Closer

In a rhythmic gait, she walks towards me
Twilight approaches, and its hard to see
The stalker's close - as I watch her flip
With anxious glance, I notice the painful slip

The beautiful flight in her momentary fall
Almost ended my reluctant stroll
Her pride had fallen, and she came closer
Mischief galore, from this slippery disclosure

To deftly test, and to know how it will feel
He had rightly planted a banana peel
As she frowned, fumed and then became wild
Rejoiced and laughed, this naughty child

You don't need Approval

Think you're being humble when you crave for approval?

Don't complicate it. Things are really that simple. All that is required is the willingness to do it.

Be free from restrictions. Freedom from emotional desire to seek approval.

"By seeking his/ her permission, he'll know what I am upto, he/she'll correct me". Really? Stop bullshitting yourself. Just go ahead and do it. Take risks.

Don't hesitate. Your heart doesn't, when it pumps blood. You know what is right and what needs to be done. Your mind makes it weak. Your mind complicates matter.

Worried about what others think of you? Shut up. You are again begging to conform to the bromide.

Think Gandhi would have worried about what others would feel about the Dandi March? Think it would have mattered to Newton what his neighbor felt about Gravity? Grow up. They didn't worry about it. Nor should you. They believed in something they knew was right.

Get rid of that fear within you. Take risks. Conquer it. You know you can. Deep within. Your heart does. Don't secondguess your ability to excel.

You don't need Approval. Be fearless. Be You.

Break Free

Why do you have to confirm
to stale ideologies and dogmas?
Break Free

Why do you have to walk
in the footsteps of others?
Break Free

Why do you have to be wary
of what others think of you as?
Break Free

Why do you have to pretend
to what others expect you to be?
Break Free

Why do you have to become
the person you never wanted to be?
Break Free

The Good Samaritan I Almost Met During Rains

The first raindrops of the season had hit the ground early evening on the 5th of June as I was about to wrap up my work. By the time I got on the bike, it had officially started raining cats and dogs.

On my way home, I cross a very prominent junction, called "University Circle" which witnesses a high traffic density during its peak hours (9-10am and 6-8pm).

What followed was totally unexpected and very inspiring. 

I left office at about 6.30pm that day, when the rains were at its peak. On the way to the University Circle, I was annoyed to see a lot of people driving recklessly especially in this weather. Could I do something to warn them against rash driving? I was worried that they might hurt others too.

As I was approaching the traffic signal, I noticed a thin old guy holding an umbrella, telling something to the passersby. I got curious. He couldn't possibly be a begger or a hawker? Then what was this old guy doing in this difficult weather?

When I passed him closely, I was left awestruck by he was doing: He was waving his hand very animatedly and asking people to drive slowly! It was one of the most inspiring moments for me! I later recollected that I had also seen him sorting out traffic jam a couple of times at University Circle earlier.

And he wasn't even a traffic cop fulfilling his duties. He was just some guy, who was all out there helping others. And without asking anything in return. And I don't even know his name. A guy low in profile but high in deeds! God bless him!

You want to see/ meet him? Just stop by at the University Circle during peak hours, and look out for an old guy who is trying to help sort out some mess

Here are four takeaways from this experience:
1. Avoid driving recklessly - even when its raining. Drive safely. Think about others too.
2. Be good to others. You don't need to promote good work. Just keep doing it. Others will be thankful to you, even if they don't know you.
3. When you notice an area of improvement, take it up yourself - in whatever small way you can.
4. Follow traffic rules. They are meant to safeguard us all.

Ciao! Happy Driving!

Why You Might Get Late To Work On A Rainy Day

It's been a month since the rains have arrived.

I got a little anxious and later curious as to why I was clocking 40 mins to work, than my usual 30 mins. In any non-rainy day, I observed I was reaching within 30 mins, sometimes even 20 mins during peak traffic.

What started as a passing enquiry grew into nagging curiosity. I decided to explore the various causes as to why I was clocking extra 10-15 mins on a typical rainy day. Upon some observation and analysis, I came up with these 4 logical reasons:

Reason 1: In a rainy season, roads are slippery and people are more careful while driving their vehicles. Thus, as more people drive cautiously and therefore slowly, every body gets late to work.

Reason 2: People who earlier took 2-wheelers to work, were now resorting to a 4-wheeler to avoid rains. This increased the vehicle density during the peak traffic hours. More vehicles combined with cautious driving, delayed more people to work.

Reason 3: People with a 2-wheeler but who did not own a car, were resorting to using public transports or taxis during rains. This increased the traffic density and congestion further, delaying people to work.

