Thinking Tree

In Your Shoes

2011-10-19T18:08:00.001+05:30

There are moments of pain, and moments of glory
Creating and carving, and conceiving your own story
Vision you found - laden with clues
Inching every step to be in your shoes

The history was replete with the pains you faced
While others wondered, in awe they gazed
There were souls - in the pink yet in the blues
I implore ye Lord, tell - what it meant to be in your shoes

The shoes were dusty and at times they shone
In times of hardship, when others were stolid and drone
When yours shoes weathered, they made news
Others gasped, how you stayed in your shoes

Unruffled you were, when others argued and cursed
In your self you believed, never in your might you blushed
While others lost faith in their shoes,
How you transformed lives and led - in your shoes

Beneath your shoes, there lay a soul,
Like none other, you were certain with a role,
To reinstate faith and to let loose,
To create your destiny and to be in your own shoes

In Search of a Perfect Newspaper

2011-02-19T20:17:00.003+05:30

Ever since I moved to Pune earlier this year, I could not read Economic Times or any other newspaper. Why? Because, apparently, where I stay in Baner Road, there is hardly any newspaper stall nearby. No kidding.

So today, I set out on this mini-mission to 'explore' the whereabouts of the nearest Newspaper stall. And I was appalled with the findings.

Those of who are familiar with Pune, Balewadi stadium is away from Aundh. I started my journey towards the Balewadi stadium in a hope to find the nearest newspaper stall. And I traveled from Symantec and traveled further till 4-5 km. And I found nothing.

Disappointed as I was, but was resolute too of finding a newspaper stall, I retraced my steps towards Aundh. After reaching Parihar Chowk, I found a newspaper stall that quenched my thirst of a newspaper.

All in all, I had to travel about 7-8 km to find a newspaper stall. Business opportunity anyone? Phew.

Thoughts at 12.30am

2011-01-28T00:29:00.006+05:30

I want to write today. It is close to 12.30am now, and I want to write. This feeling of sudden loneliness has grown over me I guess. I am writing what occurs to me, AS IS.

I am currently staying in a boys hostel at Pune. Having relocated to Pune for a new career opportunity, I'm enjoying my stay here. There's lot to learn from solitude. But I am keeping myself busy by watching movies and listening to my fav songs. This way I actually don't get to spend time in solitude, which is bad in a way. But this way I also keep myself engaged.

Mind attunes itself pretty quickly and I am known to adapt to situations quickly. Well, I have adapted to Pune and this 2-cot room too.

I will be spending another 2 months alone in Pune before my family joins me. Till then, I want to be involved in activities like trekking, traveling, book clubs, etc. to keep myself occupied.

The new company I've joined is pretty good. Lot of things to learn in it. Good thing is it's a software product company, so there's lot more to learn. The people here are also very supportive. They help the creativity flourish.

Lots to do now.. I'm at the planning stage right now. Things are going well and they'll become better in the days to come.

Stay tuned. Rock on. Godspeed.

Getting Creative

2010-12-06T00:05:00.004+05:30

Getting creative is not just a one time activity. Consistency matters. You should work such that creativity becomes a habit, then you'll do wonders. See how it pays off!

Becoming creative is being aware of the fact that there are multiple solutions beneath every problem. Only that they need to be poked to show themselves up! They will emerge, with persistence.

Inspiration from Hugh MacLeod

2010-12-05T23:13:00.001+05:30

Drawing inspiration from Hugh MacLeod (gapingvoid.com), I went out and purchased 3 marker pens to 'try' writing on the back of business cards. Just to get 'that' excitement.

I've following gapingvoid.com since about 5 years now, and am a HUGE fan. So just recently, I thought of toying with the idea and started drawing these cartoons on the back of used/old business cards that there were just lying around, unused.

Let me know how you found them. I'll upload some more soon.

Pic1: so, what's keeping YOU!

Pic2: which one will you CHOOSE?

Pic3: Form without function is FUTILE.

Pic4: Which one will you CHOOSE?

Pic5: making sense of things

Pic6: ignorant about ignorance

Pic7: Success, Finally!

Pic8: feed my hunger

Piranhas 3D...The Ordeal Unleashed!

2010-10-30T03:08:00.011+05:30

To my utter dissatisfaction...
1. Piranha 3D was not scary AT ALL. I anticipated HUGE adrenaline rush in this movie and a lot more blood and gore from the pre-historic Piranhas, who were busy reducing humans into bones.
2. Piranha 3D was not in 3D in the multiplex I had been to. Fortunately, 3D was not really required here.
3. It was like a typical no-brainer zombie movie, in which zombies keep eating people who are running helter-skelter to save themselves.
4. I could not figure out what good actors like Elizabeth Shue (The Saint, Hollow Man) and Ving Rhames (MI, MI-II) were doing in this movie. They had no roles whatsoever, other than becoming self-imposed baby-sitters to a bunch of drunk kids at a beach. Rhames is eaten while he bravely tries to kill Piranhas using the motor boat's motor as the last resort. Shue is just trying to shoo the Piranhas away.
5. I've not seen a REAL horror movie in a long time.

The good part was:
1. Its duration was just over 70 mins.
2. The interval was really short, which meant that the second half got a chance to start sooner and end sooner.
3. They gave us complementary coke, probably just to make us sit for the rest of the movie.
4. The movie had an end, and so I was sure that the ordeal will end soon.

The High Performance Entrepreneur

2010-10-27T01:21:00.006+05:30

I'm currently reading this book by Subroto Bagchi.

It delves deep inside the mind of an entrepreneur and explains how to spot the entrepreneur within you, how to know if you are ready to start an enterprise, how to set vision, mission and goals, how to create a team etc etc. The list goes on.

I have so far completed about 20% of the book and this is what I have say about it: IT'S PRACTICAL TO IMPLEMENT AND VERY INSPIRATIONAL TO READ!

The book details insightful anecdotes and his personal experiences while co-founding MindTree. At times, you get a feeling of deja-vu while reading it.

I will personally recommend this book to anyone keen to start an enterprise and is unable to start it due to self-doubts. It will be like an unflinching lighthouse showing direction to your lost ship.

I'm loving it. Go to a book store near you to grab a copy.

Freshness

2010-08-10T00:42:00.003+05:30

Ah, much better now!

I was trying out the new 'Template Designer' feature on Blogger. It's really convenient. For the time being I'm going stick around with this one.

I like its simplicity and its appeal. It has a certain freshness that connected with me.

Cheers, to the freshness! :)

FaceBook

2010-04-06T16:23:00.002+05:30

I have been real busy last month and a half. But have been active on FaceBook. I find it is much better than Orkut.

It's a great conversation starter. :)

“the kinetic quality”: the future of advertising

2010-02-26T10:08:00.007+05:30

I was just reading about the 'kinetic quality of products' here at gapingvoid.com.

The future of brands is interaction, not commodity. It is not something you buy, but something you participate in.

A good read for anyone interested in brands, products, consumer perception. I enjoyed reading it. :)

Phir Mile Sur

2010-02-24T09:29:00.005+05:30

When some-buddy told me that a new version of the famous 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' was launched, I was very eager to see its telecast. But when I saw it on YouTube last Sunday, I was dissappointed due to the following points:

1. More than showing United Colors of India, it seemed to be showcasing United Colors of Bollywood.
2. Sports which needs focus today and ample promotion to flourish in India - was vastly neglected in the 16 minute song. When I say sports, I don't include Cricket in it. Cricket is more popular than required.
3. How many of you noticed Saina Nehwal, Gopichand and Abhinav Bindra in the song? They must have collectively shared 5 'blink-and-you-miss' seconds. In India sports needs an impetus today which 'Phir Mile Sur' was capable of providing.
4. 5 seconds of these Sports stars compared to 10 minutes of Bollywood stars dancing around unconvincingly singing 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara'.
5. Perhaps a sort of fusion of dance was attempted in Shobhanaa and Shaimak Davar's dancing styles - how 2 radically different dancing styles exist in India today - one, ancient and another too new to be true. I personally enjoyed only the part where Shobhanaa gracefully performs Bharatnatyam.
6. It did not somehow connect with me. The whole song. I felt it lacked an emotional appeal.

Will share some more concerns later. Meanwhile, I will just re-run the old 'Mile Sur Mera Tumhara' in my mind.

Interacting with Students

2010-02-20T08:31:00.010+05:30

Recently, I was asked to speak to the final year students of some Engineering, MCA, MCS colleges in the city. I was asked to tell them 'what to expect in the corporate world and how things are radically different out there'. I recalled when during my engineering days, there was no system/process which helped us interact with our seniors and learn about opportunities in the 'corporate' world.

I immediately accepted the offer to speak to my 'juniors'. But it wasn't easy as it sounded. I recollected how during my engineering, we were reluctant to attend any such seminar of a 'faculty' who told us the difficulties one faced in the corporate world. It was when I actually entered the corporate world that I experienced them.

I decided to share the following with the students:
1. Life during my graduation
2. My 'wake-up' call during engineering
3. how we identified that we had poor communication skills, then went ahead full-steam in improving it.
4. Experience as an Entrepreneur
5. Difficulties we faced in our enterprise
6. How in today's Information age, not knowing something is a sin.
7. The attitude required in corporate world
8. What grads/post-grads do not focus on during their studies
9. Importance of Networking and Mentoring
10. Miconceptions about the dreaded personality called 'boss'
11. Importance of being in touch with your alma-mater
12. A to-do list to help them grow - personally and professionally
13. How important it is to be in the company of people better than you

I kept it interactive most of the times and tried giving practical examples. It was a good experience because the sense of 'giving back' to your society came for the first time.

I am keen to do this again. I want to tell them how they can maximise their potential by making good use of their graduation/ post-graduation period.

Has Nature Really Evolved?

2010-02-17T08:35:00.018+05:30

There are three types of canines. First, who live on my side of the road. Second, who live on the other side of the road. Third, who die crossing the road.

Canines have inspired me over the years about the sense of purpose, sense of existence, the elemental drive, evolution etc. Strange, but true. Will try to elaborate these one by one below.

En route my office on my bike, I always observe lot of dogs 'just' hanging around.

ABOUT PURPOSE/ SENSE OF EXISTENCE: They seem to roam around with no sense of purpose/ the 'higher' goal in life. They are either making a futile effort of trying to catch their own tail or just chasing each other out of their territory. Is that all they exist for? Are they self-aware? Do they know why they exist?

Life for them seems pretty easy, from OUR POINT OF VIEW. But we would never know their thoughts. Unless we can find some telepathic veterinary doctor or someone like Dr. Doolittle.

ABOUT EVOLUTION: Many dogs get killed in road accidents each year, and those who live on either side of the road, also become familiar with these accidents. My thought is, through evolutionary measures, why don't dogs - who have seen accidents or seen their near ones die - pass on this info through their genes to their successors?

In doing so, the new breed of dogs would get accustomed to urban lifestyles and the reckless driving habits. Thus, they could save a whole bunch of dogs while crossing. They could evolve into someone with an elastic, resilient, strong body - capable of withstanding high-speed impacts. What say? [Food for thought: How did homo erectus become homo sapiens?]

But this led me to thinking about evolution of human beings as well. Every child has to spend the same amount of time in learning things that his/her parents already know, right? We teach him to speak, to sing, to talk, to walk, to drink, to write, etc. Why do we have to do that, if our parents already know it? Why aren't these basic actitivites passed on through their genes to their child?

Won't it save time in training him in those things again? What happened to evolution? Why are we redoing and relearning things? Won't this help every new generation to start learning at a new level? Every generation would 'have' earlier gen's knowledge from their birth. They could start at an altogether new level of research, thinking, learning etc.

