Every Indian is angry and asking for answers. How many more such deaths and destruction we need to go through? Nothing seems to help break this "Kumbhkarn" slumber of our people and politicians. Is it because we are utterly fatalistic and self-centered? Is it because we are too lazy to even bother to go out and make our voices heard and our ballots count? Is the constitution too weak to ensure accountability of our leaders? Is our country just too vast with too little autonomy at the states to manage a huge population and long border? Lots of easy questions but not so easy answers.
Terrorism is a modern menace that has no religion, no country and not even a specific ideology. It is almost like a occupation where there is recruitment, training and deployment to carry out a business. Of course, there are countries where it is easier to conduct such business and there will be always such islands where these businessmen are able to setup their camps. Few years back, Afghanistan, Sudan, Indonesia were the safe havens. Now, it may be Pakistan, Bangladesh and Somalia. So, blaming a government or a religion alone does not suffice. We need to prepare ourselves to protect our people and society from being soft targets. There are some steps that to be taken internally and there are tasks to be carried out in other countries, including hot pursuit, diplomatic pressures and multi-lateral cooperation with countries facing similar threats. Countries and societies must have infrastructure and systems that make it difficult to carry out such crimes against humanity.
Right to life is more fundamental than any other rights. If it is the lack of funds that is preventing the government from taking necessary steps, what about creating a security cess in the line of education cess? Our primary and secondary layers of security are outdated and stretched to the limits. Would the businesses and people mind paying a little extra to see a more sophisticated police force and a more pro-active intelligence? As long as the government can maintain some accountability and transparency with regards to the security cess, this may be the only way to upgrade our security. With prayers on my lips and hope in my heart...towards a more secured society!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
NDTV TOYOTA Green Initiative
NDTV and TOYOTA have launched a Green Environment initiative/campaign on TV and Internet. You can take a pledge by submitting your name and email. I was surprised to see the count though. As on 12:42 AM on 2nd Nov the count stood at 8769, which I think is low. Apart from Eco facts and audio/video etc on environment and ecology, there are several interactive features to take quizzes and submit opinions on this nicely done site. I think this is a great initiative to spread awareness and induce people to preserve some of the stuff we have enjoyed for our next generations. Do take the pledge at http://green.ndtv.com
While you are at it, check out this nice site which has 50 ways to help the planet, some of which are more applicable for western or westernized audience but nevertheless useful to know.SHOWER WITH YOUR PARTNER is suggestion number 17!
While you are at it, check out this nice site which has 50 ways to help the planet, some of which are more applicable for western or westernized audience but nevertheless useful to know.SHOWER WITH YOUR PARTNER is suggestion number 17!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Poetry is History
Recently union minister Mr. Kapil Sibal was in news for an unusual reason. He had published a book of poetry! That got me thinking about the demise of poetry and poets in recent times. Poetry is almost ‘History’ now. Except for some ‘Hasya Kavita’ or ‘Humorous Poetry’ in Hindi, there is very little happening in this field of literature. I remember, when I was in school, poetry was as much a part of the English subject as prose and same thing applied to other language subjects as well. Is it the same in school curriculum now? I remember when I was in college; there was a news item in the paper about one English poet living in penury in Orissa. We had one of his poems in our curriculum and I felt sorry for him. But, I had a feeling that all poets liked to live that way and they got their satisfaction from writing. But, would such a poet want any of his students to take up that line?
I remember an incident when I was in 10+2 college. I had Oriya literature as one of the compulsory courses and there was a book of poetry in the syllabus. The various poems were well-written but were often pretty complicated and indirect in what they meant. I used to visit my uncle who is a Mathematics teacher to get some free lessons in calculus and there used to be one Oriya professor who used to visit their home regularly. I asked him once to explain me some of the poems and lo and behold, he just jumped on the chance. May be not many students were keen to study the subject in his college or he was really passionate about it. He used to spend hours discussing few stanzas and would often ask me to close my eyes and imagine the scenes. Since there was lot of disturbance from other people in the house, he would ask me to go someplace where I could contemplate in silence. Many times, I ended up in the bathroom, trying to imagine what the poet was seeing or thinking!
Unlike prose, which is fairly straightforward to read (there are some notable exceptions such as ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce, considered the book of the century, which I found extremely difficult to read!), reading poetry requires a different attitude. If reading prose is like downing a shot or drinking a mug of beer, poetry is more like savoring old wine.
Poetry needs time to read, reflect and enjoy. Poetry needs imagination and indulgence to appreciate and one can not apply just everyday logic and rationality to poetry. Like an endangered species, poets and poetry need protection now. But, it may have been too late already. The computer is very adapted to write prose. Try writing a few lines of poetry and the spelling and grammar check will underline each line as mistake. That’s of course, in a lighter vein.
Be it English, Hindi or any other language, poetry was always the more celebrated art in literature. Poets were considered as romantic, charming, bold and intelligent. The poetry of Robert Frost ‘ The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep’, or that of Wordsworth ‘The solitary reaper - Behold her, single in the field,Yon solitary Highland Lass!Reaping and singing by herself;Stop here, or gently pass!’, so timeless in their beauty and so rich in meaning.
The art of poetry is too unfashionable in today’s fast world. Kids are spending most of their time in front of TV and reading habit is going down. This is not only in India but in most of the countries. No one seems to notice the slow demise of this form of literature. But, is it not really sad? Don’t we want our children to experience the feeling of reading poetry? Don’t we want them to feel the emotions wrapped up in those lyrical words? I am going to search for a book on poetry next time I am in a bookshop! I will update if I am successful.
I remember an incident when I was in 10+2 college. I had Oriya literature as one of the compulsory courses and there was a book of poetry in the syllabus. The various poems were well-written but were often pretty complicated and indirect in what they meant. I used to visit my uncle who is a Mathematics teacher to get some free lessons in calculus and there used to be one Oriya professor who used to visit their home regularly. I asked him once to explain me some of the poems and lo and behold, he just jumped on the chance. May be not many students were keen to study the subject in his college or he was really passionate about it. He used to spend hours discussing few stanzas and would often ask me to close my eyes and imagine the scenes. Since there was lot of disturbance from other people in the house, he would ask me to go someplace where I could contemplate in silence. Many times, I ended up in the bathroom, trying to imagine what the poet was seeing or thinking!
Unlike prose, which is fairly straightforward to read (there are some notable exceptions such as ‘Ulysses’ by James Joyce, considered the book of the century, which I found extremely difficult to read!), reading poetry requires a different attitude. If reading prose is like downing a shot or drinking a mug of beer, poetry is more like savoring old wine.
Poetry needs time to read, reflect and enjoy. Poetry needs imagination and indulgence to appreciate and one can not apply just everyday logic and rationality to poetry. Like an endangered species, poets and poetry need protection now. But, it may have been too late already. The computer is very adapted to write prose. Try writing a few lines of poetry and the spelling and grammar check will underline each line as mistake. That’s of course, in a lighter vein.
