Multiplication on Division

Dividing it gives a chance to multiply itself, isn't it? Split open a papaya and look at the number of potential seeds it has, plant them and you can have hundreds of papayas more. A seed gives rise to a plant which in turn gives more seeds which in turn can become more plants. Quite a beautiful phenomenon. So, if you are the one who believes dividing something may reduce it, change your opinion. There are things which multiply on dividing. Happiness is one such feeling which multiplies when divided. A moment of happiness when divided and shared with friends and family can multiply it and make you happier. Happy becomes happier, not only you but for the people around you also. So, dont be skeptical about dividing your happiness. Let it spread.

Leap Ahead Over Your Obstacles

We all run a race, the race of our life. We all are constantly running towards our goals, towards happiness, towards bliss. But, how many of us are successful in reaching the red ribbon? How many of us fall down exhausted? And why does this happen? What happens in this race when we face an obstacle? The word 'obstacle' brings a picture of hindrance to the mind. The very sight of it blocks the mind. It makes us feel uncomfortable and petrified. It acts as a barrier to our success. But, the fact remains that this obstacle is the sole secret for success. It is this obstacle which gives more energy to the winner. On seeing the obstacle from far itself, he gears up and gathers as much energy as possible and takes a huge leap ahead marching towards his goal. This is what you need to do if you want to stand on the #1 position. The moment you see an obstacle, double your energy and jump, overcome it and run with more enthusiasm. Remember, an obstacle is an opportunity, not an obstruction.

Curiosity and Peace

If this Universe were a long beach, our Earth would be one small grain of sand on that huge beach. If the Earth were a long beach, I would be a smaller grain of sand on that. Then, what exactly am I? Am I a spiritual being in a human form or a human being on a spiritual path? Am i powerless in front of the vast Universe or do I have the power of million such Universes in me? Do the electrons which revolve in my atoms similar to the planets revolving in the solar system? Why is the solar system's functioning similar to that of an atom, that being a majuscule and this a minuscule. Are both of them possessing the same powers? Isn't it that solar system is made up of trillions of nothing but these atoms. If you wondered Who made the solar system, then in case we had to find out who made these tiny invisible atoms? Who made sound? And how can we hear it? Who made the Sun and gave light to it? Who made colors and gave us the power to differentiate to them? Who made water and gave it the power to quench our thirst? Who made you and why are you reading this? Who made me and why i am writing this? If I and you were made by God, then who made Him? If there was someone else who had made God, then who had made him? Or was everything made by itself? God, you , me , water, colors and music? But, everything has a creator, isnt it? Then who is it? Is it not that we are just a form of God? Is it not that God is everywhere - in you, me , the neighbours, students, teachers, ministers, police and even the terrorists? Then why is God killing himself? Why is God fighting with himself? Why is God criticizing himself? They say if you could shrink the lifetime of this Universe into one year, we would be in the last 30 seconds of the last day of the last month. Does that mean doomsday is nearby? Is death inevitable? But, I am still unclear about my identity, how can I die?

I get very curios about life but somewhere down the lane at the end of the day, it gives me peace. I find an event like the Mumbai terror attacks small in front of the extremely vast universe. I feel there is someone very powerful above all of us who is watching everything and will definitely do something about it. Everything is going on perfectly, it's a perfect script written by Him. Whether it was someone loosing his job or someone loosing his relative, everything is perfect, isnt it? No leaf of a tree can even move without His permission, then obviously everything is happening with His own will. If He doesnt have any objection, why should we? So let's just sit back and enjoy His movie.

Dancing on the Lonely Beach

Cool breeze and waving palm trees welcome me as I open my arms to embrace them. The whole universe seems to be right here, on this lonely beach. I wave my hands to the helicopter flying by and imagine how the beach would look from there - up above. The sea waves kissing the sand belt passionately on the lonely beach and the nature around enjoying their love. I jump with joy and move my body, swirling around in love with the scene. I run towards the waves as they recede, I run back when they proceed towards me. I run towards the palms and express my joy to them and they wave in response. I run along the long beach throwing my hands in the air as the waves come and wash my feet. I rotate, jump, run and bounce. I kick my feet into the sand making it fly, I collect some water in the cup of my hands and throw it high. It comes down crashing on my face and I smile. I see the horizon and my eyes glow up. I lay down in the lap of the beach. Sea waves come and kiss me and I feel shy. I surrender myself completely to them - the sea, beach, and the music. The music of my soul, music of the crashing waves, music of the embracing breeze, the music of my dance. I wish for my heart's desires and jump again with ecstasy. I dance as if no one were watching me. I dance on this lonely beach to my heart felt joy.

I call this a 'magic moment'. We all have magic moments in our life but we pretend as though it were a stranger to us. We experience pure love and the power of this universe at least once in a day and that is our magic moment. But, why do we ignore it? Why do we not realize the beauty of it?

The Great BOOT-POLISH Competition of 1958* - II

"FROM RAILWAY PLATFORM TO THE PATH OF GLORY"
The New York Times, 15th of September: He resides at the New York Railway platform, he earns his bread by polishing other's shoes all day but today he is on top of the world. Meet Sebastian, the winner of the Great BOOT-POLISH competition. Sebastian is the winner of 1,00,000 dollars and his happiness knows no bounds.....


Andrew was shattered, he was taken aback, 30 days of sheer hard work led him to absolutely nothing. He was totally unnoticed, someone who was worth nothing stole the show. After all, what was Sebastian? He wasn't even educated or had a proper schooling, then how could he win everything? How could Andrew loose to him? It was shameful...