I'm unable to comprehend this immediately. But then, a possible solution surfaces: All that is there is in the world is 'material'. It may not exist tomorrow. And so what is the point of knowing something that may not exist tomorrow? And so, may be this info is not passed on to the next gen. Is this THE answer? Seriously, I have no idea.
-------

I'm trying to find answers to these questions. I ask these to every wise being I meet and I get varied answers. What do you think?

Mental Peace

2010-02-05T09:10:00.004+05:30

There are times at random, when your mental harmony is disturbed for no reason whatsoever. Or that is what it apparently looks like.

Upon closer observation of yourself, you begin to understand the nature of the problem. Once you have identified, you can solve it easily.

The mental harmony cannot be restored by external factors, nor can it be disturbed by external factors. It is something that you need to restore through soul-searching, resolving internal conflicts, introspection etc. All this can happen when you spend some time with your self.

My mental equilibrium was suddenly disturbed yesterday for no apparent reason. Something had happened at the office front, and I was about to go into the same old trap. But after spending some quality time alone, with my self today I could control it.

I will act on things asap - without critically over-analyzing and over-assessing things. I will limit my thinking to things of the present, rather than the past. Future is what I make of present, so I am not worried much about it.

Flying is for lazy people

2010-02-04T08:30:00.008+05:30

After many days today, I went for a morning walk with my cousin. On our way back, I shared my thought about how spectacular it must be to fly around.

To which he promptly replied, "Flying is for lazy people who do not like to run/ jog!". He continued, "What's there - you just have to think about it and you start flying. While running, you actually exercise. That's better."

I had no answer to this. I think I was too shocked to hear it. Perhaps, I had expected him to empathize with me and say, "Yeah, how interesting it must to be like Superman!".

But anyway, I guess, there is nothing right or wrong - only opinions. I just kept the possibilities of flying to myself and felt happier later.

Not a child anymore

2010-01-19T08:22:00.005+05:30

Last Sunday my mom and my wife had organised a ceremony for our daughter. It was basically an all-ladies and all-children event. Gents had nothing to do it. So my cousin bro, my dad and I planted ourselves in front of the TV in our bedroom.

However, I was the official photographer of the program. This is when the reality dawned on me. When I was clicking photos of the event and the people, it struck me that I wasn't a child anymore. I took a moment to register that. "I wasn't a child anymore," I thought again.

Just few years back, my friends would come over to celebrate my birthday. I was still cutting cakes and singing 'Happy Birthday to me!". And now, there were children who had assembled for an event of my daughter! WOW! I have really grown.

Celebrating Birthdays was the in-thing for me. But the fact that Birthdays brought out the child in me, excited me even more. I used to prepare a list of 'buddies' coming over to celebrate, mom and dad would ask me about the food to prepare and what gifts I wanted. But now, I would be doing it for my daughter.

All my buddies have grown up and married, having to take of their spouses. Celebrating Birthdays 'together' seems a distant reality, with the responsibility of 'our family' resting on our inexperienced shoulders. No, something has to be done about it. Some sort of celebration, may be a get together. With everyone involved in it. I will be a child again.

I suddenly think about an earlier blog I wrote about 'Old Times', where I had stated my desire to meet my young self when I am old.

Really. Times change. People grow. You grow. :) It's all for good. Seriously. Godspeed.

Sales! Sales!

2010-01-16T08:29:00.004+05:30

I am averse to going to shops which display 'Sales! Hurry.. Offer Till Stock Lasts!'. I am trying to assess why I think like that. I think I have at the back of my mind that this 'stock' is not the best of the lot. I buy things that last long and are of good quality. Therefore, sometimes, I overlook the cost factor and purchase something that is of the quality I want.

There's another issue: You are tempted to window shop in these places initially. You visit these shops, and end up shopping way over your budget. Which is funny, you never went in with a budget because you were just window shopping. In hindsight, during this fast-paced, and sometimes mindless, shopping you end up having things you may not like, and sometimes things you don't need.

I remember some catchy lines to grab some attention: "Buy 2, Get 10!". What they are actually saying is, if you buy 2 items, you get 8 items on them, which totals to 10. The salesman had clarified it to me once.

The pace at which these shops are mushrooming around, I am begining to change my mind. They are actually making money! They have tied with companies to give them a huge cut on margins, so that they can offer bulf discounts to customers. It's a consumerist market afterall. Good for us! I already see 'Sales!' signs coming up on prominent brands like Adidas, Reebok, Arrow, Bata, Metro, and Fastrack showrooms. I had seen similar signs just 4 months back.

It's sometimes good to visit these places. You get to meet lot of old and new acquaintences at 'Sales!' shops. I am also going to visit these shops, but will be taking a considered decision and will purchase something I need.

Happy Shopping!

Old Times

2010-01-08T09:56:00.012+05:30

Yesterday the following thought engulfed me: How must it be like to be old? How must our grandparents be feeling at that age of 65-70? Will I feel any different at 60? Hard to say, because I have not been through that experience.

Time-wise I would have grown, yes. At the family front, I might have become grand pa. But at the thought-level, at the mind-level, spiritual level, would I be any different than what I am? Hard to say. No clue whatsoever. Relativistically speaking, I have not grown in time with respect to myself.

I don't ask this question to senior citizens I meet, because of their seniority! But I want to ask someone, inquisitively, about how they felt when they were younger.

My journey of 28 yrs seems to have gone in a blink. On a computer you can create progressive versions of your files, and can subsequently view the changes/ modifications done in that file. In life, it does not happen. Every second, millions of varied inputs are acting on you, millions of improvizations taking place within you, millions of developments happening, millions of cells dying, millions of cells getting created, millions of thoughts shaping you into a better human being. But there's no way we are able to refer to our 'previous' version later... atleast for reference.

We just grow. Retaining memories which have influenced us in some way. Others, which have faded into oblivion.

There should be some way to compare notes between a person when he is young and when he is old. Someway, our young-self should be able to interact with our old-self or vice versa.

May be by the time I am 60, time travel would be a reality. And I would re-visit 8 Jan 2010, and meet myself to answer these questions.

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-01-05T20:21:00.010+05:30

The New Year has come at the right time. I somehow resolved my 'self-generated' problems very recently and am taking life ahead with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. I am back, again!

This new year celebration was memorable. We had invited two of my closest friends and their families over to my place to celebrate the new year. And we did celebrate it well. We had prepared 'Misal Pav', a heavy Maharashtrian snack that is easy to cook and yummy to eat. All the credit goes to my wife, mom and dad. All the material supplies, logistics, transportation, preparation, serving, arrangement etc was done by them.

During these days, exactly when they needed me, I had to put in long hours at work due to high absenteeism. While work was satisfying, it was difficult to see the same 'satisfying' expression on my wife's and mom's face! Especially when I wasn't there to help them. They still managed well, naturally.

My wife's busy work schedule did not prevent her from making delicious 'Gaajar ka Halwa' for everyone. Those who know how to make it, also know how time-intensive it is. Of course, it was amazingly made!

All of us (totalling 3 families) appreciated the menu. The credit, I reiterate, goes to my wife, mom and dad. Considering that I did not contribute anywhere, I was happy that they just let me eat it!

My daughter has completed 7 months a day before the New Year's eve. And she carried herself really well! She was attentive, fun-filled and responsive. She was the centre of attraction at the event. With the little vocabulary and ample mischiefs she has mastered, she had put the place on fire. We just laughed, and laughed. It was an evening well spent.

After playing Antakshari for about 3 hours, we all got tired at 2am. We decided to call it a day and others left for their respective homes to have a good night's sleep. Me and wife realised it almost at the same time - how the hell are we going to get up at 6.30am to be able to go to office at 8am? With that pleasant thought, we just slept.

I woke up very late at around 9am with happy thoughts of last night's celebration. Somehow, I managed to get ready quickly to reach office at 10am, surprised to see that several others had reached late after their late-night celebrations.

The new year had arrived - with new hopes, new aspirations, new events, new celebrations, new thoughts, new ideas, and most importantly, NEW LIFE! Happy New Year, again! :)

Perception, Pretense and other Pastimes

2009-12-25T08:28:00.021+05:30

From some days, I have been doing some soul searching.

Why is life the way it is? Could it be anyway different than what it is? What are others thinking about me? How will others react to my comments? Will others like my comments? Is he pretending to be what he is? What is his ulterior motive? Will others feel about what I am going to say? I have not been in touch with X person, what will he/she feel about it? Is this a good time to get in touch with X? Will X mind that I am getting in touch after ages?

All these questions, and many more, bothered me a lot for a very long time. I was too sceptical about expressing my own opinion, which is wierd because I always propogated that one should voice his/her opinion.

But sometimes you just need some 'time-out' from your routine. That is what I wanted. I was unable to focus on work, nor on family. Effectively, making me suffer in the process. I thought if I was able to spend time with myself for a while, I could sort out my messy life.

I was experiencing the widening communcation gap between my family, friends, near and dear ones. For no fault of theirs, I was going away from them, and I didn't know what to do. I just wanted the situation and my life in general to improve. I was neither opening up to others with my problems, nor solving it myself.

Somewhere I knew that I had the solution within me. Only, I was not able to find it. I was just moving along, without making any efforts to solve the problems. I was just waiting for things to get worse before I start controlling them. In this process, I was becoming more introvert and I was just growing an impenetrable shell around me. I had cut all communications with my friends and families, but still pretended that things were all fine.

Then came a point when I was no longer able to sustain the self-developed mountain of problems. I just had to find a solution. The phase of finding a solution was very revealing.

I spoke to my family about it. They offered me a simple solution and the root of my problem was identified rightaway. My problem was, I was doing too much thinking. I used to always think of things too critically - irrespective of their degree of seriousness. I used to think of all the possible outcomes/ possible responses/ possible turn-downs. You get what I am saying? I anticipated responses/ solutions/ problem-areas/ 'their' thoughts - positive or negative, and I refrained from acting on them. Thus, there was a huge delay in 'actions'.

These had become my bottleneck - my work, my family and I was suffering from it terribly. I was not open enough to do radical things, which was again very wierd because I am known to be a radical/ creative thinker.

Having identified these 2 major bottlenecks (and this is a very recent development), I am feeling immensely relaxed. But I knew that I still had to act on them.

This time I have decided - I will act on it asap without critically over-analyzing and over-assessing things. From past few days, results have been awesome. I am discovering that all these problems were my creation. I was only 'speculating' them. And they were becoming real. And they began haunting me.

So now I take quick decisions, and act on them. Life is becoming better again! Cheers!

An example of this is: Earlier, I would think for a long time about blogging my personal thoughts and sharing it with netizens. What will they feel about my thoughts, should I share my personal thoughts with them, etc. But I didn't bother much before writing this post. :) It is important to share than to hide. Sharing helps one grow.

PS: Another thought just struck me: Beneath every problem is a solution waiting to emerge and free itself!

a new start

2009-10-05T18:42:00.003+05:30

I want to be a blogger again. I have been thinking about it for long.

To start with, I will be writing just for the heck of it. Writing anything that crops up in my mind. Things I adore about my l'il baby, Swasti. The techniques I use to keep her from crying.

Watch out for this space.. :)

change in hand-writing

2009-03-05T10:52:00.004+05:30

Over the years my hand-writing has drastically changed. May be evolved is the right word.

Till very recently, I was a cursive writer until I came across Hugh MacLeod's cartoons on gapingvoid.com. I studied his writing, and found it very practical. Very legible and very clear. But it was print-writing. I adapted it and started using it. Not that my cursive was not legible. I have received several appreciations during school level for my cursive writing. Anyways.

My logic was this: Others may find cursive writing slightly difficult to read. Since I write for others to read, I should switch to print-writing. I also got a good response for this switch. I keep writing oneliners, thoughts, project specifics, and other such stuff on board and the readers did find this type of writing much easier to grasp.