Be it English, Hindi or any other language, poetry was always the more celebrated art in literature. Poets were considered as romantic, charming, bold and intelligent. The poetry of Robert Frost ‘ The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, miles to go before I sleep, miles to go before I sleep’, or that of Wordsworth ‘The solitary reaper - Behold her, single in the field,Yon solitary Highland Lass!Reaping and singing by herself;Stop here, or gently pass!’, so timeless in their beauty and so rich in meaning.
The art of poetry is too unfashionable in today’s fast world. Kids are spending most of their time in front of TV and reading habit is going down. This is not only in India but in most of the countries. No one seems to notice the slow demise of this form of literature. But, is it not really sad? Don’t we want our children to experience the feeling of reading poetry? Don’t we want them to feel the emotions wrapped up in those lyrical words? I am going to search for a book on poetry next time I am in a bookshop! I will update if I am successful.
Friday, October 17, 2008
JET NARESH-WAYS
The late night press conference by a visibly emotional Naresh Goyal, the Chairman of Jet Airways, is very significant for the Indian corporate sector, especially the aviation sector. Not only that Mr. Goyal reinstated all the staff that were recently retrenched, he put staff welfare over business economics and management strategy. He called the staff as members of family, comparing them to his 19 year daughter on many instances and asked them decide how to take care of the economic situation. Whether Mr. Goyal did it under pressure from the tremendous media attention the layoff received or from political figures, he sounded very genuine about his concerns for the company’s staff. He questioned management’s decision to cut costs by laying off staff in the lower salary brackets.
This action will of course be welcome by one and all, except those in the company worrying about the plunging bottom-line. However, time and again, it has been proved that if employees put their heart and mind to work, the company usually comes out stronger and more profitable than the competition. Southwest airline is one such example which has both employee satisfaction and profitability have always gone hand in hand. While lay-offs during times of economic downturn have been common in the IT industry at a large, Infosys, has never laid off staff for such reason. Mr. Narayana Murthy and other senior management members have always found alternates to retrenchment such as re-training and redeployment. Answering questions regarding the huge cash reserves Infosys keeps, NRN says Infosys should be able to sustain itself even if there is no business for the company in an year.
This action will of course be welcome by one and all, except those in the company worrying about the plunging bottom-line. However, time and again, it has been proved that if employees put their heart and mind to work, the company usually comes out stronger and more profitable than the competition. Southwest airline is one such example which has both employee satisfaction and profitability have always gone hand in hand. While lay-offs during times of economic downturn have been common in the IT industry at a large, Infosys, has never laid off staff for such reason. Mr. Narayana Murthy and other senior management members have always found alternates to retrenchment such as re-training and redeployment. Answering questions regarding the huge cash reserves Infosys keeps, NRN says Infosys should be able to sustain itself even if there is no business for the company in an year.
This event will definitely create tremendous pressure on other companies who might be contemplating staff layoffs as a last ditch effort to counter the current economic situation. And what about those who receive employment offers and then they are sent regret letters? Should they be entitled to some benefits as well? In a free economy employment is always at will and this applies to both sides. In India and other countries where there is no social security and opportunities for employment are not equal, layoffs would cause the kind protests we have seen in the case of Jet. In the worst case, it has led to violence and the recent killing of a CEO of an Italian Multinational in Noida is a case in point. Hence, staff layoffs have to be handled very carefully and with compassion and proper planning. I don’t know how Jet management planned the layoffs but I would avoid the following:
a. Not telling people that their jobs have been taken away till they are waiting for their transport to arrive for them to report for work
b. Not informing the employees regarding economic conditions and state of finances for the company and what actions the company has already taken and are planned for future.
c. Not informing the employees either in person or in writing till they found out from friends and team leaders about the retrenchment
d. Letting go of such a large number at one go and not reducing staff from middle and senior management
e. Not paying some kind of financial compensation, ideally three months pay, at least one month pay.
f. Lay-offs just before a major national festival like Deewali, when people shop and gift the most
Anyways, Kudos to Mr. Goyal for being a businessman with a big heart! Time will tell how this event influences the airline’s future.
a. Not telling people that their jobs have been taken away till they are waiting for their transport to arrive for them to report for work
b. Not informing the employees regarding economic conditions and state of finances for the company and what actions the company has already taken and are planned for future.
c. Not informing the employees either in person or in writing till they found out from friends and team leaders about the retrenchment
d. Letting go of such a large number at one go and not reducing staff from middle and senior management
e. Not paying some kind of financial compensation, ideally three months pay, at least one month pay.
f. Lay-offs just before a major national festival like Deewali, when people shop and gift the most
Anyways, Kudos to Mr. Goyal for being a businessman with a big heart! Time will tell how this event influences the airline’s future.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Mobile phones in aircrafts
Every in-flight safety announcement includes the mandatory caution against use of mobile phones as they ‘interfere with the onboard navigation system’. When phones were fewer and flyers were more sophisticated, this instruction was easily complied. Cheaper flights and even cheaper cell phones have led to 100 percent mobile penetration among the flying crowd. Making calls just before taking the flight and just after it has just touched down given the flyer-cum-owner a great sense of ‘having arrived’ quite literally. A few other factors such as a jazzy phone and a cute companion on the next seat, a latest tune as ring tone or sheer love for earphone music are in my opinion adding to increased usage of cell phones while the doors of the aircraft are still bolted and pressurized.
I have been noticing with alarm the increased frequency of these die-hard cell phone users ignoring the ‘switch off your mobiles’ instructions with as much ease as the ‘in the unlikely event of an water landing..’ instruction. When I notice such a person at close distance, not only does my acrophobia get a notch higher, I feel stupid about abiding by the instruction. Even though I feel really tempted to make a complain, the only thing I can do is just wishing that someone from the crew notices the person and censures him/her.
Have you ever noticed that the ability to complain directly reduces as the sophistication of travel increases? One does not mind throwing a few insults at a guy sitting few seats away in a bus, but, the complain gets milder if you are traveling by train (I am excluding the local trains of Mumbai from my sample space here) and even milder in air. The spectrum of complains in terms of promptness and loudness has a direct correlation with the class of travel in a train too. Of course, air travel being at the top of traveling class, one can only mutter a few things to himself or let out a few grunts towards the sky looking at the window in case of objectionable behavior like a swift push back of the front seat or not switching of a mobile phone that may ‘interfere with the onboard navigation systems!’.
So, are the mobiles really a threat to flight safety? If so, should they not collect everyone’s mobiles at the beginning of the flight, just like they collect headphones or blankets at the end? Of course, they would then have to track which one belonged to whom. A little search on the internet reveals a ton of information. I recommend the wiki article on ‘mobile phones in aircraft’ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_on_aircraft) . Possible interference with aircraft equipments (not conclusively tested and hence left to the airlines to take precautionary step of switching off) is listed as a cause. Another interesting possibility is that the mechanism that allow cell phones to work on the ground (nearest tower picks up the signal while other towers are free to serve people near them), can impact the cellular network when the phone is over a city and multiple towers are equidistant. Of course, there is no conclusive proof about this too.
However, certain airlines have agreed to allow mobile phones on their planes using an on-board station that receives the mobile signal and transmits to terrestrial stations using a different wave length. Well, soon we may be allowed mobile phones in the aircrafts. However, I sincerely hope that it does not happen or if it does, airlines offer ‘no-mobile’ zones. Why? Imagine yourself sitting in an economy class seat on a long haul flight with passengers on your sides just chattering away! The last place free from the mobile menace will also be lost.