Reason 4: The start of the rainy reason (July) is also roughly the time when the Schools reopen, and the starting time of a lot of schools is 9-9.30am. This increased number of School buses/ taxis/ vans and also parents who were dropping their children to school, added to the traffic woes and delayed others to work.

These are just some observations. How about finding some real data? Can we conclusively prove that on any rainy day, the time taken to reach your destination is more as compared to any other day?

I can probably find such a data at toll plazas. They keep log of all vehicles transiting. We can find out the number of 2-wheelers, 4-wheelers, taxis and public transport vehicles entering and exiting during peak/ non-peak hours and rainy/ non-rainy season.I'm going to try finding this data on some online sources.

Do you know any sources where such data could be found? What other reasons can you suggest?

For now, I'm just going to start to work a little early so I can reach on time! :)

10 Commandments to Live By at Work

There are times when you get really bored of the routine. The time at work almost moves at a quasi-static pace, lunch breaks pass at the speed of light, and you wonder when you can head home and do something productive. You pledge that the next day will be better, and that you will not lose any more time than you've already wasted. But it simply doesn't happen - and before you realize it a month has passed. You hate saying that you procrastinated and that you are bored of the routine. However, that is exactly what you did.

A lot of us do not feel this suffocation, despite being affected by it. Even if we feel it, we do not like acting on it - which is worse. There are many indicators - loss in personal productivity, distracted mind, surfing social networking sites too often than required, multi-tasking when not required, fading interest, switching over to doing something trivial, etc. Statistics here and here suggest that there is a tremendous loss in productivity - not just by boredom, but by not acting on it timely.

You might have gone through this phase yourself or might know someone who is going through one. So what to do when you get trapped in this "routine boredom" and are not able to do anything about on it? I was going through a similar phase recently, when I took notice and decided to do something about it. Although I'm not a habitual procrastinator, I did get trapped in it this time. 

The first step was to admit that I was going through this phase. This is a really good time to sit back and do some ground level thinking about what is going wrong. About a year and half ago, I had made some "rules to live by" OR "Commandments" for working better. They had worked wonders for me. They had helped me stay focused and deliver really high quality output. These one and half years were one of the my best times in my professional life.

As I got busier in work, I realise now that I had stopped referring them and stopped living by them - which caused me to fret and worry more. So I decided to re-define them in the new context of things. Unlike last time, I am sharing these newly defined "10 Commandments" below.

Some ground rules for working better -
1. Focus on getting things done within a deadline. Don't drift.
2. Make a to-do list and just start doing it - one at a time.
3. Stick to the task at hand until it is done, unless something really critical comes up.
4. Review the day's work and find out what you could have done better.
5. Interact with whoever is required, without bias and get your work done.
6. When you are feeling down, quickly get back up and move ahead.
7. Don't let a bad mood/ harsh comment spoil your work. Bounce back. Quickly.
8. Read new articles only for 45 mins, spread through the day.
9. Check Personal Email only twice in a day (at 1pm and at 6pm).
10. Check Social Networks like Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin only once a day (at 1pm).

I will be following these closely and will keep sharing results of which ones worked more, and how they are helping me in my day to day work.

Although I am not a time management expert, I found these practices are quite helpful and you know what? They work! I encourage you to make such a list and try it yourself.

How do you cope up with a loss of productivity? How do you deal with procrastination? Which tips would you like to add, edit or delete from the above 10 Commandments?

Listen To That Wee Warrior Inside You

What is your purpose? What are you here for?

Anytime you feel lost, feel that you're losing the traction, feel you're not heading anywhere, feel that you're not doing something right - the wee little voice inside you will ask these questions. Every time. Without fail. Time and again. To help you get back on track.

Hear that wee little voice inside you. Hear it when it squirms. Believe in it.

It keeps making you uncomfortable. Uncomfortable with stagnancy. Uncomfortable when you do what you don't like doing. Uncomfortable when you're not trying hard enough. Uncomfortable when you're dishonest. Uncomfortable when you lie.

Try however hard to avoid it - it will keep pestering you. That's what it is there for. That is your true voice. It keeps channeling you in the right direction. It is your inner compass. It keeps telling your true purpose.

Train yourself to listen to it and follow it. Nurture it. Don't ignore it. It won't ignore you. It will keep coming back. The brain will tell you ignore it. Ignore the brain.

That's the warrior fighting on your side. Constantly. Relentlessly. To help you succeed. To help you become better. To help you get over your evils. Listen to it. Be on its side.