More about it later...

corporate alter-ego

2009-03-04T13:05:00.004+05:30

We all want to be superheros - in corporate and personal lives. Somehow completing our target with unmatched accuracy and incredible speed. Saving some office guy from a big bully. Increasing team-work through mentoring or motivational blah. Saving the office from a mega-blunder by demonstrating "keen eye for detail" power.

Some remain shy and perform like Clark Kent or Peter Parker in their personal lives and transform in Superman or Spider Man in their professional lives. Some are like Bruce Banner who overtly transform into The Hulk and gets the work done. But their alter-egos don't have exciting lives. They're always struggling to keep up with their personal commitments.

I am wondering if a guy who consistently excels in professional and personal fronts is mythical.

I have recently become a great fan of Ben Tennyson (from Ben 10), a teenager with an Omnitrix having amazing powers of 10 aliens. Depending upon the situation's intensity, he summons his aliens using his Omnitrix and transforms himself into one. Then he goes on to "resolve the issue" at hand and ensures that the "problem" does not recur.

He is plain, down-to-earth, and balances both his lives with great dexterity. In our own lives, we should transform ourselves in our role models whom we actually look up to. Be it in managing teams, family, friends, projects etc.

my experiences in driving

2009-02-28T13:13:00.007+05:30

This was officially my fifth day of driving a 4-wheeler on the busy streets. And I am begining to feel that driving is an adventure and I hope to become passionate about it very soon.

The opening line will give y'all a feeling that I have just learnt to drive. But it's not so. I 'know' how to drive a car since my first year of engineering (9 yrs back - yeah, I know, don't gimme those looks!). I knew the basics then but wasn't 'hands-on'.

I was somehow reluctant about driving a car, for no reason whatsoever. Lot many friends and family members forced me to actively start driving. But I had a stronger willpower. I stayed adamant. I did not even bother to get a car driving licence. I satisfied myself with the excuse of having lot of work at my workplace. My crooked logic was: Since I did not have licence, I should not drive on roads as I don't like to violate traffic procedures.

Then came a time when the government encouraged me not to drive. Yes when the fuel prices had shot up and Petrol was at Rs 55 a litre. Anyways, they were brought down to curb inflation later, which was the good part.

Sometime in between I got engaged and was about to get married. This probably was the single most important reason that urged me to get a licence and learn driving.

Just somedays back I got a learning licence, and I started driving on roads. I had to develop confidence about my ability to drive. I am now practicing to make it perfect. I dared (very late though), and did practice driving on roads (not on smaller lanes, not empty on roads but roads full of people and vehicles).

With driving being newly added in my skill-set, I can venture out and take care of the pt 7 in my previous article.

Will be sharing more of my experiences in driving with you....

a new begining...

2009-02-28T11:21:00.007+05:30

Its been a real long time that I wrote anything. I really missed this period. But I was focused on my work and was settling in my married life.

Now I want to do lot of things. I want to:
1. re-unite with friends with whom I was not in regular touch
2. re-start blogging
3. fortify relations with family members (near and far)
4. start enjoying work again. (There was a small period when work had become just work. Monotonous. I am passionate about work. But during this small 'dark-age-type' period, I was working mechanically. I will again be passionate about my work.)
5. re-activate my interest in photography and and start publishing it (may be in flickr, picassa etc)
6. re-start meditation (there was a sufficiently long period when I had stopped meditating for no reason whatsoever. Meditation helped me discover and maximise my potential.)
7. re-visit places which I have not visited so far. (These would be scenic spots around Nasik)

Here's looking toward doing all of these with a lot of zeal!

Cheers!! :)

a quick post

2009-01-16T15:20:00.002+05:30

Yahoo is more popular than gmail although functionality and ease of gmail is better.

Currently we are facing tremendous issues with delivery to yahoo mails. We have tried lot of stuff to get rid of this problem, but to no avail. Tried to get in touch with yahoo customer care people, but I face a problem with such 'support teams' where they don't provide a telephone number. Lot of efforts but all in vain.

This is leading to high customer dissatisfiers. Yahoo has given some guidelines on 'best practices' during mailing. Well, to a layman like me, only 10% of those points made sense. Understandably, the problem remains.

But the rising customer escalations is a problem. Let's see.

Just had 5 quick minutes with me, thought of sharing my concerns with y'all!.

Sunday Times

2008-12-21T09:52:00.002+05:30

This Sunday has come after a long time. With the mad rush of things I have recently gone through, I don't remember the last time I encountered a Sunday.

Yeah well, I got married, for one, then went to a week-long trip to 'God's Own Country' Kerela. After my return, I had to immediately rush to another friend's wedding 30 hrs away in Andhra Pradesh.

In my total travel to Kakinada, I only attended the function for about 6 hrs and then started my journey back. Phew! That was the day preceding last Monday.

The adjoining week was action-packed, with no time to breathe. And like a small commercial break in a long movie, came Sunday. It will fade into time as soon as it has appeared, while I try to figure out what I am going to do in it.

So while I make a check list of things to do, you go ahead and enjoy Sunday!

Happy Diwali!

2008-10-27T08:30:00.002+05:30

A very happy and prosperous Diwali to all the readers!

May this Diwali bring new opportunities, hope and success to all of you!!

understanding the worth by spending more

2008-10-12T00:19:00.002+05:30

have you ever experienced this?

you think something is worth something , but you had to pay more amount just to realise that it was worth less.

Free as hell

2008-09-19T22:51:00.010+05:30

"Free as hell", an angel said while promoting heaven

"what price would you pay to get to heaven?" - "Life", said the angel

so why die, why not continue living and ponder upon more tangible things like Life and the Materials that it constitues, rather than speculate about such intangible notions.

Why dont we have the freedom to live, as we have to die? why can't we 'choose' to be immortal? how do some people die and still become immortal due to their deeds while others continue to just live life of a living dead?

"dont remember to forget" - I said to myself, "and dont forget to remember"

Should we be like lighthouses, who just stand at a place and show the path? Naah! "Thats just so passive". "Be Active. Get a torch in your own hand and illuminate your path"

"Choose someone who has faced bottlenecks, who has stumbled in a pothole sometime. Someone who can guide you and if you stumble, can come to your help to lift you and provide the necessary impetus and the drive and the energy to continue your journey"

Thoughts of an unarranged kind

2008-09-19T22:51:00.004+05:30

[what appears in your mind is not to be ignored, but to be pondered and remembered; expressing free-flowing thoughts without speed-breakers or potholes]

Striking similarities between two events,

separated by time and unassuming distance,

Unknown, and sometimes incognito, remaining in oblivion

two spirits finding their true mettle

Two turns facing each other,

oblivious of the road that passes through,

stand ignorant of the past and an unknown future

relishing the present that exists

saving thoughts of an unrational kind,

bridging void, searching for the l'il connect,

that joins the dots, to form the large picture,

two minds resonating, waiting to create...

...Like Hell

2008-09-15T19:45:00.005+05:30

I hate him like hell...

I ate like hell...

Like hell I'll do it...

I am busy like hell...

where the hell do you think you're going?

To hell with you...

what the hell is happening?

No seriously, what the hell is happening?

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? These are some typical 'like hell' statements we use in our daily lives. So now, if I ask you, which is more popular? Hell or heaven? Like hell I like heaven. Like hell I like hell.

We all want go to 'heaven', but still popularize 'hell' more than 'heaven'... what the hell!

If Hell and Heaven were celebrities, Hell would win hands down in popularity!! :)

Okay, again, which is the more popular word of the two? Of course, hell...

So what's the verdict?... To hell with it.

Feeling short of words

2008-09-02T20:46:00.004+05:30

Really. I am.

There are moments when you have to say a lot. There are moments when you feel so strongly about a subject, but you curse yourself for feeling so terribly short of words. Have you experienced this before?

There are moments like these that annoy me. Is it why you can think and still not speak everything that you can think? Anyways. I am not making sense, am I? See, thats the point.

There are moments when you are full of excitement, full of enthusiasm, full of grief, full of anger, full of lot of things; but heck, those feelings don't form words. They just stay feelings. And nobody is able to clearly understand these feelings.

Even as I type, I am in desperate want of words to express something important, but I am just short of words.

Good, bad or ugly? I don't know. I am just short of words.

G-Forces and Potholes

2008-08-21T20:18:00.005+05:30

My driver gave me an experience of a lifetime. I have neither sat in a centrifuge, nor have I felt centrifugal forces of high magnitude. But my driver, who possibly isn't even aware of this jargon, was the key facilitator.

And it happened on Mumbai-Agra highway. And it happened in a Scorpio. And it happened for two consecutive days and a night. Phew.

I, with my family, had gone to pick my bro from Mumbai International Airport a week back. We had enagaged a travel agency's Scorpio to drive us and receive him at the Airport. Well, I was prepared to face the highway in the potholes, err, the potholes in the highway, but, to experience G-Forces on the way, was out-of-this-world and totally unexpected. [In retrospect, I should have got a G-Suit for this travel. Anyways.]

So there I was in a fully-geared Scorpio, next to the driver, remotely unaware of the experience ahead. How interesting! Ignorance really can be a bliss sometimes.

Soon after we crossed the city limits, the potholes started actively showing themselves. As though having a strong clairvoyance, the driver began dodging potholes with remarkable accuracy and consistency. OH-MY-GOD! For those of you who thought G-Forces affect only at high Gs, you're sadly mistaken. They can even affect you at 40 kmph, much to the driver's credit and skill in maneuvering the vehicle in acute angles. The sharper the turns, better are the chances of experiencing the G-Forces.

All my bodily fluids begun shaking me from the core, to the core. Literally. [I recalled the concepts in Fluid Mechanics in Engineering, and started thinking of ways to overcome this Fluid Dynamics experience.] But it was nuthhing. I also let my bodily fluids come out in a few spells during this trip.

And then during the treacherous mountaineous terrains between Mumbai and Nasik, I experienced centrifugal forces of severe magnitude. Combine them with bad rains, brutal G-Forces, misplaced potholes and a talkative driver - and what you get is an experience of a lifetime!

Anyways. This journey has been so special to me that I can't share it with my readers any further. Sorry people, I need to keep somethings special and just for myself. Right?

no poems since a long time

2008-08-08T19:04:00.008+05:30

I'm just too busy writing prose. Whatever happened to poems?

I believe that poems essentially have to just 'flow' within you. You should not 'consciously' think while writing poems. The last poem I wrote was in mid-Jan. Woah!

I had once read that "at the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet!'. So does that mean that I am not in love anymore? Should I infer that I was in love earlier?

Or simply that I am too busy to think passionately about 'metaphysical' or 'intangible' things while I am passionately thinking about 'material' or 'tangible' things? Simply, complicated.

Or that I have run out of patience for writing poems? Or it is that I want to focus more on prose?

Okay. Forget it. No more attempts to evaluate reasons for not writing poems. I am not writing poems because I am not writing poems. I'll write poems when I'll write poems. End of the matter.

I am rubbishing all such options of not writing poems. I'm still in love, possibly more. I'm still passionate, possibly more. I am still inspired, possibly more. I have not run out of patience. I can profoundly think of metaphysical and material things with equal incompetency. And lastly, I am very busy. Everything is perfect.

Therefore I think that the time is approaching. Watch out for this space.

And then I cried...

2008-08-02T08:14:00.007+05:30

Do any of these strike a chord?

1. Baje sargam har taraf se gunje bankar des raag...
2. Mile sur mera tumhara...
3. Hamara Bajaj (original)...
4. Hamara Bajaj (badal rahe hai hum yahan)...
5. Cadbury India Ad - Kuch Khaas Hai...