Monday, June 2, 2008
Hyderabad Blues
I have been absent from this space for a inexcusably long time and hence no point apologizing. After finishing the rigour of IIM A, I wanted some more and hence went back to Institute after a week of vacation to take a up a project. The ahmedabad summer was in full glory and unlike the executive rooms that PGPX students enjoy, I had to make do without AC but with NC (Nature conditioned). Then I took up a job in Hyderabad and in the process of settling down. I finally managed to get into the area of renewable energy and hence I feel I am doing justice to Tinaplanet and the ideas it stands for.
I am having the most extra-ordinary time in Hyderabad trying to setup my house. Getting any work done in Hyderabad has become a lot tougher recently. I have been in Hyderabad on and off for last several years but looks like the city has completely outpaced me in many terms. The biggest mismatch I see is in terms of timing. If a hyderabadi tells you that he will call you back in two minutes, he is just trying to cut you off for now. There is no way you are going to get a call back in two or ten or any number of minutes. It is assumed that you will anyway call back to check. When someone says he will deliver something in two days, what he actually means is that he will start thinking about it after two days. This is best explained with an example.
I had ordered for some grills to be put on my windows and balconies. The guy was extremely polite and took down all my requirements nicely. I gave him the deposit money (he has to buy the raw materials!) and he promised me a date (24th, Saturday). I used to call him every 2-3 days to check the progress and if there would be any delays. He would tell me each time that things are making good progress and there is no need to worry. Even on the Friday evening, he said the grills will be delivered around 11 AM on Saturday and he would call me before starting.
Saturday: 11:30 AM: I call to check the status. Guy picks up after two rings and..
Grill Man: Sir, just the second coating of the paint is going on. It will dry in couple of hours and I will deliver by 4 PM
Saturday: 4:30 PM: I call to check status and I am told the painting is still going on. Early morning on Sunday, it will definitely be delivered.
Sunday: 10 AM: Calling and calling and no one picks up the phone. Then I get though in 10th or 11th attempt.
Grill Man: Sir, I am going to Khammam because my uncle is ill. My man has been instructed to get the grills to you.
I take down the number of the new guy and call him. He picks up after 2 attempts.
New Grill Man: Sir, yes sir, I am trying to get people sir. Today is Sunday, so, not getting labourers to load the grills.
Sunday 4 PM: No grills and when I call the guy, he tells me he could not get any people and hence it will be sent on Monday.
Monday: I am in office and I call at 11 AM to check status. Picks up the phone after several tries.
New Grill Man: Sir, one grill's dimensions were incorrect. I measured them while loading and hence making change to one. Will be done by evening. I can not believe anything now and tell him to bring the ones which are ready (promising I will pay for double transport). He says he will.
Monday: 5 PM: Calls goes unanswered. Not sure if the grills really exist.
Monday: 6 PM: I leave office and request the driver to take me to the address I had of the grill fellow. After asking several people, I locate the workshop. There is one guy doing some welding and only about 3 out of six grills are in some state of completion. Rest have not been started yet. I called the new grill man and asked where he was. He said he was in the workshop (not knowing I was there!) and when I told him that I was there in workshop, he said he had gone out for some material. Leaving aside the rest of the communication between him, the welder and me (that will be too lucid for the post!), the conclusion was that he needed more time and definitely by Jumma (Friday), the grills will be installed (not just delivered). So, I leave him and the main grill man in peace from Monday evening till Friday. I was in a way happy to see that the grills do exist and the shop too.
Friday: 11 AM: I called the new grill man and there is no response after several tries. I called the old grill man and he answered after a few attempts. Needless to say, there was still some work left and new expected completion date was Sunday. well, it is already Monday evening and no word from the guy. I am in no mood to follow up. Someday, it will come, probably when I am really destined to received the glorious grills.
Till later....
Ram
I am having the most extra-ordinary time in Hyderabad trying to setup my house. Getting any work done in Hyderabad has become a lot tougher recently. I have been in Hyderabad on and off for last several years but looks like the city has completely outpaced me in many terms. The biggest mismatch I see is in terms of timing. If a hyderabadi tells you that he will call you back in two minutes, he is just trying to cut you off for now. There is no way you are going to get a call back in two or ten or any number of minutes. It is assumed that you will anyway call back to check. When someone says he will deliver something in two days, what he actually means is that he will start thinking about it after two days. This is best explained with an example.
I had ordered for some grills to be put on my windows and balconies. The guy was extremely polite and took down all my requirements nicely. I gave him the deposit money (he has to buy the raw materials!) and he promised me a date (24th, Saturday). I used to call him every 2-3 days to check the progress and if there would be any delays. He would tell me each time that things are making good progress and there is no need to worry. Even on the Friday evening, he said the grills will be delivered around 11 AM on Saturday and he would call me before starting.
Saturday: 11:30 AM: I call to check the status. Guy picks up after two rings and..
Grill Man: Sir, just the second coating of the paint is going on. It will dry in couple of hours and I will deliver by 4 PM
Saturday: 4:30 PM: I call to check status and I am told the painting is still going on. Early morning on Sunday, it will definitely be delivered.
Sunday: 10 AM: Calling and calling and no one picks up the phone. Then I get though in 10th or 11th attempt.
Grill Man: Sir, I am going to Khammam because my uncle is ill. My man has been instructed to get the grills to you.
I take down the number of the new guy and call him. He picks up after 2 attempts.
New Grill Man: Sir, yes sir, I am trying to get people sir. Today is Sunday, so, not getting labourers to load the grills.
Sunday 4 PM: No grills and when I call the guy, he tells me he could not get any people and hence it will be sent on Monday.
Monday: I am in office and I call at 11 AM to check status. Picks up the phone after several tries.
New Grill Man: Sir, one grill's dimensions were incorrect. I measured them while loading and hence making change to one. Will be done by evening. I can not believe anything now and tell him to bring the ones which are ready (promising I will pay for double transport). He says he will.
Monday: 5 PM: Calls goes unanswered. Not sure if the grills really exist.
Monday: 6 PM: I leave office and request the driver to take me to the address I had of the grill fellow. After asking several people, I locate the workshop. There is one guy doing some welding and only about 3 out of six grills are in some state of completion. Rest have not been started yet. I called the new grill man and asked where he was. He said he was in the workshop (not knowing I was there!) and when I told him that I was there in workshop, he said he had gone out for some material. Leaving aside the rest of the communication between him, the welder and me (that will be too lucid for the post!), the conclusion was that he needed more time and definitely by Jumma (Friday), the grills will be installed (not just delivered). So, I leave him and the main grill man in peace from Monday evening till Friday. I was in a way happy to see that the grills do exist and the shop too.
Friday: 11 AM: I called the new grill man and there is no response after several tries. I called the old grill man and he answered after a few attempts. Needless to say, there was still some work left and new expected completion date was Sunday. well, it is already Monday evening and no word from the guy. I am in no mood to follow up. Someday, it will come, probably when I am really destined to received the glorious grills.
