Lessons from Daily Life...

How the moon looked on December 10th 2011

2011-12-13T17:14:00.001+05:30

2nd Lunar Eclipse this year.. How the moon looked on December 10th 2011 Taken from my Canon P&S Camera.. J -- Manohar

Corruption - Who'll tackle this bit?

2011-11-27T13:21:00.000+05:30

When the nation was busy with country-wide protests, tug-of-war between Anna, Govt., and other political parties playing their ever-belittling opportunistic role.. here’s two instances of corruption I’ve faced and raises a question – Who will tackle this bit? Traffic Police @ Bangalore – I own a Delhi registration bike. At the Bangalore central railway station, I was actually struggling to

Silent workers - diamonds without a sparkle

2011-11-23T09:32:00.000+05:30

If you don't sparkle, you're not a diamond. You're not performing either if it's not visible! Diamonds coated in coal are really not picked up! And, so are these silent performers at work not really recognized. It’s like this— think of a family of two children, where both parents are working and yes, add all the other busy-ness around running a family and catching up with other things in life..

Test of endurance...

2010-11-26T12:48:00.001+05:30

Heard of the story of a caterpillar, which did not make it through the process of metamorphosis? You know why it failed? Apparently, a person sitting in the lawn noticed the caterpillar struggling it's way through.. and out of the kindness of his heart, tried to help it by slightly cutting open the cocoon/ chrysalis. Don't know if the caterpillar would have or wouldn't have made it's way through.

Relationships & The Great Expectations Theory!

2010-09-09T11:01:00.000+05:30

'Expectations', my friend Ashish Chandel, while we sat at a Bar some 6 years ago said, "are the key to all problems. We expect, and then when they are not met we get disappointed" he continued... "Do not expect," was the concluding suggestion he made. I, like most of you, had an opinion about it. My opinion about expectations though at first was as AShish's was further refined by three things:

Lord, grant that we

2010-08-30T09:29:00.001+05:30

Lord, grant that we may hear You speak; For truth within our hearts we seek.. odb

Consumed with thoughts...

2010-07-24T19:48:00.000+05:30

Consumed with thoughts! Emotions held up, barricaded! Expressions limited! Till when?!? The day it breaks loose, it'll gush forth like a raging tide... showing no mercy... it'll destroy like jealousy that knows no bounds... it'll end in cracks.. it'll end in tears.. bitterness... it'll end in destruction.. it'll consume everything, my all! I'm consumed with thoughts!!! No I don't want to

Consumed with thoughts...

2010-07-24T10:49:00.003+05:30

Thank thee Lord, for my father

2010-06-20T23:59:00.004+05:30

Thank thee Lord,For the sheer presence of my fatherThe strength that he sports everThe shelter that stands always strongerThe warm wings that hold us dearer If some worth in me appears to beThe honour to him all beWords to thank him, I have noneProud smiles for him, I have won Thank thee Lord,For the wisdom he sharesThe great strains he bearsThe sheer person that he isFor in him, I see the

Of storms and good weather

2010-05-23T16:16:00.001+05:30

For some to enjoy good weather, some will have to face the storm.. 'Cyclone Laila has left coastal Andhra in tatters', said the newspapers. I've been watching news about it since 2 days and it has killed 16 people. I logged to facebook in the afternoon, and a friend tweeted 'enjoying the great weather'. This friend lived about hundred kilometers away. It was such a paradox - suffering on

Comfortable with distractions!?!

2010-05-23T13:31:00.003+05:30

Distractions.. there have been many of them.. and I've been finding comfort in them - now wonder I haven't been on my blog though I've been wishing to write since so long.. Just had a little skirmish with a friend over the distraction he wanted; and that is when I realized how irritating it is when someone gets distracted while you wanted them to do something. Nobody likes getting distracted and

Still carrying it?

2010-01-30T15:34:00.001+05:30

I have been too busy to blog since about a quarter now.. and though there have been many things I'd wanted to write, haven't really been able to find some time to do it.. But, as we enter the new year-- here's a small lesson from daily life (based on a zen story) that I want to share which can help others.. Two monks were traveling when they came across a river that has to be crossed by walking

Time has no divisions

2010-01-01T03:36:00.003+05:30

As another year passes by, and there's celebrations all around to welcome a new year - I'm struck by a quote by Thomas Mann I've just come across-- "Time has no divisions to mark its passage, there is never a thunder-storm or blare of trumpets to announce the beginning of a new month or year. Even when a new century begins it is only we mortals who ring bells and fire off pistols.."Well, that

How has recession changed you?

