Reflection's

Barack Obama's Inaugural Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 18:17:00 +0000

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebearers, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land -- a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
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Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the fainthearted -- for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things -- some celebrated, but more often men and women obscure in their labor -- who have carried us up the long, rugged path toward prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again, these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions -- that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act -- not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions -- who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them -- that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works -- whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account -- to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day -- because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control -- and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: Know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort -- even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus -- and nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West: Know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment -- a moment that will define a generation -- it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends -- hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism -- these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed -- why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive... that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:09:00 +0000

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama—as prepared for delivery

Election Night

Tuesday, November 4th, 2008

Chicago, Illinois

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

It’s the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he’s fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation’s next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House. And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to – it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didn’t do this just to win an election and I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime – two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America – I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you – we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can’t solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it’s been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek – it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, “We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn – I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security – we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright – tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America – that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing – Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America – the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time – to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth – that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Obama's Nomination Speech

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:07:00 +0000

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Final Primary Night
Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008
St. Paul, Minnesota

As Prepared for Delivery

Tonight, after fifty-four hard-fought contests, our primary season has finally come to an end.

Sixteen months have passed since we first stood together on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Thousands of miles have been traveled. Millions of voices have been heard. And because of what you said - because you decided that change must come to Washington; because you believed that this year must be different than all the rest; because you chose to listen not to your doubts or your fears but to your greatest hopes and highest aspirations, tonight we mark the end of one historic journey with the beginning of another - a journey that will bring a new and better day to America. Tonight, I can stand before you and say that I will be the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.

I want to thank every American who stood with us over the course of this campaign - through the good days and the bad; from the snows of Cedar Rapids to the sunshine of Sioux Falls. And tonight I also want to thank the men and woman who took this journey with me as fellow candidates for President.

At this defining moment for our nation, we should be proud that our party put forth one of the most talented, qualified field of individuals ever to run for this office. I have not just competed with them as rivals, I have learned from them as friends, as public servants, and as patriots who love America and are willing to work tirelessly to make this country better. They are leaders of this party, and leaders that America will turn to for years to come.

That is particularly true for the candidate who has traveled further on this journey than anyone else. Senator Hillary Clinton has made history in this campaign not just because she's a woman who has done what no woman has done before, but because she's a leader who inspires millions of Americans with her strength, her courage, and her commitment to the causes that brought us here tonight.

We've certainly had our differences over the last sixteen months. But as someone who's shared a stage with her many times, I can tell you that what gets Hillary Clinton up in the morning - even in the face of tough odds - is exactly what sent her and Bill Clinton to sign up for their first campaign in Texas all those years ago; what sent her to work at the Children's Defense Fund and made her fight for health care as First Lady; what led her to the United States Senate and fueled her barrier-breaking campaign for the presidency - an unyielding desire to improve the lives of ordinary Americans, no matter how difficult the fight may be. And you can rest assured that when we finally win the battle for universal health care in this country, she will be central to that victory. When we transform our energy policy and lift our children out of poverty, it will be because she worked to help make it happen. Our party and our country are better off because of her, and I am a better candidate for having had the honor to compete with Hillary Rodham Clinton.

There are those who say that this primary has somehow left us weaker and more divided. Well I say that because of this primary, there are millions of Americans who have cast their ballot for the very first time. There are Independents and Republicans who understand that this election isn't just about the party in charge of Washington, it's about the need to change Washington. There are young people, and African-Americans, and Latinos, and women of all ages who have voted in numbers that have broken records and inspired a nation.

All of you chose to support a candidate you believe in deeply. But at the end of the day, we aren't the reason you came out and waited in lines that stretched block after block to make your voice heard. You didn't do that because of me or Senator Clinton or anyone else. You did it because you know in your hearts that at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - we cannot afford to keep doing what we've been doing. We owe our children a better future. We owe our country a better future. And for all those who dream of that future tonight, I say - let us begin the work together. Let us unite in common effort to chart a new course for America.

In just a few short months, the Republican Party will arrive in St. Paul with a very different agenda. They will come here to nominate John McCain, a man who has served this country heroically. I honor that service, and I respect his many accomplishments, even if he chooses to deny mine. My differences with him are not personal; they are with the policies he has proposed in this campaign.

Because while John McCain can legitimately tout moments of independence from his party in the past, such independence has not been the hallmark of his presidential campaign.

It's not change when John McCain decided to stand with George Bush ninety-five percent of the time, as he did in the Senate last year.

It's not change when he offers four more years of Bush economic policies that have failed to create well-paying jobs, or insure our workers, or help Americans afford the skyrocketing cost of college - policies that have lowered the real incomes of the average American family, widened the gap between Wall Street and Main Street, and left our children with a mountain of debt.

And it's not change when he promises to continue a policy in Iraq that asks everything of our brave men and women in uniform and nothing of Iraqi politicians - a policy where all we look for are reasons to stay in Iraq, while we spend billions of dollars a month on a war that isn't making the American people any safer.

So I'll say this - there are many words to describe John McCain's attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush's policies as bipartisan and new. But change is not one of them.

Change is a foreign policy that doesn't begin and end with a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged. I won't stand here and pretend that there are many good options left in Iraq, but what's not an option is leaving our troops in that country for the next hundred years - especially at a time when our military is overstretched, our nation is isolated, and nearly every other threat to America is being ignored.

We must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in - but start leaving we must. It's time for Iraqis to take responsibility for their future. It's time to rebuild our military and give our veterans the care they need and the benefits they deserve when they come home. It's time to refocus our efforts on al Qaeda's leadership and Afghanistan, and rally the world against the common threats of the 21st century - terrorism and nuclear weapons; climate change and poverty; genocide and disease. That's what change is.

Change is realizing that meeting today's threats requires not just our firepower, but the power of our diplomacy - tough, direct diplomacy where the President of the United States isn't afraid to let any petty dictator know where America stands and what we stand for. We must once again have the courage and conviction to lead the free world. That is the legacy of Roosevelt, and Truman, and Kennedy. That's what the American people want. That's what change is.

Change is building an economy that rewards not just wealth, but the work and workers who created it. It's understanding that the struggles facing working families can't be solved by spending billions of dollars on more tax breaks for big corporations and wealthy CEOs, but by giving a the middle-class a tax break, and investing in our crumbling infrastructure, and transforming how we use energy, and improving our schools, and renewing our commitment to science and innovation. It's understanding that fiscal responsibility and shared prosperity can go hand-in-hand, as they did when Bill Clinton was President.

John McCain has spent a lot of time talking about trips to Iraq in the last few weeks, but maybe if he spent some time taking trips to the cities and towns that have been hardest hit by this economy - cities in Michigan, and Ohio, and right here in Minnesota - he'd understand the kind of change that people are looking for.

Maybe if he went to Iowa and met the student who works the night shift after a full day of class and still can't pay the medical bills for a sister who's ill, he'd understand that she can't afford four more years of a health care plan that only takes care of the healthy and wealthy. She needs us to pass health care plan that guarantees insurance to every American who wants it and brings down premiums for every family who needs it. That's the change we need.

Maybe if he went to Pennsylvania and met the man who lost his job but can't even afford the gas to drive around and look for a new one, he'd understand that we can't afford four more years of our addiction to oil from dictators. That man needs us to pass an energy policy that works with automakers to raise fuel standards, and makes corporations pay for their pollution, and oil companies invest their record profits in a clean energy future - an energy policy that will create millions of new jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. That's the change we need.

And maybe if he spent some time in the schools of South Carolina or St. Paul or where he spoke tonight in New Orleans, he'd understand that we can't afford to leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind; that we owe it to our children to invest in early childhood education; to recruit an army of new teachers and give them better pay and more support; to finally decide that in this global economy, the chance to get a college education should not be a privilege for the wealthy few, but the birthright of every American. That's the change we need in America. That's why I'm running for President.

The other side will come here in September and offer a very different set of policies and positions, and that is a debate I look forward to. It is a debate the American people deserve. But what you don't deserve is another election that's governed by fear, and innuendo, and division. What you won't hear from this campaign or this party is the kind of politics that uses religion as a wedge, and patriotism as a bludgeon - that sees our opponents not as competitors to challenge, but enemies to demonize. Because we may call ourselves Democrats and Republicans, but we are Americans first. We are always Americans first.

