Three questions

It definitely was an important day for me to remember – it became the MOST important day – the three unexpected questions in the unexpected situation from an unexpected person made it a superlative day! I will continue to wonder on why I became so lucky today to be aware of these questions and answers.

It sounds very cryptic, but what I experienced today was indeed cryptic at that time. It took time for me to appreciate that it was a unique happening and one of those significant times which I need to remember my entire life.

Barring all the details, here are the three questions and the answers – these made me feel connected with the universal soul which is always prevalent and waiting for me to acknowledge its presence.

Question 1: Do you know that everyone who is born in this world has to die one day?
Answer 1: Yes

Question 2: Do you think someone who suffers a lot due to a physical ailment or with a terminal illness will feel free and happy that they are dying?
Answer 2: They might be relieved of the physical pain and may be happy that they are getting free of it. They still would have enjoyed even that time of physical ailment as they could spend those extra time basking in the attention of their loved ones, being aware of the affection they shower on them.

Question 3: Do you think only the physical body goes away and the soul is still looking out for their loved ones?
Answer 3: Yes, the death is only physical – the soul stays and looks out – that is when you connect with the universe

Feel blessed!

Steve Jobs……….1955-2011

I never realized  four weeks back  that you really are going to go away in a matter of weeks, when I posted on Steve Jobs lessons  https://ireach.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/steve-jobs-lessons/

When one of my close family member faced the big C disease a decade back, I have witnessed the challenges she went through https://ireach.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/what-is-right/ sure would have fought the big C so much, but at times, it is too much to handle!!

You lived your life well and achieved well!!…………..One of the most admiring comment which i read about you was “Steve did not mind being a pain in the neck to people till he gets want he wants them to do to achieve what he wanted to!!”  It is one of the toughest traits to have!

God bless!!

With heavy heart, I say…………..RIP, Steve Jobs!!

Long Service Award

Yeah, it may sound crazy…but it feels like Oscar!   I am referring to the long service award which I got from my employer – 10 years in the same organization is indeed a milestone.

Yes, what is striking is that all these long service awardees have put in the best of their career years into this organization  – this is amazing!! I am sure if any of the long service awardees get their biographies done, this period in our life time will definitely be a focused coverage!.  All have been together, learnt many things, grown, been loyal, dedicated, etc……..

Professionally and personally I have matured a lot in these last 10 years and my organization has a very big role to play in my growth – when i say organization, it goes without saying it is the people who make the organization.

Coming back to the “feeling like Oscar”, it  is ARR’s Oscar award acceptance speech which crosses my mind – the famous quote ‘Ella Pugazhum Irayvanuke (All praise be to God)’  –  probably it is true in my case, but just that for me the God is in the people around me  –  ” my parents – who instilled the value of  life into me,   my spouse and kids – who understand me and relentlessly support  me to handle and balance my work load and personal life, my sibling – who inspires me to face  and live my life, my friends – who shape my thoughts and make me better every day,  my mentors -who put their faith in  my potential  and  give responsibilities which help  me grow professionally, my colleagues –  who bring in those  moments of happiness and belongingness  to keep me going , my team – who actually make it possible for me to deliver the expectations  –  so, it is people, people, people………..probably, my note should go like ” Ella Pugazhum Irayvanuke –  Ennai Sutri Manithanai irrukum  Irayvanuke”  (All praise be to God who is in the form of People around me!)

To close, i quote these lines from ttrangarajan -” Happiness is in small things!  Success is in big things”  and  these 10 long years in this organization gave the opportunities for small things and big things!!

God bless!  🙂 🙂 Makes me feel wonderful about this milestone!

Sachin’s Blood

It indeed is bizarre..Agreed, it is for charity! It can be done in a much better way!

It actually makes me feel  and say “yukky!” I  really do not get it!!

Is it all crazy? or am i  being too closed in my opinion?

