Innovation!

Innovation is necessary not only for organisations but also for individuals

Unless an organisation has a specific innovation policy it will stagnate and gradually die. Most cotton textile mills have met the same fate. Clothing is one of the basic needs (Roti, Kapada aur Makaan) but now a day the clothing needs are met by garments manufacturers who prefer to secure their customers by procuring cloth from small manufacturer. Mills were used to manufacture a particular quality, colour style of cloth in large quantities only. They would sell the cloth to hundreds of thousands of retailers throughout the country. But times changed. Fashion came in. Fashion Designers came to the fore. They influence consumer with their innovations. Consumer habits changed. Instead of buying cloth and getting dresses stitched, they started wearing fashion garments. Everyone on the scenario was creatively engaged in innovation. But the mills did not innovate. Result is known to everyone. Mills stagnated and died.

You might ask how should one bring innovation in one’s life. How is it important when we are talking not of an organisaiton but an individual? The answer is by upgrading one’s knowledge and skills. Gone are the days of rich zamindars  who  will remain rich and commanding position. Who will continue to treat the labourers as slaves? An ordinary worker with a desire to succeed and determination to innovate can become Dhirubhai Ambani or Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or Warren Buffer.

Among other things innovation also requires an ability to take some risk in life. There is nothing 100 percent risk free. Once in a while in spite of all odds in your favour, you may still fail. There too your creative mind and passion for innovation will make you resilient to start another project.

Even when we are talking of personal relationships constant application of mind, innovative methods can bring back the lost love and/or effectively repair the seemingly irreparable relationship

Use your creativity and imbibe innovation in your personality. Life will be very interesting and worth yearning for, not just living!

Sad Demise of Gentleman's Game!

A gentleman’s game that once was – Cricket!

I recollect as children, we use to make scrap books by posting pictures of Gentlemen in their stylish endeavours of playing cricket. The newspaper was printed by letter press – a printing process no longer used for printing the newspaper. Unglazed newsprint carried the pictures. The quality of the printed pictures were poor. But the quality of the people who featured in these pictures was impeccable.



Vijay Hazare, Vinoo Mankad, Pankaj Roy, Vijay Merchant, and Subhash Gupte – names that Cricket should never forget.  There were very few victories for us in these matches, but there was heart felt appreciation for the genuine efforts these men of character invariable displayed.



Poly Umrigar was  a hard hitter and Bapu Nadkarni wa the most economical bowler. Perfect length and a soft spin – these unique qualities of his bowling had made him indispensible for the Indian Eleven. Whenever Australia or the West Indies or even England teams were batting, and making fast runs, Bapu Nadkarni would rescue the team. I don’t remember a single match where he gave more than 2 runs per over.

The Indian players demonstrated genuine efforts in the 5 day test matches. Cricket fans across the country would be glued to the radio listening to the running commentary articulated by the speech stalwarts like Vizzy (Maharaja of Vijyanagaram), Anandji Dosa andChakrapani.  They would offer really interesting comments and anecdotes while delivering their commentaries.

There were no endorsements and the gentlemen who played the gentleman’s game had no hunger for wealth. Rather, they valued their game and displayed love for the sport, and more importantly for the country they lived in and loved.

But, times changed, valued changed; and the game of Cricket has also changed!



No longer does it remain a gentleman’s game. Cricket has now become a common ground for the most abject and vulgar display of power and wealth. Greed has taken the place of love for the game. Players are bought and sold at auctions, along with their morals and character. Players are cheered by ‘cheerleaders’ – a motley crowd of new breed scantily clad women. The hunger for money has become so strong that elegance, character and love for the country have all been butchered. Fixers and fixes rule the roost. It is a sad demise of the Gentleman’s Game. Alas!

What is Success?

In my last posting, we had discussed about the relative importance of knowledge, wealth and power in achieving success. We carried out a poll which ticked votes as 527 knowledge, 66 wealth, 50 power. But I had explained that the definition of success needs to be created in one’s own individual terms.

Today, I shall talk further about success. What is success? Amassing Wealth; or becoming extremely powerful; or acquiring extensive knowledge? The common parameter for an individual’s success would be how he/she is able to achieve their goals. Indeed, when you set a goal for yourself and you achieve it you are successful.



But what happens when you do not set goals? Or when you set goals which are unrealistic or unachievable? Another question that comes to mind is do you have to be successful according to your own parameters? Do you goals have to be according to your own liking and desires? Or does your family/friends and well wishers have any role to play? Should you/should you not take into account their expectations or even the current trends in the society? If one is a member of a community how can the same be totally disregarded?