But wasn't this quite obvious? A boot-polisher like Sebastian who is a professional at polishing shoes ought to win the competition, after all he was the best! But, was it fair that Andrew's hard work was not rewarded? Was it fair for Sebastian to win the fight when there were so many others who had worked so hard? Was it fair for the organizers to allow Sebastian to participate in the competition? You would not invite professional painters to a painting competition and then declare them as the winners leaving all others fooled!

Fair or unfair, one thing was sure - Andrew was cheated, by himself! Yes, he cheated himself by participating in this mega trick. He cheated himself by not realizing his value. He cheated himself by getting carried away. He cheated himself by his haste for making it BIG. He cheated himself by ignoring the universal truth

The truth that his destiny was inscribed to his fortune before his birth and he couldn't change it, in fact, no one could. His path was laid and he had to walk it, there was no looking back neither any alternate ways. He had to find that path, he had to hunt for it and then explore it's true potential. Wasn't it true what Shakespeare had said about us? This world is a stage and we all are actors. Our roles have been pre-defined, we need to realize it and play our parts. And this was where Andrew cheated himself, by not playing his part, by not realizing his role and it's purpose.

What role will you play in this world or Will you cheat yourself?

THE END

* - This is purely a work of fiction, any resemblance to similar stories, old or new is purely coincidental. No part of this maybe copied or reproduced without the permission from the blogger.

The Great BOOT-POLISH competition of 1958*

Old and withered black shoes in the left hand and Shoe Polish in the right hand, thousands of people waited for the event to begin. No, it was not an exchange offer for shoes but it was the Great BOOT-POLISH competition of 1958. Since there were more rivals coming up in the market, one of the leading shoe polish brands had a new concept of marketing. "Polish your shoe and win huge money" - were the slogans being announced all over the city of New York. A grand advertising campaign and innovative marketing techniques played their tricks on the people. 14th of September saw a huge crowd assemble at the Times Square and the purpose - polishing their shoes!

People do anything for money - believe me, absolutely anything. An insignificant action which only school children and white collar workers would do everyday was made so attractive and exciting that more than a quarter of new york people were there ignoring every other important thing in their life. And no points for guessing that the mid week of September, 1958 shattered all the records for polish equipment sales. Something which would cost around less than 100 could give a chance to win 1,00,000! So, why not try?

They were all there - from rich businessmen to the hot dog vendor next street. From blacks to whites, children to adults, engineers to doctors and wonder who else. And there were some with black marks on their cheeks signifying the amount of practice they had done at home, one of them being Andrew. 1 lakh wasn't a small amount that time, though it may sound peanuts for us today.

Doing his honors in microbiology, Andrew was one of those smart, intelligent and ambitious guys, who had a very clear goal in life and dedicated his blood to it. He knew he would make it BIG one day and he was desperately desperate for that day. If the desperate desperation were to take a human form desperately, it would be Andrew. Immensely desperate for success and recognition, he would go through every little opportunity that comes by his way to make it BIG. Little did he knew that everything in this Universe had a time frame. If he had to be successful and popular, it would take time, but as i said, he was desperately desperate for it NOW!

Winning the great BOOT-POLISH competition was not normal, his photograph would be on the front page of every newspaper, his video holding the winning trophy would be on every other channel, he would win 1,00,000 with which he could start his own enterprise. Dreaming all these, he set out to participate in this grand marketing trick. One whole month of research and hard work followed. What would happen if a shoe made of leather and a paste made of wax meet? How can this chemical reaction be enhanced to make the shoe shine better?

"Hey, I am not that bad at chemistry....equally good at it. Probably I can combine my biology also to pursue my future in Bio-Chemistry", he thought. Now this was the most disturbing thing about Andrew, his timidity. For every new opportunity he would discover, he would get more confused about his career. And this confusion would never end. More the opportunities, more the confusion. He would think he is fit enough for every other talent out there and he would end up being a jack of all trades, master of none. He knew he had to master only one talent if he wished to make it BIG, but this awareness was of no help. He continued to be confused in life and washed his hands with whichever river came by his way.

"I have been sent to this world to fulfill a unique job, I have a fixed destiny, all i need to do is find the secret path to it and unlock the mystery", he pondered. His insecurity that he may die without letting the world know him made him timid. His fear that he may die a normal death without becoming popular, without achieving his goal, without accomplishing his dreams, worsened the situation and he ended up in polishing his shoes 10 times every day for 30 long days just in case he wins this great competition and all his dreams would come true. There is nothing wrong in expecting good results, especially if you have worked so hard and hey, who doesn't want recognition in life? Even you do....but would it be OK to polish my shoe on the street in front of thousands for that recognition? Well, there is no right or wrong answer for this but it all depends on the perspective. Perspective of the individual about good and bad, about right and wrong, about BIG and small, about success and failure, about being popular or unpopular.

Old and withered black shoes in the left hand and Shoe Polish in the right hand, even he set out to be a part of this great historic competition and to make a difference, to be on the front page of the newspaper next day, to be on the television screens of lakhs of people on the same day. He was supremely confident about his victory, after all he has worked extremely hard and he has wished for this from the bottom of his heart truly and Paulo Coelho says "When you wish for something truly, the whole universe conspires for you to achieve it". He could sense that universe at Times Square on that day. They all were there, thousands of participants, only to lose so that Andrew could have won. They were all there, from rich businessmen to the hot dog vendor next street, from blacks to whites, children to adults, engineers to doctors, to conspire for Andrew's victory.

