tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325782062024-03-14T08:24:38.334-07:00Seeking truth relentlesslyPersonal blog of Chandramouli, a lover of programming, design, God, music and books. Not necessarily in that order.Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-62783075384572484422013-05-14T10:57:00.000-07:002013-05-14T10:57:23.067-07:00Time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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"Time is an illusion" thundered Professor.<br />
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It was a special night with Professor Rajkumar on the topic of "Time". Rajkumar was highly skilled not only in his chosen subject (Physics) but also in spiritual topics (particularly those relating to Hinduism), and their parallels. All the attendants of the session were listening with rapt attention. Pin-drop silence.<br />
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"Have you not heard the famous Einstein quote that an hour sitting with a pretty girl on a park bench passes like a minute, but a minute sitting on a hot stove seems like an hour? That's relativity. Everything is only relative and there's absolutely nothing absolute." Some of the audience, their mouth agape, wondered at the professor's word play.<br />
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Professor went on. "What science and religion are saying is one and the same. That time is just a perspective based on the frame of reference. So never worry about anything in your life. There is nothing urgent. Life is your own. Learn how to enjoy it in your own terms and in your own time."<br />
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Crowd was now very quiet as if in trance. Professor continued to milk them. "Now, close your eyes, and take 5 deep breaths."<br />
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Everyone instinctively started breathing and closing their eyes. Then, the professor's mobile vibrated.<br />
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"How did you feel? Let's try one more thing to understand the illusion of time better. Now, close your eyes again, take few deep breaths for few minutes and keep listening to the sound around you till I ask you to open your eyes." With this statement, professor went to the backstage to check his mobile.<br />
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It was a reminder. On reading the reminder, the professor's eyes started dilating. He immediately placed a call to his best friend Santhosh.<br />
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"Hey Prof, how are you man? Great to hear from such a busy fellow!" said Santhosh with a joyful tone.<br />
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"Santhosh, I have an urgent request. Can you ..."<br />
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"Hey, just a minute. My grandson is asking for my attention. Achuchu, jijipa, you wet the diapers so frequently uh?" Santhosh started changing the diapers of his grandson.<br />
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Now, professor's patience went through the roof. He was praying Santhosh to get back to the call quickly. "Tell me prof" Santhosh said. Professor was relieved. "Great, I ..."<br />
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"Oh no, sorry prof. Hey kutti, don't climb that .... Oh God!" Santhosh was gone again. Professor was now feeling helpless. Time was moving ahead.<br />
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After another minute, Santhosh came back to the line. "Sorry prof!"<br />
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"You idiot! I need Rs.10000 urgently in my HDFC bank account. There's an ECS pending mid-night, and I already missed it twice in the past year. I don't want my name in CIBIL and get into more troubles with loans in future. You got it? Can you transfer now or not? I'm running out of time!" Professor blasted his friend in muted anger.<br />
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"Cool down buddy. I'll do it right away. Ok then, how is..."<br />
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"Fine, I'm in the mid of a session. Talk to you in a minute. Be on the line."<br />
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---<br />
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"Please open your eyes. See, how you feel? What happened to you? What happened in this world that you missed? Nothing! So, remember, time is an illusion!"<br />
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Santhosh was chuckling on the other side of the phone.<br />
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Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-91535837804876049592013-05-08T10:02:00.000-07:002013-05-08T10:02:04.836-07:00Money, Economy and Maslow's Hierarchy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6ZuIsRMu8M6zjP-5SZXUfudUimLr0sHSdhEbL03Y66gyWJnMMeuIsLIjPCcOx2xjDDYsnfn_7cqAOrutgcSJu481t2xuUnZfAaACw82CQtdem1E_aByc247HZWG8bgYQUZ7c/s1600/Maslow_Hierarchy_of_Needs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB6ZuIsRMu8M6zjP-5SZXUfudUimLr0sHSdhEbL03Y66gyWJnMMeuIsLIjPCcOx2xjDDYsnfn_7cqAOrutgcSJu481t2xuUnZfAaACw82CQtdem1E_aByc247HZWG8bgYQUZ7c/s1600/Maslow_Hierarchy_of_Needs.png" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: xx-small;">Image Courtesy: Wikipedia</span></div>
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</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">While I was traveling to work this morning, I thought of Abraham's Maslow's hierarchy of needs for an individual and how the society as a whole could be impacted by that.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Once I reached the office and did my routine of checking mails and looking through new content in Internet, I was slightly surprised to find that someone <a href="http://francispedraza.com/from-the-pyramid-to-the-rectangle/">just wrote</a> about this recently. What does this tell? Perhaps, hundredth monkey effect. I'm digressing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">But though the broad strokes are similar, what I thought specifically is something different and the topic of this post.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Broadly, Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs says that human beings have certain needs at various levels in the order of physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, self-actualization. Many of us may not agree with the exact representations (particularly in upper levels of pyramid), but the underpinning of this hierarchy can't be ignored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I have an observation. <b>With the formation (and the eventual dominance) of money (which is a placeholder for value promised by a party you trust), it became easy for people to satisfy the needs at lower levels.</b> Let me explain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">While bartering was the main source of fulfilling needs, people might not have known the value of product (whether products or services) that they needed. Hence, in all probability, they would have given more value than they got. (I agree this is subjective, since value in those days depended more on the utility than an artificial assignment as it is today. Still, it's possible that the buyer might have been exploited by the seller, if the seller was able to extract better value for himself by his smartness.) It is relatively tougher (though not impossible) for farmer who barters rice for a dhoti to figure out what quantity of rice could be bartered for a given number of dhotis. (Let's even leave out the quality issue here.) Unless there was a system of values maintained and controlled by government, bartering was based strictly on utility.