One thing for sure is extremely important; that any success worth its name should bring you happiness.



For me true success is achieving bit by bit my goals which I must set as under:

1. My health goals
2. My Career goals
3. My financial goals
4. My social goals
5. My hobby goals
6. My spiritual goals

It means that I need to have some kind of measure for reviewing my success. I have classified these in the order of importance so far as I am concern. But how does one go about defining these goals and setting them according to one’s own priority – well that is a subject for any discussion. 

What is most Important for Success- Knowledge, Power or Wealth?

At our learning centre, we recently held a discussion on- “What is important for success- knowledge, power or wealth?”

Importance of Power

The participants in the discussions were entrepreneurs, corporate executives, bankers and others. Different views were presented by the speakers. Some considered knowledge as most important factor. They enumerated examples of successful people who had risen from being unknown to highly rated successful individual by consistently acquiring knowledge and gainfully using it. Knowledge in such cases did not necessarily mean any university degree or such other qualification. Knowledge, here, denotes application of mind of the practical knowledge received through any medium and using the same for earning name, fame and wealth. Steve Jobs is one such example. Our own Dhirubhai Ambani is another. Even Warren Buffet’s story is no different. It is rags to riches. While academic Knowledge has also helped lots of people to become successful and famous.

Importance of Power

The role of power in success, too, cannot be undermined. Politicians achieve power and then use the same to achieve greater power. This is how power helps them to be successful. In the present scenario, a powerful politician can introduce his/her son or daughter to become a nominated leader and in the process achieve success in politics. Many politicians, today, are following this model of leadership succession. Likewise, a powerful bureaucrat can use his power to help his friend relative to achieve success.

Importance of Wealth

Wealth can buy knowledge and power. So, one may say that if you have money, you can achieve any goal by hiring people, facilities to create any large project and achieve success.  But without Knowledge achieved through experience it is very difficult to see the success of a large project. Political leaders can no doubt introduce their wards in leadership succession through the power they wield, but unless they   ensure that the latter gain sufficient experience, the entrant may not be successful.  Knowledge acquired through experience alone will bring success to them. Here too, Knowledge gained with experience becomes important. Power alone will not work.

So, the fact of the matter is that knowledge learnt through studies or gained through experience is indeed very important in any field.

But, it needs to be remembered that the meaning of success has to be defined by each and every individual in his/her own terms.

How should one do that? That will be a subject of another post.

Thank you.

'Sab Kuch Luta Ke Hosh Me Aaye To Kya Kiya'

This morning I was listening to a programme called ‘Bhule Bisre Geet’ at old at Vividh Bharati-All India Radio. The above song sung by Talat Mahmood from the movie Ek Saal- ‘sab kuchh Luta ke hosh me aaye toh kya kiya’, caught my attention. As we all know old Hindi songs not only had melodious music, but also great poetry. These gained timeless popularity because of their thoughtful poetic expression. A poet is a thinker whocontemplates on any facet of human life.



In this song the poet is describing the plight of the person who lost everything ignorantly. It emphasizes the importance of self awareness and being alert. Should you remain in slumber, you are not only likely to lose opportunities but you may also lose all that you have. The poet laments the futility of waking up after all is lost. Another point that is explained is that often we engage ourselves in useless activities. If we are self aware and consider what we are doing at a given time, probably we will not carry out any such useless activity.

Sab kuchh Luta ke hosh me aaye toh kya kiya (2)
Din ne agar chiraag jalaye toh kya kiya
(Burning lamps during the daylight is undoubtedly futile)
Sab kuchh Luta ke hosh me aaye toh kya kiya

In the next four lines (1^st. Antra) the poet describes how a person loses his/her love because of his/her own folly. But once lost, you can do nothing about it. It shows how important it is to carefully nurture important but delicate relationships. Should you make mistake casually the results can be totally out of proportions and shocking.



Hum badnasib pyar kee rusawayee ban Gaye
Khud hee laga ke aag tamashayee ban Gaye
Daaman se apane shole bujaye toh kya kiya
Sab kuchh Luta ke hosh me aaye toh kya kiya
(Unfortunate me! due to my own wrongdoing, I became a butt of laughter. Firefighting, now, is of no avail)

Now let’s look at the concluding four lines (2^nd Antra)
Le le ke haar phulon ke, aayee toh thee bahar
Najaarien uthha ke ham ne hee, dekha Na Ek bar
Aankho se abb yeh parde hataye toh kya kiya
Sab kuchh Luta ke hosh me aaye toh kya kiya
(Literally, spring had come with garlands but I did not care to look at it. Removing the curtain of darkness now has no purpose)

In the above Antra we find that the person realizes that pleasant opportunities did come. But these were neither recognized nor used. Looking back at these lost opportunities is of no avail now.