The first 2 in the list are gems and were aired on Doordarshan in 1980s, which we have grown up watching. After all these years, today morning after I completed Prayanam, I thought of listening to these. And one click led to another.

I am an ad freak. So while I am keeping a track on the latest ads running in print and tv, those listed in the 3rd, 4th and 5th point still rank amongst the top 3 ads in my list.

Why?

Because of the idea that drives them, profound emotional appeal, the marvelous rendition and background music and most importantly, the flawless execution. W-O-W!

The old Hamara Bajaj ad is an iconic ad. No doubt. I know I don't need to validate my statement. Bass naam hee kaafi hai. It speaks of unity and India's progress and Bajaj's contribution to it. It was an ad whose time had come then, and was required to give a boost to the New Face of India. The newer Hamara Bajaj ad, speaks more of the changing trends in India, the modern lifestyle, but what it quintessentially communicates is that our beliefs and values are still strong.

The 5th ad is another iconic ad in my view. For me it speaks of ecstasy, breaking barriers, breaking conventional viewpoint and most importantly, celebration! The soulful rendition of Shankar Mahadevan's voice creates such a magic, that you just want to see it more.

But all this, courtesy YouTube. Without it, I would not be able to relive those moments, when I could cry only due to sheer joy and excitement.

While I am writing this, I am listening to the rendition of 'Aaj Gaawat Man Mero Jhumke', a masterpiece composed in Des Raag from the film 'Baiju Bawra'. This is giving an additional effect and am totally in the mood. One cuppa coffee and I'm all geared up.

Happy listening folks!

PS: You can also search these keywords in YouTube, and actually see what I am talking about! If you're not convinced, well, then watch again! :)

[I'll be refining the article as I get more time. Be patient.]

Random Thoughts: Ideas, Awareness and God

2008-07-29T21:01:00.011+05:30

6.684 billion minds on earth.

Potential of generating 6.684 billion ideas every second.

India has the potential of generating 1.129 billion ideas every second. WOW!!

How can we harness that? Shouldn't there be an 'idea meter' which just ticks every second, counts the ideas generated and also registers them somewhere so that we can refer to them sometime?

Forgetfulness is a sin. We tend to forget easily than we remember. It just struck me that we have to 'work hard' in remembering something than in forgetting something. That's why we generally 'choose' to forget. Cuz, that's easier. Anyways.

Maharashtra, the state I belong to, has a population of 96 million. Nasik has the population of over 1.4 million. See the potential?

We are in the knowledge economy. Knowledge comes from Awareness. Awareness is the fuel to generate ideas. Or is it? Is is 'chicken first-egg first' thing? Think. What controls what? Do ideas control awareness? or the other way round? or it is a vicious cycle? Ideas generate more awareness which generate more ideas.

Why is memorizing a mental function while forgetting is not? Deleting / Erasing is a special command in computers. Then why not in us?

We don't have an effective Idea Log mechanism. Why doesn't anything that comes to our mind gets registered somewhere, 'naturally'? May be in an inter-dimensional void? This is considering that the storage space will run out on earth!! Even the most high capacity storage devices would run out of space. [Just a parallel thought: There could be a mutant, Ideator, whose superpower is to store other people's ideas without letting his brain run out of memory. He is able to tap and utilize ideas from any part of the universe or even multiverses. Someone like Forge, a genius who can create anything he can imagine. But much more powerful.]

May be that's why we don't have a 'natural' Idea storage house. We save on space. God must have figured that humans would breed and populate the world."It's best left to their own discretion to decide which 'ideas' have a future and which don't". Naturally, if ideas are stored, they would occupy more space than the total humans on the planets. Ideas can cross-pollinate and breed and grow.

But would there be an uneven spread of ideas across humans? That brings to the next question. Is God partial to humans? Why should one human generate more ideas than the other? Why did God not give equal brain 'potential' to humans?

Endless questions. Endless debate. Incessant Ideas.

PS: Since 1850, when the world population has exceeded a billion, we could have potential generated 4.983 x E18 ideas! And this is considering that a single mind generates ideas on its own. We have not even considered cross-pollination. I wonder if the world even had these many problems to solve!

We had to make more problems just to solve them! [Well, that's very humane, so it's possible.]

Thank you for your patient listening to all the gibberish! :)

Nostalgia Strikes Back

2008-07-24T18:35:00.011+05:30

Its that time of the year when the power cuts prevail in the city. The State Electricity boards love to shed power during the raining season.

Historically, they are known to cut the power lines at the drop of a 'bolt'. These are erratic power cuts. These boards conveniently blame 'Mother Nature' for unleashing its fury on the weak distribution houses. This year, nostalgia strikes back...with a vengeance. Why? Read on.

Nasik generally does not have unscheduled power cuts. But they can be 'staged' every 2 hrs! Now you can imagine what would happen when power cuts are UNSCHEDULED. Their effect is catastrophic. Specially if your work COMPLETELY depends on computers! Even if you have invertors to support. [I think during such times most flourishing business would be for those who deal in Power Management systems like Invertors, Generators etc]

Till last year, we had power cuts to the tune of 4-5 hrs in a day. They plan to touch new heights this year. Yes, we are talking about 12 hr power-cuts! You can recover using AutoSave, but what happens to that time lost? Words labor lost. [Why dont they have more power plants to support tier-2 cities like Nasik? No wonder residents in metros like Mumbai and Delhi, with power cuts, are happier.]

It would happen from tomorrow. 'The' power cut. Stay tuned.

Maeri

2008-07-22T08:34:00.002+05:30

WOW!! Another WOW!! I am thrilled and excited. Amazing!

I am presently in an ecstatic mood. Why? From a long time I was trying to understand what the opening lines of the song 'Maeri' by Euphoria meant, and my mom after just hearing it once explained what it meant. The lines are in Punjabi, and I wasn't able to figure them out. And its meaning has given me more thrill!

Yes, that means, I am going to listen and recite those lines throughout the day till I am thorough with its pronunciation and tune and lyrics!

Till then, happy singing! :)

The 'Haunt'ing

2008-07-19T11:54:00.005+05:30

Move over Hugh. My latest haunt is visiting Hallucinations and reading Shruthi's thoughts on diverse topics ranging from her concerns about certain public issues to Movies to Humor to Health to Parenting. The list is endless.

I like her clarity of expression. Period. That is one thing I want to learn from her writing. Actually, for the very same reason I starting reading gapingvoid.com. I closely followed it for around 4 years and gathered insights about how his strategy for Stormhoek, a small South-African winery, tranformed it completely and still increasing profits multifold.

Infact, gapingvoid gave me insights about blogging, marketing, branding, consumer perception, 'Social Objects', cartoons, ideas, etc etc. Lot of things. Again, the list is endless.

Since many days I've not been able to read and write much about anything. Blogs and Books were a regular feature in my schedule earlier. Now I am just trying to maximize my work in the available time. [I reeeallly wish I were 'Flash'; I would have done everything efficiently and in a 'flash'. But reality can be brutal.]

Anyways. I am trying hard to work out a way of balancing my work and my hobby. Incidentally, my present work was my hobby earlier which I have transformed into work now and got busy in it. Yes, I am very happy with it. No doubt.

But when your hobby becomes your work, you need to start developing some other hobby. It should become a habit slowly. Anyways.

Now that I have revisited my thoughts, I think Hallucinations and Hugh should have a equal share in my schedule. Hallucinations can have the bigger half!

[Just a self-note: I think I need to revisit all my articles and add newly gathered insights to them. Cheers.]

A new dawn. A new begnining. Everyday.

2008-07-09T00:28:00.002+05:30

Hey people, hope things are fine at your end!

About me? Life has never been more interesting. More opportunities to discover myself. More opportunities to learn. More opportunities to grow. I am about to be myself again.

I must have met more unknown people in past 2 days than I met in the entire previous year. Good thing is that I know most of them now. Meeting them was the easy part. The real fun part is trying to remember their names along with the corresponding faces.

For the time being, I am just happy. I am happy that I am meeting so many people who had assembled for a common purpose and shared the same common source of happiness. I'll get more opportunities to meet them at different occasions now. More opportunities to meet more people. Nuff said.

I discovered that people share radically uncommon idiosyncrasies. And such things are at their glaring best during such events when idiosyncrasies meet idiosyncrasies. And they interfere and interact. Ehem. Forget about it.

>> More about it later

'Atlas' Shrugged

2008-06-05T14:22:00.002+05:30

bubbles caught in hexagon

2008-06-05T14:21:00.000+05:30

gigantic cloud & wee mountains

2008-06-05T14:20:00.000+05:30

the multi-colored halo

2008-06-05T14:19:00.002+05:30

Skyline

2008-06-05T14:13:00.001+05:30

In search of the Perfect Tea

2008-03-16T08:52:00.019+05:30

I am happy today. I woke up at 4.45 am to attend a 'Art of Living' crash-course at 5.30 am. Crash course, because, it was a 3 day program unlike the usual extensive ones. The special feature of this program was the presence of Sri Sri Ravishankar, the founder and the driving force behind 'Art of Living'. The program focused on Meditation and Pranayam techniques primarily, and not Sudarshan Kriya for which 'Art of Living' is recognized.

I think over 10,000 people must have attended the event. Seen below, is Sri Sri Ravishankar connecting with the crowd. (click on it for a larger version)

Soon after it ended at 7.30 am (sharp), I decided to have tea at the most famous tea-stall in Nashik for the first time since my arrival in the city 14 yrs ago! The reason for my having tea some place outside home is, because I am home alone at present and I become 'Sloth Incarnated' during such times. To my dissatisfaction, this most-famous tea stall was closed on a Sunday morning!

I was most dissatisfied because this temporary incarnation of sloth would have to find another tea stall. What a pain.

As I ventured to locate other tea-stalls in the vicinity, I was disappointed at every juncture. (Hmm, so the whole process was created to de-sloth me). Anyways, in my search for the perfect tea, I traveled to places which were filled with emptiness. Hardly anybody on the street. I guess, other people with this temporary-sloth disorder must be enjoying their state, neatly on their warm beds.

So finally, while I was on the verge of giving up the perfect tea, I had an 'aroma' of hope. Unbelievable. Fresh aroma of tea. Just some distance away, I saw a customer-driven and energetic tea-walla distributing tea to his customers. (Thank you, God!)

I cherished every sip of the tea and thanked the tea-walla for being present at the right moment for this sloth. The result of this journey was flavored and aromatic. It was time for me to rush back home and enjoy other sloth-moments.

So may be I didn't get the tea at the perfect tea stall, but this journey did de-sloth me and finally gave me the perfect tea at not-so-perfect tea stall! I realized that sometimes, it is more important to travel than to arrive!

Have a happy Sunday!! :)

Some random thoughts about some random things

2008-03-13T21:21:00.002+05:30

Presently, there are a billion thoughts hovering around in my mind. Mostly concerned with Vision, Focus, Productivity, Efficiency, Work Approach, Results, Performance, Improvement, Quality, Targets, 'the big picture', Measurement, 'customer delight', etc.

All of these aspects have added to become a binomial equation of the highest order. Too many variables, too many parameters; yet the outcome, possibly, just one. Growth.

What I'm currently caught up with is: Agreed, that I have a binomial equation of the highest order. That there are umpteen variables. That the the outcome is also defined. But, to crack the equation that would result in 'Growth', I'm trying to find out something that is so 'simple', yet 'pivotal' to the success of this equation. Everything else hangs aroung this pivot. That 'pivot' I'm trying to find.

We're talking about finding one simple 'lever' which just solves the entire equation in a jiffy. I'm thinking hard to find this 'lever' in a set of systems and processes devised by us.

May be the solution is too familiar for us to notice. May be it is so obvious that we can't even see it. Need a fresh perspective towards the entire problem. A new direction. A new angle. A new paradigm.