Till later....
Ram
Friday, March 28, 2008
Living and Dyeing
You may be surprised to know that the shirt you wore today has about 8000 chemicals, many of them carcinogenic. It probably contaminated about 2000 liters of water in the process of becoming a finished garment. The main culprit is ‘Textile Dyeing’ which uses chemical dyes. Cotton goes through ginning (removing cotton seeds), spinning (making threads), weaving or knitting (cloth or T-shirt material), bleaching, mordanting (to make colors bright and fast), dyeing and finishing before it becomes finished product. The process of bleaching, dyeing and finishing in the conventional textile industry are water intensive and make use of hundreds of different chemicals. The waste water even though treated to some extent is full of chemicals still and ultimately get released to water system or soil causing massive pollution. This still does not exclude the pollution caused by manufacturing of chemical dyes. India and specifically Gujarat is major hub for dyes and textiles and hence water and soil pollutions in textile mills dominated areas have been major issues in the past.
Now imagine you are able to get rid of the chemicals, cause no water pollution and still be able to get your favorite colors. Well, this has been made possible by Arun Baid of Aura Herbal Wear whose factory I visited a few days back. Arun and his wife Sonal have setup a herbal dyeing facility at Narol, Ahmedabad and they use flowers, herbs and leaves along with water and natural light to dye textile. Starting with hand-dying a few meters of clothes per day to commercial scale of 1500 meters a day, Arun and his team have come a long way. Now, they have an integrated facility where they control the complete process starting from yarn production to garment stitching. The waste water is recycled and used again in the factory and for growing herbs and flowers in the factory backyard. The solid waste is used like manure. It is truly a self contained unit without any negative impact on the environment (if you don’t count the electricity used in the factory). Arun holds a patent on the herbal dyeing process.
The brand they use on their clothes is ‘Aura’. They have been able to successfully market their clothes in the Europe and North America and have been certified by SKAL international. However, business is yet to pick up full steam and use the recently upgraded capacity at the factory. Like any entrepreneurship, Arun is facing the challenges around managing growth and where to put his attention. They had a retail store in Ahmedabad which they shifted inside the factory premises because it was difficult to manage in the city. The dyeing process can be compared to cooking on a commercial scale and hence results can be different if careful attention is not paid to each and every process and ingredients. Customers however demand consistent color and quality for every order.
Arun’s vision is to make a positive impact on the environment and that is possible only when herbal dyeing constitutes a significant portion of textile dyeing. He speaks passionately about the beauty of nature and how nature’s cycles are the most efficient. He also gets agitated while talking about the insensitivities of the dye industry and textile companies with regard to the pollution they cause. He knows what they do, because before starting Aura Herbal Wear, Arun was an expert on recycling waste and ran a business of recycling waste for over fifteen years. It is sense of fulfillment from doing something good for the environment that drives Arun and he is ready to partner with anyone who is as passionate to promote the herbal dyeing concept.
Hats off to Arun and his team for making a positive impact on the environment while providing livelihood to many. We cannot stop using clothes but at least we can at least stop polluting water and soil by choosing natural dyeing or herbal dyeing. This is the kind of sustainable development that TINAPLANET salutes.
For more on Arun Baid and Aura Herbal Wear, visit http://www.auraherbalwear.com/ or http://ww3.virtualvox.com/aura/
Now imagine you are able to get rid of the chemicals, cause no water pollution and still be able to get your favorite colors. Well, this has been made possible by Arun Baid of Aura Herbal Wear whose factory I visited a few days back. Arun and his wife Sonal have setup a herbal dyeing facility at Narol, Ahmedabad and they use flowers, herbs and leaves along with water and natural light to dye textile. Starting with hand-dying a few meters of clothes per day to commercial scale of 1500 meters a day, Arun and his team have come a long way. Now, they have an integrated facility where they control the complete process starting from yarn production to garment stitching. The waste water is recycled and used again in the factory and for growing herbs and flowers in the factory backyard. The solid waste is used like manure. It is truly a self contained unit without any negative impact on the environment (if you don’t count the electricity used in the factory). Arun holds a patent on the herbal dyeing process.
The brand they use on their clothes is ‘Aura’. They have been able to successfully market their clothes in the Europe and North America and have been certified by SKAL international. However, business is yet to pick up full steam and use the recently upgraded capacity at the factory. Like any entrepreneurship, Arun is facing the challenges around managing growth and where to put his attention. They had a retail store in Ahmedabad which they shifted inside the factory premises because it was difficult to manage in the city. The dyeing process can be compared to cooking on a commercial scale and hence results can be different if careful attention is not paid to each and every process and ingredients. Customers however demand consistent color and quality for every order.
Arun’s vision is to make a positive impact on the environment and that is possible only when herbal dyeing constitutes a significant portion of textile dyeing. He speaks passionately about the beauty of nature and how nature’s cycles are the most efficient. He also gets agitated while talking about the insensitivities of the dye industry and textile companies with regard to the pollution they cause. He knows what they do, because before starting Aura Herbal Wear, Arun was an expert on recycling waste and ran a business of recycling waste for over fifteen years. It is sense of fulfillment from doing something good for the environment that drives Arun and he is ready to partner with anyone who is as passionate to promote the herbal dyeing concept.
Hats off to Arun and his team for making a positive impact on the environment while providing livelihood to many. We cannot stop using clothes but at least we can at least stop polluting water and soil by choosing natural dyeing or herbal dyeing. This is the kind of sustainable development that TINAPLANET salutes.
For more on Arun Baid and Aura Herbal Wear, visit http://www.auraherbalwear.com/ or http://ww3.virtualvox.com/aura/
End of the PGPX saga
The one year saga of PGPX has come to an end. While I don't think I could have done one more assignment, I feel sad that campus life is over for me, at least for sometime. There is a great deal of enthusiasm and confidence for the future but some anxiety, as can be expected. I still have decisions to make about where I want to be in the long run and where should I begin but I have been out of the bondage to a pay check for last one year and the uncertainty does not bother me so much.
About Tinaplanet, the journey has just begun. I intend to continue updating this space with my thoughts and experiences and if all goes well, there will be a tinaplanet.org site up some day. I have the domain name registered but have not been able to put up the work needed to build the site. Till then, this is my scribbling pad.
About Tinaplanet, the journey has just begun. I intend to continue updating this space with my thoughts and experiences and if all goes well, there will be a tinaplanet.org site up some day. I have the domain name registered but have not been able to put up the work needed to build the site. Till then, this is my scribbling pad.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sustainable development or sustainable poverty?
Are the environmentalists hurting the poor in the name of saving the environment? Are countries who burnt the most fossil fuels and polluted the most now advocating restrain on the part of the developing countries? If you go by the latest book by Paul Drissen, ‘ ‘Eco-Imperialism, Green Power Black Death’, the answer is yes. The author argues that a new set of eco-crusaders are hurting development of the poor countries and hindering the progress of human beings in these parts of the world. After the developed countries have burnt enough fossil fuel, built enough plants and got rid of the poor men’s diseases such as malaria and kala zar, certain environmental activists are saying ‘ No more’. Countries like India and China who have not exploited even a fraction of the natural resources that US or Europe has, are suddenly being asked to sign international treaties which restrict emissions, use of pesticides and genetically modified food.
