting bridge wires, mixing sand in cement, importing dogs, and themselves defecating in the CWG accommodation.

HAPPY CWG to ALL
(This is a light hearted take on the CWG mess. To anybody hurt by whatever i have written, please note that i don't care a damn!!!)

positive always?

Being positive isn't always good. Just to explain my point, let me narrate a short story.

Once i was not in the best of spirits and was feeling low about my personal life, my career, in all everything. One of my friends, whom i was sharing the problems with, concluded very surgically- 'it's all upon you maddy. You can feel bad and miserable or feel positive in spite of everything and smile and be happy and not anyone know that you are unhappy. These kind of problems come always, but when the going gets tough, the tough gets going!!!'

"Wow", i thought, yes i should be positive. In spite of everything that has happened i should chose to be happy. So that whole day, i was very cheery, happy, and motivated to face the problems head on! However the bad mood returned by the end of the day. I tried to be positive again, from deep within, but could not.

Since then i have this theory, that try to remain positive, but do not do it because you ought to. Do not do it because people around you will think that you are not strong enough. When situations are bad it is ok to be sad. Do not take everything upon yourself. Yes to some extent it depends on how you think, but do not try to think positive about something that is not positive. That is sheerly cheating yourself.

Let me tell you, why you should not be positive always and not blame yourself for everything. Suppose you go to a movie, and the movie sucks big time (think of any recent RGV movies). Now the movie is bad and that's the fact. You do not need to be 'positive' and see anything good about the movie. The movie is bad and that's how it is. There is no point saying 'yes it was not upto expectation, but there were some positives, blah, blah blah.' Just say 'it sucked and was a waste of money'

This might be easy to think in case of a movie but do that for life also. All of us appreciate the fact that life has ups and downs. So when it is down, we should acknowledge it is down. Do not fake it! And beware of friends, acquaintances, self-help books that tell you to be positive and blame yourself for anything negative around you. Do not take the crap- 'it is how you see it, my boy'.

There will be bad times, but they will pass by and good times will come. Till then just be strong, but acknowledge that it's not all good. And it happens, nothings wrong with your attitude.

So, forget about positive or negative, just be yourself. And it is ok to feel sad sometimes. Do not force yourself to be positive when you can't!

Innovation!!!

Recently came across this innovative thing which was a spoon-cum-fork. I am proud to be in India where people think out of box! Take a look at the pics...

Subsidising petrol prices- My take!

No dilly dallying here. I will straight forward come to the point here. I am with the government (or the policy makers) when they are wanting to reduce (or even do away with) the subsidy on petrol and diesel! I know you would frown at this but i have my share of reasons for it which i have tried to list down:

1. It's good for the environment! Till the time petrol and diesel becomes exorbitantly dear, people will not even notice the alternatives to these fossil fuels. This is true both from the customer perspective and the automobile companies perspective.

Most people are not aware of electric technology used for automobiles which is absolutely emission free. Even if they are slightly aware they will sideline it with ridiculous logic like- 'what happens if i run out of electricity while on road?' Don't you have to plan accordingly for any other fuel? And electricity is actually easy to 'refill', at the convenience of your home or office.

The companies are oblivious of the environment friendly technology because of demand mismatch (the customer is not interested so why should i) and of course because if they plan to introduce new technologies they have to invest in R&D and new production lines etc. So 'we will think about how to cross the bridge when it comes'. Though companies which are smart know this new technology is going to be the future and thus have started working on the alternative fuel technologies for their cars. Many cars now come with factory fitted CNG kits and other will have electric versions of existing models in another couple of years.

2. My second point is very simple. Why should government pay for the fuel you and me use in our vehicles? And when they are withdrawing it we are raising such hue and cry over it! We don't expect government to subsidise our food items, our restaurant bills, our property and real estate, our designer dresses etc. Then why petrol? It is not our constitutional birthright to ask our government to cover us from the global price rise in petroleum products. And please understand, our government does not subsidise these prices by taking a cut from the salary of our minsters or IAS officers, it is our money, that we pay through various taxes to government. So whichever way (through government subsidy or paying directly for dearer fuels), it's your and my hard earned money! I feel it's wise to switch away from Petrol.