Despite what the good Senator from Arizona said tonight, I have seen people of differing views and opinions find common cause many times during my two decades in public life, and I have brought many together myself. I've walked arm-in-arm with community leaders on the South Side of Chicago and watched tensions fade as black, white, and Latino fought together for good jobs and good schools. I've sat across the table from law enforcement and civil rights advocates to reform a criminal justice system that sent thirteen innocent people to death row. And I've worked with friends in the other party to provide more children with health insurance and more working families with a tax break; to curb the spread of nuclear weapons and ensure that the American people know where their tax dollars are being spent; and to reduce the influence of lobbyists who have all too often set the agenda in Washington.

In our country, I have found that this cooperation happens not because we agree on everything, but because behind all the labels and false divisions and categories that define us; beyond all the petty bickering and point-scoring in Washington, Americans are a decent, generous, compassionate people, united by common challenges and common hopes. And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again.

So it was for that band of patriots who declared in a Philadelphia hall the formation of a more perfect union; and for all those who gave on the fields of Gettysburg and Antietam their last full measure of devotion to save that same union.

So it was for the Greatest Generation that conquered fear itself, and liberated a continent from tyranny, and made this country home to untold opportunity and prosperity.

So it was for the workers who stood out on the picket lines; the women who shattered glass ceilings; the children who braved a Selma bridge for freedom's cause.

So it has been for every generation that faced down the greatest challenges and the most improbable odds to leave their children a world that's better, and kinder, and more just.

And so it must be for us.

America, this is our moment. This is our time. Our time to turn the page on the policies of the past. Our time to bring new energy and new ideas to the challenges we face. Our time to offer a new direction for the country we love.

The journey will be difficult. The road will be long. I face this challenge with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith in the capacity of the American people. Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. Thank you, God Bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Lord Karan Bilimoria at Asian Business Association Annual Dinner

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:21:00 +0000

18 years ago, a young man from India came to Washington with his Father – his Father had just won a presidential award for helping to get water supplies into 10 African villages. That young man went on to study engineering at the University of Illinois and received an MBA from one of the top business schools in the world: Wharton. That young Asian, Neel Kashkari today, only 35 years old is in charge of the $700bn dollar US Government bailout.

And yet just over 25 years ago I came as a 19 year old student from India and then at what is now Ernst and Young there was only one Asian partner and they said that that this was apparently because his wife was English.

How things have changed.

Today the top accountancy firms have several Asian partners.

Today the Asian community in this country is reaching the top in every field.

When I decided to start a beer brand from scratch, I remember visiting my Father who by this time was General Commanding Officer in charge of the Central Indian Army in Lucknow. I knew my Father couldn’t support me financially – Indian Army Officers did not get paid very well, in fact he used to say that he didn’t have to persuade his sons to join the army, all he had to do was show us his pay cheque.

I thought at least he would be able to give me some moral and emotional support when I was starting my own business. He said to me: “what are you doing with all this education, and you are becoming an import-export wallah! Get a proper job! Become a banker!

Today there is no glass ceiling – it has been shattered forever. I believe that there are opportunities for all in this country.

President Clinton said a few years ago here in London – although countries have always been interdependent on one another, today we live in a far more integrated world, and as we’ve seen – things spread like wildfire across the world – both good and bad

Enterprise Week, started here in the UK in 2004 with 1000 events, and last year there were 5000 events.

Last year I was proud to launch Global Entrepreneurship Week with the Prime Minister, Global Entrepreneurship Week is set to take place next month – with 50,000 events in more than 60 countries around the world.

On the other hand the sub-prime crisis which started in the United States of America has affected the whole world in such a short time. In fact we’re all in a state of shock at the moment.

One of the leading Chief Executives in Britain said to me yesterday that it appeared governments have not had courses in crisis management. One of the first lessons in crisis management is “never use the word panic”. And how many leaders have used the word panic recently?

It was the famous American President Franklin D Roosevelt, facing the Great Depression at his inauguration in 1932 said “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” This is the time for government to show leadership – strong and decisive leadership in order to help business turn a corner.

To me, leadership is about having a vision and a very clear idea of where you want to get to as a leader and then taking your people whether your team or your country with you to that destination. And yet yesterday I spoke in Westminster on a question relating to the banking crisis and in the debate on the government’s statement titled “financial stability” – a misprint surely? More like Financial instability!!

With Northern Rock the government took nearly 6 months of indecision, and then we had the nationalisation rushed through parliament in just 3 days – I had the unpleasant experience in participating in that bill in February and here we are 8 months later and there is still no major reform of the Bank of England – reform which is desperately needed to give it more power to deal with crises such as this.

What caused Northern Rock to be nationalised? There are many reasons but certainly one cause was the change in regulatory and supervisory arrangements which created the tripartite system consisting of the Bank of England, the FSA and the Treasury was not thought through particularly.
How would this arrangement act in a crisis?

The tripartite arrangement has ended up being a happy merry go round in what the Governor of the bank of England referred to as the “nice decade” and became a woeful blame go round in the bad times.

There is no question that the Federal Reserve in the US has been able to act swiftly because it has the ability to set interest rates, is the lender of last resort and has regulatory powers far in excess of the Bank of England which unfortunately has been left with its hands tied behinds its back.

The indecisiveness shown by the government over the past few days and weeks has cost us dearly, and even the gigantic £500bn rescue package – laudable though it is in quantum and in effort, - I am not sure whether it will be enough.

When there are countries like Ireland offering 100% guarantees on all deposits – retail or corporate. I have heard of stories of £100m being removed from one branch of one bank in London in one morning this week alone.

In fact, if you think about it, the $700bn American bailout seemed a huge amount and converted into dollars the UK bailout actually exceeds it - £500bn is $866bn –given that the American economy is over 6 times bigger than the UK economy perhaps a vastly increased American bailout would greatly help to stabilise the global financial situation. I always thought that the $700bn American bailout was a drop in the ocean – perhaps they will take a lead from the UK especially as the sub-prime crisis has affected the American economy far worse than anywhere else in the world.

I’ve found in life – in any relationship, between individuals, between husband and wife, or in business, if you have mutual trust and mutual respect you have the basis for a solid lasting relationship. Today that trust has broken down - between banks themselves, and the trust and respect from the public towards the banks has shattered completely.

Why wasn’t all this predicted?

What were the global institutions like the IMF doing? Even when I spoke in a debate in the House of Lords in July on the world food crisis it seemed as if this crisis came upon the world overnight and no one was prepared for it.

We are suffering from an unprecedented combination of events – rocketing oil prices, rocketing food and commodities all of which are now adjusting combined with the credit crunch, the sub-prime crisis, the banking crisis, unemployment rising, house prices falling – sadly, without doubt, we are in for a recession

The priority has to be to stabilise the financial markets and the banking industry. But the real problems lie ahead supporting individuals, families, businesses, and in particular, SMEs.

I asked yesterday in Parliament with £500bn of support what is being done by the government for the business community? A business community in which I hear horror stories of banks calling in overdraft facilities, where I hear horror stories of banks hiking up interest rates, it is getting to be impossible for business to raise finance. If businesses are suffering today – how much more will they suffer when the recession really kicks in?

The government has taken on more and more borrowing already through huge public spending in the last 10 years – and over the past 18 months has introduced so many un-thought through policies, mostly without consultation, which has surprised the whole business community.
• Withdrawing Capital Gains Tax Taper Relief
• Reducing corporation tax for large businesses and increasing corporation tax on small business
• Removing the 10p tax
• Taxing non-doms – who have contributed so much to Britain’s success.

One of the reasons for all this – The government has had no room to manoeuvre and has needed to raise more taxes –how much more tax is the government going to have to raise to pay for the current crisis in the future when people will be unable to afford it?

Groucho Marx said “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the wrong remedies.”

This is not government bashing – I haven’t seen many solutions from the opposition either.

In fact I have the greatest respect for the Prime Minister – a thoroughly decent individual who has genuinely tried to help business. An individual who as Chancellor launched the National Council of Graduate Entrepreneurship encouraging students in every University to think of starting a business as a career choice, I am proud to be national champion of the NCGE, and look at Enterprise Week of which I spoke earlier, once again supported by him.

There is government help through UKTI, supporting the UK India Business Council which I am proud to chair – giving £1m a year helping to promote trade, business and investment between India and the UK both ways

At times like this organisations like the Asian Business Association the ABA – THE voice of Asian business not just in London but throughout the country, need to rise to the occasion.
It’s time to stand up for Asian business
Its time to stand up for SMEs
Its time to stand up for Business.