The song literally teaches us the lessons taught by the great management Gurus in simple but sweet poetic language, besides being a pleasant soothing melody.

Men, Matters & Media

Whenever I go to bed early say at 10.30 pm or so, I get up between 3 to 4 am. Total peace prevails at that time. It is a wonderful time to brood or to write my Blog. After I finish writing, either I reach my computer or watch television - mostly The News. Last night, I watched the T.V. News which had been already telecasted during the day. The most important stories which were being repeated. But it suits me as I do not watch TV otherwise at all.

The fist channel I switched on was covering Sanjay Dutt’s journey from his house to the court to surrender. There was a huge caravan of cars led by the police van for security. I wasn’t really interested, so I switched to another channel. The same story was going on there as well, covered by a different cameraman. I then changed to another news channel. Same story there too. I wanted to skip this story. So, I kept switching different channels. But there was no way; I could escape from the Caravan. I switched off the TV and started to think about the situation.

During the day, I had known that the ongoing agitation of the traders against LBT (a proposed tax in lieu of Octroi) had turned awry. There was lathi charge by the police. Many men were hurt. The ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ is carried out by these traders. Due to the agitation lakhs of Mumbaikars are affected. But this news found no space. Such an important matter was considered as trivial when compared to the mighty Caravan proceeding to the court!

I was left asking myself – what is happening in our society? Where are we heading? What does the future hold for us?

Wani Yoga - Lesson 14

Speak to express not to impress

You must always speak to express yourself. Any effort to impress others while speaking does not bring about the necessary result. In fact, it may even alienate your listener/ listeners. People expect you to express an honest opinion; no-body wants to be influenced by artificial means.

When you try to impress others, your body language, your voice and the very language used, make it apparent to a discerning listener that you are cooking up a story. No one is the interested in that.
Whenever you try to feign a style just to show off; it puts people off. So the best thing is to be your natural self. Develop a style by all means. But it should be your own natural style
.
Your speech must be preceded by your desire to express yourself.

In the circumstances, I consider, Wani Yoga is a discipline which can be best practiced in our old Gura-Shishya tradition. Guru is always his own real self. He is keen that his disciples receive the maximum advantage of his training. His happiness lies in his disciples; in helping them achieve their goals. Wani Yoga enables you to have total control of your mind, body, body language and the language used by you in communication. The trainer or the coach can monitor your progress only if he or she follows this Guru-Shishiya tradition in the true sense.

I am informed by a friend of mine that today happens to be birthday of Adi Shankaracharya who was one of the greatest gurus propagating Guru-Shishiya Parampara.

Wani Yoga - Lesson 13

In my last post (Lesson 12) I had described how resonance comprises a great quality in male voice. It is true for public speakers as well as singers.

So far as female voice is concern, somehow we do not have many world famous female public speakers. That is because traditionally not many ladies have been great political leaders or others who have motivated people with their Public Speaking Skills.

At the same time I would say that the possibility of ladies leading the society can be as much as that of man. The problem lies only in the opportunity. We did have great females leaders like Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi and Golda Meir all three of them were great leaders, but only Margaret Thatcher was a great Public Speaker. Indira Gandhi’s speeches were undoubtedly motivation she spoke with conviction. But as she generally spoke on higher pitch, whenever she wanted to put more emphases her voice became strained.



Margret Thatcher on the other hand spoke with great ease. She had spontaneity and conviction. Besides her voice was very resonant. It a pleasure to listen to her speeches some of which are available on the YouTube. Golda Meir of Israel was another great leader but an average speaker.

When we look at the present time I find Mrs. Michelle Obama is a remarkable Public Speaker her articulation is exquisite her modulation is commendable and her control over language is appreciable.
In our own country Sushma Swaraj the leader of the opposition in parliament is a public speaker of a caliber. She is articulate and her control over Voice too is reasonably good.



Since more and more ladies are becoming corporate trainer in develop countries and also in our country. We can hope to see a whole breed of excellent ladies’ Public Speakers. Here, I am not talking of great female leaders But female leaders But female Public Speakers.

The quality is which they need to develop our; one zone personal natural style, speaking Sentences and bring about Modulation during the Speech.