The author goes on to prove that sustainable development as defined by environmental activists focuses too little on economic development and too much on restricting development. When we say resources should be sustainable, what is the time frame we are looking at and how valid is out assumptions about resource needs of future? The world we live in today was unimaginable 100 years back, or even 50 years back. The resource base has changed completely in last several decades. For example, nano-technology and wireless can substantially reduce the use of metals in instruments and communication.
Environmentalists and experts from the developed countries are proposing alternate energy sources for the developing countries. While, such energy could be an interim solution, it cannot be permanent solution like conventional hydro or thermal electricity. The amount of electricity produced from a solar cell or wind turbine is too less and large-scale photovoltaic electricity is far more expensive than conventional electricity. A new 555-MW gas-fired power plant in California generates more electricity each year than does the state’s entire forest of 13,000 wind turbines, The plant occupies less than 15 acres, the 200-foot-tall windmills cover 100,000 acres, spoiling miles of scenery and killing thousands of birds each year
The ban on use of DDT has brought back the menace of Malaria to Africa, Asia and Latin America. While the west used it successfully to eradicate malaria, it is now restricting its use on the potential of health problems from trace chemicals in food and drinking water. There are ample proofs that use of small amounts of DDT in spray form inside the houses has a devastating impact on the mosquitoes and the spread of malaria, the so-called health impacts have not really been proved.
Another example of selfish motives of the so-called friends of the poor is this notion of “uniform rules” and “protection of worker’s health and human rights”. If MNCs are forced to pay US wages in countries where local economic and labor conditions don’t justify such payment, companies would have no cost savings incentive to relocate production to these countries and people would lose the jobs and other benefits of direct foreign investment. Without the so called ‘sweatshop’ jobs, many more beggars, criminals and prostitutes would be created. It is easy to ban the carpets from Nepal or the garments produced in India but it is hard to find alternate sources of income for the people who worked in the industries.
I think it helps to have a 360 degree view when it comes to decisions around environment issues. While there are issues related to sustainability of earth’s resources, global warming, pollution etc., the question is what is the right approach to solve these problems? Can it be at the expense of development of the poor? Certainly not! While many eco-extremist organizations such as Greenpeace and several others try to use a strict guideline on what kind of development should be allowed and what not, governments and people have to choose what is right for them. If we stop a mega hydro power plant because some part of the forest will be submerged and some tribal people would need relocation, who does it benefit? Every few days we read about the ship-breakers in Alag how they work in inhuman conditions. But, if we ban the ships from coming to Alag, what would happen to the thousands of workers earning their livelihood there? The work will shift to Bangladesh or some other poor country. Based on my understanding of the environment management, the following are some of the least-controversial things businesses and governments can facilitate to help the poor and the environment at the same time.
• Reduce energy usage and eco-foot print, create more efficiency in usage of resources.
• Increase supply of energy and invest in researching better sources of clean energy so that it can become more efficient and cheaper.
• Adopt villages/areas for economic and social development like the case of Nestle adopting villages in UP from where it gets milk supply and Tatas developing Jamshedpur as a model city along with their steel plant.
• Establish complimentary industries in industrial belts where the output of one can be used as input to another (Thermal power plant and cement plant is a good combination because fly ash generated in power plant can be used in cement)
• Reduce pollution of Air, water and soil. No one can go wrong with this. Management guru Porter says that pollution indicates inefficiency in business. Build associations to handle the pollution jointly rather than individually.
• Subsidize technology transfer and relax patents for developing countries.
You are welcome to add more to the above list. Towards a more inclusive and progressive environmental activism...!
The author goes on to prove that sustainable development as defined by environmental activists focuses too little on economic development and too much on restricting development. When we say resources should be sustainable, what is the time frame we are looking at and how valid is out assumptions about resource needs of future? The world we live in today was unimaginable 100 years back, or even 50 years back. The resource base has changed completely in last several decades. For example, nano-technology and wireless can substantially reduce the use of metals in instruments and communication.
Environmentalists and experts from the developed countries are proposing alternate energy sources for the developing countries. While, such energy could be an interim solution, it cannot be permanent solution like conventional hydro or thermal electricity. The amount of electricity produced from a solar cell or wind turbine is too less and large-scale photovoltaic electricity is far more expensive than conventional electricity. A new 555-MW gas-fired power plant in California generates more electricity each year than does the state’s entire forest of 13,000 wind turbines, The plant occupies less than 15 acres, the 200-foot-tall windmills cover 100,000 acres, spoiling miles of scenery and killing thousands of birds each year
The ban on use of DDT has brought back the menace of Malaria to Africa, Asia and Latin America. While the west used it successfully to eradicate malaria, it is now restricting its use on the potential of health problems from trace chemicals in food and drinking water. There are ample proofs that use of small amounts of DDT in spray form inside the houses has a devastating impact on the mosquitoes and the spread of malaria, the so-called health impacts have not really been proved.
Another example of selfish motives of the so-called friends of the poor is this notion of “uniform rules” and “protection of worker’s health and human rights”. If MNCs are forced to pay US wages in countries where local economic and labor conditions don’t justify such payment, companies would have no cost savings incentive to relocate production to these countries and people would lose the jobs and other benefits of direct foreign investment. Without the so called ‘sweatshop’ jobs, many more beggars, criminals and prostitutes would be created. It is easy to ban the carpets from Nepal or the garments produced in India but it is hard to find alternate sources of income for the people who worked in the industries.
I think it helps to have a 360 degree view when it comes to decisions around environment issues. While there are issues related to sustainability of earth’s resources, global warming, pollution etc., the question is what is the right approach to solve these problems? Can it be at the expense of development of the poor? Certainly not! While many eco-extremist organizations such as Greenpeace and several others try to use a strict guideline on what kind of development should be allowed and what not, governments and people have to choose what is right for them. If we stop a mega hydro power plant because some part of the forest will be submerged and some tribal people would need relocation, who does it benefit? Every few days we read about the ship-breakers in Alag how they work in inhuman conditions. But, if we ban the ships from coming to Alag, what would happen to the thousands of workers earning their livelihood there? The work will shift to Bangladesh or some other poor country. Based on my understanding of the environment management, the following are some of the least-controversial things businesses and governments can facilitate to help the poor and the environment at the same time.
• Reduce energy usage and eco-foot print, create more efficiency in usage of resources.
• Increase supply of energy and invest in researching better sources of clean energy so that it can become more efficient and cheaper.
• Adopt villages/areas for economic and social development like the case of Nestle adopting villages in UP from where it gets milk supply and Tatas developing Jamshedpur as a model city along with their steel plant.
• Establish complimentary industries in industrial belts where the output of one can be used as input to another (Thermal power plant and cement plant is a good combination because fly ash generated in power plant can be used in cement)
• Reduce pollution of Air, water and soil. No one can go wrong with this. Management guru Porter says that pollution indicates inefficiency in business. Build associations to handle the pollution jointly rather than individually.