I am proud to have been a member on the Board of the ABA for 8 years – the past 5 as Vice President, and I want to thank the Board members for all their time and all their efforts. It has been a privilege to serve with 2 outstanding chairmen: Subash Thakrar and Tony Sarin. Thank you to Sandeep, and most importantly all the team at the London Chamber of Commerce of which the ABA is an integral part. I am looking forward to serving as Deputy President of the London Chambers of Commerce and Industry, and to working with Stephen Green, our Chairman Colin Standbridge, and our Chief Executive Peter Bishop.

I’m often asked what advice I would give to businesses, entrepreneurs and SMEs in these difficult times, and I often advise people to look back before they look forward - I remember when I was back in Cambridge in 1987 –coinciding with a storm that no one had predicted – an omen if ever there was one! a stock market crash in October, followed by a property crash 88-89, recession 90, 19993 before we were truly recovered – a 6 year period. This time the credit crunch started last year followed by the global financial criss this year given past records it could be another 4 and a half or 5 years before we’ve recovered from the current crisis and the forthcoming recession – I do hope that this will not happen but it looks like we are in for the long run.

It took 6 years for this recession to end - But looking East – today India and China are now giant economic superpowers

I would also give 2 recommendations: the first, based on what I heard the Dali Lama speak here in London a few years ago – it was an amazing experience.

And he had 2 very clear messages: one was that you always hear about the bad things going on in the world, but you never hear about the hundreds of thousands of good things that ordinary people do every single day towards one another. We need to take heart from all the fantastic performance of the thousands of businesses which are continuing despite all the doom and gloom.

The other message was that when you are confronted with a problem, take a wider perspective and keep an open mind. This is one of my key recommendations.

We need to think globally and remember India – achieving between 7% and 9% growth – there is no recession in India. Since Cobra started manufacturing in India 3 years ago for the Indian market we have seen amazing growth and India is now responsible for a quarter of our sales.

Yet when I speak to business audiences around the country and ask how many people are doing business in India, only a few hands go up.

There’s a wonderful quote from one of the great Second World War generals – General Patton: “success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.”

I have great faith in our country – we are a tiny nation of just 60mn people making up 1% of the worlds population and yet Britain is still one of the 6 largest economies in the world. We have 4 out of the top 10 Universities in the world the London Business School was this year ranked number 2 in the world, 6 weeks ago, I was privileged to spend a day touring around Land Rover’s factory in Birmingham I witnessed state fo the art best of the best world beating automotive manufacturing. Who says British manufacturing is dead?

And what is more, everyone I spoke to there was proud to be owned by Tata – an Indian company – I wasn’t just happy because Tata is an India company , I wasn’t just happy with Tata as a Parsi company but most of all I was happy because Tata is a company that is now renowned the world over as a company that has lived, believed and practiced CSR for over a century now.

I am privileged to know the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen who talks about identity and one of his messages is that we do not have one identity. I am so proud of my Indian roots I am so proud to be a Zoroastrian Parsi, I am so proud to be an Asian in Britain, and most of all, I am so incredibly proud of being British.

And that’s what the Asian Business Association is about – it is about Asians excelling in Britain. When I see young Asians today I feel so proud – they are articulate, they are educated, they are confident, they are capable of taking on the world.

I started this evening by telling you about a young Asian in the United States in charge of the US Governments $700bn dollar bailout. I am confident that in my lifetime I will see an Asian as Prime Minister of this country.

Thank you.

Azim Premji's Seven Steps To Success

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 06:04:00 +0000

One has the right over one's actions and not the fruits thereof.

It was always interpreted the wrong way and people feel that it is the fruit
that attracts the performer. However, many events in our life bring us face
to face with people - who draw inspiration from the kind of work they do and
the way they do it.

Interestingly, such people are motivated by the values and the vision that
they carry in their heart. Only such people rather rise above others and can
give a broader and better meaning to their life.

This is how he briefly shared his thought with others:

Lesson 1

I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young
people. The funny thing about life is that you realize the value of
something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair turned from black, to
salt-and-pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize
the importance of youth.

At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I
have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan
your own career and life.

The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our
strengths. From the earliest years of our schooling, everyone focuses on
what is wrong with us. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit
was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well
but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in
hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said,
"Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming."

They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The
rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim?
While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also
cherish what is good in us.

That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to
correct our weaknesses.

Lesson 2

The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value
than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old
niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried
everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took
the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets.

The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. After that, it
took two minutes in the microwave to be ready. The child found the food to
be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my
own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning
our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of
come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we
have struggled to earn it.

Lesson 3

The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time. Life has
many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do
not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way
to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an
equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for
that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it
and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.

Lesson 4

The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes,
when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve
all of it. This brings me to the value of gratitude. We have so much to be
grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much
for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings,
because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first
acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a
relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savour the
memory of the good things while they lasted.

Lesson 5

The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One
way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves.
Keep learning what they do differently. Emulate it. But excellence cannot be
imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must
become an obsession. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart
and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring
lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp.
That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.

Lesson 6

The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It
comes on you suddenly without warning. One can either succumb to self-pity,
wring your hands in despair or decide to deal with the situation with
courage and dignity. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire
that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me.

His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept
at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime.
My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you
will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with
a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces
are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long
enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.

Lesson 7

The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change,
do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must
open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by
the breeze. You must define what your core values are and what you stand
for. And these values are not so difficult to define. Values like honesty,
integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. Values
are not in the words used to describe them as much as in the simple acts.

At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the
achievements. Because it is the means of achievement that decide how long
the achievements will sustain. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short
cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the
destination.

And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas
even if everyone tells us that we are wrong.

There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning,
the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper
off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up
the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's
assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so
rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back
tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I
can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my
politeness?

In my youth, I thought of myself as a rebel and was many times, a rebel
without a cause. Today, I realise that my rebellion was another kind of
conformity. We defined our elders to fall in line with our peers!

Ultimately, we must learn to respond instead of reacting. When we respond,
we evaluate with a calm mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in
control of our actions. When we react, we are still doing what the other
person wants us to do.

I wish you all the best in your life and career. I hope you achieve success
in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in
life.

"Remember, those who win are those who believe they can."

Measure of Success

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:28:00 +0000

Yesterday I received an email from my earlier team member. He was not happy the way his career was progressing. I felt that he was doing amazingly well and adding lot of value to himself in the roles that he had been doing till now. But he was measuring his success by the progress made by his peers in terms of movement in the organization hierarchy and getting worried with the same.

How many times all of us face this dilemma? Almost all of us go through this kind of feeling especially during the appraisal months of March and April.

I think one needs to really find what one wants to do in life and gauge the success with reference to it and not by the achievement of the peers etc.

What matters the most is what we wanted to achieve in life as a goal rather than the sign posts that we pass through during our journey to reach our destination.

The Power of Concentration

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 12:34:00 +0000

Yesterday I had the privilege of attending a music concert by the world famous flutist Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia. (http://www.hariprasadchaurasia.com)

The concert was of around 2:30 hours with an interval after the first hour.

Panditji started the evening with Raga Yamen and informed the audience that we cannot commit that timeline for the break, which was supposed to happen after 60 minutes.

It made me think about the power of concentration. If you really love the work you are doing and enjoy it, you will never ever get constrained by time and you would reach the state of timelessness.

Has SENSEX touched the bottom levels

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 21:57:00 +0000

I do not think so. I think it will further go down and might test 13000 levels before we can see the bulls returning to the market. I personally think that the bulls will keep away from the market for the entire April 2008 as well. Technorati Profile

Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 11:10:00 +0000

I got this article from a friend of mine. Its an amazing read.

Attitude

The greatest discovery of our generation is that by changing our attitude, we can change our life...

Why do some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve? A psychologist says he has discovered the answer. Ten Years ago, I set out to examine luck. I wanted to know why some people are always in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experience ill fortune. I placed advertisements in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me. Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research and, over the years, I have interviewed them, monitored their lives and had them take part in experiments.

The results reveal that although these people have almost no insight into the causes of their luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their good and bad fortune. Take the case of seemingly chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not.

I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying: "Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win £250." This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it.

Unlucky people are generally tenser than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs. They are narrow-minded.

Lucky people are more relaxed and open and broad-minded, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles:

1. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities,2. Make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition,3. Create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations,4. Adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Towards the end of the work, I wondered whether these principles could be used to create good luck. I asked a group of volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person. Dramatic results! These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck. One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened. The results were dramatic: 80% of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier. The lucky people had become even luckier and the unlucky had become lucky. Finally, I had found the elusive "luck factor".

