Greetings to you this Monday Morning!!
As the nation celebrated Diwali last week, all leading newspapers carried stories of the massive amount of noise and air pollution created by the fireworks during the festival time. Most of us contributed towards messing up our beautiful environment.
I recently read "Golden Rules", a book by Wayne Dosick in which Wayne has shared a very interesting story. He writes:-
Ever since the dawning of human history, human beings have been fascinated with the vastness of the skies, the twinkling of the stars and especially, the grandeur and the powerfully intense attraction of the moon. Finally in this generation, humankind's ingenuity and technological advancement made reality of what was only a whimsical dream. A man walked on the moon.
One of the few astronauts who set foot on the moon remembers what it was like to be there. He looked out at the vast and majestic bleakness, the stunning moonscape and the towering mountains. Then he looked back at earth-a huge blue ball, wrapped in wispy clouds, gently floating in the blackness of the universe. The sheer beauty of the awesome and magnificient sight overwhelmed him.
His thoughts went to a scripture he had learned as a child "How great are Your works, Oh lord. In Your wisdom, You created everything." But in an instant, his mood was shattered, for he said to himself, "Stop wasting time. You are not here to be a tourist. Do your job. Go collect rocks."
In a world that that is so largely dominated by mankind's scientific and technological achievements, where the genius of the human mind has accomplished so much, it is easy for us human beings to become arrogant and think that it is only our own capabilities that have gotten us what we have. We might look at the universe and take it for granted, but we must pause to think and appreciate that this great and glorious universe, rejoices in the miracles of the creator. We should be grateful for the beauty of our planet and understand that it our responsibility towards the future generations to pass on a clean and uncluttered world to them.
Have a great week !
Monday, November 22, 2004
Monday, October 25, 2004
Sense of a Goose...
Greetings to you this Monday Morning
Sense of a Goose
Author Unknown, Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone - and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.
When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies at the point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.
Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What messages do we give when we honk from behind?
When a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
Have a great week !!
Sense of a Goose
Author Unknown, Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul
When you see geese flying along in "V" formation, you might consider what science has discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.
When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone - and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. If we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed the same way we are.
When the head goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies at the point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.
Geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. What messages do we give when we honk from behind?
When a goose gets sick or is wounded by gunshot, and falls out of formation, two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies, and only then do they launch out on their own, or with another formation to catch up with their group. If we have the sense of a goose, we will stand by each other like that.
Have a great week !!
Monday, October 18, 2004
A message from Revati...
October 17, 2004
Greetings to you this Monday Morning !!
I took a much-needed break from work this weekend and spent most of the weekend with my daughter Revati. For those of you who haven't met her, Revati is a bubbly child, who will turn 3 soon (Boy!! Time flies… :-)). And even at her age she has her own preferences and opinions about various matters. Over the weekend, we lazed around together, drank Nariyal Pani on our "Katta", went shopping and even had a game of Cricket. Revati's Cricket kit includes a red plastic bat and a white plastic ball. As we started playing, Revati soon lost interest in the game and suggested that we replace the plastic ball with one of her other favorite toys and even offered to go and get it from the house. A few minutes later she returned with a bright orange ball, which I had bought for her from Bangalore. This "crazy" ball was, something very different from the earlier plastic ball. The crazy ball has attributes that are just opposite of the plastic ball. It is bright orange in color, it makes no noise when you throw it on the ground and the harder you throw it, the more it flies back. Revati loves it. She squealed with delight each time the crazy ball went on one of its fast paced trip in our play area. It was evident that she enjoyed more while playing with the crazy ball. In some sense her choice indicated a preference for bright color, high energy and less noise. Probably she and most of the kids of her age would grow up to like people with similar attributes. People who are cheerful, who possess a unique quality of high energy that results in a lot of action without a lot of noise, who no matter how hard they fall will still rise higher. Even as grown ups, I am sure we all admire such people and I hope Revati grows up to be such a person. Through her choice Revati indicated to me that I should model the attributes ofthe bright orange ball. A subtle message from an innocent child. Something to think about.
Have a great week !!
October 17, 2004
Greetings to you this Monday Morning !!