I may repeat here that modulation is one’s ability to bring variance in pace, pause, pitch, emphasis on the keyword and the tone.

The good thing is that more and more people including ladies we realizing the importance of clear speech, presentation Skills and Public Speaking.

Thank you………

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day was initiated in Philadelphia (USA) by Ms. Anna Jarvis is 1907. It is a great gesture to honour our Mothers. Many countries today celebrate Mother’s Day in their own ways. We must appreciate Ms. Anna Jarvis for her noble initiative.
In India, when we celebrate Mother’s day indeed we must pay respect to our Mothers and celebrate the occasion in whichever way we want. But more importantly, we must also remember and pay homage to the great mothers our country had been blessed with. I would like to mention three names from the many that can be chosen from the pages of history.  These are:
Jijabai – mother of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj
Maharani Lakshmibai – Jhansi ki Rani, and
Vidyavati – mother of Shaheed Bhagat Singh
 
Jijabai – also known as Rajmata Jijabai the great queen mother who instilled all the qualities in Chatrapati Shivaji. His exceptional courage, bravery and application of mind in direly fearful circumstances were all gifted to him by his mother. It is said that Jijabai had fervently prayed to Goddess Bhavani to bless her with a son that would liberate the divided and disheartened hindus from the tyrant rulers of the time who severely tortured and persecuted them. Shivaji’s mother instilled in him the patriotic values and the burning desire to liberate the people from tyranny. History is witness to all his brave encounters with the Mughals and the Deccan Sultans. His war strategies and the lightning fast tactics would amaze the best generals of his time. His agility, alertness and fast decision making power remains a lesson for all leaders of all times. This day let us pay our respects to his mother Rajmata Jijabai who was the force behind him.

Maharani Lakshmibai – At a very young age she married the Maharaja of Gaekwad and bore him a son. However the baby did not survive for long. The Maharaja then adopted a young boy as Prince and future heir to the throne. However the Maharaja did not survive after this adoption. Lakshmibai had to fight all odds to get her adopted son due and legitimate recognition by the British. The stories of her bravery are etched in the annals of india’s glorious history. Till the very end she fought for the honour of her state and for the rights of her only son – the heir to the throne of Jhansi.

Vidyavati – who can match the sacrifice of the great mother who decided not to go to bring the dead body of his young son because she did not want anyone to witness the tears in her eyes. The stories of her motivation towards her son comprise a great honour for our country. Let us remember the tremendous mother of Shahid Bhagat Singh.
I am urging my readers to share these views with friends.

Akku & Gabbar

Ever since I saw these cute Japanese Dogs, I felt that the names given to them were a grave injustice. Both these pretty Dogs live together in New Delhi. They belong to my niece who is also responsible for naming them.

Akku is prettier to look at. Gabbar’s face is totally black. Akku’s eyes are charming. But Gabbar’s eyes are visible only when he is angry. In the gone by era in Punjab elders would express a hot tempered person by saying

“Gussa te oudee nakk te baitta rahenda hai”
meaning :

anger always stays on the tip of his/her nose. But Gabbar’s nose is hardly visible. His anger emerges from his deep rooted negative instinct – jealousy. Gabbar is very jealous of his prettier brother Akku. He cannot tolerate if any attention is given to Akku by anyone much less by my niece.

And yet, both love each other. Throughout the day they like to stay together. There are two maid servants in the house. Both Akku and Gabbar are extremely fond of them. The maids feed the pets as their own children. Sometimes my sister or my niece also feed these pretty pets. These are special occasions for them. They show their happiness by rolling on the ground. They jump and they dance. Just to express their joy.
I find there is a lot to learn from these two little animals. Some of the points which come to my mind are as below:

1. That it is human to be jealous, yet the competitive jealousy should not be carried too far. Like Gabbar, we should forget and move on with our playful life.
2. They feel upset if no attention is paid to them but only for some time. The moment you look at them, and call they jump on you. So they don’t hold grudges or get mad at you.
3. They like the maids but they enjoy the company of their owners better. So they observe the propriety.

Thanks for reading.

Smart Skills

Education is necessary, but skill is essential. Unfortunately, our education system per se is such that it hardly helps an individual develop skills. Much less the skills I think are most important for living life happily and successfully.  I am talking about two skills in particular - skill with oneself, and skill with people.

 A child is born with some tendencies which may have a lot to do with his/her parentage. What is his father's attitude to life, what is that of his mother, and more importantly how their relationship with each other. While these factors continue to have their influence on the growth of the child, various other influences start playing an important role during the growing years. The teacher, the class mates, friends, relatives, and neighbors - all influence the child. It is hard to say how much these help in developing either of the two skills which I have mentioned above - skill with oneself, and skill with other people.

