Archives

A few words in hindsight.


  • Fuel it with hunger
    Yesterday, a friend disclosed that she is planning a planning a startup with an aquaintance. Some questions popped up, and I was only keen to share some thoughts. She shared that they have an idea, and are discussing the way forward. I am not sure about her potential cofounder, but she definitely has a stable… Read more: Fuel it with hunger
  • Chaitra Shukla Pratipada – The Universal Day of Creation
    Was it difficult for you as a child, to memorise which month has how many days? And what is the reason behind two consecutive months, July and August to have 31 days each. And maybe you have not noticed, but the months beyond July and August have phonetics similar to the decimal numbers 7 (in… Read more: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada – The Universal Day of Creation
  • The Sun chants Om
    This might be a subject matter for debate. But then, might as well take this opportunity to explain what thoughts it brings to the mind. We must try to understand first, what is the sound of Om, and what does ‘chanting’ mean. The Solar System But before we proceed, we must retrace our thoughts to… Read more: The Sun chants Om
  • Goodbye 2020
    Many people ask me, what I would be doing for New Year’s Eve. Well, it has been a good-for-nothing year, according to the Gregorian calendar. Whenever the Gregorian Calendar Committee meets again, perhaps they should consider wiping 2020 off the records. But that said, perhaps this was a good time to sit back and write.… Read more: Goodbye 2020
  • Hello World. From Home.
    Maybe its just a calling of the times. But, as they say, you need to hold the bull by it’s horns. We don’t want to become matadors against this deadly pandemic. This morning, the number of deaths (on record) by the deadly Coronavirus have surpassed a million, globally. And even if you want to hold… Read more: Hello World. From Home.
  • The Grand Tour: Repurposing life.
    I don’t write reviews, but by the end of this article you’ll see what I want to say about the realities of life, as captured by the new “American” show. With the mention of “why money is vulgar” I will write onwards. “Looking good is better than looking where you’re going”. A punchline that could… Read more: The Grand Tour: Repurposing life.
  • And the journey continues…
    It is said, dreams are not those that you see in your sleep. Dreams are those that do not let you sleep. And among those dreams, get created are the seeds of ambition, the drive to succeed. It has often been noted, that people giving up striving, just before they are about to hit success.… Read more: And the journey continues…
  • R. I. P. The Gadget
    Oh yes, the death of the gadget is inevitably near. I have spent blogs after blogs ranting about useless iPhones and wearable technology, and finally the planet of apes is rising in human evolution to embrace the death of the gadget. Ask me about what’s the latest in fads, and you’ll be amazed to know… Read more: R. I. P. The Gadget
  • The ever widening gap in technology
    I write about technology. And today I am compelled to write about the ever-widening gap that exists between man and machine. Yes, you’ll judge me right away, with talks about artificial intelligence and how the apple advertisements have introduced Siri into the household and enriched lives. But let’s discuss the basics here.It was my mother… Read more: The ever widening gap in technology
  • The CEO who delivered
    Alyssa Williams delivered 3 children during her tenure of 4 years and few months, while being the President and CEO of Chakoo! Before you judge my words for chauvinism, I would like to clear my stand, that I believe motherhood is the highest privilege that the Almighty has blessed women with. And I believe that… Read more: The CEO who delivered
  • Brexit. Where it’s popular to have differences.
    It’s not 1961 anymore, where you build walls to separate countries. Today, when we are looking at Brexit, we are governed by economic systems, and trade that goes far beyond the exchange of goods and services. In the post-Bretton Woods era, where currencies in themselves have become commodities that people invest in, the value of… Read more: Brexit. Where it’s popular to have differences.
  • Fool’s Paradise
    Come April 1st, every year, we celebrate what’s known as April Fool’s Day. And while I was busy reading through a serious technology blog today, a post that appears to be a prank on the audience, few would like to delve into the truth around why this day is marked so, on the calendar. We… Read more: Fool’s Paradise
  • Real men don’t cry
    The story of a marginalised Indian farmer, who has no choice but to go on. We all derive our motivation in different ways. But for most, motivation isn’t a word they have studied in the cliched urban dictionary, but a choice that comes to them without another. There was a time, when I was once… Read more: Real men don’t cry
  • A penny for your thoughts
    I aim to be blunt about journalism and content that is created in wake of profit or personal vendetta, and pushed to consumption through various channels of mass communication. I do not know if it will come out as satire, but those who read this, may feel free to leave your comments. And I will… Read more: A penny for your thoughts
  • Stars owned the past. Geeks will rule the future.