I took a much-needed break from work this weekend and spent most of the weekend with my daughter Revati. For those of you who haven't met her, Revati is a bubbly child, who will turn 3 soon (Boy!! Time flies… :-)). And even at her age she has her own preferences and opinions about various matters. Over the weekend, we lazed around together, drank Nariyal Pani on our "Katta", went shopping and even had a game of Cricket. Revati's Cricket kit includes a red plastic bat and a white plastic ball. As we started playing, Revati soon lost interest in the game and suggested that we replace the plastic ball with one of her other favorite toys and even offered to go and get it from the house. A few minutes later she returned with a bright orange ball, which I had bought for her from Bangalore. This "crazy" ball was, something very different from the earlier plastic ball. The crazy ball has attributes that are just opposite of the plastic ball. It is bright orange in color, it makes no noise when you throw it on the ground and the harder you throw it, the more it flies back. Revati loves it. She squealed with delight each time the crazy ball went on one of its fast paced trip in our play area. It was evident that she enjoyed more while playing with the crazy ball. In some sense her choice indicated a preference for bright color, high energy and less noise. Probably she and most of the kids of her age would grow up to like people with similar attributes. People who are cheerful, who possess a unique quality of high energy that results in a lot of action without a lot of noise, who no matter how hard they fall will still rise higher. Even as grown ups, I am sure we all admire such people and I hope Revati grows up to be such a person. Through her choice Revati indicated to me that I should model the attributes ofthe bright orange ball. A subtle message from an innocent child. Something to think about.
Have a great week !!
October 17, 2004
Monday, October 11, 2004
Obstacles in the fast lane...
Greetings to you this Monday Morning
I was in Mumbai for the weekend and last evening drove down to Pune along with some of my colleagues. It was a wonderful evening and as usual the Mumbai-Pune expressway offered a wonderful stretch of road for those who enjoy long distance driving. The expressway is a 100 km, 6 lane concrete highway on which one can comfortably cruise at 80 kms/hrs for most of the journey.
However, one stretch of the road is more difficult. As you cross the Khalapur tollbooth and start towards Lonavala, the road offers a steep upclimb, narrows down and has a lot of twists and turns that are required to navigate the Western Ghats.
As you try to maintain a reasonable speed on this stretch, the situation is further made difficult by large multi axle vehicles, which drive in the fast lane. These large vehicles create an obstacle in the fast lane and no amount of honking or light flashing is going to help. They simply do not budge. Those of you who enjoy long distance driving will agree with me that a better strategy in such situations is to slow down, change gears and fall back. This offers you two advantages, the lower gear gives you an ability to accelerate at the right moment and falling back gives you the ability to study the obstacle in the right perspective. Sooner or later the road will offer you an opportunity to get past the obstacle, and you will need the additional power to accelerate and skillfully maneuver your car past the obstacle.
Same is true in other situations. No matter what you are doing, once you hit a sticky obstacle, it may be a better idea to change your strategy. Rather than persisting with brute force, slow time a little and give yourself some more energy. In most cases where brute force does not work, a combination of agility and flexibility will work.
-- Sudhanshu Pandit (Oct 11, 2004)
Have a great week!
I was in Mumbai for the weekend and last evening drove down to Pune along with some of my colleagues. It was a wonderful evening and as usual the Mumbai-Pune expressway offered a wonderful stretch of road for those who enjoy long distance driving. The expressway is a 100 km, 6 lane concrete highway on which one can comfortably cruise at 80 kms/hrs for most of the journey.
However, one stretch of the road is more difficult. As you cross the Khalapur tollbooth and start towards Lonavala, the road offers a steep upclimb, narrows down and has a lot of twists and turns that are required to navigate the Western Ghats.
As you try to maintain a reasonable speed on this stretch, the situation is further made difficult by large multi axle vehicles, which drive in the fast lane. These large vehicles create an obstacle in the fast lane and no amount of honking or light flashing is going to help. They simply do not budge. Those of you who enjoy long distance driving will agree with me that a better strategy in such situations is to slow down, change gears and fall back. This offers you two advantages, the lower gear gives you an ability to accelerate at the right moment and falling back gives you the ability to study the obstacle in the right perspective. Sooner or later the road will offer you an opportunity to get past the obstacle, and you will need the additional power to accelerate and skillfully maneuver your car past the obstacle.
Same is true in other situations. No matter what you are doing, once you hit a sticky obstacle, it may be a better idea to change your strategy. Rather than persisting with brute force, slow time a little and give yourself some more energy. In most cases where brute force does not work, a combination of agility and flexibility will work.
-- Sudhanshu Pandit (Oct 11, 2004)
Have a great week!
Monday, October 4, 2004
A weekend learning...
Greetings to you this Monday Morning !!
Last weekend and a couple of days before that was a "flying" time for me. In about 84 hours, I tavelled over 5000 miles through 4 states and 6 cities across the country. Obviously most of the travel was by air and I took 5 flights in 3 days on the tour. Most of the flights were very smooth. We flew in clear skies with hardly any disturbance. On the last leg of the journey though, we encountered some rough weather before landing. The cloud cover was quite thick, and as the pilot warned of some disturbance, I must admit that I felt a little scared. Flying at 800 kms per hour, with outside temperatures of -30 degree Celsius (as the pilot had earlier announced), the sight outside was not at all comforting. I saw a large, cold expanse of grey emptiness below as we began our descent. There was nothing I could do except put all my trust in the pilot and those manning the air traffic control station at the airport. I had a few uncomfortable moments, as the plane seemed to bump about before we finally descended through the cloud cover. I was relieved to see the ground below and was quite in awe of the pilot's skill and the way he seemed to have calmly handled the situation (Maybe it was quite common for him). I was happy to have both feet on solid ground.