All i can remember is the scene in Harry Potter when  Voldemort returns ……. drop of Harry Potter’s blood to make the complete magic potion to get back to his life!   May be, i relate this to black magic!

Please guys, think something creative, much better !!!  Sachin deserves much more!!!

Rupee Symbol

Our own rupee symbol

My first reaction was  –  “what is this?”. There must be an intellect behind this new symbol. How do i write this?  -looks like some kind of a mirror image of capital ‘E’ and on top of it there are some extensions? Is this going to be tough for kids to write this?….. in a second all theses thoughts runs in my mind…..

Ofcourse, when i started reading the news itemand understood the background  –  Devanagiri  ‘Ra’ and then a strike on top it, I felt more comfortable that the kids can write it!

“Ra” in Hindi is something kids are taught very early on in most of the India states, and then a strike on it!…..phew, pretty easy!…….

THIS IS HOW I GET IT

I am now thinking of the strike on “Ra” – like how we do it for 7.   I picked up the habit of striking out 7 from my school physics master (Ashokkumar sir)….I felt it was really stylish to do that….write the 7 and then strike it……..i really did not know the background on why it was done. Later,  i realized it is to ensure that 7 is differentiated from 1 .

my stylish 7

So, it definitely needs an intellect like Uday Kumar to get a simple symbol for rupee (hoping the entire world will learn to write “Ra”)………but, what is surprising is the google web images which results when we do a search on Indian rupee……….thousands of images very close the final one……..!!!!

An open letter to a real life Hero!

Dear Mr. Dravid

It has been on the back of my mind to write this note for the past two weeks, but I could make it only today.

My kids apparently happen to attend the same school as your kid.  In the last couple of years, of the many days I had been to school to drop or pickup my kid, I have seen you quite often in the school – you were also visiting school to drop / pickup your kid.

The very first day when I spotted you – you were giving me a feel that you only wanted to be considered as ‘yet another’ parent coming to the school to drop/pickup his kid.  You were almost hiding behind a parked car, trying to avoid any eye contact with the small crowd of parents who were waiting there. I was actually amused to note that an international sports personality like you was looking uncomfortable in the very small crowd – maybe it was just my perception, but you were trying to keep to yourself.

In the following days,  being a hardcore cricket fan, my spouse was excited to spot you in school and promptly update us back home – I was surprised that you were much more frequent to school than I was. Even with my kind of IT senior management position(may be every other Bangalore engineer in his/her 40s today are in a similar position), I really have to squeeze my schedule to make it to school and let me tell you, I was not all that frequent to school even then.  With your kind of international profile which has lot of travel and commitments, you probably are more consistent in your school visits was my conclusion.

Given that I just follow cricket as part of general news interest, I did not give much of a thought about your school visits beyond this.  Then I suddenly realized that my spouse was more enthusiastic about dropping our kid to school for the simple reason that the international cricketer can be seen in school.  Again, I was so surprised that seeing you in the morning almost made my spouse’s day so bright.  Infact, I was again thinking that one of the days when I see you, I need to come to you and say THANK YOU –  as you were one of the reasons to bring happiness into the day.  Of course, I never made it as I was as lazy as anyone can get in translating a thought into action.

Slowly, at the end of first year I found you have made friends with some parents and was more comfortable making small conversations in a small group.  I felt good for you because I thought being a celebrity definitely cribs some freedom which a common individual takes for granted.

In the last couple of years, my kid grew and was becoming much more obsessed with cricket than what I can imagine for a kid of his age.  He has started watching sports channels on TV for hours together – replay of past cricket matches. He is with his cricket bat all the time and was out with friends for hours playing cricket – I was amazed on how cricket (probably any game) can mould the character of a 7 year old  kid.

As the IPL season started this year, my kids ware all over it.  It was IPL, IPL all day long, on all days of the week.  The school was almost ending. I had to be more frequent to school.  And couple of days I saw you being in the crowd of parents waiting to pick your kid.  Again, I was surprised that you could make it to school even in-between the IPL season.