What is the key to high 'customer satisfaction'? Even if we see 'the big picture', how do we regulate work through a set of procedures and systems designed by us, keeping in mind the customer expectation levels have radically evolved over the period of time? They've radically evolved and not radically changed. Hmm. May this is the 'connection'.

Earlier, if the customer wanted something in 10 days with X level of quality; now, he needs it in 2 days with 10X level of quality. So, what is driving this change?
a. Customer perception about the product? or
b. Fear that the same customer may visit some other competitor? or
c. The fact that the customer has become more aware and resourceful than before? or
(there could be more options, but these immediately strike me)

In this 'customer evolution' phase, what all need to change?
1. Recognition that customers have evolved.
2. Systems and processes
3. Fundamental perception of the company about the customer
4. Competition
5. Speed of work / execution
(these strike me right now)

This is where suddenly, I recollect something, which was possibly said by Steven Covey: "It does not matter how hard you're climbing up the ladder; if the ladder itself is against the wrong wall, your efforts are futile"

Even if we identify the right wall and the right ladder, the pace at which we climb the ladder and how smartly we climb the ladder, governs how fast we reach the customer waiting for us at the end of the ladder. Why? Simple, there are 100 other ladders like you wanting to reach the same customer?

Another question that strikes me is: Does a system have to be person dependent or process dependent? I realize and accept, from the bottom of my heart that, it has to process dependent. But, what happens when the person who's designed those processes is the key? What happens if he's not available for a substantial period of time? (I may be sounding silly, but, these are just some random thoughts expressed without cutting down the matter)

Yes, I know that I need help. I need to laterally think a way to get me out of this. And I need to get out of it very soon. The bloggers, marketing consultants, think tanks, even, passersby are invited to share their opinions / thoughts / feedback with me.

Excitement Cost

2008-03-05T00:27:00.013+05:30

What does it take to get excited to work? What cost would you spend to keep yourself excited? Here's something that's randomly come to my mind:

What excites you to work? I've known this for a while that work excites me to work more. These days I just need excuses to work. Even on a Sunday, I'd just slip out of home and go to office to work. I think I am getting possessive about my work. I can't see myself not working.

I don't know the word which describes the next level of workaholism. But I think I've reached there. Is there something called 'work worms'?

Putting aside the family and social circle of friends, I prefer to work. A case to ponder deeply and act. A-S-A-P.

This got me thinking. Earlier it was the inspiration that drove me towards doing more work. Inspiration drove me and excited me to become more creative. Well, that inspiration and creativity is still there, which channels itself in other mediums, like poetry; but, it has reduced. Why I'm saying this is because, the frequency of writing poems has drastically reduced. Its work and more work.

I'll say it again: Inspiration drove me and excited me to become more creative. 3 words. Inspiration, Excitement and Creativity.

These days as I become more work-centric and target-driven, I've to work harder at getting myself inspired to get necessary 'fuel' to stimulate creativity. Bad sign, isn't it?

I have a passion for writing and learning languages. But sadly, I'm unable to do any of those. Yes, its work and more work. What's happened to you, pal?

The one thing that makes me work hard (er!) is the visible impact of what I work on in the business. My job is stay in control of the day-to-day activities while strategically seeing and acting if the company is heading in the direction it's supposed to head. The mentoring part I find most exciting. Just fyi, The people I mentor have over 10-25 yrs industry experience. Yes, it is a very fulfilling experience.

Oops. I just realized that I've drifted from the topic I initially started with. 'Excitement Cost' is something you need to incur to get yourself excited. Earlier, this EC was relatively lesser, I got inspiration from Nature, Relational Dynamics, Music, Gaping Void, Glasbergen, Driving, Astrophysics, etc.

These days, as I'm unable to find time to be in the vicinity of any of these, the EC is all set to increase. It is Movies, McDs, Play Stations, New Bike, etc that seems to be gaining popularity in my mind.

Gotta get back to those old ways of getting in a new shape. EC's gotta come down now. Set a deadline, Force. Act now.

Fremdsprache - ein entfernter Traum

2008-03-03T21:10:00.007+05:30

Ich lernt eine Fremdsprache. Then it stopped. I can't write or read any more German than what's written here. What a pity. The journey that started with a high-powered drive, met with a screeching end.

Agreed, that I am too busy to even think beyond my daily schedule. But therein lies the problem. It is said that busy people have a time for everything (I know I ain't no best 'xample of eet.) I need to define my work well so that I have time for everything. My plan is to learn German, French and Spanish. This is not including the regional languages like Bengali and Gujarati. (Wow! So much to do and I am just excuses)

Will write more later... hang on...

>> Guten Nacht! (good night!)...

I have a Vision

2008-01-12T06:20:00.000+05:30

I have a vision
of a liberal society, where minds are not infected
where beliefs are not dissected

I have a vision
of a trillion dominos arranged by fate
the right domino for me to select and wait
actions that would initiate a chain
driven by vision and would help my life gain

I have a vision
of a butterfly effect my actions would cause,
identifying and carefully removing the flaws;

I have a vision
of an undiscovered God
establishing Himself and preaching by sword
seeing His powers blossom
of an unseen fury in this microcosm

I have a vision
of finding lost humanity in these confines of mind
of reviving beliefs, triggering a soul of new kind

I have a vision
of a better me
a real me
wandering lonely on a crowded street
discovering my self in this divine retreat

Life and Beyond

2008-01-04T20:14:00.000+05:30

Dogmas
and relentless passion
sermoning reality
on false beliefs

Ignorant Minds
Divinity and Faith
growing abound
beyond confined paradigms

Thoughts in a fix
startled emotions
Degrees of freedom
outgrowing beliefs

oblivious harmony
overshadowed by pain
remaining incognito
in the confines of reality

tranforming life
to outreach horizons
Reliving and reviving
transcending Life

Fertile imagination
creative ideas boosting Spirit
resurrected harmony
Outgrowing Life

Random thoughts - Ego, Life, Love and Values

2007-12-02T17:28:00.000+05:30

Nebulous clouds and the dark matter,
dying stars and the unwanted clutter,
aspiring stars, in this relentless churn,
radiating Life, on this lasting sojourn

dwindling egos and the inflated minds,
ignoring Life that binds,
startled emotions and disrupted Life,
better notions manifest; ending strife

Understanding emotions in this deep-rooted drive
Subtle concepts; strengthening to thrive
primordial drive- called Love; beginning to manifest
enriching Life for a fruitful cause; in this new quest

Circumspect notions; expressing uncertainty
observing the drive; resorting to absurdity
seeking a solution; through solitary refinement
enquiring into values; to achieve enlightenment

Seeking inspiration from dimensions unknown
reliving nobility; newer seeds are sown
Humanizing values for what is to become
Newer - Love, Life and Values; the best is yet to come

Mindis-Complexis Disorder

2007-11-25T10:21:00.000+05:30

Since my last article, I'm in a state of expressing everything in a complicated manner and then analyzing how many words I've sinfully wasted had I expressed it in a simpler manner. Getting it?

I am currently reading Ray Romano's 'Everything and a Kite' and I am really amazed at the simplicity of expression. Yes, he is the same guy who plays Raymond in the hit series 'Everybody Loves Raymond'. What I marvel is the way he has expressed humor (or, for our British friends - humour). To-the-point. Not even an additional iota of confusion for understanding the profundity of the literature! (I know, the Mindis-Complexis Disorder (MCD) is acting again)

Humor has to be simple and to-the-point. If somebody has to be break his head in understanding humor, then its no humor. Ditto with any communication / expression for that matter. Excluding the Economic deductions to understand the Domino-effect of price volatility in Zambia on the market upsurge in developed countries. (Hey buddy, just come out of this MCD, will ya?)

World would be a different place if everything was expressed in a complicated manner. I think this would pose the biggest problem to Communication agencies world-wide. All the advertisers would spray complicated jargon over everyone's mind - reducing sales and hampering the brand equity of that product. This is just a thin slice in the incontrovertibly growing spiral of complex expression whose effect would aggravate mental trauma and trigger mass hysteria; ultimately , after realization, would obliterate the existence of complexity altogether. (Okay, enough said)

As a writer, I have always tried to express my thoughts in the simplest possible manner. Recently, I have been inspired by the depth and clarity of expression of Hugh MacLeod (of gapingvoid.com). I am trying to improve my skills of written expression through constant thinking and re-visiting such sites, which not only tell you how best things are written to-the-point; but, also, explain how effective blogging can radically ignite sales in a small South African winery to help it grow multifold.

So, IMHO, be Simple. To-the-point. Effective. Clear.

Bureaucratic Lullaby - its political and socio-economic repercussions

2007-11-24T09:50:00.000+05:30

My mind was in a dissociated state of disharmony when I gleaned through some paper-work involving bureaucratic incomprehensibles. To be more precise, this paperwork was a resume of a bureaucrat. Mind-blowing, err, mind-boggling.

As I read the introduction of the profile of this candidate, I began to re-assure myself that this agony would get over very soon and hey, its only a 23-page resume! Couldn't have asked for more.

I am a resume writer and I have seen both - bad resumes and worse resumes. But, nothing could beat this one. Flowered with apathetic and banal statements which we hear during election campaigns. I felt real pity on the potential employer, who would HAVE to be very strong and courageous, to face this heroic-narcissist stuff. I would personally congratulate that gentleman who would have the divine patience to read this 23-page resumé without dozing off. Kudos.

By the time I had begun the 12th page, unsettling thoughts settled in. But, I motivated myself as I went through the pain. Another 11 to go now. Way to go man! I thought it was an achievement in itself. I would write it in my resume for sure.

What was even more unnerving, was to realise that such people are running our country. If all they want is to praise themselves and get-praised in return, then how would they selflessly run or advise politicians on running a country.

I am still not entirely certain about how bureaucracy works etc, but I just got a sneak-peak into their mind-set. If I had to break my head in understanding a simple communication like resume, how would they draft critical documents that would be driving a nation tomorrow? I do feel that their words neither have an honest drive nor are articulated well. It looks like they write for someone who has the entire day in deciphering the complexity of demographic-repercussions of a 20-line paragraph.

Okay, even I can write something which nobody would understand. But, what's the use. We are talking about running the country here!

I just want to make an effective one-page resume for this gentleman. If he is a top-order bureaucrat and heads one of the most important committees, would he need a 23-page resume? Why, for that matter, would he need a resume at all? He would just tell the employer that he would close the company if he doesn't get that job. Simple and effective. ;)

I am a great fan of short and crisp resumes. That is what they should be. To-the-point. It should be an exciting document and not a boring, banal, run-of-the-mill stuff which would rather land in a dustbin than on an employer's desk.

This resume would actually act like a lullaby. I would recite it to kids, so that they get some nice and quick sleep.

Anyways, time to work on this resume. Need to understand the effect of political sentimentality of this resume that would accelerate the artificial decomposition of my mind and then it will be symmetrically truncated into millions of quasi-static states.

Cheers!!