Here are Professor Wiseman's four top tips for becoming lucky:

1. Listen to your gut instincts - they are normally right
2. Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine
3. Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well
4. Visualise yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call.

Luck is very often a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Narayan Murthy's Address at Stern School of Business

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 04:38:00 +0000

Dean Cooley, faculty, staff, distinguished guests, and, most importantly, the graduating class of 2007, it is a great privilege to speak at your commencement ceremonies.

I thank Dean Cooley and Prof Marti Subrahmanyam for their kind invitation. I am exhilarated to be part of such a joyous occasion. Congratulations to you, the class of 2007, on completing an important milestone in your life journey. After some thought, I have decided to share with you some of my life lessons. I learned these lessons in the context of my early career struggles, a life lived under the influence of sometimes unplanned events which were the crucibles that tempered my character and reshaped my future.

I would like first to share some of these key life events with you, in the hope that these may help you understand my struggles and how chance events and unplanned encounters with influential persons shaped my life and career.

Later, I will share the deeper life lessons that I have learned. My sincere hope is that this sharing will help you see your own trials and tribulations for the hidden blessings they can be.
The first event occurred when I was a graduate student in Control Theory at IIT, Kanpur, in India. At breakfast on a bright Sunday morning in 1968, I had a chance encounter with a famous computer scientist on sabbatical from a well-known US university. He was discussing exciting new developments in the field of computer science with a large group of students and how such developments would alter our future. He was articulate, passionate and quite convincing. I was hooked. I went straight from breakfast to the library, read four or five papers he had suggested, and left the library determined to study computer science.

Friends, when I look back today at that pivotal meeting, I marvel at how one role model can alter for the better the future of a young student. This experience taught me that valuable advice can sometimes come from an unexpected source, and chance events can sometimes open new doors.

The next event that left an indelible mark on me occurred in 1974. The location: Nis, a border town between former Yugoslavia, now Serbia, and Bulgaria. I was hitchhiking from Paris back to Mysore, India, my home town. By the time a kind driver dropped me at Nis railway station at 9 p.m. on a Saturday night, the restaurant was closed. So was the bank the next morning, and I could not eat because I had no local money. I slept on the railway platform until 8.30 pm in the night when the Sofia Express pulled in. The only passengers in my compartment were a girl and a boy. I struck a conversation in French with the young girl. She talked about the travails of living in an iron curtain country, until we were roughly interrupted by some policemen who, I later gathered, were summoned by the young man who thought we were criticising the communist government of Bulgaria. The girl was led away; my backpack and sleeping bag were confiscated. I was dragged along the platform into a small 8x8 foot room with a cold stone floor and a hole in one corner by way of toilet facilities. I was held in that bitterly cold room without food or water for over 72 hours. I had lost all hope of ever seeing the outside world again, when the door opened. I was again dragged out unceremoniously, locked up in the guard's compartment on a departing freight train and told that I would be released 20 hours later upon reaching Istanbul. The guard's final words still ring in my ears -- "You are from a friendly country called India and that is why we are letting you go!" The journey to Istanbul was lonely, and I was starving. This long, lonely, cold journey forced me to deeply rethink my convictions about Communism. Early on a dark Thursday morning, after being hungry for 108 hours, I was purged of any last vestiges of affinity for the Left.

I concluded that entrepreneurship, resulting in large-scale job creation, was the only viable mechanism for eradicating poverty in societies. Deep in my heart, I always thank the Bulgarian guards for transforming me from a confused Leftist into a determined, compassionate capitalist! Inevitably, this sequence of events led to the eventual founding of Infosys in 1981.

While these first two events were rather fortuitous, the next two, both concerning the Infosys journey, were more planned and profoundly influenced my career trajectory. On a chilly Saturday morning in winter 1990, five of the seven founders of Infosys met in our small office in a leafy Bangalore suburb. The decision at hand was the possible sale of Infosys for the enticing sum of $1 million. After nine years of toil in the then business-unfriendly India, we were quite happy at the prospect of seeing at least some money. I let my younger colleagues talk about their future plans. Discussions about the travails of our journey thus far and our future challenges went on for about four hours. I had not yet spoken a word. Finally, it was my turn. I spoke about our journey from a small Mumbai apartment in 1981 that had been beset with many challenges, but also of how I believed we were at the darkest hour before the dawn. I then took an audacious step. If they were all bent upon selling the company, I said, I would buy out all my colleagues, though I did not have a cent in my pocket. There was a stunned silence in the room. My colleagues wondered aloud about my foolhardiness. But I remained silent. However, after an hour of my arguments, my colleagues changed their minds to my way of thinking. I urged them that if we wanted to create a great company, we should be optimistic and confident. They have more than lived up to their promise of that day.

In the seventeen years since that day, Infosys has grown to revenues in excess of $3.0 billion, a net income of more than $800 million and a market capitalisation of more than $28 billion, 28,000 times richer than the offer of $1 million on that day. In the process, Infosys has created more than 70,000 well-paying jobs, 2,000-plus dollar-millionaires and 20,000-plus rupee millionaires.

A final story: On a hot summer morning in 1995, a Fortune-10 corporation had sequestered all their Indian software vendors, including Infosys, in different rooms at the Taj Residency hotel in Bangalore so that the vendors could not communicate with one another. This customer's propensity for tough negotiations was well-known. Our team was very nervous. First of all, with revenues of only around $5 million, we were minnows compared to the customer. Second, this customer contributed fully 25% of our revenues. The loss of this business would potentially devastate our recently-listed company. Third, the customer's negotiation style was very aggressive. The customer team would go from room to room, get the best terms out of each vendor and then pit one vendor against the other. This went on for several rounds. Our various arguments why a fair price -- one that allowed us to invest in good people, R&D, infrastructure, technology and training -- was actually in their interest failed to cut any ice with the customer.
By 5 p.m. on the last day, we had to make a decision right on the spot whether to accept the customer's terms or to walk out. All eyes were on me as I mulled over the decision. I closed my eyes, and reflected upon our journey until then. Through many a tough call, we had always thought about the long-term interests of Infosys. I communicated clearly to the customer team that we could not accept their terms, since it could well lead us to letting them down later. But I promised a smooth, professional transition to a vendor of customer's choice.

This was a turning point for Infosys.

Subsequently, we created a Risk Mitigation Council which ensured that we would never again depend too much on any one client, technology, country, application area or key employee. The crisis was a blessing in disguise. Today, Infosys has a sound de-risking strategy that has stabilised its revenues and profits.

I want to share with you, next, the life lessons these events have taught me.

1. I will begin with the importance of learning from experience. It is less important, I believe, where you start. It is more important how and what you learn. If the quality of the learning is high, the development gradient is steep, and, given time, you can find yourself in a previously unattainable place. I believe the Infosys story is living proof of this. Learning from experience, however, can be complicated. It can be much more difficult to learn from success than from failure. If we fail, we think carefully about the precise cause. Success can indiscriminately reinforce all our prior actions.
2. A second theme concerns the power of chance events. As I think across a wide variety of settings in my life, I am struck by the incredible role played by the interplay of chance events with intentional choices. While the turning points themselves are indeed often fortuitous, how we respond to them is anything but so. It is this very quality of how we respond systematically to chance events that is crucial.
3. Of course, the mindset one works with is also quite critical. As recent work by the psychologist, Carol Dweck, has shown, it matters greatly whether one believes in ability as inherent or that it can be developed. Put simply, the former view, a fixed mindset, creates a tendency to avoid challenges, to ignore useful negative feedback and leads such people to plateau early and not achieve their full potential. The latter view, a growth mindset, leads to a tendency to embrace challenges, to learn from criticism and such people reach ever higher levels of achievement (Krakovsky, 2007: page 48).
4. The fourth theme is a cornerstone of the Indian spiritual tradition: self-knowledge. Indeed, the highest form of knowledge, it is said, is self-knowledge. I believe this greater awareness and knowledge of oneself is what ultimately helps develop a more grounded belief in oneself, courage, determination, and, above all, humility, all qualities which enable one to wear one's success with dignity and grace.

Based on my life experiences, I can assert that it is this belief in learning from experience, a growth mindset, the power of chance events, and self-reflection that have helped me grow to the present. Back in the 1960s, the odds of my being in front of you today would have been zero. Yet here I stand before you! With every successive step, the odds kept changing in my favour, and it is these life lessons that made all the difference.