So what should be done? Whatever best steps can be taken by all concerned for developing both these skills. The education system as it is today can hardly help. Teachers are bound by the curriculum and the parents may not be able to find the time from their busy schedule in the competitive life of today.  But the ever growing media today can play a very important role provided a parent/parents are able to guide and regulate the exposure and use of the media by the child. The significance of Internet must be realized. All the knowledge required is available on the net. But one may say that a skill cannot be delivered by the information/knowledge on the net. Yes it is true to a large extent. Yet you tube presentations and other interactive programs make it possible to learn a lot from the net. In times to come, I am sure, the growth of the social media with websites focusing on special subjects will bring about a revolution in the concept of education and training. The need is that the parents, teachers and mentors motivate learners to be focused and stick to what they must and should not be distracted.

Developing skill with yourself, to me means listening and talking to your oneself. It means to understand your heart, identify what you really like and to concentrate your energies towards these.

Developing skill with people means to understand simple human psychology. You interaction with them should never ignore the following basic principles;

I)  That each one is interested in more in himself/herself than you.
II) That I, me, mine puts people off.
III) That making people talk makes them feel important.
IV)That when you win an argument you lose a friend so never argue.
V) That listening attentively to others will make them feel important. They like you most when you to that.
VI) That you need to skillfully convince people. If you say something that is obviously to your advantage, people will be skeptical. So do it differently. Say how an important third person appreciated your products/efforts/service. This will help create confidence in the minds of people about you.

More on this in my next Post. Thanks for reading.

Aping the West

It is a common knowledge that we in India have started aping the west some of the more forward ones young as well as old take pride in dating.  The concept of one night stand has also found its route and is moving forward in the West.

Elders bemoan that youngesters are forgetting our original values.  I am reminded off what Mahatma Gandhi had said at the time of Independence.  "Desh to apna ho gaya lakin log paraye ho gaye".  While we have become an Independent nation our people have become dependents - dependent on the ways.  It may not have been true at that time but when we look around the environment today one feels that foolishly we are aping the West.  We want to the kind of parties that have been happening for decades in the West youngsters like their clothes to be modeled on the latest Western fashion.  We eat pizzas instead of poori aloo,  young ones like pepsi more than lassi and so on....In Mumbai Bhel puri was known as a common mans delicacies,  its popularity was among many other cities but now the Chinese foodies have cropped up and Chinese Bhel 'is gaining ground'.

There is a lot to learn from every civilization,  unfortunately what we don't learn is the civic sense and cleanliness of the West,  and doggite determination and hard work of the Chinese. 

Its distressing to find that nouve rich while stopping and the signals open the door of the car and spit out,  little realizing the the roads belong to the nation. The local trains are disfigured with various posters.  The process of cleaning the compartments we are told has become very expensive in view of the highly effective glue,  besides littering the tracks with wrappers banana peels etc.... creating a nuisance for the railway authorities.  They have to spend a lot of money try to keep the tracks clean. We don't stand in qu pushing even elderly.  we have become totally insensitive out of sheer selfishness,  honking is rampant even when not required.  We don't observe the lane driving.  We have become a nation of only I Me and Mine....By and large we are never on time and blame the traffic when late for appointments.  There is a lot more to be said and a lot more to be thought off. 

Let NGOs take up civic sense and cleanliness as their prime project which will surely will be good for the new generation.

Personal Productivity

A few days back, we had a brain storming session on personal productivity. Organisational productivity is a subject that may attract more attention than any other in the management field. But what is personal productivity? Does it mean how does one manage his/her time? The answer is yes and no. Yes, time is an important aspect of personal productivity. Rather, it could be so provided your activities are aligned with your goals. And yet it is a lot more. Does it mean one’s achievement towards realization of personal goals? Not just that! Personal goals may change. Personal vision may change. And if one may say so personal mission statement if one ever cares to establish that – that also may change.

When we talk of mission statement or vision or an organization, that hardly ever changes. But when we are talking of an individual, the factors that affect a person’s likes and dislikes, desires, drastically change with changing circumstances, or even without these.

According to me the most important factor for a person’s success is his/her personal productivity. Now I will like to define it as far as I am concerned. As one grows one realizes that it is not just money, not just health, not just family, or your social status, hobbies etc., that bring to you happiness, but it is a combination of all these in varying proportions.  So what we need to do is to align all our activities to achieve whatever we want in the aforesaid different fields.