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">With the advent of money, the exchange of value mainly based on utility diminished. But a fixed rate (i.e. fixed by market) became the norm and it was easy for people to exchange information on values far more easily. This now makes it clear to people how much money (i.e. value) they need to satisfy their basic needs and hence strive to earn that much through producing/creating something or selling labour for money (also called "employment"! :)). </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">But by the same measure, <b>it has now become difficult for people to satisfy the needs at higher levels</b>. Why? For the simple reason that needs at lower level are more concrete and as we go higher, they become more abstract. Obviously, it's difficult to put a value on an abstract thing.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #222222;">During bartering days, every one had to be a seller. And most of the people would have naturally tended to sell lower level things (as they are concrete, hence easy to understand, produce and sell compared to the higher ones). Nevertheless, due to lack of information on exchange value, such lower level things should have remained "expensive" compared to higher level things. Simply put, it was simply hard to find something that fulfills higher level needs. So, people naturally tended to find ways (by cooperating with others, organizing competetions that were not for prize-value but for pride-value) in order to satisfy those needs. And hence arts would have flourished.</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #222222;">Now, with money being a clear placeholder of value, but higher level stuff remaining as abstract as they were earlier, people only tend to become more confused. Now that buyers have a clear place holder of value, they naturally think there should be a clear value for higher level stuff also. Because, money (information) not only enabled the buyer to easily spot value of lower things and keeps them confused on the higher things, the sellers of higher level stuff take advantage of this and sell their stuff for a high-fixed value money (i.e. not based on utility).</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #222222;">I arrive at a conclusion that as much as we try to "buy" stuff that's high in Maslow's hierarchy, it will remain elusive. So, "buying" that is not best way, but "finding" it is better!</span></span><br />
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</span> <span style="color: #222222;">If you're still here, kudos to you! :)</span></span></div>
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Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-24785004305038651382013-05-05T06:53:00.000-07:002013-05-05T06:53:51.624-07:00May Be, I'll Probably Try To ...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Have you been in a status/pre-sales call in IT service companies? If so, you might have noticed one thing - that words like "may be", "probably", "try to" are used very often. (Few years back, I once deliberately counted the number of "probably" in one of the calls, and it was 17 in that 1-hour call). What's more, they are not used in proper context, but only as fillers. Let's give these words a collective name - <b>words of ambiguity</b>.<br />
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These words are meant to be used in situations where we don't have clarity. Not having clarity is not crime per se, but saying something that has a clear meaning and making use of these words is "probably" not good. ;)</div>
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Let's assume I'm saying "I'll send you a mail by 5 pm". It has a clear meaning. But saying "I'll probably send you a mail by 5 pm" is irksome. Why? Because:</div>
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<li>I'm not convinced myself that what I said will happen.</li>
<li>It might give me a comfort feeling that I can't be held responsible for what I said, but for the listener, the expectation is that I'll take responsibility for what I said. (Ultimately, it's obvious that I'm responsible for what I said despite my use of "probably".)</li>
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So, in situations where it's not apt, let's <strike>probably try to</strike> avoid the use of these words.</div>
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Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-67820147339053418092013-04-27T23:22:00.000-07:002013-04-28T07:34:42.774-07:00What You Dream Of?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What you dream of? Angels, demons, that beautiful girl who's your neighbour? ;)<br />
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There are some things that become a regular in our dreams. For example, I often dream of airplanes (particularly crashing airplanes, but strangely without any fatalities), of shit not cleaned up in closets (really!), of himalayan mountains, to name a few.</div>
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So, do we dream of things that we like or hate? Or, of things that we wished for, but didn't achieve in our life? Or those that are just routine aspects of our life?</div>
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All the above could be true to some extent. But what I noticed was that <b>things I'm obsessed over appear regularly and forcefully in my dreams</b>.</div>
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I love flying, but till this date, I'm slightly afraid of flying despite all the statistical evidence that flight is one of the (if not, <i>the</i>) safest mode of transport. Still, I can't wait for the day when I get a chance to fly. I even wish I could fly unaided some day. In short, I'm obsessed over flight.</div>
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Same for that "shit" stuff. Whenever I happen to visit a toilet and notice some shit not cleaned, it beats the shit out of me! Simply, I'm obsessed over shit not cleaned.</div>
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Talking about Himalayas, who wouldn't love even just watching the magnificent peaks rising far above as if to touch the sky! And the tranquil gardens and large, open plains! Same here - I'm simply obsessed with Himalayas!</div>
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This also taught me something: if obsession over something can affect an activity (e.g. dream) on which you don't have control over, think what it can do for activities (e.g. reading, coding, eating) on which you have absolute control.</div>
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Then I also recollected that whatever I could call as achievement in my life, they were all because I obsessed over them. Ofcourse, one can't go far with just obsession, but nevertheless it's a good (probably the only feasible) starting point.</div>
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So, what are you obsessing over?</div>