My young friends, I would like to end with some words of advice. Do you believe that your future is pre-ordained, and is already set? Or, do you believe that your future is yet to be written and that it will depend upon the sometimes fortuitous events? Do you believe that these events can provide turning points to which you will respond with your energy and enthusiasm? Do you believe that you will learn from these events and that you will reflect on your setbacks?

Do you believe that you will examine your successes with even greater care?

I hope you believe that the future will be shaped by several turning points with great learning opportunities. In fact, this is the path I have walked to much advantage. A final word: When, one day, you have made your mark on the world, remember that, in the ultimate analysis, we are all mere temporary custodians of the wealth we generate, whether it be financial, intellectual, or emotional. The best use of all your wealth is to share it with those less fortunate.

I believe that we have all at some time eaten the fruit from trees that we did not plant. In the fullness of time, when it is our turn to give, it behooves us in turn to plant gardens that we may never eat the fruit of, which will largely benefit generations to come. I believe this is our sacred responsibility, one that I hope you will shoulder in time. Thank you for your patience. Go forth and embrace your future with open arms, and pursue enthusiastically your own life journey of discovery!

Important Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 03:47:00 +0000

Good Reading...Do not know the source.

1 - Most Important Lesson

During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say 'hello'." "I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

2 - Second Important Lesson

Pickup in the Rain One night, at 11:30 PM, an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rain storm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxi cab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others." Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.

3 - Third Important Lesson

Always remember those who serve. In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it. "Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied." The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left. When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies - You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

4 - Fourth Important Lesson

The Obstacle in Our Path. In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, But none did anything about getting the stone out of the way. Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

5 - Fifth Important Lesson

Giving When it Counts. Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her.." As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. You see, after all, understanding and attitude, are everything.

Finding Motivation: What To Do When You Don't Feel Like Doing Anything - Finding Motivation: What To Do When You Don't Feel Like Doing Anything

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 11:39:00 +0000

Article by Chris Widener

"The measure of your success usually comes down to who wins the battle that rages between the two of you. The 'you' who wants to stop, give up, or take it easy, and the 'you' who chooses to beat back that which would stand in the way of your success - complacency." Chris Widener

In all of my interactions with people, I've never found anyone, regardless of their level of success, who doesn't sometimes find themselves simply not wanting to do the things that they need and want to do. It is a part of human nature that there will be times that, in spite of all that we need to do, and even desire to, we will find ourselves not wanting to do anything. And what separates those who will become successful from those who will maintain the status-quo, is the ability at those very crucial moments of time when we are making decisions about what we will do, to choose to find the inner motivation that will enable us to conquer our complacency and move on in action.

I find that I confront this issue in my life on a regular basis, so the following success strategies are not merely pie in the sky techniques, but proven ways to get yourself to go even when you don't feel like doing anything.

Honestly evaluate whether or not you need a break. This is the first thing that I usually do what I find that I don't want to get to a specific action. The fact is that oftentimes we will have been working very hard and the lethargy we are feeling is really our body and emotions telling us that we simply need a break. And this is where it takes real intellectual honesty because when we don't need a break our mind is still telling us we need a break! But sometimes we do need a break. I'll give you a good example. I don't particularly like to exercise, but I do almost every day. Sometimes, I find myself before going to the club thinking about how I just didn't feel like going. Most of the time I am just being lazy. However, sometimes I realize that my body needs a break. So from time to time I will take a one or two daybreak from working out. The benefits of this are two-fold: One, my body gets a break to regenerate itself. Two, after a day or two, I begin to miss my workout, and eagerly anticipate a turning to the gym.

Other examples: Perhaps you are a salesman who has been phoning clients for a week straight, day and night. You wake up one morning and just don't feel like doing it any more. Well, take a break for the morning. Go to a coffee shop and read the paper. Go to the driving range and hit some golf balls. Take a break and then get back to it!

Start small. I'm at a point in my workout schedule now where a typical workout day for me consists of 30 to 45 minutes of aerobic exercise, and about 30 minutes of weight lifting. So when I find myself not wanting to get up and go to the gym, I will sometimes make a commitment to go and just do a smaller workout. Instead of deciding not to go, I'll commit to doing 15 to 20 minutes of aerobic exercise and 15 to 30 minutes of weight lifting. This is also good for two reasons. One, I actually get some exercise that day. And two, it keeps me from getting into a cycle of giving up when I don't feel like moving toward action. Other examples: Maybe you are a writer who simply doesn't want to write today. Instead of the long day writing you had planned, decide that you will at least outline a couple of new articles. You will at least get these done, and you may have found that you put yourself into the writing mood after all.

Change your routine. I have found that what keeps me in the best shape and burns the most calories for me, is to do 30 to 45 minutes on the treadmill every day. Now let me be very blunt. I find running on the treadmill to be extremely boring. Usually I can get myself to do it, but sometimes I need to vary my routine. So instead of 30 to 45 minutes on a treadmill, I will break down my aerobic exercise routine into a number of different areas. I will do ten to 15 minutes on treadmills, 10 to 15 minutes on the reclining cycle, 5 to 10 minutes on the rowing machine, 5 to 10 minutes on the stair stepper, and then back on to the treadmill for five to 10 minutes. I still get my exercise, but I'm bored a lot less.

Other examples: Maybe you are in construction and you have been working on the plumbing for a week, and it is getting monotonous. Don't do the plumbing today! Go frame-in the office.
Reward yourself.One way that I motivate myself to do something when I don't feel like doing it, is to tell myself that if I get through the work that I need to, I will give myself a little reward. For instance, I may tell myself if I to get up and go to the club I can take five to 10 minutes off my treadmill exercise, which will shorten my workout routine, and I'll allow myself to sit in the hot tub for a few extra minutes. Hey, it works!

Other examples: Maybe you are a mortgage broker who feels like sleeping in. Tell yourself that after the next three mortgages you close you will take your kids to the fair, or your spouse to the movies. Maybe you'll give yourself a night on the town with old friends. Reconnect the action with pleasure rather than pain. Psychologists have long told us that we humans tend to connect every action with either pleasure or pain. Tony Robbins has popularized this even further in the last few years with something he calls Neural Associations. That is, we connect every action with either a pleasure, or pain. When we are finding ourselves lacking motivation, what we are probably finding about ourselves is that we are associating the action that we are thinking about with pain, rather than pleasure. For instance, when I'm considering that not going to the health club on any given day, I am usually associating going and working out with having no time, the pain of exercising and weight lifting, or the boringness of running on a treadmill for an extended period of time. What I can do to re-associate is to remind myself that by going in and doing my exercise I will feel better about myself, I will lose weight, and I will live longer. This brings me pleasure. When we begin to run those kinds of tapes through our minds, we find our internal motivating force unleashed and changing our attitude about the action that we are considering.

Other examples: Maybe you are a counselor who really doesn't want to spend the day listening to people. Your association may be that it will be boring, or that you will be inside while it is sunny outside. Instead, re-associate yourself to the truth of the matter: Someone will be better off because of your care and concern. Think of your clients and the progression they have been making recently and how you have been a part of that.

Is Hell Endothermic or Exothermic?

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 08:26:00 +0000

Old ones but good to read.

A thermodynamics professor had written a take home exam for hisgraduate students. It had one question: "Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)? Support your answer with a proof."

Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle's Law (gas cools off when it expands and heats up when it is compressed) or some variant.

One student, however, wrote the following:

"First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So,we need to know the rate that souls are moving into Hell and the rate they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let's look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Some of these religions statethat if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there are more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all people and all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle's Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which soulsenter Hell, then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. Of course, if Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over.
So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Ms. Therese Banyan during my Freshman year, 'That it will be a cold night in Hell before I sleep with you', and take into account the fact that I still have not succeeded in having sexual relations with her, then 2 cannot be true, and so Hell is exothermic."