On similar lines I think that as we go through life, we would come across situations where in we know that we cannot do much to change the given circumstances. Just as I put my trust into the pilot and his skills, we need to turn to someone, as we ourselves are helpless. As we go through bumpy dark patches, we have to hope for the light at the end of the tunnel. When we can't do much, probably the best recourse is to look heavenwards and to seek guidance from the creator of the universe. As we put our entire faith in him, we will probably find out that in most cases he would guide us out from the dark cloudy times into clear skies and then onto firm ground.
Have a great week!
Last weekend and a couple of days before that was a "flying" time for me. In about 84 hours, I tavelled over 5000 miles through 4 states and 6 cities across the country. Obviously most of the travel was by air and I took 5 flights in 3 days on the tour. Most of the flights were very smooth. We flew in clear skies with hardly any disturbance. On the last leg of the journey though, we encountered some rough weather before landing. The cloud cover was quite thick, and as the pilot warned of some disturbance, I must admit that I felt a little scared. Flying at 800 kms per hour, with outside temperatures of -30 degree Celsius (as the pilot had earlier announced), the sight outside was not at all comforting. I saw a large, cold expanse of grey emptiness below as we began our descent. There was nothing I could do except put all my trust in the pilot and those manning the air traffic control station at the airport. I had a few uncomfortable moments, as the plane seemed to bump about before we finally descended through the cloud cover. I was relieved to see the ground below and was quite in awe of the pilot's skill and the way he seemed to have calmly handled the situation (Maybe it was quite common for him). I was happy to have both feet on solid ground.
On similar lines I think that as we go through life, we would come across situations where in we know that we cannot do much to change the given circumstances. Just as I put my trust into the pilot and his skills, we need to turn to someone, as we ourselves are helpless. As we go through bumpy dark patches, we have to hope for the light at the end of the tunnel. When we can't do much, probably the best recourse is to look heavenwards and to seek guidance from the creator of the universe. As we put our entire faith in him, we will probably find out that in most cases he would guide us out from the dark cloudy times into clear skies and then onto firm ground.
Have a great week!
Monday, September 27, 2004
Learn and Earn...
Greetings to you this Monday Morning!!
Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both worked very hard. After several years, the boss promoted Jing to sales executive but Chuan remained a sales rep. One day Chuan could not take it anymore, tendered resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him. The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for the years, but in order to help Chuan realise the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to do the following. Go and find out anyone selling water melon in the market? Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform boss the $12 per kg. Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question?
Jing went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling water melon. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality. Chuan was very impressed and realised the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.
My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, thinks more and understands in depth. For the same matter, a more successful person sees several years ahead, while we see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times. Think! how far have you seen ahead in your life? How thoughtful in depth are you?
(Reference: www.inspirationalstories.com)
Have a great week!
Chuan and Jing joined a wholesale company together just after graduation. Both worked very hard. After several years, the boss promoted Jing to sales executive but Chuan remained a sales rep. One day Chuan could not take it anymore, tendered resignation to the boss and complained the boss did not value hard working staff, but only promoted those who flattered him. The boss knew that Chuan worked very hard for the years, but in order to help Chuan realise the difference between him and Jing, the boss asked Chuan to do the following. Go and find out anyone selling water melon in the market? Chuan returned and said yes. The boss asked how much per kg? Chuan went back to the market to ask and returned to inform boss the $12 per kg. Boss told Chuan, I will ask Jing the same question?
Jing went, returned and said, boss, only one person selling water melon. $12 per kg, $100 for 10 kg, he has inventory of 340 melons. On the table 58 melons, every melon weighs about 15 kg, bought from the South two days ago, they are fresh and red, good quality. Chuan was very impressed and realised the difference between himself and Jing. He decided not to resign but to learn from Jing.
My dear friends, a more successful person is more observant, thinks more and understands in depth. For the same matter, a more successful person sees several years ahead, while we see only tomorrow. The difference between a year and a day is 365 times. Think! how far have you seen ahead in your life? How thoughtful in depth are you?
(Reference: www.inspirationalstories.com)
Have a great week!
Monday, September 20, 2004
Tough times create tough people...
Greetings to you this Monday Morning!!
Last weekend as I was recruiting at some of the engineering colleges in the state, I had a very interesting experience. As we announced the results, one of the students in the hall asked me an interesting question-"What role does a student's family background play in the selection process?"
As I formulated my response, my thoughts went to a quote that I had read sometime back. It said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life but by the obstacles, which he has overcome to achieve it", and this captured the essence of my response.