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Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-56245134682903477352012-10-19T07:52:00.001-07:002012-10-19T07:52:28.970-07:00Legality vs Ethics<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I'm confused. Totally confused. On IAC and Arvind Kejriwal in particular. I'm not able to decide whether I support him or not.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Disclosure: I'm a supporter of BJP. But, I don't support corruption like every other citizen of this great country.)</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Let me explain the reasons for my dilemma.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Today, I heard the news that IAC has decided to form an independent ombudsman to probe its prominent accused members. So, few questions here:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">We know that IAC has formed an independent ombudsmen consisting of three retired judges enjoying a reputation of high integrity and independence to inquire into any charges made against key members of IAC.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">How is this "reputation of high integrity" of these judges going to be evaluated? If at some later point, some one finds out the "reputation of high integrity" of these judges are flawed or not true, will there be another ombudsman to inquire into the charges made about the "reputation of high integrity" of judges?</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Also, it's mentioned that "if any member is found guilty of any illegal or immoral activity he would be expected to resign from the proposed party". They can make the technical-wordings better. So, do they "expect" such people to resign or will they "mandate" the people to resign?</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">I have more such questions that are along similar lines, but I stop here to not to sound nit-picky or a pessimist.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Let's assume that no one questions the reputation of high integrity of the 3 retired judges appointed by IAC. With such an ombudsman that will inquire to find if any member is guilty of any illegal <b>or immoral</b> activity, I'm sure there'll be at-least few from IAC that will be penalized. You ask me how I jump to conclusion that there'll be few from IAC that'll be penalized because of illegal or immoral activity? Read on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When asked about her land dealings, Anjali Damaniya's <a href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/iac-member-anjali-damania-bought-farm-land-then-sold-it-after-changing-land-use/1018968/0">answer to Indian Express</a>:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">“The plots were bought in 2007 as agricultural plots and soon after, I applied with the collector’s office in Raigad to change the user type of these lands from agricultural to non-agricultural. In 2011, these applications were approved following which 37 plots were sold to different buyers. I can produce all the required papers to prove that everything was done legally. If someone thinks this is wrong, the problem then actually lies with the government’s policy in changing the land-use from agricultural to non-agricultural. I am being targeted now because I raised my voice against a corrupt system.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Great. She has certainly done everything <i>legally</i>. But as she says, "the problem then actually lies with the government’s policy in changing the land-use from agricultural to non-agricultural.".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">At the time of the purchase of land, if Anjali Damaniya expressed to the farmers that she was buying it for non-agricultural purposes (like building villas), do you think farmers would have given it at the price they mentioned? Is it not ethical to give the farmers a chance to know what they are selling it for? So, is she not misusing the government's policy in changing the land-use from agricultural to non-agricultural?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">It's also found that there was no agricultural activity for the period between 2007</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Now, Mr. Vadra too can get technical like this, and say that the law doesn't prevent the license being transferred to some one else, and hence the problem "actually" lies with the government's policy of not explicitly controlling the license transfers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Note that I don't support Vadra, since what he has done is just plain wrong. Neither do I support Yeddyurappa who has given free reins to his sons and played an important role in corruption in Karnataka.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">When it comes to dealing with something through legal means, we all know how capable our politicians are.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Coming back to the topic - what do you do then once you find a person guilty of doing something immoral as in the case above? Common sense can tell you that there will not be just once Anjali Damania that's an exception. (I haven't read about Prashant Bhushan in detail, so I can't comment on him.) So, how do you run a party with such people?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In my opinion, if Arvind Kejriwal starts to keep such people out, going by his current trends, he may have to "expect" atleast a few such people to go in future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, the next logical step would be to keep these people out but continue to run the party. Right? But there are already parties running in such a way. BJP, CPI and CPI(M) to name a few. (If you start on BJP's corruption, I can still point out that it's easily the least corrupt <i>and</i> most capable party in current situation; may not be the best, but best among the lot. But that's another big topic and hence another post.) If Arvind Kejriwal wants to do the same, most welcome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My point - Everything can't be spelled out legally. So, only if people know what is ethical and stick to it, we will NEVER be able to solve the social problems related to corruption.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In the words of popular Tamil poet and lyricist Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 28px;">திருடனாய்ப் பார்த்துத் திருந்தா விட்டால் <br />திருட்டை ஒழிக்க முடியாது!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">(Translated loosely as "Unless a thief corrects himself, the evil of theft can not be eradicated.")</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So, is there no way to prevent the corruption rampant in India? I believe it's possible to a practical extent, but it's a bitter pill. I'll discuss that in another post.</span><br />