This student got the only A.
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Juan comes up to the Mexican border on his bicycle. He has two large bagsover his shoulders. The guard stops him and says, "What's in the bags?"
"Sand," answered Juan.
The guard says, "We'll just see about that. Get off the bike."The guard takes the bags and rips them apart; he empties them outand finds nothing in them but sand. He detains Juan overnight and hasthe sand analyzed, only to discover that there is nothing but pure sand in the bags. The guard releases Juan, puts the sand into new bags, hefts them onto the man's shoulders, and lets him cross the border.
A week later, the same thing happens. The guard asks,"What have you got?"
"Sand," says Juan.
The guard does his thorough examination and discovers that the bags contain nothing but sand. He gives the sand back to Juan, and Juan crosses the border on his bicycle.
This sequence of events is repeated every day for three years. Finally, Juan doesn't show up one day and the guard meets him in a Cantina in Mexico.
"Hey, Buddy," says the guard, "I know you are smuggling something. It's driving me crazy. It's all I think about..... I can't sleep. Just between you and me, what are you smuggling?"
Juan sips his beer and says, "Bicycles."

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A keen country lad applied for a salesman's job at a city department store. In fact, it was the biggest store in the world -- you could get anything there.
The boss asked him, "Have you ever been a salesman before?" "Yes, I was a salesman in the country," said the lad.
The boss took an immediate liking to him and said, "You can start tomorrow and I'll come and see you when we close up."
The day was long and arduous for the young man, but finally 5 o'clock came around. The boss duly closed up and asked the lad, "How many sales did you make today?"
"One," said the young salesman.
"Only one?" blurted the boss, "Most of my staff make 20 or 30 sales a day.How much was the sale worth?"
"Three hundred thousand, three hundred and thirty four dollars," said the young man.
"How did you manage that?" asked the flabbergasted boss.
"Well," said the salesman "this man came in and I sold him a small fishhook, then a medium hook, and finally a really large hook. Then I sold him a small fishing line, a medium one and a huge big one.
I asked him where he was going fishing and he said down the coast. I said he would probably need a boat, so I took him down to the boat department and sold him that twenty foot schooner with the twin engines.
Then he said his Honda Civic probably wouldn't be able to pull it, so I took him to the vehicle department and sold him a new Ford Expedition."
The boss took two steps back and asked in astonishment, "You sold all that to a guy who came in for a fish hook???"
"No . . . ," answered the salesman. "He didn't come in to buy a fishhook. He came in to buy a box of Tampons for his wife, and I said to him,'Your weekend's shot, you might as well go fishing."
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A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:
"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application,we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral proper back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."

Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:
"Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years covered by the present application. I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the U.S. from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the landprior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France, which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. The land came into possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the then reigning monarch, Isabella. The good queen, being a pious woman and careful about titles, almost as much as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to fund Columbus' expedition.
Now the Pope, as I'm sure you know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that He also made that part of the world called Louisiana. He, therefore, would be the owner of origin. I hope to hell you find His original claim to be satisfactory.
Now, may we have our damn loan?"
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The Americans and Russians at the height of the arms race realized that if they continued in the usual manner they were going to blow up the whole world.
One day they sat down and decided to settle the whole dispute with one dog fight. They'd have five years to breed the best fighting dog in the world and whichever side's dog won would be entitled to dominate the world. The losing side would have to lay down its arms.
The Russians found the biggest meanest Doberman and Rottweilersin the world and bred them with the biggest meanest Siberian wolves. They selected only the biggest and strongest puppy from each litter, killed his siblings, and gave him all the milk. The used steroids and trainers and after five years came up with the biggest meanest dog the world had ever seen. Its cage needed steel bars that were fiveinches thick and nobody could get near it.
"When the day came for the fight, the Americans showed up with a strange animal. It was a nine foot long Dachshund. Everyone felt sorry for theAmericans because they knew there was no way that this dog could possibly last ten seconds with the Russian dog.
"When the cages were opened up, the Dachshund came out and consumed the Russian dog in one bite. There was nothing left at all of the Russian dog.
The Russians came up to the Americans shaking their heads in disbelief.`We don't understand how this could have happened. We had our bestpeople working for five years with the meanest Dobermans and Rottweilersin the world and the biggest meanest Siberian wolves."
"That's nothing", an American replied. "We had our best plastic surgeonsworking for five years trying to make an alligator look like a Dachshund.'

Science and God

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 07:58:00 +0000

I found this article in my old emails. Its an amazing read. Enjoy reading.

"Let me explain the problem science has with God." The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.
"You're a God believer, aren't you, son?"
"Yes sir," the student says.
"So you believe in God?"
"Absolutely."
"Is God good?"
"Sure! God's good."
"Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?"
"Yes."
"Are you good or evil?"
"The teachings says I'm evil."

The professor grins knowingly. He considers for a moment. "Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help them? Would you try?"
"Yes sir, I would."
"So you're good...!"
"I wouldn't say that."
"But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't."
The student does not answer, so the professor continues. "He doesn't, does he? My brother was a God believer who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this God good? Hmmm?
Can you answer that one?"
The student remains silent.
"No, you can't, can you?" the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.
"Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?"
"Er... Yes," the student says.
"Is Satan good?"
The student doesn't hesitate on this one. "No."
"Then where does Satan come from?"
The student falters. "From... God..."
"That's right. God made Satan, didn't he? Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?"
"Yes, sir."
"Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct? "

"Yes."
"So who created evil?"
Again, the student has no answer.
"Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness. All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?"
The student squirms on his feet. "Yes."
"So who created them?"
The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. "Who created them? "
There is still no answer. Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

"Tell me," he continues. "Do you believe in God, son?"
The student's voice betrays him and cracks. "Yes,professor. I do."
The old man stops pacing. "Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen God?"
"No sir. I've never seen Him."
"Then tell us if you've ever heard your God?"
"No, sir. I have not."
"Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God or smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God?
"No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't."
"Yet you still believe in him?" thundered the professor "Yes."
"According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
"Nothing," the student replies. "I only have my faith."* "Yes, faith," the professor repeats. "And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith."

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of his own.
"Professor, is there such thing as heat?"
"Yes," the professor replies. "There's heat."
"And is there such a thing as cold?"
"Yes, son, there's cold too."
"No sir, there isn't."
The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain.

"You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat,but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise wewould be able to go colder than -458 degrees.
You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.* Silence across the room! A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

"What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?"
"Yes," the professor replies without hesitation."What is night if it isn't darkness?"
"You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something.You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word. In reality, Darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?"

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester.
"So what point are you making, young man?"
"Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with and so your conclusion must also be flawed."

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. "Flawed? Can you explain how?"
"You are working on the premise of duality," the student explains.
"You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.
It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.
"Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?"
"If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man,yes,of course I do."
"Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?"
The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester indeed!

"Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavour, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you now not a scientist, but a preacher?"

The class is in uproar. The student remains silent until the commotion has subsided.
"To continue the point you were making earlier to the other students, let me give you an example of what I mean."

The student looks around the room. "Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the professor's brain?" The class breaks out into laughter.
"Is there anyone here who has ever heard the professor's brain,felt the professor's brain, touched or smelt the professor's brain? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol,science says that you have no brain, with all due respect, sir. So if science says you have no brain, how can we trust your lectures, sir?"

Now the room is silent. The professor just stares at the student, his face unreadable!
Finally, after what seems an eternity, the old man answers. "I guess you'll have to take them on faith."

The class breaks into a deadening applause "Continuing further, Sir, when GOD created the universe he made a set of rules which governs every living organisms, categorized in his own way. For some, life is a predestined, well programmed journey of life. For others, like humans, the rules of life are a direct results of their own actions, words, thoughts or/and conducts. So, Sir, happiness, sadness, good, bad, sickness, good health, poverty and abundance, is man's own doing unto himself. The wrong and bad happenings in man's life, is nothing but the lack of righteousness in his way of life."

Handling Change in Value System

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 04:08:00 +0000

Sometimes in life you come across situations when ones value systems are shaken. These can happen due to things happening around which are not in sync with the stated value systems. One needs to understand if they are happening due to certain individuals or due to the changing nature of the organization per say. My assumption is that the best way to tackle such issues is to take them up with the superiors so that one can understand if it’s an individual issue or a change in the organizational value system.

If the value system of the organization seems to be changing and not in sync with ones value system, it creates a lot of turmoil within one self and results in unnecessary stress. Best way to get out of the same is to find if new value systems are against your own value system and if there is a possibility of one aligning with the new value system. If that is not possible, it’s better to move on in life and bid good bye to such organizations.

Travelling by Jet Airways - A Bad Experience for Many?

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 03:54:00 +0000

I travel quite often to Hyderabad on my official visits. I prefer to take the Jet Airways early morning 0625 hours flight as I like to start my work early in Office. Today again I travelled by Jet Airways. The crew was quite polite on the flight. But I have a problem most of the time with their ground staff specially the people in the lounge and the food served in the flight. In the lounge, which is a facility only for the JP members, the service is really bad. The stewards manning the counter do not acknowlegde your presence nor do they feel it appropriate to serve you even a glass of water without you running after them. I think Jet Management really needs to do some mystery visits to the lounges and check for themselves the service provided to its most frequent fliers.