Unfound Path

2007-11-17T21:50:00.000+05:30

In an unknown path I wait,
with surreal thoughts, in a restless gait
cyclical paths, realistic places
Mystical journey, meeting stolid faces

charming people on an alarming path,
disarming beauty with weapons that scathe
concerted efforts; losing steam
Plastic smiles, meeting people with low esteem

intensely cared about the dignified presence
sustaining and enriching essence
for the life that is mine and yours
nostalgic sojourn and a reckless recourse

sparkling lights on the abandoned street
wandering minds with their souls discreet
Exploring new beliefs; enticing ignorance
igniting minds for the newer paths; taking cognizance

Lone Runner

2007-10-30T10:10:00.000+05:30

Periodic cleansing of soul,
achieving divine harmony,
Taking baton of life and sprinting

Ever-growing horizons and ingrained ignorance
years of wisdom and displaced intelligence
over-growing reality; still discovering future

Tribal soul with surreal values
Body, bereft of all material possessions
Bare, to exist and evolve

Clairvoyant glimpses of the future unknown
Beckoning the soulful mind
present is known, future is sown

Divine intelligence, self-grown chaos
Blithe and hesitant, noble and reluctant
echoing ignorance, carefree existence

integrating awareness with bliss
unperturbed stimulation; growing within
wooing courage; sprouting beliefs

stigmata on innocence; breaking silence
aching pain; shouldered wisdom
complying with reality; Awaiting...

Respulsive and reclusive

2007-10-19T15:42:00.000+05:30

Treating Life with a noble cause
Governing events; correcting flaws
un-attended breakthroughs, overcoming thought barriers
Repulsive and reclusive

Unambiguous thoughts; despodent wanderer
careless existence; bohemian conquerer
cognizance of values; defaulting carriers
Repulsive and reclusive

Suble directions that guide
Overwhelming pain that subside
circumspect rhyme; resonant vibes
Repulsive and reclusive

relentless sojourn; inertial mind
breathlessly striding; universal bind
filling time and killing ignorance
Repulsive and reclusive

Hapless manoeuvre; buoyant belief
pulsating pain, momentary relief
Everything from stardust to soul,
Repulsive and reclusive

Inflating ego, dwindling tranquillity,
Garnering emotions; conquering nobility
Ideating Life; submissive mind
Repulsive and reclusive

Strings

2007-06-15T18:20:00.000+05:30

In elementary physics, Strings define the basic fabric of matter. Their behavior governs the way matter behaves. Despite being the smallest element of matter, they are most vital. Similarly, I feel, following 4 'strings' are central in any business.

Volition ~ Information ~ Perspective ~ Idea

'Strings' is an attempt to discuss the finer aspects that matter a lot in business world. The aspects which govern the basic functioning of business.

Small ideas trigger a revolution. Inspired souls storm the world. A paradigm shift work wonders. Stagnant minds, evolve.Businesses setting new trends. Trends setting new businesses. Its cyclical.

Future shall be analysed. Present shall be enjoyed. Past will be revered. Change is.

New ideas shall blossom. The mind shall once again conquer.Strings is about whats happening and whats not.

'Why not' and 'How' are questions addressed here. It is about hope. It is about action. New businesses and emerging trends. Its time to evolve. Its time to set a new trend.

The Fountainhead continued...

2007-03-25T20:55:00.000+05:30

I feel like I was sleeping the last time I read The Fountainhead. Really. I feel that I had missed the most of it. Now, it feels as if the book is slowly and patiently unfolding its mysterious power to me. I have got a feeling that I was not ready for the book earlier; but now I am.

Some of the junctions which I really like, are, when...

* Howard Roark meets Gail Wynand
* Howard Roark meets Dominique Wynand and Gail Wynand
* Howard Roark meets Ellsworth Toohey
* Kent Lansing meets Howard Roark
* Dominique meets Wynand
* Steve Mallory again meets Mike
* Ellsworth Toohey meets Gail Wynand at his office

I am nearing the end of the book. It actually feels that the conversations above should last forever and I would be a part of it.

(Yes, I am even more anxious to reach the point when Howard Roark addresses the jury!)

I feel that I should revisit all books I read and liked: Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (Pirsig), Lila (Pirsig), The End of Eternity (Asimov), Zen: The quantum leap from mind to no-mind (Osho), The Bridge across forever (Bach). I think I will understand them in greater depth now. Lets see. Incidentally, some of these books are instrumental in evolving me and honing me into whatever I am today.

I think, my growth, further, would be governed by autobiographies like Only the Paranoid survive (Andy Grove), Pour your heart into it (Howard Schultz), Wings of Fire (Kalam) and others. Governed by these, my ability to challenge my limits and how I take life as I meet it head-on. These books would give me an insight in running the business I am in right now.

Till then, happy reading folks!!

Sauce in a Bottle

2007-03-25T20:35:00.000+05:30

What is pushing the sauce outside the bottle?

The space where it can freely flow? or

The pressure it's facing from within, from its own self? or

The quaint tilt of the hand that gives it a direction, a purpose to flow? or

The divine desire of sauce that it should flow, that gives the hand its quaint tilt? or

The attraction of open space, or freedom, that makes the hand give its quaint tilt to the bottle that the sauce resides? or

What drives the sauce?

The body it resides in?
The gentle hand that holds the body?
The presence of freedom that sauce is aware of, outside the body?
The gradual urge towards freedom that builds the momentum within the body?

some random thoughts

2007-03-10T20:13:00.000+05:30

...continued from 26 Jan

Just some thoughts arbitratory in nature; disconnected, yet connected somehow to my soul.

"Today, consumer courts are more easily accessible than the provision stores!"

"I am a product of my perceptions and your opinions. The latter does not really matter."

"Managing pain - the happy way!"

"Talent increases to meet the criticality of work available"

"I may have lost my broom, but I know the art of flight!"
- An Enlightened Witch

"Change is inevitable; Resistance is futile!"

"Innovating reality...step by step!"

"I shuffle in Life!"

"In Change we believe,
in Ideas we believe,
in Us we believe!"

"There is nothing right or wrong - only opinions!"

The Ayn Rand Effect

2007-02-25T12:30:00.000+05:30

I am re-reading The Fountainhead after 6 years, and must admit that it is making much more sense to me now. Somehow I am able to relate to it better and also able to properly gather Ayn Rand's thoughts about Howard Roark, Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey, Dominique Francon, Henry Cameron and Gail Wynand.

I feel that these characters in some form or another live in us. They manifest during certain situations and we behave like them. Ayn Rand has beautifully presented such characters. No, its not a critique on Ayn Rand's work. I am merely writing my impressions about The Fountainhead that I am beginning to discover. Its amazing.

Their thought processes, their rationalizations, reasonings, etc also form a part of our logical and lateral thought processes. As I continue reading the book, I am sure there will be even more revelations, which I will share with you all. Till then, hang on and keep reading.

Some statements present themselves in my mind as I read The Fountainhead:

"He had not shown any signs of immortality. Somehow, he grew on to become one."

"He watched with stark innocence at his team's dismal display of immaturity."

"It seemed that thoughts had not inhabited his mind from a long time. His mind had become infertile. New ideas had be sown. New thought patterns had to be cultivated to make it fertile."

"He had become desperate. Desperate enough to run around and snatch the next bright idea from someone else's mind and implement it."

all in a day's work

2007-02-24T22:50:00.001+05:30

Concerned emotions. Changing notions. Brutal reality. Evolving reality. Rough day. Tough day. Changing paradigms. Concepts. Shocking performance. Conjured reasons. Plebeian people. Notional differences. Plummeting.

Transforming reality. Better people. Better performances. Evidence. Confidence. Juggernaut. Sharpening Saws. Competition. Late nights. Working capital. Improved performance. Sustained performance. Skyrocketing. Catapulting. Sundry. Collectivism. Individualism. Attitudes. Howard Roark.

Asterix. Obelix. Cacaphonix. Matrix. Vanishing reality. Blinding. Blink. Change. Surreal emotions. Overwhelming emotions. Susceptible phonenix. Charting paths. Drunken soul. Startling.

-----

Just some words instantly put. Need not make sense to yal .Some randomly presented themselves with some deep, uncomprehensible purpose. Some with a definite purpose. But all related somehow. Deep within.

Hooray!!

another instant thought:

"It would be too impolite to rob a man of his innocence"

-----

Surreal senses. Danger within. Danger beyond. Reigning terror. Brutal strength. Core competence. Growing competence. Radical sabotage. Espionage. Relieved senses. New life. New twigs.

Space. Cosmos. Space within. Hubble. Expanding Universe. Multiverses. Souls. Growing Apart. Distant thoughts. Relatively similar. Uncertain thoughts. Uncertain location. Trespassing souls. Overcoming souls. Singular drive. Elemental drive. Singularity.

Hooray!!

Invention. Discovery. Eureka. Rene Descartes. Einstein. Telescope. Vision. Transcending images. Transcending wisdom. Concepts. Bubble. Burst. New bubble.

Flash. Creativity. Invading innovation. Deep. Novel concept. Nascent thoughts. Hone. Tools. Cycle. Ups Downs. Crests. Troughs. Crests. Notions. Gravity. Situational drive. Crystal. Innocence.

Hooray!! Hooray!!

--------

As I said, need not make sense to yal.

-------

Impervious Soul. Solid state. Mettle. Human. Howard Roark. End of story. Period. Begnining. Focused efforts. Success. Growth. Evolution.

Hooray! :)

The word is out

2007-02-18T13:52:00.000+05:30

the crisis has abated
insightful guardian
finding causality
envisioning; the word is out

breathtaking beauty
Her vastness; unifying
her freedom and felicity
sublime emotions; the word is out

journey has commenced
the divine arrival
in the human form
God Being; the word is out

Eternal me and her
stimulating patterns
liberated souls
manifesting; the word is out

stream of knowledge
flowing through the mind
instilling wisdom in the mortal self
Growing; the word is out

Disintegrating ego
channeling emotions,
through the gateway of passion
in a Tryst called Life; the word is out

Conceived beliefs and religions
notions and dogmas
all eradicating and integrating
into Singularity; the word is out

Humans with a divine soul
mortal body, regaining nobility
pure thoughts and paradigms
the Grandeur within; the word is out

another view of Aarti

2007-02-15T22:28:00.000+05:30

Pooja

2007-02-15T22:26:00.000+05:30

The Grand Gangaji's Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat at Banaras

The Holy Ganges

2007-02-15T22:23:00.000+05:30

Ganga, as seen from Train...

Banaras street

2007-02-15T22:21:00.000+05:30

One of the crowded street of Banaras

one of my favorite photos...

2007-02-15T22:20:00.000+05:30

Gods with Dogs

2007-02-15T22:18:00.002+05:30

Do you see a footprint beneath the veil of water?

another photo of Ghat at Banaras

2007-02-15T22:18:00.001+05:30

Siberian birds on Ganga

2007-02-15T22:15:00.000+05:30

Banaras Ghats

2007-02-15T22:13:00.000+05:30

Bramha Ghat at Banaras

Banaras trip photos

2007-02-15T22:06:00.000+05:30

Sunrays emerging through the mortal sky!
(as seen from the train)

fantastic trip to Banaras

2007-02-10T19:54:00.000+05:30

Guys and Gals,
Just back from a fantastic trip from Banaras. It was a super-charging trip from one Holy city (Nasik) to another (Banaras)...

Boy, was it fun! Met up lot of my relatives for the first time... most of them have left an indeliable mark on me. Enjoyed everything from Malai-yo (a super light delight full of rich proteins), to crowded streets, to the Holy Ganga, the list is endless.

I danced like never before during all the ceremonies of marriage! (yes, its all recorded and may be displayed)...

Okay.. more of it later.. promise!