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Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-62360607940969691852011-01-11T04:34:00.000-08:002011-01-11T05:48:50.630-08:00Oh, IPL fever again!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many urban Indians feel proud when they see even moderate success in an undertaking that's a mimicry of a concept/event from western countries. And if it's a massive success (measured by popularity/monetary terms, of course), they go crazy; and the people who supposedly invented(!) it in India(!!), are demi-gods. I'm talking about the IPL auctions in particular, and the IPL event in general.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This whole IPL s*** is about business/entertainment than cricket. Let's be candid - has IPL ever been about cricket/cricketers? In spite of all the hoopla about being a platform for budding cricketers, this event has always been a platform for some people to gamble, and for some others to profit like owners of casinos. (I know you can quote instances i.e. names of young players, where it's been a revealing, but I'm coming to that shortly.)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Right from the beginning, the owners of IPL have gambled with the players. Most often, people weren't given a second chance; because, the whole model of this event doesn't allow you to do so. It's quick fix, buddy! Quick money, quick satisfaction! Of-course, they need winners, so it's their preference. I certainly agree. But why make it look like a platform for spotting talent?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Coming to that "spotting talent" part. Let me ask you one thing. Do you think I'm a good writer? (Or instead of me, think of any one of your favorite bloggers; do you think he/she is a good writer?) If you think I am (or your favorite blogger is), I pity you and let's stop it here. Enjoy your life. If you think I'm not (or your favorite blogger is not), can you tell me why? It could be due to one of these two reasons:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">1). I haven't blogged much, so I can't be judged.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2). Even if I have blogged much, I can't be called a good writer because blogging alone doesn't make me that.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You get it? Blogging is a showcase. It's just where you share something quickly. (We're not even discussing facebook and twitter). But being a good writer means a totally different thing. Am I digressing?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Ok, this "talent spotting", you can't really spot talent in an event that's primarily a "quick fix". T20 is an event where the player need not be on the ground for even an hour but can still make an impact, appear on the top of next day's Sports page and be forgotten in the day after that. Easy? I'm not saying so. Difficult? Neither. (considering we're talking about real "talent").</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All I say is this - understand that events like IPL are entertainment for you and money for some one else. Just like movies, T.V. serials, and other forms of entertainment. Don't delude yourself that it's the pinnacle of sporting in India, and that it takes our country to the big league of sports. Bull s***!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
</div>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-91487403634386265942011-01-04T08:51:00.000-08:002011-01-04T09:32:35.648-08:00Chennai Book Fair 2011 - Preview<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Chennai Book Fair 2011</b> has started today. Unlike previous years, I went right away with my <a href="http://pnparasuraman.com/">dad</a> to checkout the books.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Chief guests who declared it open were Jegathratchagan, Justice Lakshmanan and Nalli Kuppuswamy Chettiar. I didn't listen to speeches, save Jegathratchagan's. My legs were really tired after some scouting, so I took a chair in the audience and happened to hear Jegathratchagan's speech. Though not exceptional, he was far better than many others who take it rea.....l slow and bore the audience. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This year, the fair is relatively bigger. Around </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>640 publishers/sellers</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> have put up shop. In many stalls, the books were still being stacked as I was going around. Also, the variety seems to be good. Among them, categories of IT, literature (mainly Tamil and English), fiction(both local and international), education, business, kids studies, social studies and religion have got a fair share of representation.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today there were </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>not many food/snack stalls</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. Also, the variety of the eatables is not as good as that of the books. One glaring drawback, I could say so, is the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>lack of proper arrangements</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">. The ground even near the chief guests diaz really soggy, and there were not any index/markers to guide us to the stalls of our choice. I'm not sure if it's because this is the first day. But still, I couldn't believe the kind of lackadaisical attitude followed overall by the organizers even with dignitaries visiting in the evening.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Overall, if your goal is only the books and not the general entertainment of visiting the fair with family, friends et al, I think you'll be in for a treat.</span><br />
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</span></b><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>IT guys</b>: Checkout the <a href="http://chakora.in/chennai-book-fair-2011-preview-for-it-people/">post</a> on my professional blog about the IT section of Book Fair. I've elaborated a bit on the kind of books and also listed the names of some surprise (atleast to me!) titles found.</span>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-20636363916004709732010-04-12T03:44:00.000-07:002010-04-12T03:44:08.117-07:00She's Now Mine!I saw her first when I was in Singapore few years back. The moment I saw her, I was awed by her beauty. For the next few days, I couldn't help that she occupied much of my thoughts. Why not? A girl from a family where the father worships beauty in everything he does. Probably, that man took some special care on this kid of his.<br />
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Without any shame, I'll now explain her beauty. She had beautiful curves at the right places. None of the other girls matched her. And her skin was white. I even saw a photograph of her where she posed naked!<br />
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I decided that I should make her part of my life. I waited for the right time.<br />
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In between, I came back to India and continued my life here. After few years, I got married to another girl (who didn't know at that time about my secret love for this girl). I was blessed with a son who made my life more joyful.<br />
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But still, my love for that girl didn't cease. It only grew more!<br />
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One fine day during last week, I summed up the courage to talk about my problem with my family. To my surprise, my Mom, Dad and Wife agreed to bring this girl home. After some inquiries, I learnt that she was in Chennai in Mylapore.<br />