In todays flight, the quality of the breakfast was not upto the mark. To add to it, there were some foreign objects in the breakfast. The flight steward was really polite and apologised for the same, but the damage has been done. He offered me another platter of breakfast, but I had lost the faith in the quality of food served. Than Steward got me some cakes and cookies without even bothering to check that I am a vegetarian and might not take products containing eggs. Here again Jet management team needs to put some soft training in place so that they do not end up agonising the same customer again and again.

I really hope that the Jet Airways management checks on the quality of service been provided else it will definately loss out its frequent fliers to other Airlines.

Vacation in Tarkarli

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Fri, 09 Mar 2007 13:06:00 +0000

View from the Cottage at Tarkarli during Sun Set.

I got the snaps for my winter vacations at Tarkarli a few days ago. I felt that other should also know about this place and hence blogging about the same.

Tarkarli is situated 6 kms south of Malvan and 546 kms away from Mumbai on the coast of Maharashtra. The major attraction here is the long and narrow stretch of clean, virgin beach, with its pristine water. On a clear day, you can see the sea bed through a depth of 20 ft. The beaches are very less crowded. During my 4 days stay, max crowd seen would be less than 200 people on the beach. During early afternoons, there was hardly a soul roaming on the beach.
Then, of course there are the forts, Singhudurg, one of Maharashtra’s more popular and an important sea fort, built in the 17 th century and the famous Padmagarh fort.

We took Konkan Railway train from Mumbai for Kudal in the night and reached our destination Kudal, the next morning. From there went to the local bus stand for bus to Malvan, which is around 35 kms from Kudal. It took us around an hour to reach Malvan from Kudal. Getting down at Malvan, we saw a Sugarcane juice stall. The stall was very clean, unlike the ones seen in Mumbai. The sugarcane juice was really amazing and I had 2 glasses of the same. Post that we took auto for the MTDC resort at Tarkarli. The fare 50 INR.

The MTDC guest house is located on the beach front and huts are beautiful. The stay is comfortable even though you might not find the staff to be to customer centric.

The food served in Malvan is just superb. Non vegetarians can freak out on the sea food. The "Sol Kari" prepared by the locals is amazing in taste and the taste of it still lingers on.
Have attached fews snaps taken during our trip. I do plan to visit this place again. Hope you will also visit it.

The view of the beach and sea from the cottage

Sky line during sun set at Tarkarli. The Beach Restaurant at MTDC Resort

The Beach at Tarkarli. In the background one can see the Sindhudurg Fort.

The Cottage in which we stayed

Nature at work. Water leaving its mark on the sands of time.

The Reception at MTDC Resort

Cottages at MTDC Resort

Men going for Fishing in their Boats

Coming back home with catch

Sewing up the torn Nets for the next day at Work

Clean Virgin Beach at Tarkarli.

Beach at Tarkarli

Can you see any people on the beach?

Visit www.maharashtratourism.gov.in to find amazing places to visit in Maharashtra

Winning over peer group must for big leap

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 15:23:00 +0000

Came across this amazing article and I think it does make lot of sense.

EVERYONE tries to impress his or her boss. The boss determines one’s raise, one’s bonus and possibly one’s promotion. It makes sense to literally “suck up” to the boss.

We all learn early in the game as to which are the boss’ hot buttons. We try to stay away from these. We try to put a positive spin to the matters that are close to the boss’ heart. And we are careful to make sure that the boss always looks like a hero in our words and in our written presentations, all the credit for any success is carefully ascribed to the boss who is capable only of brilliant insights.

The boss simply never does anything silly. The greatest of sovereigns are not immune to flattery. So there is no harm at all in letting your bosses believe that at least in your eyes they walk on water. I would only argue that a happy boss basking in your admiration is a necessary factor for your career to move in a positive direction.

But it is by no means a sufficient condition. If you really want to progress there are two very important constituencies which one ignores at one’s peril. The first group is one’s subordinates. They have to respect you. And respect is very different from fear or servility (usually driven by you guessed it. their selfish considerations!).

Subordinates respect you only if they see you as someone who can help them. They do not expect you to know all the details of their job, although such knowledge is definitely a source of respect. They expect you to be in a position to help them when they are in trouble.
Nowadays this kind of old-fashioned helping is known as “adding value”. If competition has cut prices and a salesperson cannot meet aggressive sales goals, you as the manager need to be able to intervene-argue for a price cut in your own organisation, deliver some promotion goodies or when needed renegotiate sales budgets. Subordinates dislike bosses who refuse help. “I know interest rates are up, competition is fierce, many things have changed that makes the budget goals virtually impossible to achieve, but these are your problems. As a boss, all I can do is to yell at you and goad you towards unrealistic goals.” Such an attitude is the kiss of death. Word gets around. You get placed in the category of a “zero value add” supervisor.

In the short run, your career might not take a hit because you are secure in your position with your boss. Over time, the whole organisation learns to distrust you and your special relationship with your boss actually becomes a negative. You ar an “incompetent sycophant“ and trust me you can forget about that brilliant career.

The second is your own peer group. This is usually more difficult as they are your natural rivals. But, I submit that even though they may not like you, you can and should earn their respect. They tend to respect deep technical knowledge and hard work. They tend to be harsh judges, but in many ways they are the fairest and the most useful ones.

From day one in an organisation, if you work diligently at earning their respect, it pays off in multiple ways. You can actually work on the “content” of your skills set not just its appearance. You can constructively take their inputs and over time they become your tough teachers.
Over the years as one’s career progress within one organisation or across different ones, the informal peer network keeps track of you and their words of praise however grudging becomes the best help for your own growth.

So boss of course; subordinates essential; peers...the real test!

Mumbai Marathon

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:46:00 +0000

The Mumbai Marathon event took place on the 21st of January. I did take part in the same as per my commitment. I completed the 21 km half marathon race in less than 3 hours. Also as part of the commitment to raise One Lac rupees for Apnalaya, I managed to raise around 1.12 lacs. My sincere thanks to all my friends, colleagues and family for the same. Hope that I will be able to make this an annual event and going ahead hope to have many more people associated with this noble cause.

BMC Elections....

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 10:59:00 +0000

I really adore Sharad Pawar for his political acumen. But sometimes even a strategist like him fails and it does impact the overall political contours of the national politics. For example, in the year 1999 he moved out of the Congress party on the issue of Sonia Gandhi's origin issue just before the Lok Sabha Elections. It did cost the Congress and Sharad Pawar's party the NCP dear and Sena and the BJP made a killing inspite of been inefficient. Post this mistake, Mr Pawar did realise that in politics its does not matter where one is born but the kind of Karma one does that is needed to win the heart and votes in India. His party the NCP aligned with the Congress and routed the Sena- BJP combine in the next Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections. But I think leaders on both the sides suffer from political amnesia and they again went into the recent Muncipal Elections across the state of Maharashtra alone. The net effect was that the ailing Tiger which has lost all its tooth, due to his nephew and erstwhile aide Narayan Rane's revolt, got some teeth back (I sometimes feel, it was Mr Pawar, who was trying to help the Tiger to win the coveted BMC elections by not having a tie-up with the Congress). I really hope that the Sena does some work unlike last time in the BMC and improves the life of common Mumbaikars. May be this is the last time for the cub to show that he can really become a Tiger and keep the Shiv Sena alive into the next decade.

ICICI Bank Complaints

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Tue, 16 Jan 2007 12:52:00 +0000

Hi Friends,
ICICI Bank has grown very rapidly over the past few years. Against the industry growing at around 15-18%, it has grown by over 30%. The number of customers over the years also have grown over the years to millions. Sometimes, the services offered are not upto the mark and hence as customers you have every right to ensure that you are heard. Hope you will use my blog to highligth the issues faced by you as customers of ICICI Bank. I know for sure that the Bank has very good intentions of streamlining the customer service and I think they would definately respond to the issues/feedback given by you.

Mumbai Marathon - Donate for a Cause

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Wed, 13 Dec 2006 13:12:00 +0000

Dear Friends,

All of us have been fortunate enough to have received good education due to the fortune of having born in a better family. But there are thousands of children around who are not so fortunate to receive even primary education due to social and economic reasons. I know each one of us wants to contribute in order to remove this inequality and in order to make this world a far more equitable place to live in. I am trying to do my bit and seek your help as well towards this cause.