The press could witness a mad crowd that day, busy making a leather piece shine to excellence. Within a few minutes, it would end and the jury would walk through thousands of shoes to pick only one, the one which would shine bright and sparkle! Andrew could recollect each and every moment he had gone through the whole of previous month for this one day, for this one moment, for his one shoe to be picked up. He could recollect how the "Polish your shoe and win huge money" marketing slogan caught his attention. As his memories rewinded, the judge forwarded to look at more shoes, to pick up a shoe which was extremely striking, sparkling and shining. He went ahead in search of that X factor. He examined each shoe thoroughly, hand picked a few and tested their genuineness. The crowd would surround the judge(and even fall on him), they would move along with him shoe by shoe. Photographers were busy clicking pics of thousands of them. They appeared as though Edison's thousand attempts of inventing the bulb were on display. Some were dim, some too glary while some never lit. As the judge approached Andrew's shoes, his eyes twinkled, he could see them - dark like the night and bright like the stars.......

......................to be continued

* - This is purely a work of fiction, any resemblance to similar stories, old or new is purely coincidental. No part of this maybe copied or reproduced without the permission from the blogger.

Sweet and Pure Honey

Honey Bee is one of those flying insects which many of us do not like. It has been very unfriendly with man but there is something in it which is truly inspirational for life. Look at the way a honey bee does its job. It goes through hundreds of flowers, picks up the best from each and gathers them to make honey. It goes carefully through each flower examining it and receives only the nectar from it neglecting the rest. It collects nectar from every flower and hence we get the opportunity to taste something like honey, pure and natural sweet!

Using this simple technique the honey bee carries a message for everyone - if you want to make your life as sweet as honey, gather the good from everyone. Good thoughts, good memories, good experiences, good lessons from the flowers in your life - your friends and family. Seek for the good in everyone and your life too shall be sweet and pure like the honey. Remember, Good in Good out.

Want to be successful?? You need to fail then...

It's a full moon night and i am walking lonely near the lake, completely unknown of my destination, wandering all over the place and enjoying the scenic beauty. Questions arise in my mind as to what i want to be and what i want to achieve. "Success" is the first obvious reply to come from the inside. Success in achieving my goal, in pursuing my dreams and following my purpose. But then, I think all these thoughts are too heavy for the bright moonlit night. Why not forget the world and just enjoy it.

I stare at the silver moon for a long time and it's crystal reflection in the lake. They don't seem to leave each other. The brighter the moon gets, the brighter is the reflection. The moment the moon hides itself behind a cloud, so does the reflection. I wished for only the moon, then why do i get this unwanted reflection?? It was then that i realized the laws of nature. The laws which bind this entire Universe, no one can escape from them, not even the law creator himself, then what am I after all?

And hence, i had no other choice but to accept the reflection. I spent some time standing near the lake under a huge tree with my eyes stuck to the bright full moon reflection on the crystal waters. There was mist all over and the surroundings were filled with silver light from the moon. Very soon i realized that the reflection was in fact more beautiful than the original celestial ball.

The moon was too high in the sky to touch but i had this reflection which i could touch, feel and play with. I left the lake to become still and the waves to settle so that i could see the reflection clearly. And there it was - the most beautiful sight i could have ever seen, the full crystal clear moon surrounded by millions of twinkling stars. Absolutely wonderful and mystical, as if I were just dreaming. Then i lifted my face to see the beautiful painting. I wished if I were the moon, soaring up in the sky in the company of millions of bright sparkling stars.

That was the night i realized the laws of nature - if you want the moon, accept it's reflection. If you want SUCCESS, accept FAILURE because failure is nothing but success' own reflection. Treat both of them as if they were same. Failure is nothing but the beginning of success. Stare at your failures and learn from them and then lift your face to see the success you achieved from your failure. If you want to have stars around you, if you want to make great friends, you need to accept enemies. Treat your friends and enemies equally. And then life becomes more beautiful than ever. So remember, Want to be successful, You need to fail then...

I know Him....He is my...

If Hansraj College in New Delhi had 60 students as a part of its economics honors program in 1985, 59 out of them would have said this to their children today : "I know Shahrukh Khan, He was my classmate. He was such a wonderful person and friend of mine back in college days....and vagera vagera......." Similarly, other students of Sherwood college in Nainital would have said to their grandchildren : "I know Amitabh Bachchan, he was my classmate, we sat on the same bench also you know........Oh! God I wish him luck."

Yes, it's true, even a small connection to popular personalities brings us immense pride as we go about telling it to the entire society around us.

"I saw Hrithik during shooting of Krrish, he gave me an autograph also...here look at it....wow"
"I had met Indira Gandhi when she had come to our school for a meeting. See this photograph......"

We feel so happy to have been connected to BIG personalities and even the more excited to share with our friends and family. Even I have been associated with such a personality and i am just so terribly excited to share with you...

" I know God, He is my soulmate."

The Taj Mahal for him is his office

It's the seventh wonder of the world for many, monument of love for some, tourist spot for some, ideal place to shoot movies for some but for him this is his office. Lakhs of people around the world spend money to have one glance of this white marble but he comes here everyday to earn money. Hundreds and thousands of people throng to see it, but he is here all alone guarding it all the day. For some, to be at the Taj is a lifetime opportunity but for him his life starts and ends here itself. People from across the globe come to see this symbol of eternal love, his love - his family is alive because of this. This mahal of white marble is his ultimate destination, he has no other place to go. He cannot see the beauty in his office which others cant stop appreciating about. He cannot understand the reason why people across the globe call it a wonder, after all the taj mahal for him is his office.

Life is truly strange sometimes. Who knows the office where we are working might be a wonder for someone else but quite boring for us. Things around us, our home, office, friends may seem quite boring, old and routine but for others they may be beautiful, awesome and wonderful. As they said it, "Beauty lies in the eyes of the seeker."

How dare you forget him?

Whenever you were in darkness, he spread light for you...


You thought life has become hopeless, he showed you a ray of hope...