It was one such strenuous day,29^th March – drop the kid in the morning to school, go to office, finish some of the review meetings, keep looking at the watch and dash back to school by noon to pick up the kid.  I was delayed that day. When I reached school, parents have already picked up their kids and on the way back.  I was rushing into the gate and I saw you coming out of the school gate in a bright red T-shirt with your kid, making serious conversations about how the day was.  I could not stop thinking even in my hurry that you indeed are putting in your efforts as a good parent – and I vaguely could remember that you have an impending match in two days in a different city.  I thought “this guy should be a sincere guy – doing his best as a parent”.

And then I get into the school, expecting my kid to be upset over my delay.   And I was in for a surprise  !!!  The moment he spotted me – he came running to me.  I could see he was so thrilled and happy about something.  I waited for him to break the news.  He said “Dravid was in school today.  Look here, I got his autograph.”  He started opening his school bag and started pulling out his pencil box.  I realized suddenly that he never had any notebook with him to get an autograph (it was a class monthly review day and no notebooks) and so I asked him “where did you get the autograph?” By this time, he has pulled out his pencil box. He opens it and takes a piece of paper which is just 2 inches, a hurriedly torn corner of a page.  I could see the pencil signature of yours in that piece of paper and I was STUNNED on two counts. One –  that my kid (a first grader) can suddenly become so confident to approach you to get an autograph and Two – you obliged to sign with a pencil in a 2” torn paper.

2 inch paper - Rahul Dravid's autograph

I started all the questions “How many of you got his autograph? Why did you not get a bigger paper? What did Dravid say to you?”  My kid was all proud and with his head high, he answers “only few of us, we did not make a queue; I just jumped near him and got his signature.  I did not have any notebook and I borrowed this paper from my friend. “.  I again ask him – “What did Dravid say to you?”.  He said as a matter of fact, with his head high still “Guys, give me a bigger paper, it is very difficult to sign in small paper with a short pencil”!!

I was impressed…. by your simplicity.  Honestly, till then I had never given much of a thought about you than the time I see you in school, but this gesture from you definitely made me realize that you indeed are a hero in the true sense – just not only as a role model cricketer for the millions across India, but as a sincere parent to your kids and as a sincere obliging “down to earth” individual who wants to respect the wish of even a 7 year old kid.

My kid is going to cherish this autograph of yours in a 2 inch paper for the rest of his life and I am going to constantly endeavor to imbibe this simplicity and sincerity of yours in my life! Kudos to you!  You are a real life hero even outside your cricket!!

(I could have shared my appreciation in person when the next school term starts, but I honestly respect your personal space as a parent)

Raining Cricket

I know it is the IPL  time of the year and it is absolutely normal that it is cricket rain all over………………..But, for a non cricket person like me……. it has been an unbelievably  CRICKETY week ………

The first one is the chance viewing of the movie DIL BOLE HADIAPPA……..It was a sunday night……i just was toying with the TV remote before hitting the bed…….jumping from one channel to another…….not really interested in anything………and then, i see the cute RANI MUKHERJEE…..and i end up in front of the TV till 1 am……..

the movie was a mix of right masala ingredients……..the ubersexual hero from UK……. the lovely, innocent, colorful  ‘punjabi gudi’ of the soil…….passion of  cricket…………..combined with the peaceful sunday night (weekly chores are all accomplished and kids are already asleep)………..the quiet ambience at home……..!!

Cricket made the movie more lively for me……!!!

The next day…….i have an easy monday evening..i am early from the dentist appointment, than what i had planned…..i almost had an hour before anyone at home is going to miss me………..

I decide to check on my little one, who was playing cricket in the badminton court (!) ……i spot him …….very busy playing cricket….only difference was it was not his usual group of friends, but senior boys……10 to 11 years old….i was bit concerned that he was not with his usual group and decide to sit through their match………..