• Subsidize technology transfer and relax patents for developing countries.
You are welcome to add more to the above list. Towards a more inclusive and progressive environmental activism...!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesdays With Morrie - A professor's last lessons
Recently I had the privilege to read a wonderful book titled ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’ by Mitch Albom. Initially I was little skeptical about the book thinking this would be another of those ‘self-help’ books from the American stable. However, since it was discussed in the Corporate Ethics class, I thought I would give it a try. While it may read like a typical ‘self-help’ one, it is a true story and is not a feel-good type. The author, Mitch, did have a college professor Morrie Schwartz who had got this rare disease named Lou Gehrig’s disease and was dying a slow death. Mitch spent 14 Tuesday with his beloved professor in his last few months of life and chronicled what the professor of sociology had to say about life, love, death and many other topics based on his own experiences and learning. The book has been adapted for a movie by the same name and you can listen to some of the original recordings of the conversation between the author and his professor at http://www.albom.com/video.html.
To me, the book was more like a reminder rather than new lessons. When we live, we live as if we are never going to die and waste a lot of time in petty things and do not enjoy the time we have on this earth. And when it is time for us to die, we are never prepared, we have too many things ‘yet to do’, ‘yet to experience’ etc. It would be interesting to ask oneself, ‘what if today is the day for me to go? Would I still be doing what I am doing now? While talking about ‘Emotions’, the professor says, often we don’t let our emotions show because we think that would be silly. But, that stops us from experiencing the natural emotions that God has given us and we are stopping the flow. And only by letting the emotions run, we can really detach ourselves from these emotions. Detaching oneself from the experience or emotion does not mean that we don’t experience them, rather we soak in them and understand their true meaning.
On the topic of aging, some interesting perspectives have been thrown in. I think many of us age unmindful of the fact that we are aging. Then suddenly we discover a bigger bald patch on the back of our head or a friend makes a comment on how one looks, that we become momentarily conscious of the fact. We should be unhappy about aging if aging did not make us any wiser. If we are as ignorant at 32 as we were at 22, well, we should have stayed at 22. But, if we can understand life better and appreciate it more at 32, should we still remain at 22?
What do we mean by wholesome living? Is it a life where all our material needs are fulfilled and we have all the money and all the toys that we care for? Or is it a life full of love, a life which is devoted to the community around and a life that creates something positive? The answer is obvious when questioned but we rarely think about it. We are in a permanent hurry and we are never in the moment, always looking for the next big thing that is going to happen to us. Morrie explains how he used to wave and smile at people who wanted to get ahead of him in traffic.
People become mean when they feel threatened. This is something I have experienced many times and continue to experience even at campus. Life seems like a zero sum game; if someone else gets something, means I am not getting it. I have to deprive someone of something so that I can have it. We go about life with this mentality most of the time. However, the truth is that the feeling you get when one gives something to someone, is many times more fulfilling than the feeling one gets when consuming the same. We need each other to feel good and feel happy and we cannot build this community with fear and greed. Thus goes another one of Morrie’s dialogue with Mitch.
The last part of the book talks about forgiving, others and more importantly self, for things that one should have done but could not do. One has to make peace with living so that we can make peace with death. All of us have to die, its natural. But, we don’t die like plants and animals. Because as humans, we have relationships and relationships live on, our memories live on, of course, only if we have loved and built relationships over the years. When Morrie is asked what he would do if he had a healthy 24 hours, Morrie does not wish for anything extraordinary or fantastic but, just a nice breakfast, walk in the nature, spending time with friends, having a nice dinner at a restaurant and dancing away the night and then have a good, deep sleep. Just an ordinary day but how many such ordinary days we spend without really appreciating what we have and what could be taken away with a stroke of bad luck.
I wish many more of us will read this book and get reminded to love, laugh and live.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Be a conscious Consumer
With the retail boom that is happening in India, consumers have a lot of choices. While that is true, customer service and after-sales support still fall short of western standards. A few precautions can help stretch your rupee a little further and can save you from a lot of harassment. The first and foremost is to PRESERVE THE BILL. While this takes a little effort, this can come really handy as my recent experience proved. I had purchased a Levi’s Jeans about three months back from the store in Vastrapur, Ahmedabad. I had been using it fairly regularly and few weeks back noticed some stitches giving away. I was not sure if I can get it repaired but I had the bill and I gave it a try. I took the pair to the store and they accepted the item for repair. Since I did not get a call within a week as promised, I gave them a visit yesterday. The store manager did some checking and few phone calls and at the end of about 15 minutes, asked me for the bill. After a few more minutes of conversation, he allowed me to take any replacement with the similar price, which I did with pleasure!
A friend of mine had purchased a BOSE IPOD Docking station from the USA and in less than a year, the system croaked. He took it to the BOSE showroom in C.G. road but without the bill, which he has lost, they won’t repair. The system is still lying with them and my friend has tried even the US store for a duplicate bill but in vain. One easy mechanism that I follow is to designate a folder or a drawer only for bills and I throw all bills inside. I look at the bills only when I need to take something for service/repair or if I am leaving the place and hence need to sort and store the important ones. One more mechanism that works well is to scan a bill and keep a e-copy. This also takes care of fading of the bills.
The next important thing is to TRY. We often feel it is a small thing or it is kind of embarrassing to take back something to the store. The important thing here is that the product did not perform as per your expectation or specifications. If someone has to be embarrassed, it has to be the manufacturer or reseller. Of course, if we have mishandled something, it is not their fault and we should not try to take advantage of their customer service policy. While in the USA, I have seen people using something for 2-3 months and then returning back to Walmart or Sears on the pretext of ‘did not like it’. This has led to severe erosion of trust on Asian customers. This kind of behavior is definitely wrong. However, if the item has malfunctioned or does not work as per specifications, one must try for a repair or exchange at the store. Now-a-days, customer service and reputation are much more important to a company than the loss associated with replacing one defective article. There is too much competition, there are too many malls vying for a share of your wallet. So, be aware and be a happier consumer!
A friend of mine had purchased a BOSE IPOD Docking station from the USA and in less than a year, the system croaked. He took it to the BOSE showroom in C.G. road but without the bill, which he has lost, they won’t repair. The system is still lying with them and my friend has tried even the US store for a duplicate bill but in vain. One easy mechanism that I follow is to designate a folder or a drawer only for bills and I throw all bills inside. I look at the bills only when I need to take something for service/repair or if I am leaving the place and hence need to sort and store the important ones. One more mechanism that works well is to scan a bill and keep a e-copy. This also takes care of fading of the bills.