Cheers!
have fun,
Saurabh

the me within

2007-01-12T15:49:00.000+05:30

the souls have switched
the me has gone
trying to impersonate
the me within

uncanny as it might be
power surge; combating reality
re-discovering the true self
reviving, the me within

the restless encounter
overpowering iota
passionately insane
invading, the me within

great souls converge
sun, taking a new breath
gloriole, highlighting reality
empowering, the me within

wee soul; outgrowing body
new paradigms; outgrowing mind
information, outreaching the world
learning, the me within

reinventing passion,
re-living the life,
phantom mind, manifesting
re-discovering, the me within

hindsight, teaching and engraving
subtle values that drive
hope, both lost and found
managing, the me within

Small corner of my heart

2007-01-08T01:15:00.000+05:30

Joy, within and without
thundering cloud of emotions
showering beatitude and joy
eternal bliss; in the small corner of my heart

Feelings, corroded by the material world
Joy, seemed to have forgotton me
Radical thoughts; from here and now
vanished; from the small corner of my heart

Amnesia, had struck and hit hard
Friends, long gone in material search
restless, i become in their absence
abstaining; from the small corner of my heart

Insights, from young and new
Generation, both from now and then
Primordial intelligence; losing its focus
sparing wisdom; from the small corner of my heart

Caged intellect; with broken wings
Flight to freedom; staggering
Articulated mind; stupefying thoughts
shattered; in the small corner of my heart

Joy, beaming with happiness
Actions; speaking louder than words
kickstarting perpetual emotional cycle
accelerating; the small corner of my heart

Admiration; felt and achieved
Desire to grow; to regions abound
resurrecting artist; reinstating faith
Hope floats; in the small corner of my heart

The year ahead: 2007

2007-01-01T01:37:00.000+05:30

Thinking. Action. Learning. Growth.

That's FY2007's theme. In brief.

It will be the year when Andy Grove will help me nurture my business and address Strategic Inflection Points; Steven Covey will give me some tips on 7 Habits; Goldratt on bottleneck identification and improvement; Hugh MacLeod (gapingvoid.com) will pump in some inspiring stuff.

I will be defining the new year objectives, KRA, aspirations, growth direction etc by 1st Jan. Will keep yal updated!

Happy New Year folks! Have a great year ahead!

Fire Starter

2006-12-24T13:57:00.000+05:30

Divine chaos and divine mortality
the inferno within; the ultimate tranquillity
the source code of Life; like a scarlet fire
momentary anguish and the momentary ire

pain succumbing to pain; inhibited crime
turbulence to passion; transcending the sublime
vibrant thoughts in a prolific stance
the material and mortal; disintegrating in this trance

inflated ego; breaking down and degenerating
conquering mind; bubbling and bursting
FireStarter within; getting conceived and has born
Driving new world; between mortal & divine, it is torn

option to choose is between Life and Eternity
Has a passion to create; got to choose mortality
where better souls have lost, the best ones shall emerge
Life will make me Eternal; says the passionate urge

all myths & legends; its upbringing transcends
its Value is immeasurable; the Oracle portends
FireStarter is born, growth shall be rekindled
and world shall resurrect; The Being is rechristened

Turbulence to Passion

2006-12-19T22:36:00.001+05:30

Sailing through turbulence
riding crests and troughs
circumspect and joyous thoughts

reckless emotions; transcending reality
restless and living; its sardonic charm
slicing the sloth witin; obliterating inertia

Incisive thoughts; cutting through the pain
Rebellious gait; striding with confidence
stolid mind; dynamic & resistant thoughts

astral life form; sharing same body & soul
adulerated thoughts; diluted and acidic
charring its dark form; evolving

mutating genes; decomposing soul
the nascent life; bubbling & expanding
the end has come near and begin again

the blatant body has risen
overcoming impediments & ignorance
steering celestial spirit; regaining nobility

the angel has invaded; the dying spirit re-lives
arcane & unjust thoughts; all wiped out
new soul, new mind, new thoughts; renewed passion

The Disconnected Soul

2006-12-15T02:01:00.001+05:30

Discontent
Distant voice trailing off
Soul breaking the mortal cage
in Chautauqua, where sanity gathers
The disconnected soul, observes

Ignorance
As blissful as it might be perceived
Disconnected discourse, barely audible
Unattentive thoughts, radically misbehaving
unprecedented urge for the wisdom drive

Surreal
Receptive reality, pouncing ahead
Growing discontent over worldly pretence
Sundry souls fathoming the divine, dissatisfied
the susceptible soul, prone to reality

Ideate
Scorching mind, gobbling ignorance
the Chautauqua, where the great sages learn
the burning desire, unintelligible perception
the simmering soul, mind facing the heat

Rhyme
primordial rhyme in strings
cordial thoughts, beyond rationale
the drunken wanderer rhyming with reality
insightful strings, consistently changing, teaching

Growth
the silver bullet is ineffective
Mind unleashing the Wise Beast within
ruthless energy, passionately divine
Crystalline images, morphing reality

Chaos
the natural self, self-contained emotions
aboriginal mind, preserving change
synergy evolving despite chaotic flow
Undercurrent of emotions, self-driven causality

2+2 = 7596238

2006-12-10T17:10:00.001+05:30

How is 2+2 = 7596238?Actually, this is one of the masterpieces of Glasbergen and one of my favorities too. The caption in this particular toon reads: "In an increasingly complex world, sometimes old questions require new answers".

Most of the times, we assume standard answers to questions. In reality, there are always multiple solutions to a problem. Its all about your perception; how you look at a problem. Every perception / paradigm gives you a different and unique answer. Rock on.

Our mind - the perpetual thinking machine - helps us collate, integrate, fuse, differentiate, slice, multiply the ideas. It is our greatest resource that helps to realise the sublime knowledge within.

Ideas, notions, concepts, creative intellect, memories share one very interesting thing - they can be unified to create something even more stimulating. Juxtaposition leading to evolution. Just place them together and see things in a different light. A new paradigm. A new perspective.

-----
Woaw! what was that all about?

Well, nothing specific as such. Hadn't written much about anything in the past few days. Thought of scribbling down something I believe in. Nothing else.

Life's hectic as always.

Still manage to surf gapingvoid.com to pump up my creative hormones (Rock on Hugh!); a dash of wiki and investopedia.org help me understand things better.

futurebrand.com, jwt.com, initiativemedia.com etc daily update me about the latest trends in Brand, ad and media world. Peps me up.

Other than that, its my rare but fruitful visit to thinkingtree.blogspot.com that helps me write about stuff I like. (Yeah!)

Life's resonating with positive vibes. And I am here to experience it, real-time. Ciao.

Wake up

2006-12-03T02:40:00.001+05:30

Thoughts. Plans. Actions. More thoughts. More plans. More Actions.

Power Surge. Great Learning. Growth. Evolution.

Infusion of zillions of thoughts. Thoughts of new order. New paradigm. Designer patterns. Random thoughts. Actions. New wave.

It's time to shake you, wake you off your slumber. Wake up goddamit. Wake up.
Get up. Get ready for action. Be prepared.

Bubble. Burst. Vacuum. More surge. Information Overflow. Information Implosion. Information Explosion. Zombie.

Wake up goddamit. Wake up.

Business. Work. Paradigm. String. Birth. Re-birth. Cycle. New Order. New breed. Selfish. Growth. Dynamism.

Informative songs. Information. Processing. Data. Analysis. Deductions.

Relentless actions. Like automatons. Machines. Intelligence. Natural. Artificial. Strategies. Leader.

Power surge. Wake up goddamit.

Break off. New branches. New twigs. Creative intellect. The twig has grown. Stuckness. Usual candor.

Bright ideas. Ideas. Break-even. Profit. Bottom-line. Novel ideas. Shit work. Fertile results.

Brand. Seed. Supercede. Precede. Visibility. Certainty. Precedent. Ground-breaking.

Wake up goddamit. Wake up. Learn. Grow. Urge. Evolve. Avoid Ignorance.

Life's good with information. Wake up.

Major Mental Mess (MMM)

2006-10-30T00:07:00.000+05:30

The title wasn't intended to be an alliteration; that's my mental state these days. It's in a form that the universe immediately after Big Bang was: Chaotic and in complete soup.

While working on a big project currently, I contantly think about the importance of systems in a set-up? What drives what? Does a large project build up the essential system? Or neat systems help you bag more projects? It just gets cyclical. Yes, that means I dont get any answer and my mind wanders off quickly.

Why can't both be the answers? Both are essential, right? They are. But, the interesting thing is, in a start-up when the systems are not in place, big projects themselves act as Evolutionary Mechanisms, which helps evolves an enterprise. Translated which means: Necessity is the mother of invention. When there is need, things are invented. Then, what is proactiveness? Identifying that need in advance and acting on it. That is necessary in a business set-up. Predicting and acting. PDCA cycle. (Plan Do Check Act)

Later when the start-up grows, projects come to them. Just like that. Cuz, they have strong systems and brand in place. I know a lot of brand visibility and positioning perspective will crop up, but should be discussed later; thus we shall skip it for the time being.

Your liberated minds might think: What be wrong with this homo sapien? Something well-known, so effective. Why ask?

In today's market-driven brouhaha, when competition is already sharpening their tools to cut your throats, what happens to companies trying to thrive? Trying to survive? What if they just have plain technical aptitude, enthusiasm etc? Yet, a strong system is required. May be at a smaller level proportionate to company size and its requirement. More than that, I think, gumption is required. Fierce Energy is required. Rest can be taken care of.

There are plenty of thoughts currently, but am unable to articulate them. Hmm, it's not rare though. There is something else beyond comprehension. My Gawd, MMM!!

These days I largely rely on SMS. For me, it's Save My Soul. Just a selfish avatar of SOS. Every now and then, I send SMS signals to my colleages, so that they can come to my rescue. Being in Intellectual Battlefield currently, time-n-again, such Mental Rescue Missions do liberate (or delay the project) a lot.

Thoughts are totally undisciplined. Just writing for the heck of it. It generally energises me, rejuvenates me etc. Whatever.

But seriously, despite umpteen brainstorming sessions I am still clueless about the question. We're all trying to bring order to the chaos. Its not that we dont have system. But we need a Perfect System. Absolutely foolproof. Divine. We are working very hard towards it. The Perfect System has not showed itself yet. PS: Where are you?

Too many parameters to monitor in the current project. Trying to figure out the right ones. The Neos. Which would outshine others. Which would be foolproof. Which would be Almighty Incarnated. The Chosen One. Whatever.

Its a very consuming process, I tell you. But, a lot of soul searching is required. Which makes it very interesting. Hehe. Very rewarding later. Patience is also running out of stock now. A lot more inventory is required. Heavens! What the heck is happening?

Folks, more MMS (My Mental Story) later. Meanwhile, do me a favour - Think over and reply to my SMS. Good night. Sleep well.

tranquillity re-born

2006-09-10T00:43:00.000+05:30

Peace is back,
the emptiness is gone,
harmony resurrected
tranquillity re-born

Long waiting hours
distant her and time
all standing still
her looks sublime

The inseparable soul
her beauty mesmerizes
innocent eyes and looks
Subtly, she entices

> to be continued >>

In me...Become me

2006-09-06T02:38:00.000+05:30

Its been many days that it has not come to me. It needs to be rediscovered. It reigned supreme in my mind till few days back. Its absence haunts me. It acts as a fuel to my mind. Hmm, it seems to be hiding somewhere.

Are you playing with me? You know, you wont succeed; I am good at discovering you. You may hide, but can't vanish. Not from me.

You have helped me before, you will help me now. I am just searching for the clue that will help me re-discover you. I am unable to find it yet, but I know I am on the right path. Previously, various elements have blessed me with your presence. Love primarily discovered you. Nature was a close second. Where have you gone now? Dont play anymore. I need your power, your presence. I need you. In you, lies my essence. Limitless vitality. Immense Creativity. Come to me.

I am driven by you. Your presence makes me feel stronger about myself. Why have you left? Yes, somehow I didnt nurture you enough to stay back...with me. I was confused and lost. I still am. Therefore I need you. Your mere presence makes me pulsate with energy. Let me discover you. Your power...once again.

I know you want me to discover you. What clues have you left behind? Help me find them. What are you waiting for? I wont let you go this time. I will fuel you to sustain and grow. In me.