You were dull and gloomy, he made life bright for you...


You were cold with what happened to you, he gave you the warmth...


Even if he sank in the nights, he woke up for you early next morning...

You were wet with tears, he made a beautiful rainbow for you...


And now it's your turn. How dare you forget him? Repay him for all the energy and vibrancy he gave you. How can you turn your backs to him? Repay him by removing the distances between you and him. Go closer to him and thank him for everything. Reach out to him....

All you need to do is THINK BEYOND THE HORIZON!!!

Do not build relationships, plant them.

"In life each person can take on of the two attitudes: to build or to plant. The builders might take years over their tasks, but one day, when they finish , they're hemmed in by their own walls. Life looses it's meaning when the building stops. Then there are those who plant. They endure storms and all the many vicissitudes of the seasons, and they rarely rest. But, unlike a building, a garden never stops growing. While it requires the gardener's constant attention, it also allows life for the gardener to be a great adventure.

Gardeners always recognize each other, because they know that in the history of each plant lies the growth of the whole world" - Paulo Coelho in his book Brida.

A zebra crossing career for confused souls

He was born confused in life. He was never clear about what he wanted. He kept changing his goals. He felt he was too much gifted in life. He was too talented in many aspects. Be it his soulful dance or acting skills, his extremely professional way of management, his charm to influence people at marketing, his public speaking skills to give powerful seminars or his simple yet powerful business approach. Often he thought he was the most fortunate person to have these skills but then it were these extraordinary skills which made him more confused in life. Which path to choose? What to follow in his career? He was afraid if he took the wrong path, he was scared of making a wrong choice. He couldn't commit himself to any of the paths because of the fear that his other talents might go waste. He wanted to follow all possible paths and ended up following none. He kept finding the answers for almost six long years until one fine morning ......

He was lost in his thoughts staring at the zebra crossing through the window in front of him, he could see the white broad series of lines trying to speak something. They wanted to help him and solve his problem. But they never spoke, they only shone under the bright sunlight and their silence revealed a lot about them. As he could observe, the bright zebra crossing on the main road had a job to signal the vehicles about a junction. It told the vehicles where they could make a turn without disturbing rest of the traffic. It helped different vehicles driving in from different directions to regulate themselves. But, at times, not very often, it took a break and signaled all the vehicles to stop and this time it helped the pedestrians to cross the road. It was successful in helping the vehicles as well as the pedestrians to move around with perfect synchronization. The zebra crossing was gifted with a powerful career which it shared with him today. And thus he realized the power of a zebra crossing career!

It is not necessary that when we choose one path in life, we need to sacrifice the other. Sometimes, we are lucky enough to make both the paths meet at a crossroad. He could use his multiple talents in the same career. He could be a technology manager and also use his public speaking skills to give a motivational seminar to his team. He could use his marketing skills and his simple yet powerful business approach to market the latest technologies to his clients. And at times, not very often, he could dance in the party, at the cultural fest, for the tv show or just for himself!

So for all those who are confused in life about your career, find out your top skills/talents for which you would like to receive money and make yours the zebra crossing career. Overcome your fear of failure, after all the life is too big to experience multiple careers.

We all have been successful!

After spending nine tedious months in her womb, finally one day I was declared to be "born successfully" to my mother. That was my first success!! And since then, I have been successful in many other ventures i took up. Very soon, i learnt to express myself successfully using my face expressions, voice and hand gestures. I started walking soon and could go around my house. I started speaking small words in hindi and sindhi successfully. And sucess became an integral part of my life. As i grew up, i performed many other acts successfully. Not only me, but we all have been successful all through our lives. We have been successful in living our life the way we were suppossed to. We all have been successful in performing the job alloted to us by the almighty. We all have been successful by just being ourself - the true inner self!

So shed all your inhibitions right now and realize that even you are one of those highly successful individuals! The very fact that you are physically fit, breathing properly and reading this article proves that you have been highly successful. Anyone can be successful by just being his/her true self. You, me and the whole universe is highly successful right now!

SUCCESS?? Do you have it?

SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A
DESTINATION

What would your answer be on being asked if you were successful? or if you had achieved success? Now, one thing which the above quotation clarifies is that success is something which cannot be achieved. Success is not a materialistic object or a goal to be achieved, neither is it a destination to be reached. Success is something which has to be a part of life. In fact, haven't we all been successful in taking birth? The fact that we all are living proves that we were successful in taking birth after staying for 9 long months in one's mother's womb. That makes us realize that our life has been successful and will always remain so, but only if we wish to. Success is a never ending journey which we have to travel every day. We get many curves and bumps along, we ought to face many potholes, diversions and rough surfaces. They make the journey more exciting and interesting. If the road was too smooth and lonely, what would be the fun of riding on it?

It is not the road which makes the journey comfortable or easy, but it is the direction and focus on the big picture. If we didn't knew the direction in which we are supposed to go, what a misery it would be asking others for it. If we did not focus on the road and rather bothered about things inside the car , we would loose the drive. So, in your journey towards success, focus on the big picture, on the road ahead, rather than small things.

Pizza Puff and Popcorn II

They became aware that they had to change, they had this desire to beat competition which would come through change. They conducted a survey and acquired the knowledge on how to change. But, how far would they succeed? Will their abilities to implement change bring what they desired? And how far will they be able to sustain this change?

"Whether the change is large or small, the ability to manage it is a critical component of high performance", pizza advised.

"Yes, I agree with you and hence have decided to go your way", popcorn exclaimed.

"And I have decided to go the Marie and Cola way", puff declared.