    A request came from a fellow internet citizen today, if I could write something that will help writers enhance their visibility on the internet. Although, I shared my thoughts to a large extent, in the very same forum, that found my earlier article on 20 years of the internet, and it’s still gasping for breath,… Read more: Stars owned the past. Geeks will rule the future.
  • Proud to be Indian
    I’m really not going to harp about the achievements Indians have done, before I can recognise why many among us, suffer with low degrees of self recognition regarding our country, nation and motherland. As a child, when I observed my elder relatives achieve excellence in academics, and migrate to other countries in wake of higher… Read more: Proud to be Indian
  • Drive Safer: Tips for the monsoons
    Keeping it simple. Generating these points from my experience and love for automobiles, driving and sharing knowledge. Some driving tips during the monsoons. 1. Your car might feel like a boat. But it is not. Avoid driving through water-clogged areas. Apart from the risks you run about water hitting the engine or your brakes, you… Read more: Drive Safer: Tips for the monsoons
  • 20 years hence, the internet is still coughing
    On the eve of the launch of Digital India Week, the internet stopped working. Although, I would have loved to talk about this, a little time ahead, as in 45 more days, we’ll complete having 20 years of the internet in India. And what a journey it has been. I remember, my trip to the… Read more: 20 years hence, the internet is still coughing
  • Change, noise and social progression.
    It is the construct in human order, probably the destiny or fate of how we are all designed – that it is so hard for the constructive to believe, and then make progress happen in mankind. Given our five senses, we see what we believe, we hear things and we touch and feel the world… Read more: Change, noise and social progression.
  • Personalisation and Privacy
    Present day social media platforms have been designed keeping the marketer’s perspective in mind. It is about sharing the “status” that promotes consumerism, an air of inferiority, and makes us spend more on what doesn’t always translate into happiness. Yes, just because someone else has done it, and we feel it makes them look good,… Read more: Personalisation and Privacy
  • Let’s bring people together
    Technology has indeed made the world a smaller place. While distances have increased, and in pursuit of economic prosperity, we are increasingly becoming an urban race. Distances have increased Many of us, who were earlier born in villages, now live away from our place of birth. Our families are smaller, and our relatives further. Friends… Read more: Let’s bring people together
  • One World. One Message.
    I don’t know if I should take this inspiration from sci-fi movies. Whenever we have visitors other worlds, they are talking only one message. Whether be it a friendly visitor like ET, or Mars attacks ;). But whenever they talked about the more evolved worlds, they considered every citizen of their planet as equal. I’ll… Read more: One World. One Message.
  • From Narcissism to Selfie Sticks
    So some bulk e-mail mailing agent must have pulled my ID onto their list. And since the last 2 weeks, I have received offers in the morning for a selfie stick at 73% discount. Selfie stick?! Over the years, I haven’t quite understood why must someone take selfies. I admit, the phenomenon was observed as… Read more: From Narcissism to Selfie Sticks
  • Neither did heat matter. Nor rain.
    Maybe this one will be like a chapter in history for generations to come. Believe it or not, the ones who are living in their thirties today, have already written history. In the past two decades, technology has changed the way we look at life. And seriously, let us take a step back from the… Read more: Neither did heat matter. Nor rain.
  • The Inspiration
    Inspiration is the overarching spiritual framework that drives strategy, leadership and commitment. It leads to the creation of a goal that must be achieved, and in this respect, it should lay down the principles that will govern the use of technology, so it may be used as an enabler to bring together people of the… Read more: The Inspiration
  • The People
    The inspiration put down before us, a utopian goal. In my belief, if we can reach out all seven billion people the world over, and bring them onto a common knowledge and information platform, where they are able to empathise with beliefs, culture, values, systems of one another – we will end up making the… Read more: The People
  • The Technology
    Technology should act as an enabler between the inspiration and the people. We must hope to engineer resources so technology does not constrain the growth. In fact, technology must play the role to transcend the boundaries of social, economic or political control, so knowledge and information can flow freely between people. It should serve as… Read more: The Technology
  • Organic for Uttarakhand Plus
    The journey which started in June this year, marked a point of gaining direction with a vision setting meeting happening on the 1st of November. This milestone couldn’t have been achieved without the selfless contribution of all the members who have been involved in the group that was erstwhile called “Uttarakhand Plus” now being labelled… Read more: Organic for Uttarakhand Plus
  • Uttarakhand Plus
    A series of thoughts crossed my mind this morning about this group and what we are trying to envisage. The aim we are trying to establish for the region, being holistic, futuristic and sustainable will be achieved through numerous struggles when we come together and begin work.We started the group with the idea that “Can… Read more: Uttarakhand Plus
  • Pace. Punch. Peace.