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I went to her home with my wife, brother and my kid! On the way, I prayed God that nothing should go wrong in this endeavor. We entered her home, and I saw her sitting at a corner smiling at me. I was lost for words. As I went near her, I could feel my pulse racing and my heart beating so fast. When my wife, kid and brother were away for a bit, I touched her for the first time. She responded with a bright smile, and didn't even move a bit. Her curves were very inviting, but I suddenly took my hands away the moment I saw my family members coming towards me.<br />
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My wife too was admiring her beauty. And my brother ... his eyes were on her most of the times, but luckily my kid distracted him for the most part keeping him busy.<br />
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Atlast, I took her in my hands and lead her into the car. My wife seated this beautiful girl beside her. Wow, what a surprise!<br />
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That night that I spent with this beauty was unforgettable.<br />
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I'm proud. I am proud to own her!<br />
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I'm proud to own ............. a MacBook!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-86594148468847371442010-02-19T02:06:00.000-08:002010-02-19T02:06:55.881-08:00Return to the roots?Kunal had a <a href="http://kunaljanu.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/1094/">question</a> on which I commented earlier. Now, I am finding myself in a similar (but not exactly the same) predicament.<br />
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For those people who know about me, I am a programmer. Even though I try to learn other aspects of software development (like project management, process etc.), what I identify myself with is programming.<br />
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Some time back in the year 2007, I got into project management by choice, and my company gave me the opportunity to get involved in project management. Of late, I've come to realize that I may not be a good project manager for the following reasons:<br />
<br />
<h2>1. Not creating enough</h2>As a project manager in my current setup, I hardly create anything. Basically, I love to create. (Music is my other passion; I used to compose many songs for a children & youth group, but not much happening now-a-days in that front too.) And, when I come to a stage in my life when I don't create something useful, I become rather sad!<br />
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<h2>2. Managerial skills?</h2>I believe it's totally my fault in not having a clear expectation of what project management means (or to be more precise, <i>what project management means in a particular setup</i>). For example, with a team that has a high technical & domain skills, superb intra-team & client communication, the project manager doesn't have much of work REALLY. In that case, it makes sense for such a PM to take up the responsibilities of his superior (could be revenue management, business development, new process initiatives.) But with a team that's not that technical and / or not with enough bandwidth in terms of client communication, the PM's role becomes more deeper. i.e. the PM ideally does some heavy lifting by taking part in the requirements AND design, apart from the usual status reports, tasks allocation, adhoc client calls etc.<br />
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This is where my problem was. I belonged to a team of the first type, but still I was not willing to accept the fact that I should be sharing the responsibilities of my superior. (I'm still not willing to do so, since there's not much scope to be really productive.) So, I give an impression that I'm not good at project management.<br />
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<h2>3. Ethical reasons!</h2>I think this heading is self-explanatory, so I don't want to dig deeper.<br />
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Ultimately, when we keep doing something we don't love, we end up hurting ourselves real bad in long term. Maybe, I should return to my roots!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-40943525448680813602010-02-14T06:28:00.000-08:002010-02-14T06:31:50.635-08:00Earning Money - Made EasyWell, I agree that it's an "attention grabber", but I've come to believe that making money is not THAT difficult, if you put your mind to it and have SOME creativity.<br />
<br />
I read the book "Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid" by C.K.Prahlad some time back. In that, he discusses how real money can be made by selling to people who are really way down in the pyramid of "money" - people who can't really afford much. Ideas like selling 1 rupee icecreams to a huge population and still making profits have been floating around. (Not as simple as it sounds since there are LOTS of factors involved in such ice-cream making and selling, but still it's not impossible either.)<br />
<br />
This morning, I was watching the following video by <a href="http://www.loudthinking.com">David Heinemeier Hansson</a>:<br />
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<object width='420' height='240'><param name='movie' value='http://www.omnisio.com/bin/Embed.swf?embedID=dCce6Cgxir34emadbiFy2w' /><param name='bgcolor' value='#FFFFFF' /><param name='quality' value='high' /><param name='allowscriptaccess' value='always' /><param name='allowfullscreen' value='true' /><embed type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://www.omnisio.com/bin/Embed.swf?embedID=dCce6Cgxir34emadbiFy2w' bgcolor='#FFFFFF' quality='high' allowfullscreen='true' allowscriptaccess='always' width='520' height='276' ><noembed><div><a href='http://www.omnisio.com'>Share and annotate your videos</a> with Omnisio!</div></noembed></embed></object><br />
<br />
Wow, is this not fortune at the bottom of the "web" pyramid?<br />
<br />
Enjoy!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-75496883037660705022010-01-07T07:01:00.000-08:002010-01-07T07:01:09.147-08:00Federal Reserve - The Central Bank of United States, a Cartel?!!I was reading the online book "Conspiracy of the Rich" by Robert Kiyosaki and came across this paragraph:<br />
<br />
"In 1913, the Federal Reserve was created, even though the founding fathers, creators of the U.S. Constitution, were very much against a national bank that controlled the money supply. Without proper financial education, few people know that the Federal Reserve is not federal or American, it has no reserves, and it is not a bank. Once the Fed was in place, there were two sets of rules when it came to money: One set of rules for people who work for money, and another set of rules for the rich who print money."<br />
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I was surprised to read that the central bank of a government, that prints money, is not a government institution. I googled further and found more about this. Here are few links:<br />
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1. http://www.progressiveu.org/201542-america-is-run-by-a-banking-cartel<br />
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2. http://www.panamalaw.org/the_historical_value_of_the_dollar_before_and_after_federal_reserve.html<br />
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And from the horse's mouth:<br />
3. http://www.federalreserve.gov/pf/pdf/pf_complete.pdf (read last paragraph in page 2 i.e. pdf page 11)<br />