I plan to run 21 km in the Mumbai Marathon that is going to take place on the 21st of January. I plan to raise money for a NGO called Give India. The plan is to raise around One Lakh and the same will be donated to Give India. The money would be used for education of the under privileged children.

Would seek contributions from each one of you and your friends towards this noble cause. Do let me know as to how much each one of you can contribute so that I can revert with the details on how the same can be done along with the details on tax benefits etc.

Hope all of you will contribute towards this cause. God Bless.

Regards.
Alankar

Good Bye Sid

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 16:07:00 +0000

Siddhartha was a team manager with me at the call centre. I still remember the day when I had interviewed him for the role. A very calm, composed and matured fellow, he joined my team at the begining of the 2005. He was not an alpha hyper candidate, which ICICIcians are made off, but quite a "kool" dude who never used to take tension, did not allow the same to be passed on to his team members and above that a wonderful person who never bitched about any of his peers or had any complaints what so ever.

He was a very happy go lucky person and hardly a person who took tension or got nervous before reviews or big meetings.

Sid passed off today morning due to cardiac arrest. The news came as a big shock to every team member and myself. Yesterday only he had taken his entire team out for party and they had an amazing time "go-karting" at Powai. On Monday he had told me that he needed to go early on today. This he had been telling me for last few weeks and I really shouted at him as to how many times he needs to take my permission for the same. He needed to go early as today was Sanjay's (his brother in law) birthday and Sanjay (who is the director of Dhoom2) had planned for a special screening of the movie for family members. We also made plan to see "Dhoom 2" on this Sunday. We had frozen on the plan to go out for dinner along with my wife (Madhuri) , Aditi and Sonal (Sid's wife) on this Sunday as well as for seeing Dhoom 2.

Unfortunately fate had some other plans in store. Sid passed away today morning leaving behind his parent, wife Sonal and his relatives and loads of friends and well wishers. I will really miss his wonderful and through gentleman. Sid, may god bless you whereever you are and may you find happiness. All I can say is that you really showed too much hurry in one thing in which you should have not....I will really miss you....May your soul rest in peace....

Does Love lead to Suffering?

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 05:19:00 +0000

Pick up any news paper around the world, and one can see misery and suffering all around. Leads many of us to think as to what are we doing wrong which is leading to sufferings all around. If one introspects, one realises that suffering is an integral part of life. Suffering does not lie outside but it lies within one self. For example, India's loss to Australia in the Tri Series in Malaysia would have let to major heartache for the Indians where as the same episode is a matter of rejoice for the Australians. So in net effect suffering does not lie with the external world, but happens due to the results not in tune with our own wishes.

This may seem to be quite contrary as we always try to externalise our problems and try to eradicate the same by trying to change the outside world. But as a matter of fact, we are too small to keep changing the external world and most of the time things do not happen in the manner we want, leading to suffering for us. So it means that sufferings happens due to the attachment that we create for the view that we hold and the attachments that we create. So does it mean that we should not have any views or attachments to be free from suffering. Not really. Suffering is lead by the attachment that one creates. So to get rid of sufferings, we need to have compassion and detachment.

Lets talk first about compassion in relationships.

All relationships should be based on compassion and not on passion and transactional view point.
The moment we do it, we do not suffer due to things not happening as per our wish. For example, loving a son/daughter just because a father feels that they would fulfill his dreams is a relationship based on attachment. If the son/daughter do not fulfill the dreams of the father, the father is bound to suffer pain and relationship turn sour. But if the children are brought up with compassion and detachment, they will be allowed to pursue their own dreams and create their identity leading to a beautiful relationship between the child and the parent. Does it mean that in a relationship based on compassion there is no suffering? No, thats not the case. The suffering is still there, but it creates a positive energy to over come the hurdles. For example, the people who stayed near to the place where bomb blast happened in Mumbai in July this year, were moved with compassion and help out the injured even at the cost of risking their lifes. It did cause them suffering, but it also made them to overcome the same and reach out the ones in need of medical help.

How can one have detached views?
Detachment to ones views means the ability to look at something beyond ones own views. How does having an attachment to ones views impact worklife. Inability to have detached views, leads to inefficiency as we cannot find innovative solutions as we are happy with the old ways of doing things. It leads to performance getting stuck and puts obstacles in the path of the organisation or the individual to move from good to great. It impacts the ability of the individual to collaborate as he/she is not able to appreciate the view point of other members and also it leads to inefficient working environment.

So one needs to live a life of compassionate love for all beings in order to find happiness for oneself.

Learning Lessons From Early Career - Mukesh Pant

noreply@blogger.com (Alankar) — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 12:02:00 +0000

Learning Lessons From Early Career

In twenty-five years of corporate life, I have probably made twenty five hundred mistakes, and learnt maybe ten lessons. A true lesson is one from which you change your behaviour for the better. Three of these lessons were learnt early, when I was fresh out of IIT Kanpur, coping with the rigorous demands of Hindustan Lever's outstanding management training program.I was still a raw trainee in HLL 25 years ago when Pradeep Dutt, who then ran the Personal Products division, called me to his office late one evening and told me that I was being posted to Chennai as Area Manager for South India. The first few days at Chennai are still etched in my memory as though they were yesterday. My area steno was a wonderful man called A Srinivasan, whom everyone called AS. From the first day, AS and I developed a mutual liking and respect, and though he was old enough to be my father, he never resented me as a boss. But there was one area in which I constantly earned his wrath. AS had a fetish for keeping tabs on expenses. One day he got really upset when I didn't find time to file an expense report on time, refusing even to sit as he entered my office. He glowered at me, and said in a menacingly low voice " Sir, it isn't your money, it's the company's. If you can't file your expense reports on time, you will never make a good manager.", and he left the room. Eventually we made our peace, but only after I promised thenceforth to carry blank expense statements on tour, filling them out as I rode the train back to Chennai. It's a habit that has never left me, and to this day I have a compulsive desire to square up official expenses within a day of completing a trip. I have realised over the years that it was not so much about that little expense statement, but about the importance of personal integrity-make a fetish of this aspect of personal discipline, and the rest will follow. I have used AS's line on hundreds of rookies, 'If you can't file your expense reports on time, you will never make a good manager, I don't care how smart you are'.

Minoo Kalyaniwalla was a legendary HLL salesman in Secundarabad. He effortlessly beat his targets, and had an iron hold on the market. I was fascinated by his style from the time we first met, and I spent weeks with him travelling all over Telengana selling truckloads of Rin and Lifebuoy. He knew every shopkeeper personally, but the most amazing thing about him was that he spent very little time on actual sales talk: he had a fantastic sense of humour that he used to telling effect. I was fresh out of engineering college in those days, unfamiliar with the world of commerce, and tended to be awkward and analytical. Minoo was the polar opposite. To him selling soap was a by-product of entertaining his clients. For the most part the world of business is serious and somewhat tense. Humour can inject a doze of magic into any situation, and a witty remark or joke can defuse situations and provide a way forward, whether in the soap market in Begumpet or at a boardroom in New York. I will never forget Minoo and his disarming humour, and how he taught me that if you get a customer to laugh, you can get him to do pretty much anything.

One of the most difficult tasks in corporate life is to know when to keep your mouth shut. There are constant temptations in the office to gossip, moan and complain, particularly about people in senior positions. I am now convinced that if you say anything damaging about anybody, there is a better than even chance your comment will get back to that person, and damage your relationship. It doesn't matter how much you trust that person you are having the conversation with. I wish I could take this advice as strongly as I am giving it, because I still tend to make this fundamental mistake. I wish I could learn from CR Tilak, who in 1978 worked for me as a steno. We had a close working relationship, but in all that time I cannot recall him speak disparagingly about anyone. I can remember times when some of us would gossip about someone or other in Tilak's presence, but he never ever joined the fray, preferring to listen with a smile, or steering us away to another subject.

Personal discipline, humour and discretion are among the hallmarks of successful executives. That is why I will always remain grateful to my early mentors AS, Minoo and Tilak: the three may have retired in relatively humble positions in the Chennai branch of HLL, but they each taught lessons in management that are just not on the curriculum of any IIM.

(Muktesh Pant is the Chief Marketing Officer for Reebok International and lives in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He can be contacted at mickypant@hotmail.com <mailto:mickypant@hotmail.com>)