Listen to that wee warrior. Listen to your voice. Listen to yourself.

What 2 Volunteers from HelpAge India Taught Me

I was relaxing at home yesterday morning, watching some episodes of The Big Bang Theory. It was about 11am or so when the door bell rang. Two youngsters of about 25 years age were standing there with a broad grin on their faces.

It wasn't a typical grin you expect from a door-to-door Salesman. It was something more pleasant, more serene, more genuine. I was curious. I welcomed them in anyway.

Image credit: Wikipedia.org

They told me that they were from Help Age India, and if I had heard of it. I told them, “Of course, it is a popular NGO.” They were pleased.

They began explaining how they too were working professionals during the weekdays and transformed into HelpAge volunteers full-time on weekends. It was something they wanted to do to contribute to our society. They explained the plight of so many old people who are left on the streets unattended and were in poor health. They explained how we offer fresh food to even our pets at home, but how these grannies and grandpas are unable to even feed themselves and have to eat left-over and unhygienic food on the street.

They went on to explain how these grannies and grandpas, turn blind due to their inability to get timely cataract treatment. They said, the word was “Timely”. If such needy people can get timely help, they can maintain descent health.

This is where HelpAge India comes into the picture. They had schemes for providing free and timely treatment. Not only this, they also gave them employments subsequently so their self-esteem grows and they don't have to resort to the streets again. HelpAge was interested in solving their problems once and for all. They were collecting funds for full the treatment of these old people.

While sharing their experiences about such fund-collection drives, they shared some very heartless responses  of people. I can’t even imagine people responding, “How many more days do they have to live? Why to invest money there” How outright unemotional and inhuman. I felt anger surge within me against those who were so cruel.

Like many others, I too happily handed over a cheque they could encash later. It was the least I could do. They studied a list of more people they had to visit for HelpAge India and bid me adieu.

I was convinced about the noble cause these two youngsters were contributing to. 2-3 things stood out for me:

1.  There is no dearth of people who question, discuss, argue at great length about how much they want to help, but when the time comes, they simply turn away from an opportunity.
2. It was the first time I met Help Age India volunteers. Although I had read quite a bit about how HelpAge India functioned, it was my first time that someone personally explained me its impact so comprehensively. I was happy that such volunteers were actually doing their bit. That was what stood out. They were doing it, not just speaking about it.
3.  They taught me that you don’t need to be a Bill Gates or Narayana Murthy or Anna Hazare to bring about a change. You can contribute to change yourself, in your own capacity, in your own way.

It struck me later that what really distinguishes a leader from the rest is that they actually do it. They don’t just preach. They do it. That is why people look upto them. They have the experience of actually implementing something they believe in. Laggards are only concerned, they don’t influence. They stay within their circle of concern without ever growing their circle of influence.

Let me explain this in a little greater detail. These are 2 very important concepts explained in the best seller ‘The 7Habits of Highly Effective People’ by Steven Covey. Simply stating, a Circle of Concern is something that you’re only concerned about, you're worried about. A Circle of Influence is about things you can influence, you can act on. This is one of most profound concepts I've learnt.

Let’s take a closer look. We come across many people who crib, complain and whine about the state of society (or India or business) is and how it is going from bad to worse. They are really ‘concerned’ about the state of affairs. They scream from their guts about how bad the roads are, how corrupt the politicians are, how bad administration is, how bad their bosses are, how flawed the HR policy is, etc. The list can be endless. And by now, you must have also guessed the names of people in your acquaintance who do this. These are the people who stay in their Circle of Concern and don’t do anything to influence it/ change it.

There is the other breed of people who probably don’t say much, but just get things done. These also exist in your work place, in your locality, in your institution, in your group. These are the people others go to for a solution, or when they have to get things done. They believe in doing things, rather than just sitting on it and endlessly arguing. They like to act on it. Period. These are the people who expand their Circle of Influence and shorten their Circle of Concern.

Whenever they see a problem, they ask “How can I change this myself?” “What role can I play, however tiny, that will change things for the better?” Then they go ahead and just do it.

A person always has a choice between these two. He can either sit on it, or act on it. He can either choose to grow his circle of influence and in effect, reduce the circle of concern. This choice defines a person in his social, personal and professional sphere of life. These are the choices that even make or break a person.

Become a better person. Make the right choice. Don't sit on it. Act Now.

What steps are you taking today to expand your circle of influence? How can you reduce the circle of concern? What is that one thing you always wanted to do, but did not do it yet? Well, go ahead and do it now. Do share your experiences below. Thanks.

In Your Shoes

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.