Last line says "independent within the government". What does it mean? Say, I, an individual, am "independent within the family". Does it not mean that my family depends on me, but not the other way around? Also, practically speaking, does it not mean I can make my own decisions suiting my own interest even when it contradicts with my family's?<br />
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If this is the kind of setup in the most powerful and influential country in the world, where is it headed? And where are all the countries that are heavily dependent upon the United States headed?<br />
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God Bless America!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-66649100228816776992009-12-13T23:50:00.000-08:002009-12-13T23:57:55.010-08:00United States of India!With demand for more states spreading like rapid fire, here are few innovative suggestions for specific groups.<br />
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1. <b>State Name</b>: "PMK Nadu"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: Ramadoss (PMK)<br />
<b>Where</b>: Northern districts of Tamilnadu<br />
<b>Description</b>: How else can Ramadoss rule a state?<br />
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2. <b>State Name</b>: "Thennaadu"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: M.K. and his elder son<br />
<b>Where</b>: Southern districts of Tamilnadu<br />
<b>Description</b>: Reward for Alagiri for all the "hardships" he had undergone for ensuring DMK's victories there.<br />
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3. <b>State Name</b>: "SachinPradesh"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: Fans of Sachin Tendulkar<br />
<b>Where</b>: Mumbai<br />
<b>Description</b>: "Cricket is our religion, Sachin is our God; so why not a separate state for us??" <br />
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4. <b>State Name</b>: "SugarPradesh"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: Agri. minister Sharad Pawar's followers<br />
<b>Where</b>: Mumbai (Contending with Sachin's fans)<br />
<b>Description</b>: Even though Sharad Pawar is more focused on Cricket, he has done some important things for Indian agriculture too (especially Sugarcane, by doing nothing about the "state" of farmers - pun unintended! ;) Doesn't he deserve a state?<br />
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5. <b>State Name</b>: "Sonianchal"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: Sonia's followers<br />
<b>Where</b>: New Delhi (maybe with some exclaves from Italy too)<br />
<b>Description</b>: !!!<br />
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6. <b>State Name</b>: "Ramanchal"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: Advani's followers<br />
<b>Where</b>: In the footsteps of Himalayas (as far as possible from the Ram Janma Bhoomi)<br />
<b>Description</b>: To ensure a "fair" trial of Babri Masjid demolition case, and also to act as a springboard for the next round of "Ram, Ram" politics!<br />
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7. <b>State Name</b>: "Binary Pradesh"<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: All Programmers in India<br />
<b>Where</b>: Wherever there's a computer present.<br />
<b>Description</b>: Slightly difficult to establish, but worthwhile. Separate all the programmers and dump them here. Ah, wait! They are demanding two states in this one - a 0 and a 1! ;) <br />
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8. <b>State Name</b>: "Bald-o-bad" (rhymes with "Hyderabad")<br />
<b>Initiated By</b>: Citizens of India<br />
<b>Where</b>: Tirupathi<br />
<b>Description</b>: Best place to reflect the true "state" of Indian public!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-44244505698648967982009-10-09T04:34:00.000-07:002009-10-11T20:50:13.205-07:00The Saviours of Mother EarthIt was a cold Tuesday morning when the alarm went off. Govardhan woke up from his sleep and turned it off. But before turning it off, he couldn't help but admire the new dynamic design plastic casing mobile that produced the sound. He switched on his bedroom light and found his way to washroom.<br />
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The bath fittings were perfect as he desired, made of high quality imported ceramic, glass and plastic. After a warm shower, he noticed that he still had time for the event.<br />
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The Event!! How long he has been waiting for this! An international forum in which he's been chosen as the Chairman.<br />
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Slowly he came down to his kitchen. His refrigerator was stocked full with his favorite fruits and few eggs. Since it was too early for the maid to arrive yet, he took an apple, an egg, and prepared a bread-toast in the toaster made by one of the top quality houseware brands.<br />
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Tring, tring!! "God, why someone always calls during breakfast?!" he cursed, shot up and picked up the receiver.<br />
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"Goodmorning Mr. Govardhan! Dr. Srini here."<br />
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"Oh yes, doctor. How very nice of you calling me in this early morning." Only he knew the meaning of what he said, and continued, "So, is anything urgent?"<br />
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"Just to remind you to collect your MRI from ABC Hightech Scans and meet me by 2 pm today." This doctor had a great ranking system for his patients based on their networth!<br />
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"Very kind of you doctor. I'll come and meet you at 2 pm sharp."<br />
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"Thankyou."<br />
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"Thankyou", Govardhan clicked the receiver back in place and checked his watch. It was almost time to start for the meeting.<br />
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His dark blue BMW 730d was waiting in the portico. His chaffeur was quick to open the back door and let in his boss. Within no second, the car shot off towards the City Hall.<br />
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-------------------<br />
<br />
When he took his place in diaz, Govardhan noticed that all arrangements were done upto the exacting standards that he always demanded from his people. PET bottles with water before each speaker, Bose sound system for best quality sound (but whether such kind of quality is required for a monologue, oops, "mono" speech, is altogether a different matter), soothing carpets plastered perfectly to the floor with invisible high quality polyurethane adhesives.<br />
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Once everyone had settled in their places, the host of the show delivered welcome address and requested Govardhan to give the presidential address.<br />
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Now, the Chairman of MAP (Men Against Plastics) slowly rose from his place. Savoring a moment of applause from a mad crowd, he then started declaring in bold voice:<br />
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"Ladies & Gentlemen, welcome you all! It feels great to be among this crowd - which is dead against the use of plastics in their life and that leads by example leading a life with very minimal or no use of plastics....!" <br />