The next important thing is to TRY. We often feel it is a small thing or it is kind of embarrassing to take back something to the store. The important thing here is that the product did not perform as per your expectation or specifications. If someone has to be embarrassed, it has to be the manufacturer or reseller. Of course, if we have mishandled something, it is not their fault and we should not try to take advantage of their customer service policy. While in the USA, I have seen people using something for 2-3 months and then returning back to Walmart or Sears on the pretext of ‘did not like it’. This has led to severe erosion of trust on Asian customers. This kind of behavior is definitely wrong. However, if the item has malfunctioned or does not work as per specifications, one must try for a repair or exchange at the store. Now-a-days, customer service and reputation are much more important to a company than the loss associated with replacing one defective article. There is too much competition, there are too many malls vying for a share of your wallet. So, be aware and be a happier consumer!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Abount being frank
I often credit myself as being very frank and straightforward in my dealings. Of course, pre-MBA I was absolutely straight-forward and un-diplomatic and I think I had my share of love and hate due to this. Since I am at the fag end of my MBA education here, I was wandering what to do with that particular aspect of my personality because I think I have changed from a hard-core techie to a manager during this time. Techies are a different breed, especially software techies because most of the things are a Boolean 0 or 1 to them. Either it will work or it will not, nothing in between. It is very easy to deal with techies because either you love them for what they do or you hate them because they don’t do things. When you are undecided about someone and don’t know if you love him or hate him, you are probably dealing with someone who is about to become a manager. I have seen and worked with several techies during my career in two software biggies of India and usually this theory has worked well.
Now, manager is a different beast all together. There is no Boolean 0, 1 in his case. It could be 0 and 1 at the same time also. Managers are truly caught in the middle between people they manage and people managing them. The same technical explanation does not convince both parties equally. In this context, can I be honest about what I think or feel on a particular topic in the organizational context? If the boss asks me to do something which I feel is almost impossible to do or is not the best thing to do (in my opinion), should I still go ahead and accept? Earlier, my answer would have been ‘No’ but I think now, my answer would most likely be ‘Yes’. The reason for this change is simple. I am not too sure about the thing. Management decisions are not very black and white and irrespective of how many McKinsey frameworks or BCG models one applies, the choices are still subjective. It could go either way. So, unless I know for sure, can I differ with the boss with confidence? Another reason why I feel I cannot speak my mind with the historical freedom I have enjoyed is the widening of audience and inability to control interpretations. This was not an issue while speaking to a group of likeminded fellows who understood the language, the context and the implications. There are so many different stakeholders for a manager that it is almost impossible to bring them to a common platform to ensure similar interpretation. So, better be to exercise discretion than face possible embarrassment. Any negative symptom from me is bound to get amplified while travelling upward or downward, though the same cannot be said about positive symptoms. So, if a task is to be done and I express slight negativity about the task, it is most definitely not going to get done. That’s another reason why I have to be careful about what I speak. And who knows, the negative impression could be due to insufficient homework or lack of trust in the abilities of the people around me.
Now, manager is a different beast all together. There is no Boolean 0, 1 in his case. It could be 0 and 1 at the same time also. Managers are truly caught in the middle between people they manage and people managing them. The same technical explanation does not convince both parties equally. In this context, can I be honest about what I think or feel on a particular topic in the organizational context? If the boss asks me to do something which I feel is almost impossible to do or is not the best thing to do (in my opinion), should I still go ahead and accept? Earlier, my answer would have been ‘No’ but I think now, my answer would most likely be ‘Yes’. The reason for this change is simple. I am not too sure about the thing. Management decisions are not very black and white and irrespective of how many McKinsey frameworks or BCG models one applies, the choices are still subjective. It could go either way. So, unless I know for sure, can I differ with the boss with confidence? Another reason why I feel I cannot speak my mind with the historical freedom I have enjoyed is the widening of audience and inability to control interpretations. This was not an issue while speaking to a group of likeminded fellows who understood the language, the context and the implications. There are so many different stakeholders for a manager that it is almost impossible to bring them to a common platform to ensure similar interpretation. So, better be to exercise discretion than face possible embarrassment. Any negative symptom from me is bound to get amplified while travelling upward or downward, though the same cannot be said about positive symptoms. So, if a task is to be done and I express slight negativity about the task, it is most definitely not going to get done. That’s another reason why I have to be careful about what I speak. And who knows, the negative impression could be due to insufficient homework or lack of trust in the abilities of the people around me.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Secret - personal experiences
I want to talk about ‘the secret’ again today because of something that happened a couple of days back. When I had read the book ‘The secret’ and wrote the first blog on the same, I had wanted to watch the movie. I went to the website www.thesecret.tv and thought I could watch it. But, what I could do was watch a trailer only and for watching the movie online I had to pay some money through a credit card. I hesitated to pay and wished there was some other way by which I could watch it free. However cheap that thought may have been, I did linger with that thought for a while. And two days back, I got a copy of the movie from a Professor of a course called Managing and Creating Creativity. The professor is Krishnesh Mehta of NID (http://www.nid.edu/people_faculties_m.htm) and he gave us two movies to watch and one of them was ‘The Secret’. He has never talked about it and I don’t know how that became part of the course, but, the fact is that I have the movie.
This makes me talk about a few other things that I think are connected to ‘The Secret’. When I was studying in Roorkee (IIT Roorkee), I would travel through Kharagpur of West Bengal while going to Delhi or coming back from there. The tall tower of IIT Kharagpur used to be visible from the station. I would watch the tower and think to myself, wish I could study here. And the thoughts stayed with me for a while. When I was about to graduate from Roorkee, I had decided to join JNU at Delhi where I could do an MPhil in environmental geology and prepare for Civil services. I had given interview at IIT Kharagpur also and when I inquired about my selection there through a friend studying there, I was told that I was not selected. I spent the day in slight frustration, ordering the chef in the mess to make an Omelet of 12 eggs and all sorts of crazy things. Later, the friend called back to say that she had made a mistake and had checked the wrong department. I was selected. Somehow, the idea of staying in Delhi did not work out and I joined Kharagpur. The thoughts came true.
Similarly, it happened for IIM Ahmedabad. The iconic brick building and the idea of studying in the best B-school in India had always been with me. I had sat for CAT in 2000 for the 2 year program and had not got selected for IIMs. I had continued to work and for next seven years, never thought about MBA. Towards later half of 2006, I had started seriously considering doing MBA again and since I was in the USA, I was planning to do it from a US B-school. At that time, I realized that IIMA has started offering a one year program for executives. I wrote GMAT and applied for it. I was interviewed in New York and even though the interview went well, all the candidates were pretty good and I thought my chance was slim. The day the results were supposed to be out, I had not slept well at night and woke up early and opened mail. There was a mail from IIM A and I just closed my eyes and said let it be a ‘Yes’. It was ‘Yes’ of course and here I am at IIM A about to finish my course.