As I travel across the country for my work, I meet a large number of students in connection with our campus recruitment programs. While most of them are much younger to me in terms of age, I often come across some remarkable success stories that make me feel like an extremely ordinary individual.
I am fortunate to be in a profession that keeps me in touch with the reality that I am among the blessed few who have received a lot of support from their family and have lived in circumstances that are very favorable in achieving a decent level of education. In contrast, there are students who face far more difficult circumstances, who are not so blessed to have highly educated parents, who do not have so much financial support, but who still make it to some of the top colleges in the country, where they work hard to create a tomorrow of their dreams.
In the last twelve months I have encountered some very inspiring success stories that have started in small villages in rural India and are now on the verge of entering the Indian software world.
I salute the spirit of such young people who rise above difficult situations through hard work, who nurture a dream of a better tomorrow, who exhibit strong determination and persistent efforts to meet their goals. And more importantly, I am thankful that I get ample opportunities to meet such people.
Have a great week!
Last weekend as I was recruiting at some of the engineering colleges in the state, I had a very interesting experience. As we announced the results, one of the students in the hall asked me an interesting question-"What role does a student's family background play in the selection process?"
As I formulated my response, my thoughts went to a quote that I had read sometime back. It said, "Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life but by the obstacles, which he has overcome to achieve it", and this captured the essence of my response.
As I travel across the country for my work, I meet a large number of students in connection with our campus recruitment programs. While most of them are much younger to me in terms of age, I often come across some remarkable success stories that make me feel like an extremely ordinary individual.
I am fortunate to be in a profession that keeps me in touch with the reality that I am among the blessed few who have received a lot of support from their family and have lived in circumstances that are very favorable in achieving a decent level of education. In contrast, there are students who face far more difficult circumstances, who are not so blessed to have highly educated parents, who do not have so much financial support, but who still make it to some of the top colleges in the country, where they work hard to create a tomorrow of their dreams.
In the last twelve months I have encountered some very inspiring success stories that have started in small villages in rural India and are now on the verge of entering the Indian software world.
I salute the spirit of such young people who rise above difficult situations through hard work, who nurture a dream of a better tomorrow, who exhibit strong determination and persistent efforts to meet their goals. And more importantly, I am thankful that I get ample opportunities to meet such people.
Have a great week!
Monday, March 1, 2004
In the arena...
Greetings to you this Monday Morning !!
In any significant achievement a worthwhile question to be asked is "Whom does the credit belong to?"
Theodore Roosevelt answers this question beautifully....he says...
"Certainly not the critic. The critic does not count. He is simply the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The real credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Have a great week !!
In any significant achievement a worthwhile question to be asked is "Whom does the credit belong to?"
Theodore Roosevelt answers this question beautifully....he says...
"Certainly not the critic. The critic does not count. He is simply the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The real credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth course; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat."
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Have a great week !!
Monday, February 2, 2004
You can do it if you believe you can
Greetings to you this Monday Morning !!
Our mind is constructed in such a way that it constantly seeks to bring out into physical reality, the things it thinks about the most. Most of us will never realize the tremendous potential we possess- because we are not willing to belive that we can accomplish things that others say are impossible....
We come to believe anything we tell ourselves often enough - even if it is not true. If we repeat something over and over to ourself, our subconsious mind will eventually begin to accept it as a fact. When something has been accepted as truth by our subconsious mind, it will work overtime to transform the idea into physical reality. We can take advantage of this by programming our mind to think positive thoughts.
Use self motivators or affirmations to persuade your subconsious that you are capable of doing anything you wish. Whenever in doubt, replace "I can't" with "I will".
As you begin this new month, go on and set yourself a huge challenge to meet in the next 27 days.....go after it with all you might, all the while telling yourself that you can achieve it................
If you very strongly believe that you can achieve it, you will soon you start believing that you WILL achieve it.......And only then you will go ahead and actually do it.
I am sure we all will......
Have a great week!!
Our mind is constructed in such a way that it constantly seeks to bring out into physical reality, the things it thinks about the most. Most of us will never realize the tremendous potential we possess- because we are not willing to belive that we can accomplish things that others say are impossible....
We come to believe anything we tell ourselves often enough - even if it is not true. If we repeat something over and over to ourself, our subconsious mind will eventually begin to accept it as a fact. When something has been accepted as truth by our subconsious mind, it will work overtime to transform the idea into physical reality. We can take advantage of this by programming our mind to think positive thoughts.
Use self motivators or affirmations to persuade your subconsious that you are capable of doing anything you wish. Whenever in doubt, replace "I can't" with "I will".
As you begin this new month, go on and set yourself a huge challenge to meet in the next 27 days.....go after it with all you might, all the while telling yourself that you can achieve it................
If you very strongly believe that you can achieve it, you will soon you start believing that you WILL achieve it.......And only then you will go ahead and actually do it.
I am sure we all will......
Have a great week!!
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