3. This is the only way we will realise the value of petrol! And I feel we are still miles away from realising it's value. So we see people at traffic signals not wanting to switch off their engines even if the light is for 3-4 minutes. People do not switch off their engines while they get out of their car, to buy a cigarette or to buy flowers or for that matter anything else. The other day i saw a man park his scooter on a street, engine on, and go in to a store to buy apples! And he had no compunction in doing so. Once the same petrol becomes Rs. 250 a litre, i am sure he will not dare to even think leaving his scooter with engine on!

4. Only when the people and thus the government realise that petrol is not a viable option anymore will they start investing more money and efforts in R&D for alternative fuels. And the sooner this research happens and results start pouring the soon we can implement them. Because accept it or not, alternative fuels are the only options for the future, so better start early. Although i can not quote exact figures, but many countries around the globe have already started to use alternative fuels for their own good.

5. When was the last time you travelled in a public transport bus or Metro? Yeah, i know, it's not that viable because the metro station is a little far from your office and you will have to walk to office from the metro station. What the environment requires is not for you to plant a tree once an year and feed it with water on every weekend, but something more serious, some thing more sacrificing, like resting your car and taking public transport (Metro or Bus) and walking those 5-10 mins to reach office from the Metro station or Bus stop. When executives in China and Japan can cycle to work why can't Indians even take a bus or Metro? I think even cycling isn't too bad an option for people who have offices close to their homes. You save the environment, help us reduce our dependence on Petrol and cycling can help you stay fit!





6. Last but not the least, we need all this simply because we are not an oil producing nation. We need to import oil to meet our demands and the price of everything we buy revolves around petrol and diesel prices. That is why every price goes for a toss when the petrol prices increase. Imagine if we reduce our dependence on these petroleum products we could kind of detach our economy from whatever happens in UAE, Iraq or US (to some extent). We would not have to worry about the price of vegetables increasing, if petrol prices rise. We as a country would be more self sufficient than we are today.



This is what i think!!!

An incident and a learning

Let me start by narrating a small incident. The other day while coming back from office, i saw a group of 'Kanwariyas- saffron clad, Shiv worshipping Sadhus, who travel to different Shiv temples on foot carrying poles across their shoulders which hold small water-pots (kanwars)' on a road side stall set up for them. At the stall, which was amidst a very busy road, they were being offered free food, water and a air cooled resting place (which was playing hindi bhajans 'inspired' by popular bollywood songs). Now if you have already perceived them to be old, abstinence loving, docile creatures, let me describe them for you.

This group was young, most people seemed to be in their 20s or 30s. They were riding their bikes (oh yes, they were on their path to moksha on their two-wheelers), were wearing sunglasses and carrying what seemed like imported backpacks. It seemed amusing till what happened next!

As they were on their bikes, they reached the traffic signal (where i was also there), which was red and the traffic from the other side was speeding. Once they formed a small group of about 10-12 riding on their 7-8 bikes, they suddenly barged into the opposite traffic and by signaling by their hand to stop, put the opposite traffic in a mess. When a couple of cars and buses stopped to save them from being crushed under them, they sped on their bikes yelling- Bam Bam Bhole, with a sense of victory in their war cry.

Although, luckily nobody was injured and everything went normal in a few seconds, it made me realise how we in India do not perceive religion to be a personal thing at all. These kanwariyas seem to take participation in religious groups because they get empowered by this participation. Empowered enough to take the law of land in one's hand and jeopardising the life of other fellow human beings!

Imagine a scenario where even one of the these kanwariyas might have been hit by a car from the opposite side and injured. I can imagine what would have happened. They would have called their group and thrashed the poor driver of the car without any mistake of his. In a worse case they would have become violent, stopped all traffic and done gruesome harm to public property (which has happened in past too). And could the police and administration have done anything, i think not!

And they could have done all this just because they represent a particular religion and sect and have to be treated above the law or bear the wrath! I think, as people out on a religious mission, they surely should be treated with all due respect and care that we can, but nobody can be above law and their life is no more worthy than of anybody else on that road.

May lord shiva help us and all the kanwariyas realise the fact that religion does not provide someone to be above law or become violent, it is just a way of connecting with the almighty.

How i started blogging!