"I could not have made sense by changing my name or shape, people have always enjoyed me in my original form. Having different flavors and colors is a better way of appealing people. This would give me the ability to manage the change and sustain it. Now, I will be available in butter, cream and onion, tomato, pineapple, classic salted, Italian cheese and many other flavors", popcorn said.

"And I had the scope of changing my shape, size and name. So i opted the other way. Now, I will be available in various shapes and sizes. The twisted chocolate bar shape, the triangle, the 'D' shape and the baggy one. Kids will not only call me veg.puff but twister puff, D puff, baggy puff etc. They will also enjoy my paneer, mushroom, babycorn, cheese and many other stuffings. I am so happy to have changed this way and people just love my new form", puff exclaimed.

"So good to see you both changing with the time and market needs.", the pizza said, "Many of us fail to realize the importance of changing ourselves. We get used to our routine life and fear to move out of our comfort zone. But, the fact remains that when we move out, we overcome our fears and become more confident. The change may be anything, small or big, urgent or important, but the way we implement the change in our life is very important. First of all, we need to be AWARE of the market, it's trends and when it would demand a change from us. Then, comes the DESIRE to change for the better and to improve our self. The next step would be to ACQUIRE knowledge on how to change and what to change. Once, we thoroughly understand what we want to change and how we are going to do it, half of the battle is won. We should have the ABILITY to implement the change in an appropriate way and for it, we need to use our skills. The final and the most important step towards change management is to SUSTAIN the change we are bringing about. If we cannot sustain the new change, it would be a waste of time and energy to have spent it in changing ourselves. Hence, the change we bring about should be sustainable and of use to not only us but also others."

The puff and the popcorn were amazed to see the pizza's gyaan about change management and how they both had already used the 5 step process to bring about a positive change in their lives.

Teaching People - 13 to 30

"It's not 'I cannot be able to'. We say 'I am not able to.....'", I corrected her. I do not know if teaching profession is exciting or adventurous for others, for me it is pretty cool and rocking. I deal with spoken english, soft skills, personality development, group discussions and interview skills @ POWER Spoken English Institute (www.powerspokenenglish.com) .

A motivational and inspiring quote starts my class perfectly followed by a few activities full of energy, fun as well as gyaan. The activities range from crossword puzzles to roleplays to story narration. The class usually ends with a homework or a summary of the points. Now, those of you who thought teaching is the most boring job, let me tell you, it's one of the most challenging and interesting ones.

My job gives me the oppurtunity to interact with a variety of people - from 13 to 30. An VIIIth class student from DPS who is brilliant at science to a marvadi businessman owning an optical showroom at eluru road. A young politician from Mylavaram to a muslim woman from kerala. And there are Students from CA, Pharmacy, Engineering, MCA, MBA and many other degrees.
Isnt't it exciting?

When i took my first class, i remember how girls were so scared to even open their mouth and just in a span of 1 week, they could come on to the stage and narrate stories to the audience. Whenever i ask, "How are you all?", they energize me with their reply "On Top the World". Never before in my life has a group of 20 people stood up to welcome my entry into the class. It truly feels on top of the world. Of course, there is some amount of mischief too, giggling and chatting in between classes is usual. The next 3-4 months until i get a call from TCS, this profession is going to be fun.

Pizza, Puff and Popcorn

"I am round, soft and cheesy", the pizza gave a furious reply to the puff who was debating on who among the three was best.

"So what? You are cut into four to six pieces and shared but i am exclusive to whoever owns me", replied Puff.

"Huh?! But, what are you...just a few layers of thin wafers and negligible stuffings", pizza grumbled.

"None of you are good enough. It is me who is ultimately preferred", popcorn popped in.

"Who says so? You are good at nothing but popping aloud", the puff puffed.

"If only you could observe my noble friends, it is me who is omnipresent in theaters, multiplexes and it is me whom people prefer", the popcorn mumbled.

"You are wrong buddy, it is me who is preferred in cafes and restaurants where a majority of the youngsters dwell and they all love me. I have so much variety in me, so many brands in me, so many different kinds of toppings with me. I have different flavours across different countries in the world. I come in different sizes. I am also home delivered to millions across the world.", the pizza declared.

Puff and Popcorn stared at this round shaped cheesy-weesy bread completely startled. They were awe-struck. Actually what the pizza said was true, popcorn hardly came in 4-5 flavours and the puff hardly had 3-4 stuffing types, but a pizza hut menu had more than 30 varieties of pizzas. Popcorn and puff were never home delivered to anyone, neither they had so many brands into it where as for the pizza there was Pizza Hut, Dominos, Pizza Corner and many more. Both of them knew that they couldn't outwit pizza if they stood alone. They had to unite to face the competition.

But, to unite isn't child's play. A popping puff would never appeal, not even a layered wafer with stuffed corn. What if a puff was made free with every popcorn packet? Naah! Hmm....What if we stuffed different varities in puffs like mushroom, choco etc. Or maybe pineapple popcorn? Both of them started a survey in the city. They set out to see the cafes,restaurants,malls, multiplexes and all other places where people love to eat food.

"Whatever you guys plan to do, let me tell you, times have changed, our customers want new things. Conventional things do not survive in the market anymore. You need to be different. Look at me, i had to change my name three times. Though my content is same, i am offered in three different names - Pepsi, Coke and Thums Up. Not only this, i have several superstars endorsing me from hollywood to kollywood. I am served in bottles and cans of different shapes and sizes. It's time for you also to change", the carbonated black drink advised.

"My sales had dropped drastically after the entry of new biscuits and cookies. People completely forgot me and hence i decided to change my appearance. Today i am known as Marie Gold, Crispy Marie, Original Marie, Nestle Marie, Golden Marie etc. I am happy to be dipped in million cups of tea.", the crisp biscuit said.