Come soon.. Oh! Inspiration! Come over. Free me. Overpower me. Excite me. Charge me. Change me. Be within me. Be my soul. Become me.

Eagerly waiting for your arrival,

Saurabh

a little wee river

2006-08-11T21:00:00.000+05:30

a little wee river flowed
with all its subtlety and mildness
in the path it had carved

the puny little drive
the weak force in its flow
as gentle as its nature was

the stream kept on adding
vital drops of water
and grew into a mighty force

with such stimulus, gathered a brutal force
a momentum, never seen never heard
an aggression, never imagined to exist

thrashed all that withstood
broke the barriers that resisted
carved a new path and flowed

with all the mightiness
that flowed and contained
despite its humble origin, grew.

The search for a Perfect Career

2006-07-20T12:11:00.000+05:30

Ok.. what is common between a Perfect Career and the Holy Grail? Both are hard to find.

Well, I've been thinking about this for a while. Millions of thoughts have combined and are giving a major thrust to my mind.

An Ideal State: Think. Plan. Execute.
Current State: Think. Think. Get confused.

I dunno why. Till few days back, I thought a Perfect Career was quite achievable. Not anymore. I guess we call it Evolution. Nature has ingrained it in us. Everyone and everything tries to go to a stable higher state. Electrons do it. Apes did it. Humans, well, need I say something?

Why have I reached to such a state of mind? Any guesses? Lets not address it right now. May be at a later stage of mental elucidation. Anyways, where were we? Yeah, Apes and Electrons.

I feel, the very concept of a Perfect Career and our journey towards it is wierd. Why? Because, we would never know if we have reached that stage. Even if we have a Perfect Career, we would still want a Perfect Career. Also, since it's all relative.

Consider Solution Architects in IT Companies. Their prime job is to understand customer requirement and translate them into a neat plan so that it can be executed. They are the highest earners in the field. I have personally interacted with a guy earning 45 L p.a. That's a hell lot of money. Their profile is also astounding. They are the brains of an organisation. You know, lot of social respect and stuff follows next. So, what is more amazing than a 45 L p.a job? A 60 L p.a job. And does it ever end? The answer is obviously: NO. Some call it Elemental drive. I call it Greed. And there's nothing wrong in it.

Perfect Career, although as elusive as it might sound, quite radically provides us the drive, the push, the boost, the urge, the greed, to work towards it. Without it, we would not grow. I guess, a Perfect Plan is equally dominant to take us to the Perfect Career. Plans are many, Perfect Plans are fewer. Following it is another ball game. Any T, D and H has a career. But it takes guts to reach to the Perfect Career.

Your idea of a PC, might not gel with your OWN parents. So, either you revolt and succeed or revolt and give up. It depends on how gutty your guts are, how well your clarity of thought is and how good your communication is with your Pa and Ma. Some lines flow now...

Plan the first step and plan the last,
Be firm on it; execute it fast

Every step is a risk; but with it you'll soar
Work at it and reach new heights; like never before

Perfect Career is all yours to capture
Think it right and execute, for a great future

The Final Word

2006-07-14T20:48:00.000+05:30

The day ended as it had begun. Some thoughts spontaneously present themselves now as I write...

Some thoughts of new style, manifest
of an unknown origin; about a new quest

Broken beliefs and distorted vision; broken chimes
about bohemian melodies and unchanted rhymes

Bitter relations, scarred memories; tarnished relations
Lost love, unsettled minds; all different equations

The final word, has been said and become
"Change!"- thy time has come

A maddening rush of thoughts and actions,
Surging across all religions and sections

Reviving the dormant patterns; in its stride
Purpose shall be the lighthouse; all set to guide

Even the untouched shall blossom; Life cherishes
as Will conquers Mind; Lives it, overcoming blemishes

Volition

2006-07-06T20:17:00.000+05:30

Ambiguities or not, I decided to venture in,
the master waited, with his cause so benign

People just gossiped and broke; degenerated
As lost as they seem; their self degraded

Ideas that thrived on thoughts; vanished
Those degenerated personalities; famished

Inspiration drove; churned ideas of new kind
That energy; was loose and conquered my mind

The master blessed, the mind that was alive
Dead minds, gossiping minds; all so naive

A new path, a new guide he presented
A spirit, all restless to grow; ventured

the master preached; not religion but volition
the free soul, set to conquer; possessed with gumption

Uninspired souls; waiting a renaissance
Were thirsty for knowledge; obliterated ignorance

Flashes of Creativity

2006-06-22T18:06:00.000+05:30

It's been many days that I've written thoughts here. Although, I am busy like hell these days.. its no excuse not to write... but frankly, my mind is constantly occupied with work related thoughts. There are certain momentary flashes when some interesting ideas pop up. So, I think about them for a while, and then like a flash, they disappear! :)

Somehow I should start tapping such brilliant flashes. Ideas, radical concepts, innovations, nostalgic glimpses, visions, feats, achievements etc.. all seem to just mix-up momentarily and create a new line of thought which stimulates and then elates your mind. This novel thought mesmerises you due to its very nature. You wish that time would stand still, and you would admire the beauty in the moment. It is such 'flash' that your mind should store and process. Store first, process later.

It may all seem confusing. Actually, it is. But, that is the beauty of it. It's an apparent chaos. Chaos and Order seem to be different sides of the same coin. Chaos for one, Order for another. Idea for one, Crap for another. Shit for one, Manure for another.

Getting confusing? Well, I too am trying to analyse the confusion. I know I am not getting anywhere, am I? But, that's not the intention also. Sometimes, it is more important to travel than to arrive.

My point is, such flashes can be tapped into and can act as an enormous source of creativity. I believe that everyone is creative, only some realise it and some don't. Deep within, your mind is constantly thinking, ideating, brainstorming, churning. Ok, I am begining to make sense now. I am loving it! A poem also flows, as if its time has come...

Such brilliant flashes, just come and go
Teaching me a few things I should know

Tap'em and store'em
in a flash, just analyse'em

Profound, it seems; when they occur
Mind exults, when creative glimpses they offer

Thoughts collide and fuse together; unleashes
the force within and creativity flashes

Suddenly, I am experiencing more brilliant flashes. Now thats what I'm talking about! As I ponder on the current thought patterns, oh.. another flash! Hey.. wait up..

Soul.. revisited

2006-06-10T11:24:00.000+05:30

Reckless
Undiluted thoughts
Consolidating their existence
invading vehemently

The very thought
that had manifested
and vanished into oblivion
Triggered the being within

Blissful, as I feel
Thoughts showering beatitude
Their magnitude, capable
of evolving the nascent soul

The wicked soul withstood
and resisted; the blatant time
finally it broke and emerged
the noble soul had conquered

Clueless

2006-06-01T02:23:00.000+05:30

What has happened?
No thoughts, no recollections
No memories, no predilections
I am clueless

Penchant for writing
All forgotten?
Or mind just pretending?
Blank paper, just staring
I am clueless

Thoughts waiting
Formless
Hands, wondering
My writer's mind, got blocked
I stare in utter oblivion
I am clueless

Life, galloping ahead
Me, cheering it
Sitting tightly to control
otherwise, would lose track
But, am I on the right track?
I am clueless

Poems, they still inspire
People, even more
But, where has everyone gone?
Poems, any theme I'm writing on?
Hell, I am clueless

Am waiting to write something
Something, that would make sense
something inspiring
But, heck its 2 AM?
What am I waiting for?
I am utterly clueless

Something's finally taking shape
Some words, some thoughts
recollections and inspiration
patterns emerging; clarity manifesting
words, jumbled and arranged
But, coming from where?
I am clueless

My birth is in process
Awaiting its revival
New life to begin
newer clues, for newer paths
new thoughts taking shapes
Heck, what do I write next?
I am clueless

Unspoken words...

2006-05-28T15:31:00.000+05:30

Silence has spoken
Wisely, as I stood
Heard words, that emptiness contained
Profound feelings it conveyed

In silence, it grew
Became thoughts; regained ideas
Revived emotions
of her beauty within

Beauty it contained
Overcoming vices
Erstwhile divine
Now was human

Expressions, impressions
created and captured
image, not required
Her presence, invaded mind

Conserving identity
of her once-my heart
in my deepest corridors
She'll last forever; in my heart

The Cocoon

2006-05-23T08:20:00.000+05:30

It created a shell around
Its body, its soul
Laying inside; its hibernating
Its nature changing; transforming

Hardwork; finally paying off
The cocoon it rests in; empowering
New avenues to fly around; are waiting
Worm has risen; shall soar to newer heights

To realise dreams; of varied nature,
small ones but of rebellious nature
Break the cocoon; and shall free itself
power within, it realises; emerges the true nature

Patience pays; it proclaims
Cocoon was dormant; apparently unmoving
The true power within, shall break the cocoon
Then, wings shall take it to uncharted lands

>> to be continued...

I'm a Rebel

2006-04-20T00:22:00.000+05:30

With a surprising stealth, the thoughts crept in
A strong rebellion I felt; wait - there's more within
Rebel's waiting to erupt; simmering with a gentle grace
Shattering old paradigms; new ideas are popping in

Behold! A new sun has seen the dawn
New hope has risen; old pains have gone
Worries no longer, the agony shan't last
The Rebel awaits its birth; the seeds are sown

The thoughts I harness; the mind in which they lay
Mind mill churning; old patterns be swept away
Its time to re-create History and revive it with future,
Breaking myths, creating legends; Rebel is here to stay

yes! its happening...

2006-04-11T01:13:00.000+05:30

there's more to day; there's more to achieve,
mind sifting through concepts; trying to perceive

the night is young; the day getting conceived,
exploring miracles; with Life, where have you lived?

my journey has begun; restless and staggering
but people I've met; are really caring and loving

the fun side of Life or the dark side that stays
choice decides the future; why such tricks Life plays

To err is natural but choices are humane
being restless is ok; its a part of the game

My eyes drifting; between changing reality and sleep
trying to hold the reality; trying to have a vice like grip

With lesser vices, the new dawn shall surge
brining new Hope; this is how Life shall emerge

this is how it began...

2006-04-11T00:33:00.000+05:30

trying to speak volumes about what was happening
this was how it began; nebulae, void and stars glittering

void would ask worriedly, where will the Big Bang happen
Stretch yourself and grow; singularity would answer often

universe oozing through the bubbling bang
glowing and growing; celestial songs they all sang

with all its might force, the univese grew and reached
interfered with multiverses; space-time was breached

Deduced Hubble, void was gaping, galaxies separating
a mile would be a light-year long; everything parting

It's Crichton, I read; and saw it gaping
but void, it remained; saw Dark matter escaping

Its time to sleep; novel concepts I shall dream,
will have quantum foam all over, this celestial icecream

the twig and the leaf

2006-04-07T23:39:00.000+05:30

Feelings so strong; I had hardly noticed,
the driven spirit; filled with Life,
riding the crests of hope;
all set to conquer the troughs

seasoned leaves; leaving the Holy branch
Leaving to seek the truth out there
the other truth; which the twig discovers
lies in living with the tree; experiencing growth

very charged my spirit has become
restless to surge out,
breaking the hopeless body;
want to empower the soul; the resource within

thoughts have filled the timeless soul,
every barrier to be broken
every mind-less soul to be shaken
Holy branch is poised; twig waiting to become seasoned

intensity of reality was greatly admired,
roots were shaken; spirit and soul were charged
a new dawn awaits; a generation awakens,
Twig waits its turn while the leaf boldens

season has come; every leaf is breaking off
wind helping it break; saying get off
old systems and old culture; shedding off
Soul migrates to a new leaf; again - lets start off

A new twig is born; a new leaf changed
exuding Life; oozing freshness from within
the subtle aroma brought by distant land
where it rains; bringing Life to another seed