' You've never blogged!!!' exclaimed my friend, making me feel a little like a teenager boy, who is in this group of super studs and casanovas, and idiotically admits to being a virgin! It isn't such a big deal, this blogging stuff? And frankly speaking, i have been put off by many people i know who write any crap that they feel like on their blog and expect others to read it and come back to them with bouquets of appreciation.



For some days though, i kept on thinking about blogging. And the other day (yes, day not night) i dreamt about a high level panel discussion being held about blogging's future in our country. The participants were no less than the who's who of India (although known for all the wrong reasons usually!!!). This is how the scene of discussion went on-



'Blogging is anti women', scremaed Girija Vyas. 'Look at how these bloggers write anything they feel about women. Some even share their intimate and private moments by blogging and vent their anger about their wifes and girlfriends, online. That is grossly inappropriate and we raise a strong voice against it!'

' I am a poor farmer and i have never blogged in my life. I don't think poorest of people like me care about blogging in our country', said Madhu Koda, shyly, simultaneouly whipping back in his pocket the key chain of his BMW, lest anybody see it and demand an explanation as to how he could afford a BMW.

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who actually had wanted to start the debate, had no choice but to speak after Mrs. Vyas and Mr. Koda as his preparations for his bamble took some time. Moreover it took him more than 10 minutes to stand & speak his two lines- "We only want a law mandating that blogging should be done in hindi, which is our 'rashtrabhasha'. And Advaniji will further speak about BJP's and RSS's stand on blogging".

Before Advaniji could speak, some south indian minsiters created a furore over Mr. Vajpayee's proposal. Some even demanded that the residents of non hindi states be given a minority status and be assigned quotas in IIMs/IITs and high profile professions like IAS. Mr. Advani was smart enough to tweak the law and proposed making it compulsory for poeple to be allowed to blog only in hindi or their Indian mothertongue (non-english).

The CPI along with other communist parties were listening to all this for some time and discussed something in bengali before Mr. Karat could not control it any further. "This is all a US agenda. They want us to divert from issues like poverty and hunger so they could further instill capitalism in India. We are against blogging or for that matter anything that leads to capitalism." he said, while wiping his face with his khaadi kurta, made in US of A!

Suddenly somebody was heard chuckling like he had inhaled laughing gas and could not control his laugh. It was Navjot Singh Sidhu, who spoke while still laughing- "My friend you seem to as comfortable with blogging as a bum is on a porcupine. Please understand you can not make an omelette without breaking the eggs. Perceptions in life are like fish in ice cold water. You have to chose between tightening your belts or losing your pants and with it your dignity."

Most of the members in the house did not understand what he was saying and so he was given a round of applause so that he shut up and sit down. Didi took the opportunity and started in bengali then switching to hindi- "As far as blogging does not harm poor farmers and labourers we will not have a problem with it. We can look at avenues of using blogging for good of such people. If anything of that sort happens then i promise we will launch new trains which will have facility to blog while on board."

Mr. A Raja also supported blogging vehemently. " We are in the 21st century, communication is the key to everything. In fact i was thinking of making available mobile blogging kiosks for which i am about to float a tender on lines of the 3G tender".

One of the most tech savvy ministers (or in his case ex-minsters), Shashi Tharoor, had just tweeted using his latest blackberry (which read- WTF, blogging shows we are democratic. Most of these old men from cattle class are sick!!!) spoke in his refined voice- "Promoting blogging is like celebrating our nation's heritage. I think it can be a revenue generating activity also'' and starting sharing some statistics from his new Macbook.

Dr. Manmohan Singh, who was the moderator of the discussion, cut Mr. Tharoor short and put forward a conclusion- "We definitely need blogging to remain abreast of the world (read Brazil, Russia and China), but it has to be inclusive in nature. We want our young leaders like Rahul Gandhi to take forward this discussion's results and constitue a parliamentary commitee which will evaluate as to how Blogging can be used for social upliftment and nation building. Then i (whihc means i along with Mrs. Gandhi) will analyse the recomendations and put forward a constitutional amendment to make blogging a constitutional Right. We shall call it- Right to blogging (RTB) and will try to put it to discussion in parliament's winter session. That is if Advaniji and Karat ji allow the parliament to work. Jai Hind"

That is how my first blog happened!!!