Believe me, i spent the next one hour engrossed in their game……..not that i followed their runs or wickets………i was absolutely awed by the team spirit the kids exhibited……….or, whether they just impersonate the real world cricket players on the field?……….i will never know…..but, it was an unique experience to watch them …….play seriously…….each one doing their role perfectly……..clapping the hands when a bowler ended a maiden over, giving hifi after a sixer, patting on the back……

when my little one took two wickets in a row, the eldest boy came running to him and pats him on his back and quips ” Awesome, baby!! you are on a hat trick!!”…………….i just could not stop smiling…….if i think of it, i could feel that more than the skill on cricket, the young ones are definitely picking up much more cues on leadership skills and team bonding…………

again, i never thought i am going to be absorbed into cricket like this!!

probably time to check with my kids on the IPL schedule!!

why so??

I am still unable to kill the urge to understand the reasons on how the ‘so-called’ intelligent super minds fail to differentiate between the simple cases of  “UNCERTAINTY” and “RISK”  –   i am referring to the recent YSR incident.

I read an editorial about how politicians ignore the security cautions and end up paying a heavy price of their own life in addition to political jeopardy  – the list was indeed long –   Kennedy, Rajiv Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto,……….

and it is a mystery  –  what makes them ignore the cautions and get into the uncertainty zone from where they never returned….it is indeed psyching!

YSR also probably fell to the same trap ?  –  was he provided the security inputs about bad weather which he ignored?  did he move into uncertainty zone thinking he is taking a calculated risk?

For ages, business gurus have advocated the criticality to differentiate  uncertainty and risk from  the business perspective   –

Risk  –   a decision taken after careful analysis of data and after estimating the payoff for undertaking the risk

Uncertainty – Lack of information to qualify and quantify a risk, the thrill of considering a uncertain situation as a risk

Business gurus have established that most of the good business men have the capability to quantify risk vs payoff –  is it probably a MUST-HAVE skill for our politicians??

MAY THEIR SOUL REST IN PEACE!

– with the hope that our new age politicians do differentiate “uncertainty” and “risk”!!

Ganesha Habba!

 Swine flu ( hype or real?!)   was kind of sucking the general happiness of Bangalore for the last couple of weeks –  like the dementors in Harry Potter’s magical world!    

Media is all over – reporting every hour on the swine flu, schools are closed down, kids are held back at home with parents, roads are deserted, lots of doctor’s visit for small illness – which we would have ignored on a normal scenario!  I was almost desperate –  ‘Gosh, Bangalore needs a break!’

And then came the most inspiring “Ganesh Habba”  –   real welcome change!   I could see sudden change of mood  –  the festivities, people talking about what to prepare and where to buy the ‘green’  Ganesha!…..There indeed is the much awaited positive energy….like the dementors are pushed away by the power of magic!…

Believers may say it is the presence of Ganesha and Atheists may say it is the positive energy due to the social gatherings!!  Be an atheist or a believer, there is no denying the fact these religious festivals bring in positive energy around!  Ofcourse, these festivities are indeed a great way of keeping the energy levels high!!  I am sure our ancestors are indeed much more intelligent than what we imagine   –  to establish such frameworks to ensure that life’s energy keeps flowing  –   As Paulo Coelho puts it so well in his “Alchemist”   –   “traditions can never go wrong”

Thank you, Ganesha!!

Temperament

What struck me in the whole episode was the temperament of PC. I am talking about the shoe throwing incident on PC.

It definitely is an excellent display of TEMPERAMENT – one of the most critical leadership qualities. When I watched the replay on the TV, I could see the intriguing smile on his face within a second, he was never hassled, not even an iota of annoyance – Though Bush handled it well, on close observation, we could see the slight smirk on Bush’s face when this happened to him.

What makes someone’s temperament so good? Is it the family background, life experiences or the mental status?