Therefore a daily review of what you do becomes very important. In the highly competitive world we have today, the targets that the organizations set for you are hard ones. These sap your energy and rob you of the power and ability to think what you must do. You only start following sometimes even unachievable targets. In the process, you totally destroy you concept of personal productivity.

Hence, what is really needed is to have the right balance and proper perspective towards life. It is only such a healthy attitude that strikes a right balance between family and friends, home and work, health and money that will lead to a truly happy and successful life.

Lots of good books are available which help you develop a proper perspective some of these are:

• Bhagwad Gita, ISKON:

• Seven Habits by Successful People by Steven Covey
  

• Power of Positive Thinking: Dr. Vincent Peele

Hanuman Jayanti

Shree Hanuman Jayanti
Hanuman Jayanti was celebrated yesterday with devotion and religious fervor. Hanuman temples were decorated with flowers and colorful lights all over the country. Bhajans and Kirtans to celebrate Shree Hanumanji’s birthday were also organised in many places.

What is the importance of Shree Hanuman in the Hindu Religion? Why do  so many people worship Shree Hanuman so ardently? They even observe a fast and eat only once in the evening and that too only sweet food, no salt.

Shree Hanuman is known for his devotion towards Lord Ram. His selfless love and comitment to serve Lord Ram empowers him to achieve anything that may be required to serve his Lord. It is this unique power that enables him to fly to the far off mountains to bring the rare herb that is needed to revive Lakshman.

Laye Sanjivan Lakhan Jiyaye
Shree Raghuvir harashi ur laye
                              
It  is the same power that enables him to burn half of the Lankan Kingdom, in order to teach Ravan a lesson. His dedication and desire to serve his master Lord Ram is so intense that the only path which is seen by his eyes is the road to success to achieve the desired goal.

Durgam Kaj Jagat Ke Jete
Sugam Anugrah Tumre Tete

Meaning the burden of all difficult tasks of the world becomes light with you kind grace. (These choupais are taken from Hanuman Chalisa

Many thinkers and life coaches of the Western world have emphasised the power of visualisation. Shree Hanuman is an embodient of that very visualisation. In this state, the person only sees success till he/she achieves it. And when one is totally devoted to a particular cause which is the goal there is no distraction whatsoever. So the total focus and dedication to the work accelerates the process of success.
That is why people read the Hanuman Chalisa with devotion and the following choupais motivate and reassure that whatever is desired will be achieved.

Sab kuch lahi tumhari sarna
Tum rakshak kahu ko darna……

All comforts of the world lie at your feet. The devotees enjoy all divine pleasures and feel fearlesss.

Bhoot pishach nikat nahi aave,
Mahavir jab nam sunave

All the ghosts, demons, and evil forces run away when one recites your name.

Sankat se Hanuman Chudave,
Man kram vachn dhyan jo lave

Those who remember Shree Hanuman, think about him, his words and deeds with sincerity and faith are rescued from any crisis of life.

Ashta siddhi nav nidhi ke daata,
Us var deen Janaki Mata

Shree Hanuman can grant all ‘siddhis’ – power to become light and heavy at will and also yogic powers to attain riches, comfort, power, prestige, and good relationship.
The daily recital of the Hanuman Chalisa with your goal in mind empowers you to take such actions which will enable you to achieve your goals easily.

Jai Shree Hanuman!

Shamshad Begum is no more!

Shamshad Begum (1919-2003)

I have been discussing great female singers, development of their voices, and the quality of the singing in ‘Wani Yoga’ postings.

Today, when Shamshad Begum has passed away I would like to pay my heart felt tribute to her. Her voice always depicted a strong personality. Just as a Manager with a deep authoritative but polite voice shows his/her personality in verbal communication, Shamshad Begum established the unique depth of her voice in her singing. Her voice needed no change, no development. It only matured like a good wine with the passing years. Her devotion to singing and the ease and spontaneity is conspicuous in her songs. It will always be remembered.

Many great Music Composers used her voice to render their compositions. Notable among them are Naushad, C. Ramchander, and O.P. Nayyar. Her rendering of different of types of tunes of the great masters leaves an impression that no other female singer could have done. She appears most apt for the songs that she sang. Let us examine some of these.
C. Ramchander – Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon, kiya hai wahan se telephoon…..

mere piya gaye rangoon - song by shamshad begum

This song is from the film Patanga and is a duet, but Shamshad Begum is outstanding.
Naushad – O gadiwale, gadi dhere hank re…..