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He continued his speech without any guilt about the level of plastics that he had let in his life!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-83878516845169502672009-01-09T04:03:00.000-08:002009-10-11T09:12:54.386-07:00Long Live Capitalism!<font face="verdana" size="x=small"><br />Everyone is out for blood of Ramalinga Raju. But just look at the following statements.<br /><br />Ramalinga Raju, one who's let down Satyam's investors (i.e. paper owners):<br />"It was like riding a tiger, not knowing how to get off without being eaten."<br /><br />Alan Greenspan, one who was the Chairman of US Federal Reserve between 1987 and 2006 and who's let down an entire nation:<br />"I really didn't get it until very late in 2005 and 2006."<br /><br />Long live capitalism! :)<br /></font>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-37957600899649133552008-01-07T10:49:00.000-08:002008-01-07T12:48:11.932-08:00LeadershipIf there's one human endeavour that's as old as humanity and that's vital to our existence itself, I'd say it's Leadership. Every nation, every age, every philosophy and every man on earth always required a leader to flourish. I never thought that I'd be able to lead a team - but when I learnt I can, it was a fulfilling experience that no money could buy on earth. Now, a short story on a "leadership" experience that I encountered during the latter half of last year.<br /><br />I lead a team of guys who are best described by many nay-sayers as "craps" (I learnt they are not, during the next couple of months). One fine day in August 2007, I was on a status update call with my customer. Due to past experiences that left a bad taste in his mouth, this customer was enraged. He wanted us to prove our capability by completing certain goals that he set for us. By November 1st, if we didn't complete the goals, he threatened that he'd pullout and take that business elsewhere. (It's a different story whether it's easy to pullout given the complexity of that enterprise system). But something made me take that very seriously (I'll be writing in another article what that "something" is). It touched my ego and I was determined to take up the challenge. With the help of my team, I was able to see it through to a level of completion that made this customer happy. But above all, I learnt few lessons in leadership that I'd never forget in my life. So, here are they!<br /><br /><strong>1. Leaders have clarity.</strong><br />This is the first and foremost quality that I've observed in every successful leader. A leader must know his raison d'être - what makes his existence as a leader.<br /><br /><strong>2. Leaders believe in themselves.</strong><br />Even a grain of doubt in one's own capability makes the person get into a negative spiral.<br /><br /><strong>3. Leaders trust people.</strong><br />Trust, enormous level of trust in people they lead! Without people, a leader is really nothing. A leader doesn't (and can't) achieve anything on his own.<br /><br /><strong>4. Leaders are action oriented.</strong><br />A leader knows instintively (by practice) how far to analyze the problem and when to get into action. He doesn't overanalyze things.<br />(This is one thing that I'm still trying to get a hang of! :)<br /><br /><strong>5. Leaders acknowledge mistakes.</strong><br />Mistakes are never hidden for long - so a leader acknowledges his mistakes publicly. But at the same time he doesn't brood over them. He does the next step!<br /><br /><strong>6. Leaders never stop learning.</strong><br />No leader sleeps peacefully if he doesn't learn something everyday. <br /><br /><strong>7. Leaders are energetic and passionate.</strong><br />If you're around a true leader, you can see that he exudes energy that's infectious! Energy and passion are two things that never run dry in a leader.<br /><br /><strong>8. Leaders communicate.</strong><br />Effective leader communicates clearly, communicates beautifully, communicates honestly and communicates often. I'd never forget the day I communicated the grave situation to the team after my client threatened to screw us. It made me understand how supportive my team was in achieiving the goals.<br /><br /><strong>9. Leaders know when to give up and when not to.</strong><br />It might be a surprise, but a leader give up too - but unlike others! He looks for signs all around and gives up only when he knows for sure that sticking on will never practically solve the problem at hand, or even brings more problems.<br /><br /><strong>10. Leaders never complain.</strong><br />A leader never looks out for reasons to complain. How many ever negative people a leader runs into, he stays positive and never complains.<br /><br /><strong>11. Leaders delegate.</strong><br />Doing everything on one's own is a recipe for disaster if you want to be a leader. But at the same time .... (read on)<br /><br /><strong>12. Leaders are hands-on and lead by example.</strong><br />True leader loves to be on the field leading the team by example rather than by command alone.<br /><br /><strong>13. Leaders are great in attention to details.</strong><br />Whatever your area of specialization is, attention to detail is one thing that a leader should never compromise on.<br /><br />And most important of all ....<br /><br /><strong>14. Leaders create leaders!</strong><br />This is the only way a leader can leave his legacy.<br /><br />(And a secret about great leaders: they have big - but justifiable - egos that can make or break things! So, better don't mess around with a real leader! :)Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-68656325693040846952007-12-09T09:03:00.000-08:002007-12-09T09:09:58.297-08:00Kelaamal Kaiyilae - ATM!Every now and then, a song just comes into existence, takes me and immerses me into it in a way that while I hear it, I feel ecstatic, out-of-the-world and absolute bliss! Kelaamal Kaiyilae from ATM (Azhagiya Thamizh Magan; we tamil guys have crazy ways of abbreviating!) is that song now in my list.<br /><br />If you don't like this song - you're not normal! ;)Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-68795481743959260732007-04-23T13:01:00.000-07:002007-04-23T13:09:14.327-07:00Web Apps!I was not paying much attention to the guys predicting the demise of desktop application. It was not easy to comprehend that web would quickly takeover the application space and thrash desktop apps out so soon. Boy was I wrong!!<br /><br />Don't know why - but suddenly I realized that web apps may soon do so! Two reasons I can think of:<br /><br />1. AJAX. One reason I loved desktop applications was their interactiveness. With AJAX, a web app is (almost) as easy to use as a desktop application.<br />2. This article: <a href="http://www.paulgraham.com/road.html">http://www.paulgraham.com/road.html</a>. This was written long back by Paul Graham but I happened to read it only today. It explained well ahead of time things that are happening now in the web application space.<br /><br />Projecting based on the "grace" that has suddenly fallen upon me, my predication is that in 2-3 years (yes, still 2-3 more years!!) desktop applications will be almost wiped out!<br /><br />Bye bye desktop, Welcome Web!Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-1157437034905516732006-09-04T23:14:00.000-07:002006-09-04T23:17:14.913-07:00Steve Irwin<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Irwin">Steve Irwin</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Crocodile_Hunter">The Crocodile Hunter</a>) has died yesterday after being struck by a stingray. May God rest his soul in peace.Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-1156494020382967312006-08-25T01:12:00.000-07:002006-08-25T01:20:20.476-07:00Pluto is dead (as a planet)! Long live Pluto!!<span style="font-size:85%;">As you probably know, </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto"><span style="font-size:85%;">Pluto</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> has been demoted as a planet; it's a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwarf_planet"><span style="font-size:85%;">dwarf planet</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> now. This makes our solar system live with only 8 planets.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">In India, we have this concept of "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navagraha">Nava graha</a>" which literally means "Nine planets". Though it has a different meaning altogether in its definition and usage, some "intelligent" people used to boast that we already know long back that there are 9 planets in solar system. (Pity them, most of them don't even know that Pluto was discovered only in 1930.) I don't what they will be thinking now. :)</span>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-1155650105037114202006-08-15T06:23:00.000-07:002006-08-15T06:55:05.086-07:00Seeking truth relentlessly<span style="font-size:85%;">Some of my friends asked me why the title "Seeking truth relentlessly" for my blog. That one symbolises a person in history of India (some prefer to call it "mythology") who was seeking truth relentlessly.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">For those uninitiated, there was this small boy whose father was performing a yaga (a fire ritual). It was a practice in India to gift something to poor people during the yaga - and whatever is given should be of good quality and should be one that's close to the heart of the giver. This father was giving away old cows that couldn't give milk. The young boy saw this act of his father. Being the one who was close to father's heart, the boy asked his father "whom you're going to gift me to?" When asked repetitively, the father got irritated and said "I give thee to Yama deva (the lord of death.)". The boy went to Yama loga (the place where Yama resides). He waited there for 3 days at the doorsteps without any food. It's considered a sin to have a guest wait. So, Yama begged his pardon and told him that he'd be granted 3 boons.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">The boy asked his three wishes: first, that his father should be ridden of anger and recognize and accept him when he goes back to his home. Yama granted the wish.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Second, the boy asked to learn Agni vidya (the knowledge of fire) from Yama. Yama granted this wish too.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Third, the boy asked to learn Atma vidya - the knowlege of soul - what happens to the soul after death. Yama was stunned. Yama said "Dear boy, please don't ask this alone. This is one thing even great sages are trying to figure out and it's tougher for even them. So, drop this and ask for anything - wealth, emperorship or whatever you like." But the boy didn't waver; he persisted and requested Yama deva to grant that wish. Yama accepted his request and taught him Atma vidya.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">This young boy is still remembered for his persistence to seek truth relentlessly.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">And his name is Nachiketa.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-1155581688679653302006-08-14T11:38:00.000-07:002006-08-14T11:54:48.700-07:00Equality - Truth or Myth?<span style="font-size:85%;">Well, the title may sound esoteric to some.<br /><br />There are two viewpoints that I'm thinking of - "material" and "spiritual" viewpoints.<br /><br />"Spiritually", all are equal, there's no second thought. I firmly believe and follow Advaita.<br /><br />But "Materially" (I mean in terms of materialistic aspirations and related actions), I don't believe in equality. In that case, equality is the bane for growth. <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong><span style="color:#009900;">When two things are seen equal, there's no competetion among them, so no real growth.</span></strong> </span>For example, when I certainly know that one of my friend or team member is my EQUAL, I don't care much; I keep doing things as I used to. But it's only when I see that I'm not equal to some one and I'm less capable than him, I get fired up and attempt at bigger, better things. Similarly, when I see some one not as capable as me, I make an attempt to bring that person upto my level. (It's the classic moon-earth relationship - moon always trying to fall into earth but missing it every time, thus keeping both going!)<br /><br />My spiritual side always says that the person who dislikes me is also the same as me - we both are sparks of same spiritual fire. But my material side never accepts some one as better than me if he's REALLY not better.<br /><br />You may think what's all this non-sense. But you know, my next post may be about Communism and Captitalism. :)<br /></span>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-1155474432729328172006-08-13T05:41:00.000-07:002006-09-04T21:21:55.266-07:00My Latest Composition<span style="font-size:85%;">I'm part of a cultural organization - </span><a href="http://www.geocities.com/sudhodaya_assn"><span style="font-size:85%;">Sudhodaya Children Association</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;"> - run by my aunt. Yesterday, we celebrated our 49th anniversary. The event went fine, and the moments were nice. My friends and I sung a song that was written and music composed by me. I've uploaded it in </span><a href="http://www.geocities.com/mouli_5/audio/Vanaveliyinil.zip"><span style="font-size:85%;">my website</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;">. Enjoy!!<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">P.S.: That song is a copyrighted work. Any misuse is illegal.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32578206.post-1155322270967943512006-08-11T11:37:00.000-07:002006-08-11T12:19:40.826-07:00Newyork Nagaram<span style="font-size:85%;">My first post in this blog!<br /><br />I've been hearing "Newyork Nagaram" song for the past 2 days. It's almost 50-60 times a day! To guys who know about me, this doesn't come as a big deal - I get crazy about something that I really like a lot. This song is one such thing.<br /><br />The song starts with a humming and that's followed by simple chords in guitar. First section (called pallavi in India) gets right into the heart - the lyrics and music are so much in sync that I started feeling like I'm in 50th floor in a hotel in Newyork watching through the glass windows and dreaming about ..... well, nothing! :). (Though I've never been to Newyork, I have an idea of how it'll be, through pics and videos.)<br /><br />The sections that follow greatly back the pallavi up and altogether make this song a superb number.<br /><br />I recommend it to all who require sleeping pills. This will make you throw away your pills! </span>Moulihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07119013103957637910noreply@blogger.com0