Many more foods said their stories, many more places round the city were surveyed. One thing was clear - a change was required to lure the market. But, what would that change be? Should they go the marie and cola way - same content in different forms or should they go the pizza way - different contents and different forms? What would they do? What could the change be?

What do you think should happen next? Comment you replies and the best reply would be published in the next blogpost.

Carroms with a Kid

Thanks to Munnabhai M.B.B.S, modern day Indian Kids have re-discovered the beauty of the carroms game. And this time, it was my uncle's son who wanted to play carroms with me the other day. It had been really very long for me playing that game. For a moment, i went back in time, in school days, when every summer, I used to play carroms with my sister. I remember the way my sister used to loose in the game so that I could win it and feel happy about it. But, later when i came to knew about it, I felt bad that i won all those games on a non-merit basis. Hence, i decided not to repeat this with the kid. I thought to make the Kid learn something out of the game.

"अविनाश भैय्या, चलो ना कार्रोम्ज़ खेलते हैं....प्लीज", my little brother said as he brought the board fully drenched with powder. He put up a question mark face when i asked him which game he wanted to play. It was a pity to know that he didn't knew what kind of games could be played with the carroms. All he knew was, one shoots blacks while the other shoots whites and the lucky one walks away with the Queen. I suggested to play a game of Business.

He asked innocently, "बिजिनेज़ ? इश्के साथ हम बिजिनेज़ कैसे खेल शकते हैं भइया?"
And i taught him the rules of the game. Each white coin was priced at Rs.10/- and the black one at Rs.5/- while the Queen at Rs.25/-. On earning an amount of Rs.15/-, one could start investing it in the property. The property comprised of arrows, lines, spaces and holes on the standard carrom board. To buy an arrow, one had to pay an amount of 15/-, the line 30/, the space 60/-, the hole 80/-. If you buy a property, it meant whichever coin falls under your property becomes yours.

"हाआआआअ...........|", he took a long exclamatory breath!
"भइया, अगर कोई कोंन मेरे प्रोपर्टी मैं गिरी, तो वह मेरी हो जायेगी?"
"बिलकुल, जो भी काइन तेरे प्रोपर्टी में गिरेगी, तेरी हो जायेगी|"
"अर्र्रे ......वाह , यह तो भडिया है|"

And that was how, my li'l bro started learning the business terms, but still he was far away from the logistics. As we started the game, the moment i earned 15 bucks, i started investing in the property and got immediate returns. Innocent looks were staring at me, unknown of what had happened. I finished purchasing the entire property and my bro looked at me completely clueless of what to do. I insisted on re-starting the game and i began to tell him everything from investment to liquidation. My words hit his brain like a tangent. I started to give him examples so that he would understand better. We played the game and I waited until he earns fifteen bucks. But, he would miss the coins unfortunately.

"भइया, मेरे पास तो पैसे ही नहीं है| अब मैं बुजिनेज़ कैसे करूँगा?", he asked me in a confused state.
"एक काम कर, लोन लेले|", i suggested. He replied with a face which was more confused. I explained him what a loan meant and how he had to repay me with interest, once he started earning profits. He readily agreed and thus began the game - the game of virtual business through real carroms.

(Very loosely inspired from '100 pounds of popcorn' by Hazel Krantz)

One day 'not' at the Gym

...And then there was this unstructured, badly shaped body figure who wanted to look glamorous, cool and sexy. He thought a wide chest, thick biceps would give him the macho look and added to it his charm and good looks, he would be a super kewl hero! And thus began the exercise - the exercise to look great, the exercise to woo girls, the exercise to be a dude, the exercise to just exercise!

Day #1
Well, nothing big this day. Just a bit of warm up, stretching the body, consulting the trainer for diet and other regulations. It was a nice start, feeling energetic, good and positive about it. The trainer was kinda boring, uncommunicative and with his tamilian slang, each word he spoke sounded like the cry of a dark green frog. It wasn't too late, we finished going through the entire gym looking at so many bodies working out pretty hard. I felt as if a sheepish cat had just entered the kennel of a variety of breeds of hard dogs. Some had great, damn thick, biceps (probably 10 cm diameters) and some had great chest, some people looked completely from an alien world and some were simply so heavy, the very sight from the corner of the eye made a chill run down my spine. And lo! the entire gym was decorated with posters of men flexing and exhibiting their muscles just like this one ----->

Gosh! It wasn't as easy as I thought it to be. The very first day was so 'mentally' terrifying, i don't know what would happen if i started the actual physical workouts. I realized why people go so crazy and mad when stars like SRK, Allu Arjun and others come up with six packs. After all, dividing your upper half body into six parts wasn't that simple!

Day #2
My habit of reading books was good enough, it helped me motivate myself and gain that confidence to achieve what i wished to. There was a much confident cat in the gym the next day with it's head held high, yelling internally to each other dog that one day i would be better than you, just watch out! And the trainer came in with the dumbles. The very sight of the two lean cylinders with a head and bottom constituting to most of the weight, made one happy. This was the start of a short trip (I couldn't use the word journey) to a more glamorous and sexy man.