Whenever I listen to this song played on Vividh Bharti, the entire scence of running bullock carts before my eyes. That is the impact of Shamshad’s voice in the song.

Another song from Naushad that I particularly remember is a duet with Talat Mehmood from the film Babul – Milte hi aankhein dil hua diwana kisi ka, afsana mere ban gaya afsana kisi ka.....

milte hi aankhein

Yet it was O.P. Nayyar, who exploited her voice to the best of her ability. Therefore I have chosen a number of songs:

• Kahin pe nigahein, Kahin pe nishana…..

1. 

   kahin pe nigahein

• Kabhi aar,kabhi paar laga teer-e-nazar….

  

  kabhi aar kabhi paar

• Kajra mohabbat wala, akhiyon me aisa dala….

  

  kajra mohabbat wala

• Le ke pahla pahla pyaar…..(CID 1956)

Her memories will last for generations.

Shakespeare

                                                      William Shakespeare

Traditionally, it is accepted that Shakespeare was born on 23^rd April, 1564. He was the third child of a tanner, father of eight children. Shakespeare left a lasting legacy. Today, after nearly four centuries, people are so fond of his literature, that they think that Shakespeare is still living among us. His plays, his characters, his poetry, and his knowledge of the human mind – all transcend the limits of time and space. He died on the same date 23^rd April 1616. Within his short life, he created poetry and plays the essence of which has influenced generations of writers throughout the world.
His spontaneity and the magical music of the sounds of the words cannot be described in words. It has to be experienced to understand what it is. The sheer intensity of his life and the strong desire to express himself resulted in the wonderful treasure that we have in the form of his poetry and plays.

                                               King Lear by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare’s characters are real and life-like. His tragic heroes suffer from one major tragic flaw. For example, King Lear is credulous and gives in to the flattery of his two elder daughters. The youngest daughter who truly loved him would use no such flowery words and got nothing out of his kingdom and his wealth. In the play, King Lear has to suffer for the rest of his life due to the one tragic flaw of being credulous and prone to flattery. How many of us continue to suffer even today.

Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar on the other hand was extremely ambitious. Thus, it was the tragic flaw of ambition that led other senators to murder him. Even today, there are people like Shakespeare whose unbridled ambition causes them to suffer from this tragic flaw.
Extreme hunger for Power saw the end of Macbeth. In fact, each of Shakespeare’s tragedies ends in a nemesis that gives an inspiration to all of us to improve and develop and grow. Because left to themselves, things can only go from bad to worse.

The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare

His play ‘ The Merchant of Venice’ leaves a harsh message for extremely harsh negotiators. Demands must draw their own limits. So, negotiators must look for win-win situations, rather than facing flak in the end.
More on this great man and the lessons to be learnt in my next posting.

Thank you.

Feedback Form

Today I shall describe three different situations from any first hand experience.
1. I was trying to sell a training programme for the vice presidents and senior vice presidents of reasonably large and fast growing private bank. The discussion was being held with an exceptionally sharp and forthright HR head. His concern was about how could he ensure that his well defined objective will be met during two days training.

My presentation had included feedbacks from officers of similar status in a larger bank. I rolled back the presentation and showed him those feedbacks.  I hoped that he would be impressed. Politely,  he brushed these aside and said, "normally trainers have a knack of creating fast paced activity. In the bonhomie that follows no one writes the 'real' remarks.  Everything oscillates between good and excellent".
This set me to thinking. I looked back and realised that whatever he said was more or less true. Two possibilities came to my mind. Either we were really good or we needed to ensure that the 'real' comments come out from the participants.

2. Recently a tall and smart young man came to meet me. He said that he was a trainer and has been conducting courses for the past three years, on management of personal wealth. His courses are conducted in one of the five star properties, and the response is reasonably good. Invariably, he takes feedback forms from the participants. Only recently one of the participants wrote in his comments that the trainer spoke so fast that he could not understand anything. The feedback brought home a number of revelations – that the participants often do hesitate to write their real comments. It is so because most of us are not assertive. Equally important was the fact that the trainer, nay, not anyone should speak fast. If the objective of communication is conveying the ideas, these must be achieved. How? By modulation you speech, that is by bringing about variance in pace, pitch, pause, emphasis on the keywords and the tone. Modulation of the voice is recommended for everyone. But for public speakers, advocates, lecturers, it is a must. The young man told me that he would have continued speaking fast but for this one assertive participants, “real” feedback. Surely, he would be a much better trainer now and owes the success to the feedback form alone.