    NaMo #NaMo Hum Hindustani bahut jugaadu hote hain… bade bade vaigyanik bhi… hisaab nahi laga paate ki hum kaun si cheez ka istemaal kis kaam mein karengey… yaar-dost banane wali WhatsApp se, humne sarkar bana daali… The message marked the morning wake up greeting from one of my friends, on the morning of May 16th,… Read more: Pace. Punch. Peace.
  • Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, Vikram Samvat 2071 – The Indian New Year
    The bells ring, to bring in spring. And it’s time to celebrate the New Year. In the spirit of tradition that we must follow, wishing everyone the very best of health, prosperity, happiness and success in the coming days. For those, who are not introduced to the Indian New Year, according to Indian tradition, the… Read more: Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, Vikram Samvat 2071 – The Indian New Year
  • Ayrton Senna
    Born March 21, 1960. For those, who do not know who Ayrton Senna is (or, rather was), it is time to get acquainted. He was a Formula I race driver; and not just a race driver he was. Senna defined the art of Formula I racing and died on the track in 1994. That has… Read more: Ayrton Senna
  • Donate Dignity
    Antardrishti is a welfare program for the differently abled. Why we use the term “differently abled” is something that has confused me all the time. As a young child, being exposed to the handicap of my very own cousin, made me feel that there was something I had, which he didn’t. But we got along… Read more: Donate Dignity
  • Happy New Year
    It’s the time of the year again. To welcome in the new. New thoughts, new endeavours, new spirits. The Hindu Calendar, as per the Chaitra Shukla Pratipada welcomes in Vikrami Samwat 2070. May the new year bring in cheer, prosperity, growth and fulfilment for all. Happy New Year.
  • Hiring!
    For a good number of years in my career, I had the opportunity to work with an HR Consulting Firm. Although, it seems very futile at this point, I was often required to explain to people who asked me about the work I do, that HR Consulting isn’t just about placing people in organizations, and… Read more: Hiring!
  • Happy New Year
    Yes, it’s time as per the Hindu calendar, to bring in the New Year, as per Chaitra Shukla Pratipada, Vikrami Samwat 2069. Best wishes for holistic growth and prosperity.
  • Shutting down Nuclear Reactors
    The tragedy in Japan is a wakeup call from Mother Nature — an alarm to tell us she is alive and powerful, and that humans are powerless in her path. The ruined harbours, villages and towns, the ships, aeroplanes and cars tossed away by the angry waves as if they were tiny toys are reminders… Read more: Shutting down Nuclear Reactors
  • Re-invent the wheel
    Leadership is not about re-inventing the wheel. It is seriously about thinking out of the box, and applying that thought to circumstances that exist. When Roosevelt suggested methods to bring an end to the Great Depression, he wasn’t exactly repeating history. He was ready to take some chances to create history. The wheel after all… Read more: Re-invent the wheel
  • Understanding
    Understanding is the one of the most understated of words, when it comes to agreements. Smiling faces over a round of signatures limited by political interest is not understanding for the common man. While the bureaucracy argues that governmental machinery is necessary to create understanding between states, it is often by common criticism, that is… Read more: Understanding
  • Born to nurture
    Call it the gift of nature, or the opportunity of a lifetime. But God has created society with a balance, where women were blessed with the opportunity to naturally nurture. I met a professor from Harvard recently, who used terms for his mother country as a land where parents are warehoused and children are outsourced.… Read more: Born to nurture
  • Offshoring Storage
    Cloud Computing. My thoughts go back to the point when Google opened up an e-mail platform that was setting the stage to revolutionize the world of storage. A new battleground, where software giants of the world would begin to compete on providing mammoth storage opportunities for netizens to store their information. But the question arose,… Read more: Offshoring Storage
  • It’s the thought that counts
    How many times have you narrowed in on home-cooked food for the cause of falling sick? Look back and see. It’s really the thought that counts. I’ve eaten in the best of restaurants, where attention to hygiene is paid to the minutest detail. And I have eaten in homes, where resources limit expenses on preparation… Read more: It’s the thought that counts
  • The Paradox of Our Time in History
    The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge,… Read more: The Paradox of Our Time in History
  • Greater than Hiroshima Nagasaki?