2009-12-19T18:23:00.002+05:30

Recession is almost over.. But, yes, corporate leaders know how bad it was... From riding on a growth wave and managing hyper-growth in some industries to managing no growth (or minimal growth) if not de-growth was quite a task. Wasn't easy - but to adapt and mold was inevitable. The theme of 'recession' dominated the business world, public sector, non-profit sector and working communities at

Everyone thinks business..

2009-12-12T18:59:00.000+05:30

'Twas in mid / end of second quarter of 2009 when recession started taking its toll in India, and companies got a shocking slow-down on their growth ride. The community of employees labored under the indecisiveness and knee-jerk reactions of their respective managements and while coping with it, some did survive, while the others were ejected to search for other opportunities.. That called for a

Dreams - What are they?

2009-12-06T00:06:00.000+05:30

We come across this term quite a lot these days - 'dream', in fact is a very common phrase in today's parlance. But, not all mean the same when they say - 'My dream...', cos the one dream wouldn't let one sleep.. It's gonna keep you up till you've achieved it!

I am what I am...

2009-11-04T13:24:00.044+05:30

Of the many favorite taglines published by marketing companies - 'I Am, What I am' used by Reebok has clicked quite well, and I see people flashing this message with or without understanding what it means.. Serves as a good personal marketing tagline as well. But.. I often wonder what people exactly mean when they make that 'I am what I am' statement, cos many invisibly read 'I am what I am -

'The Lost Symbol' Review

2009-10-27T23:28:00.006+05:30

The plot is good; the visual imagery is cliché to Dan Brown – bloody and thrilling; the flow – simply hooks up the reader. As they say, art and literature are a reflection of contemporary trends – so this too is – specifically about the global quest for spirituality, spiritism, and the application of science to it - noetics. Weaving a story around a plethora of symbols, symbolisms and ancient

If you can't convince them, confuse them!

2009-10-09T12:41:00.001+05:30

I don't think Harry Truman had an idea of how widely this mantra he gave would be put to use. In some areas, it also defines the strategies.. I've seen this mantra at work and it's very true of large organizations— Governments, large business organizations, religious institutions like church etc., all employ this principle in a very effective way. When all the substance they can use to convince

Clarified but not Convinced

2009-10-09T10:51:00.042+05:30

A lot of formal communication in any organization is by the management - flows top to bottom. Focused mainly on getting the management message across - primarily about objectives, results, strategies, scorecards, policies, procedures, news & updates, other etc., So the idea behind all is - 'Get the message across!' Of course, one can't imagine discounting the little-bit of the feedback taken and

Ka ching!

2009-10-01T17:59:00.000+05:30

One of my favorites from Shania Twain.. We live in a greedy little worldthat teaches every little boy and girlTo earn as much as they can possiblythen turn around and spend it foolishlyWe've created us a credit card messWe spend the money that we don't possessOur religion is to go and blow it allSo it's shoppin' every Sunday at the mallAll we ever want is moreA lot more than we had beforeSo

Rudyard Kipling's 'IF'

2009-09-30T22:37:00.017+05:30

I was reminded of this poem yet again, as one of my friend was pitching for a proposal to market a book written with this poem as the base material... If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too; If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or, being lied about,

Nasty Journalists!

2009-09-29T19:10:00.001+05:30

Came across this news in Delhi times about Bipasha getting groped in a Pandal.. Sick, as the journalist called the fellow who did, and as embarrassing as the incident might have been to the actress, what's nasty is the last line of the story - "Despite repeated attempts, John and Bipasha remained unavailable for comment" Despite repeated attempts, the stupid journalist, rather nasty - Yogesh

Is HR alone responsible for firing employees?

2009-09-24T22:25:00.002+05:30

It was in March, 08 that I had fired 3 people without quite being convinced myself of the reason for their sacking. Why am I thinking of that now? Cos, the news has it - one of my HR contacts - Roy Goerge, VP - HR of Pricol (Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu) was beaten to death in Coimbatore for laying off employees.. I'd known him through a student at IIPM, who'd done his thesis under his guidance while

When companies err in hiring the right candidate

2009-09-10T10:08:00.007+05:30

A lot of gyaan is already floating around about the various mistakes that are made during hiring etc., but this piece is about how to deal with the mishire (mistake) when it is inside the organization.Infant mortality, new-hire absconding are two primary indicators to the company's management that there's been a hiring mistake. Once realized, it's an impulse reaction by managers to find some way