The moment i took the dumbles into my hand with too much of enthusiasm and bubbling enormous energy, my excitement doubled around. The trainer showed a demonstration of the workout and left. It was damn easy, nothing hard. I had to just life the dumble one by one, left and right hand alternatively, for 20 times. And this entire act had to be repeated thrice. Great! I did it with a smile. At first, i felt as though the cat was made to carry the heaviest bones of Spike. (Remember? Spike is the jumbo dog you always see in Tom & Jerry cartoons, who helps jerry and always is fighting around with Tom) But, since i read good books and i had learnt the art of self motivation, i went ahead with a sparkling smile.(Thanks to the new Meswak toothpaste)
Even before i could continue the workout ahead, Spike came and asked me:

"Entanna ademchestunnav?"(His face expression meant that, you 10 year old boy, don't you know even how to use the feeder?)
"Adenti ala adigaru" (My face was soaked in innocence and embarrassment as if i had committed a crime by using the bones in an inappropriate way)

The whole gym looked at me as though i was a clown in the circus using some tools in the wrong way to create silly humor. But, this wasn't silly, I was serious about it, I wanted to build a good body for myself. I continued my bone workout the way the trainer had instructed me not caring of what others thought of me. And when i saw my workout's reflection in the mirror, I couldn't stop laughing. It was as though a skeleton was trying to be salman khan. My laugh made me forget everything but within no time, the trainer was in front of me staring at me and wishing if i had not joined his gym. My embarrassment squared itself. There was no way I could square root it. I just tried to do the workout how others did but in vain.

Day #3
The day 'not' at the gym. I could not push myself to the gym, i hated the very thought of it, I started hating the very word 'gym'. The hatred tripled when i read the definition of gym from wikipedia and it says:

The Greek word gymnasium means "place to be naked" and was used in ancient Greece to designate a locality for the education of young men, including physical education (gymnastics, i.e. exercise) which was customarily performed naked, as well as bathing, and studies. For the Greeks, physical education was considered as important as cognitive learning. Most Greek gymnasia had libraries that could be utilized after relaxing in the baths.

I stayed at home trying to forget about those dream looks i wished to have, trying to divert my mind from the super kewl macho body i wished. I did many activities, listening to Radio, reading books and lotsa other stuff. But, the pain of not going to gym was far more than the pain of going to the gym. My shoulders and arms went red in pain. I couldn't bend, I couldn't turn around, I couldn't do things which i would do perfectly earlier. My muscles went hard and rigid. Everything was painful. Hell lot of pain!

I was in a fix now. If i had to go the gym, there was both mental and physical stress and if I had not to go the gym, there was double the physical pain and frustration due to it. But, hey as i said, my good habit of reading good books by good authors and their good motivational quotes always helped me to do which i thought I couldn't do. Robin Sharma says in his book 'The Saint, The Surfer and The CEO' that when the student is ready, the teacher automatically appears, all you need is an empty cup state of the mind. When you have the appetite to learn and the aptitude to apply it, then you would definitely learn it.

Day #4
I knew i was doing everything wrong, but i had faith in what i read. I would definitely learn what i wanted to. I observed every other individual and tried to copy him. Ctrl+C is infact a great command in the PC, but in real life, it's not applicable. I don't remember properly what happened later. Maybe my face expression revealed my learning appetite or something like that but believe it or not, almost 5 different people came forward to help me and teach me different exercises and the right way of doing them. (Except the bloody trainer) I was happy that there were so many unknown people also in this world who came forward to help me. If I could get 5 strangers to teach me in the gym itself, imagine how many i could get in this whole vast world. Imagine the whole lot of strangers in this universe, they could all be my friends. After all, we all are the same and come from the same source irrespective of cast,creed,nation,color,time etc etc.


Eh! Err.... enough of the complicated philosophy. I am back at body building, going to the gym everyday, trying hard to do different set of workouts, from butterfly to lifts, from chest to abs. I still did not turn into that heavy dog, still a cat, but much better and a fit one!

Management Lessons from Akbar Birbal II

The King of Iran had heard that Birbal was one of the wisest men in the East and desirous of meeting him sent him an invitation to visit his country.

In due course, Birbal arrived in Iran. When he entered the palace he was flabbergasted to find not one but six kings seated there. All looked alike. All were dressed in kingly robes. Who was the real king?

The very next moment he got his answer. Confidently, he approached the king and bowed to him.
"But how did you identify me?" the king asked, puzzled.
Birbal smiled and explained: "The false kings were all looking at you, while you yourself looked straight ahead. Even in regal robes, the common people will always look to their king for support." Overjoyed, the king embraced Birbal and showered him with gifts.

Management Lesson:
"You know you are a true leader when you can support your team in their worst times."
All other fake kings in the story were tensed and uncomfortable in the king's position. They were in one of their bad times and seeked for the king for support. A true leader is always looked for in bad times.

Let Me Dance ...

Let Me Dance like the kids
free from fear and full of laughter
let me rotate round in the circle
the never ending circle of joy and bliss
feeling young, back in time, in childhood
let me forget my life for a moment
as i jump, hand in hand with the universe






Let Me Dance in co-ordination
for each step they take,
let me also make the move
after all this world is a place
where all elements work together
let us all make the mark here
if one falls let the other take care
if one rises let others love him







Let Me Dance as a Dude
rocking on the streets
as people watch me
let me twist my body
in total perfection
let me blow like the wind
spinning fast through this world
turning tipsy topsy
my curves wander everywhere







Let Me Dance freakily
like a crazy woman
soaked in trance
unknown unaware of time
from past to future
let me make all the moves
who knows what the step meant






Let Me Dance with best of the best
a show which would be remembered
for centuries to come by this world
a dance which was never performed
which would not be attempted again
let me spread the energy limitlessly









Let Me Dance wild and unstoppable
with the highest degree of energy
music blasting my ears, adding fuel
to the fire in my burning heart
let my feet not remain on this land
neither the sea nor the dancing floor












Let Me Dance Bollywood iShtyle
as thousands of crowds cheer
I sweep plenty of awards
a sparkling show of stars
creating history in cinema
living life of a legend









Let Me Dance passionately
undiscovered moods and faces
expressions which no one ever saw
let me express through my body
to the tunes of the unheard
as they sing new ragas
like a live painting
my dance remains immortal












Let Me Dance for myself
liberating my mind body & soul
free from anything in this universe
in extreme bliss and joy
ecstasy at unknown levels
boundless happiness & love
i now move on
for the soul within









Let Me Dance for the divine
who gave me this talent
as a gift to my life
to whom everything belongs
i owe him whatever he asks
in spiritual longing
let me dance for
dance is my life &
dance is my passion
let me dance
just let me dance......