    Two days ago, when the diplomacy started sharing news that there was risk of a nuclear meltdown in Japan after the tsunami, something stirred inside me. If things were under control, such sparks would already have been smothered. While social media rose to offer technology that people could use to “facetime” with loved ones, using… Read more: Greater than Hiroshima Nagasaki?
  • Why I am not worried about Japan’s Nuclear reactors – re-post by Morgsatlarge
    I know this is a fairly full on statement from someone posting his very first blog. It will also be far and away the most well written, intelligent post I ever make (I hope!) It also means I am not responsible for its content. This post is by Dr Josef Oehmen, a research scientist at… Read more: Why I am not worried about Japan’s Nuclear reactors – re-post by Morgsatlarge
  • Stock market answering to Tsunamis
    A two-feet high tsunami hit the eastern coast of Japan today. While the toll of human lives remains to be calculated, the extent of destruction is estimated to be huge. 8.9 on the richter scale, this earthquake is greater in magnitude than what man can remember in the past many years. Not to mention, the… Read more: Stock market answering to Tsunamis
  • Unemployed and Employable
    13,000,000 new people join the workforce in India each year. Skilled and unskilled, educated and uneducated, literate and illiterate. Most people will take up a job not because they want to do something, but because they need money to survive first, and afford the basic necessities of life. Moving on, many would graduate to the… Read more: Unemployed and Employable
  • Forgotten ideas, apples to bananas
    Banana Republic. A term pejorative in modern political sciences, but coined for the purpose of exploitation of large scale plantation agriculture. It’s precisely the way language can twist our perception of being. If I have an apple, and you have an apple, and we both exchange apples; then you and I would still have one… Read more: Forgotten ideas, apples to bananas
  • Corrosion, Not dents
    1945. August 9th. Three days after the bombing of Hiroshima, the Americans had struck once again, to bomb the Japanese city of Nagasaki. On the 15th of August, two years before India rose to independence, Japan surrendered to the allied powers bringing an end to the second world war at the horrific loss of more… Read more: Corrosion, Not dents
  • Change Geography, Create History
    Changing geography to create history is not a science that can be called social. While we struggle to find thought leadership that can help India rise to and sustain the status of a global super power, we must start with generating ideas that can help create a geo-political environment complete with values of peace and… Read more: Change Geography, Create History
  • My father taught me how to smoke
    A 7-year old boy was caught while asking the local rickshaw man for a match to light up his half-smoked beedi. While refusing to hand over the country-made cigarette, the lad claimed that his own father had taught him to smoke, and that he was sure that there was nothing in the books that he reads… Read more: My father taught me how to smoke
  • The Barber under a Tree
    Imagine life without the local barber under a tree. For a sum of money, typically between 10 and 50 cents, such craftsmen provide service more popular and effective than the “Shave India Movement” organized by Gillette. As opposed to millions spent on advertising campaigns, the local barber helps keep the faces of Indian men shaven,… Read more: The Barber under a Tree
  • The Tryst with Destiny
    1947. The 15th day of August. At the stroke of midnight. The pages of Indian history turned to mark a new chapter – the beginning of an era of independence. And while the rest of the world was sleeping, India awoke to a life and freedom. Although, the day marked the end of British rule… Read more: The Tryst with Destiny
  • Social Media: Total Recall
    Though Total Recall sounds cliched, I have been contemplating about where to begin writing. Been reading about social media in the past days from all angles and what comes to my mind right now is that there is a great deal of buzz happening on the social media scene, with many a self proclaimed social… Read more: Social Media: Total Recall
  • Time Management and Technology
    Time management shouldn’t be a separate activity–it should be an integral part of the way you do things. For this to happen, you need to be able to develop good time management habits and avoid bad ones. An effective use of time also involves managing your environment, managing your use of technology, and managing the… Read more: Time Management and Technology
  • Spirituality: The Mother of All Science
    I remember when we started studying Science in school. Science is the study of the Universe. It starts with some basic principles that will create the framework and will never be flouted. For example, Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. Mass can neither be created nor destroyed. Now this is limited to the physical… Read more: Spirituality: The Mother of All Science
  • Blogging is Art
    I define art as a reproduction of thoughts, emotions, mindless inspiration that cannot be driven by structure. Today, we find professional bloggers who share views on blogs and get paid for it. THEY aren’t artists. But those who step out of the frame, and present their views on topics of cultural interest, society, and share… Read more: Blogging is Art
  • Cows Are Holy
    I am recollecting my attendance at a Carbon Trading Conference in the early part of 2008, where i had the chance to listen to Dr. Roger Sedjo – RRF, Washington and William Bentley – Salmon Brooks Associates. One of the points these “experts” in Carbon Trading was that India has too many “wild-cows” on the… Read more: Cows Are Holy
  • Gitanjali
    Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;Where knowledge is free;Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls;Where words come out from the depth of truth;Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the… Read more: Gitanjali
  • He always answers genuine prayers
    The one who created the universe created those little crevices where we lose little objects, and larger ones as well. He governs it all, and if he so desires, there would not be a way that man could find Him. He would remain hidden and we could continue searching in stone idols and places of… Read more: He always answers genuine prayers
  • Setting off
    Would be writing in this place to create a timeline around events in social networking, strategy, information technology. Watch out for updates and please feel free to leave comments. Welcome to my blog.
  • Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya
    Tamaso Ma Jyotir GamayaAum Asato mā sad gamayaTamaso mā jyotir gamayaMṛtyormā amṛtam gamayaAum śānti śānti śāntiḥ From ignorance, lead me to truth;From darkness, lead me to light;From death, lead me to immortality;Oh my Lord, let there be peace.
  • The Empty Space
    Heaven forgive me for I writeFor I feel there is no GodBecause if there was, there’d be no miseryThere’d be peace and solaceAnd all would be happyAnd it is for the existence of this empty spaceWhich should be the place for God to beThat I believe in myselfand my powersIt is but this empty spaceThat… Read more: The Empty Space
  • Is The Meaning Of Life A Cliche
    Taken to one extreme or the next…It’s always either rightOr completely entirely left.One may see it like a virgin,Who’s naïve despite her depthIn that life is still so good,One day can never compare to the next.One may look on it with spite,And think they’ve nothing left,That the only new adventureIs to explore their own death.Could… Read more: Is The Meaning Of Life A Cliche
  • Going Beyond
    Humans: Always questioning why things are the way they are. Going beyond the basic principals of life – survive, nourish and flourish…
  • Life Is A Roller Coaster
    Live it on the edge, do not trip over. Life is roller coaster ride. It can you take you high, and then low. Or you can stand by, watch it pass by and take it slow. Time isn’t yours to fritter away. So better climb on, and face what comes your way.
  • B.iP and A.iP
    The iPod has changed music forever The Apple iPod When the Gregorian Calendar Committee next meets, its members might wish to consider updating the whole B.C./A.D scheme to include two new acronyms—B.iP and A.iP (Before and After iPod). Apple’s diminutive music player has had that kind of effect on the world today and the original… Read more: B.iP and A.iP
  • Perception
    Perception is a struggle between us and reality. Often this battle between us and reality arises when the perceptile and our vector of perspective are incompatible, or when two or more perceptiles cannot be accepted simultaneously into the psychological field without altering one or the other, or one’s vector of perspective itself. It is like… Read more: Perception
  • Concept The Design
    When does concept out way design. The very concept of an idea is the time when the inventor or as I prefer the creator dreams of an idea so unimaginable that the very concept can change the world and how we live and work with in it. These concepts are rare as are the creators… Read more: Concept The Design
  • Center of the Universe
    At the centre of the universe, lies the origin of the three physical dimensions; namely, length, time and mass. From the perspective of this origin, our life-time has no significant value (In comparison to the dynamic nature of the universe). Yet, we have only this life to feel all happiness, joy, pain, anger and sorrow.… Read more: Center of the Universe
  • Position of equilibrium
    The edge of chaos is the position of equilibrium between order and disorder. It is this equilibrium, that gives rise to creative thinking, innovation and adaptability. An environment is created conducive to the growth of complex and adaptive systems. It is a playground for intelligence.
  • Edge of chaos
    To walk on the edge of chaos is to accept that our lives are open, uncontrolled, bound to the unexpected. Always facing a multitude of threats; some known, some unknown. Yet it is also to acknowledge that our acts have consequences and so to discover responsibility. It is to use the experience of life as… Read more: Edge of chaos
  • Rare Intellect
    If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads. Ralph Waldo Emerson