Rajdhani Express

3. On the 14^th of this month, I left for Delhi by the Rajdhani Express. Ever since the cheap airlines, have started operating, the charm of air travel has gone. Earlier, one would have a nice breakfast, or a good meal depending upon the time of the flight. And all from a five star flight kitchen. Now, you have to buy your own sandwitch, or a packet of biryani. And I would not pay twice the airfare just for a free meal.
While travelling I got the news that my sister had fallen sick and she was admitted in a leading hospital in South Delhi. On reaching there, we would sit out as she was in the ICU. There were two types of chairs. One which could be turned as sleepers. These were extremely uncomfortable to sit. Besides, there would be more attendentants than the number of chairs. Though the place was supposed to be air conditioned, there were many mosquitos. The pesticide sprinkler would come more than once everyday, but the mosquitos seemed to reappear just as soon has he left. I didn’t see anyone cleaning or mopping the place. Families of four patients including my sister occupied most of the chairs.

Hospital

In any case, we were more concerned about the patients. Medical care seemed to be good. Everytime the Doctor would come to examine the patient, he/she would politely talk to the relatives of the patient concerned.

After four days, my sister had recovered to the extent that she was moved to a single room. At this time, the sister-in-charge of the ICU gave a feedback form to my niece. So far we had been hapless watchers and mute listeners. Now it was the time for us to express our grievances. My niece poured out and wrote about all we had seen and experienced.

In the single room we found that there was a big sofa and two chairs which were rather unclean. Though the room was large, the maintainence was rather poor. The glass overlooking the garden had not been cleaned for days and gave a rather shabby look. Even the bathroom was not clean and properly sanitized. Meanwhile, my nephew had come in the room. Finding these shortcomings, he started checking the other amenities. When he tried to open the locker, it wouldn’t. He had brought with him DVDs which my sister liked, but the DVD player wouldn’t work.

Meanwhile, a supervisor came from the ICU and pleaded that my niece change the feedback. She even brought a new feedback form. On the other side, my nephew complained that the locker was not opening, the DVD player was not working, the glass window needed to be cleaned and the bathroom did not have soap and other accessories. Charging patient room rent equal to that of a five star hotel, and not providing facilities was very unreasonable. However, now there was a difference. As soon as the complaints were lodged, the hospital staff swung into action. Some came and cleaned the glass. Soap, shampoo, body lotion, and even the shaving kit was placed in the bathroom. Since the DVD player did not work, it was promptly replaced. The floor was thoroughly cleaned, re-cleaned and sensitized with profuse apologies. In short, they did all to please the patient and the attendants alike.

You may call it the power of the feedback form. Make it a point to fill feedback forms assertively whenever there is an occasion.

Thank you.

Murphy's Laws

Most would think that Murphy was a pessimist.  His pessimism alone drove him to be a negative thinker.  In the circumstances, it is neither necessary nor prudent to take him or his laws seriously.

What does Murphy say?  And what is the implication of his controversial laws?

This is what I propose to share with you, today.

Murphy's most talked about law is:

'If anything can go wrong it will.' Corollaries are interpreted by many as below:

1. Anything is not as easy as it looks. To me, this is a valid caution.  Often times a task appears a bit too easy.  It is so because we don't all the aspects.  Thereafter the difficulties that we face in completing the task leave us discouraged.  So, if we keep this dictum in mind, we shall be better prepared to do our own job surmounting whatever difficulties come our way.

This attitude could be either due to casual conduct or being over optimistic, over confident and taking things for guaranteed.  Hope we all agree it calls for an improvement - for better productivity and happier life. 

Yet, if we take it literally and don't rely on the intent, it remains no longer a caution.  Instead of being helpful the dictum will result in procrastination or even pessimistic.  Both are equally undesirable.

2. Second corollary: Everything takes longer than you think is very similar to the first one and should be dealt accordingly.

3. Next: It has been interpreted that if there is a possibility of many things going wrong, the one which will cause maximum damage will be the first one to go wrong. I have no personal experience so therefore cannot comment.

4. The fourth corollary is interesting indeed. It says that if you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong and you circumvent these, than a fifth way will promptly develop. This again should be taken positively as a caution. 

5.  The fifth one is important and needs serious attention:  ' Left to themselves things tend to go from bad to worse'.
Surely, one must not hope that anything important, be it a relationship, or a project which has hit a stumbling block will improve with time.  No, never.  It definitely requires your considered action or even 'inaction'.  But in both the cases it should be a deliberate and thoughtful decision.  There are more. But we will discuss these some other time

Thank you