Now, it is time to talk about something negative that I perpetrated upon myself just by my own thoughts, I think now. I did my summer project (more like a winter project for us because it happens in December) in Hyderabad and one of the reasons for doing it there was that I could take possession of my flat that was getting ready there. For the whole month I was running after the builder, the supervisors and the engineers and though many ups and downs, at least I was hopeful that I would be able to get the flat handed over on the last Friday of my stay there. I had seen the flat on Thursday, some pending work was to be completed still but I had the assurance from the block engineer that it would be done by Friday morning. I started out for the site on my scooter after a good breakfast. I could not believe that all my dreams are finally coming true and even though there was a great deal of effort from my side in that month, I almost felt as if it was effortless. I almost started asking myself, how could everything work out so smooth? How come there is no trouble? And then my scooter sputtered for a while and stopped on the middle of the road. It would not start again. I thought I will find a mechanic nearby who could come and fix my scooter. I walked for about 1.5 km before I could find a mechanic but he refused to come to the site. I walked back and hauled the scooter to the mechanic. He fixed it in a few minutes and I was on my way. When I reached the flat, one of the main tasks was still pending and that was to change the door. In spite of my repeated pleadings, it was not making progress at all. Towards evening, the engineer got a door from the store but there were no carpenters to fix it. Upon my insistence, somehow he procured two carpenters and asked them to complete the work asap. I thought they would do it by night and after watching them for a while, I went down to have a cup of tea. By the time I returned, I was aghast to see that my original door had been taken down, new door was not fixed and there was no trace of the carpenters. I was really angry and frustrated. I called up the engineer and there was no response. I just informed the project manager about the situation and left for home. It was late in the evening and I was tired and while driving, the clutch wire of the scooter broke. It was like the last straw but luckily there was a mechanic nearby and he fixed a new wire. I reached home at 10 PM, tired and dejected. I did not speak to any one, ate my dinner in silence and went to sleep.
Could it have been caused by my thought ‘how could everything work out so smoothly’? I don’t know but it may have been.
PS: On Saturday I managed to get possession of the house after all other work got completed. Another interesting thing happened on Saturday too but it is a story for another day.
Monday, February 4, 2008
The Secret
I would like to talk about an interesting book I came across named ‘The Secret’. You may have read it or read about it. There is also a movie called ‘The Secret’ (www.thesecret.tv). I read the book while sitting in a class that I was not enrolled but wanted to see how the teacher was teaching. It is not really a voluminous book and it is shorter than normal size books with bigger fonts and lots of white spaces on each page. So, reading was relatively quick except for the notes that I was making. The book gives the following secret.
Your thoughts make you. You are what your thoughts are. That is due to the law of attraction. The law of attraction says, like attract like. So, when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you. Affirmative or positive thoughts are 10 times more powerful than negative thoughts. One way to master your mind is to quiet your mind. Meditation quiets your mind, helps you control your thoughts and revitalizes your body.
‘All that we are, is a result of what we have thought’ – Buddha.
The feeling of love is the highest frequency you can emit. The greater the love your feel and emit, the greater the power you are harnessing. It is impossible to bring more to your life if you are feeling ungrateful about what you have. Why? Because, the thoughts and feelings you emit as you feel ungrateful are all negative emotions. The daily practice of gratitude is one of the conduits by which your wealth will come to you. Another powerful tool is visualization. The reason visualization is so powerful is because as you create pictures in your mind of seeing yourself with what it is you want, you are generating thoughts and feelings of having it now. If you have been there in the mind, you will go there in the body.
Everything is energy, you are an energy magnet. So you electrically energize everything to you and electrically energize yourself to everything you want. You are a spiritual being. You are energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed, it just changes form. Therefore, the pure essence of you has always been and always will be. The universe emerges from thought. We are the creator not only of our own destiny but also of the universe. You get to fill the blackboard of your life with whatever you want. The only thing you need to do is feel good now!
Your thoughts make you. You are what your thoughts are. That is due to the law of attraction. The law of attraction says, like attract like. So, when you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you. Affirmative or positive thoughts are 10 times more powerful than negative thoughts. One way to master your mind is to quiet your mind. Meditation quiets your mind, helps you control your thoughts and revitalizes your body.
‘All that we are, is a result of what we have thought’ – Buddha.
The feeling of love is the highest frequency you can emit. The greater the love your feel and emit, the greater the power you are harnessing. It is impossible to bring more to your life if you are feeling ungrateful about what you have. Why? Because, the thoughts and feelings you emit as you feel ungrateful are all negative emotions. The daily practice of gratitude is one of the conduits by which your wealth will come to you. Another powerful tool is visualization. The reason visualization is so powerful is because as you create pictures in your mind of seeing yourself with what it is you want, you are generating thoughts and feelings of having it now. If you have been there in the mind, you will go there in the body.
Everything is energy, you are an energy magnet. So you electrically energize everything to you and electrically energize yourself to everything you want. You are a spiritual being. You are energy and energy cannot be created or destroyed, it just changes form. Therefore, the pure essence of you has always been and always will be. The universe emerges from thought. We are the creator not only of our own destiny but also of the universe. You get to fill the blackboard of your life with whatever you want. The only thing you need to do is feel good now!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
The Idea for Tinaplanet
Tinaplanet stands for 'There Is No Alternate Planet'. This is my idea for creating an organization that works for our planet and its environment. Our Planet has been under stress for a long time now, even since the industrial revolution happened. The population of the planet has doubled in last 10 years and the rate of growth has not slowed down. The economic developments at China and India in recent years have led to massive increase in consumption of earth's resources and energy. This has led to major pollutions of all kinds and is having severe impacts on the land, the trees and the air. Our anthropogenic view is causing extinction of species at the rate of almost one a day.
You might ask why one more organization when several environmental organizations already exists. There is Greenpeace, there is WWF, there are international bodies for Climate change etc. etc. I believe every bit counts. Tinaplanet is a concept that every one of us can use to think about the impact all of us are making on the Earth and the Environment and if we can reduce it. Can we leave this earth to our next generation as we would like to find it if we are to come back?
If all the people in India and China start consuming the way Americans do, we would need seven planets and not just one to sustain. Some people say seven is an exaggeration; we would need only 3 more!
Poverty is bad for the environment. As people become more prosperous, they start caring for the environment more. On the other hand, as people become richer, they start using more energy and cause more pollution. But, does that mean, we have an inherent conflict here? Should the poor remain poor so that the rest can enjoy the resources and the clean environment? The answer is "No" and that is because, it is not ethical and it is not sustainable. We cannot and should not stop the development of people's living standards but need to find ways to reduce the negative impacts. The idea of Tinaplanet is to do small small things that still add up to significant benefits. Currently, Tinaplanet is just me but if the idea stands the test of time and I get enough friends to support this, it can become a platform for doing something good for our home, our planet.
You might ask why one more organization when several environmental organizations already exists. There is Greenpeace, there is WWF, there are international bodies for Climate change etc. etc. I believe every bit counts. Tinaplanet is a concept that every one of us can use to think about the impact all of us are making on the Earth and the Environment and if we can reduce it. Can we leave this earth to our next generation as we would like to find it if we are to come back?
If all the people in India and China start consuming the way Americans do, we would need seven planets and not just one to sustain. Some people say seven is an exaggeration; we would need only 3 more!
Poverty is bad for the environment. As people become more prosperous, they start caring for the environment more. On the other hand, as people become richer, they start using more energy and cause more pollution. But, does that mean, we have an inherent conflict here? Should the poor remain poor so that the rest can enjoy the resources and the clean environment? The answer is "No" and that is because, it is not ethical and it is not sustainable. We cannot and should not stop the development of people's living standards but need to find ways to reduce the negative impacts. The idea of Tinaplanet is to do small small things that still add up to significant benefits. Currently, Tinaplanet is just me but if the idea stands the test of time and I get enough friends to support this, it can become a platform for doing something good for our home, our planet.
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