Happy Days................

For nourishing the tree of our engineering life...
...as each stem and it's leaves stay long in our memories

For gifting us the sweet fruits of beautiful experiences...
...as we step into the corporate world with your gratitude

For making each moment a gift to cherish life long...
...as we depart from this world which would never return

we would like to thank each and every one who was with us
in these four most beautiful years of life

- 2k4:2k8 CSE, PVPSIT

Technology and Innovation : Where are we heading to?

"Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment."
- Wikipedia.org

An absolutely intelligent definition from the open source knowledge community but as they say opinions differ from person to person, so is it in my case. Let me first define the term 'Technology' in my own way:

"Any object, tool or craft which is invented for a purpose to improve or simplify life, which is supposed to be controlled by mankind, but misused by the society, sophisticates life and controls mankind is nothing but Technology."

Be it the wheel or the computer, i bet, you cannot name even a single technology which is being used in the right terms today. Walking is faster than traveling in a vehicle in Mumbai or Delhi. Meeting people in a cafe or restaurant gives so much pleasure than just scrapping in orkut. Every little change or improvement done is called as innovation today. Innovation is the most misused word of the decade. Technologists invent so many technologies today that the gadget released yesterday becomes old today.

Anyone, please tell me where are we heading to? What is that we want at the end of the day. A world so sophisticated with technology that life were nothing more than a Java Program? Who is to blame or is the blame game wrong? Are the people not using technology in the right way or are the technologists to be blamed for inventing so much of not so innovative things! Consider the very much used gadget of this decade, the cell phone. It was invented for people to stay in touch with each other. But, people remain in touch with the phone itself for so long that it is blamed for health hazards and many other problems. Every day, there is a new model of the cell phone in the market, the one released last week is old today.

I think the way technology is being used today will lead to a day where more than 50% of the oceans in this world would be filled with e-waste and my grandson would ask me to describe how a tree used to look like in the previous days.

Management Lessons from Akbar Birbal 1

Well, i don't know if what i am going to share with you makes sense or not but i have always had some sort of love for Indian Historical and Mythological stories. What i have observed is that Indian History has a lot to teach for today's youngsters. Here, i am going to share with you a few stories of Akbar Birbal and lessons from it related to management. Hope you like it.

Birbal's Khicri (Source: http://www.indiaparenting.com/ stories/birbal/ ab004.shtml )

On a cold winter day Akbar and Birbal took a walk along the lake. A thought came to Birbal that a man would do anything for money. He expressed his feelings to Akbar. Akbar then put his finger into the lake and immediately removed it because he shivered with cold.

Akbar said "I don't think a man would spend an entire night in the cold water of this lake for money."

Birbal replied "I am sure I can find such a person."

Akbar then challenged Birbal into finding such a person and said that he would reward the person with a thousand gold coins. Birbal searched far and wide until he found a poor man who was desperate enough to accept the challenge. The poor man entered the lake and Akbar had guards posted near him to make sure that he really did as promised.The next morning the guards took the poor man to Akbar. Akbar asked the poor man if he had indeed spent the night in the lake. The poor man replied that he had. Akbar then asked the poor man how he managed to spend the night in the lake. The poor man replied that there was a street lamp near by and he kept his attention affixed on the lamp and away from the cold. Akbar then said that there would be no reward as the poor man had survived the night in the lake by the warmth of the street lamp. The poor man went to Birbal for help.

The next day, Birbal did not go to court. The king wondering where he was sent a messenger to his home. The messenger came back saying that Birbal would come once his Khichri was cooked. The king waited hours but Birbal did not come. Finally the king decided to go to Birbal's house and see what he was upto. He found Birbal sitting on the floor near some burning twigs and a bowl filled with Khichri hanging five feet above the fire. The king and his attendants couldn't help but laugh.

Akbar then said to Birbal "How can the Khichri be cooked if it so far away from the fire?"

Birbal answered "The same way the poor man received heat from a street lamp that was more than a furlong away."

The King understood his mistake and gave the poor man his reward.

The Management Lesson:
"Whenever your boss commits a mistake, just provide him with a mere reflection of the mistake." This could be one of the best methods to handle people above you. Look at the dignity with which Birbal handled the situation, without any anger or frustration. He showed his boss (Akbar) his mistake without abusing him or making him feel embarrassed.

I hope you enjoyed this. I will try to come with some more very soon.

The Choice

THE CHOICE

Given a problem to solve and two tools - a mirror and a magnifying glass, one would select the glass to take a closer look at the problem. Looking at the problem through the magnifying glass does help in knowing the problem in a much better way but little does one know, that when you use the magnifying glass,
unfortunately the problem appears to be much bigger and bulky. In an attempt to know the details of the problem, we unknowingly enlarge the problem. But, what if one had selected the mirror and looked at oneself, one's own strengths and weaknesses?? What if we had the mirror telling us our potential, our energies and made us prepared to accept any challenge in our life, come what may. If only we had selected the mirror and prepared ourselves to face the problem, we could have done much better.


It's not important to know the problem which you are expected to solve but it is rather important for one to know oneself. If you know thyself, you need not know the problem because you would have been aware of your energies and strengths which can help you solve any problem in this world. So, choose the mirror as your tool for problem solving and know yourself before than knowing the problem.