Jobs-less world

Sometime back while an interview in NASSCOM Bangalore Guy Kawasaki, Former chief evangelist of Apple Computers said that statistically speaking India should have atleast four Steve Jobs. Since then and now, when world has lost its one and only Steve Jobs, the question remains that what makes Steve Jobs...the determination for perfection or something else? Very contradicting views and answers to this can be found from his pre-success colleagues. But one thing can be said about Steve's life without controversy that his life path extraordinarily tortuous, esp. to be a world class technology entrepreneur when he was busy looking for spiritual visit to India in a age when we all learn basics of science and technology. Whatever! his fair existence and impact to the world was not just a chance or a miracle; he was great in all what he did. He was certainly and extraordinary visionary to beat all the extraordinarily tortuous paths of his life. Apple computers in guidance of Jobs sold the dreams, the i-Dreams in form of products which could have only been the dream without him.

Job's world will miss you as an entrepreneur, as a visionary and a person who can inspire many more!

Time flies

Yet another year passed and a very special day of my life is back. I don't know how to say it special in bitter way; its now end of 2nd year without my mother...how to say it special in good way as well as it is start of 8th year on my blog...no comparability between two either. Well, the day started with walking around in the Leiden city to find some flowers for my mother. It is Sunday morning and except churches nothing is open today. Well, I wanted to get something anyhow n reached till church..a man stopped me, asking do you believe in God.I said 'no and I am busy now'. Some people still try here to find someone who can come in church for Sunday prayer, otherwise they are nothing different than monuments. Anyway, I walked but can't see a shop still while mind was busy cooking this question. My mother was great believer of God and I was great agnostic. There is lot of unanswered questions for life which leaves you with God, but beyond these Q&A, its hard to be believer. He or she is creator and everything goes by his (her) wish only, as temples, churches, mosque and more over our mother told us. I think even if there is someone who did it all, he (she) lost his (her) remote control after switching ON the whole system. Also, as across the religion people believe in preaching, it seems God must be someone who was Sarkari babu in past and got the position by deputation. So he can't do anything by his own vision unless, is requested politely n bribed (chadhawa) to the worst. I don't want to be funny, I am serious! If there is God, how he(she) can tolerate so much of malfunction in the system and does nothing except to add some more in it from time to time.

Whatever! I can't find an answer to it anyway..so lets hope that the next time when I will be sitting for this occasion I will have a better reason to believe in God and celebrate the existence.

How many Kalam's

Saw the movie I am Kalam today. I was nice experience. I always believed in vision n movie was the thought provoking for the same. I loved the way it was put forward through a kid. In a time when we are all pointing fingers on each other only the true dreamers n walk-out n make their own way. Kalam is certainly the icon of the same. He proved how when nothing is in favor of you how to fight back n prove yourself..how to have a vision and follow it with all strength. Few years back I read that vision without action is mere dream, looking on Kalam we know man without dream is no human..ofcourse it needs a dare to follow it. We are country full of people with dream, country full of Kalam's.  

Jugad to Management.

Its hard to find exact match for Indian word Jugad in any English dictionaries, but it is something in genetic code of people of Indian origin. It was in news today that people of Indian origin are getting leading management positions in top most companies of the world, It is not just the sign of acceptance of Indian talent in world market but also the growing impact of Indians across the world. But, looking inside the country although the number of engineering and management colleges have increased almost with the same exponential rate, the quality of education has gone down with the same rate as well. In this case natural talents, although lesser nourished manage to become engineer and manager and mostly manager after engineer. And this is creating a big problem also. Systems cannot be always run on jugad, at some point we need people hard in basics, who worked hard in their past to understand it rather than just mugged up the jugad notes to manage to be engineers-managers. This big fleet of untrained jugad mangers are going to be bring a new challenge to the country.

Problem of Satisfied Civilisation

India as a civilisation, which had great history of innovation and conceptualisation has acted like dumb in last 500 years. We have been suffering from food-to-mouth disease for all these centuries despite of all pride carried from past. Lot of changes happened in society; some were to counter its own anomalies developed in these days but lesser were driven by internal will power to make a mark. We are taught right from basics that “Santosham paramam sukham” (Contentment is the highest bliss) and sooner or later we all learn to believe it. Some places its a good teaching, but who is going to tell that..it not all. What is not good in life should not be answered always with contentment, we need to find the solution. This lack for effort often lead to solutions of our problem by others unrelated which lacks effectiveness. Local problems always need local solutions or atleast customization of global solution. Our constitution is one good example of one such solution which is good but how many holes are there we all see in daily life. As a satisfied customer we couldn't find even the right solutions, and fail to explore the possibilities in the right perspective.

Therefore we as a civilisation it is time for us to keep our learnings of contentment aside to become discontent and find solutions for our problems. Problems like hunger, drought, corruption, flood and mis-management of natural resources cannot be solved without local initiative. We can find the solution of all the problem if we can find the solution to the problem of satisfied civilisation.

Listening Inside First!

US nabbed and as said killed Osama...big to small all cadres of people in India started jumping high on their chairs, ‘why not we can do it?’ Same happens to other issues like solving issues related to Bhopal tragedy, disclosure of black money in foreign banks, getting permanent seat in UN Security Council etc etc. We always keep on complaining that others are not listening to us even though we are big enough country atleast in terms of number to not to be ignored. Well, we have been crying and will keep crying as its now part of our culture. But amazingly we never try to ask the same question from us that are we listening to our own people and acting on those grounds where we and only we are suppose to act? After independence of more than half of the decade we still living with problem of hunger, homelessness, illiteracy, corruption at all level, discrimination based on every fringe of society and all that which stops the common man to live a common life! We are simple pointing fingers on others without looking on us. India first needs to make its own bones and veins strong to let the world understand its capabilities and without which all outcries are just an attempt to remove sour out of throat.

Relax you are Secular!

It was Good Friday here in NL so as was in India; Chirstians are majority here in NL and very-less in India; But it was working day here in NL and holiday in India. Every little reason in India converts into public holiday..someone born, somebody died..and if nothing let all take a bath n a holiday for that. And if anything do for masses is give them a reason for holiday. India as a country of religious diversity its amazingly stupid that a reason for holiday for merely 1-3% of the population stops the work life of 97% and they all don't work for no reason. As a country if it is tried to be reasionable and stop it, its going to be a big debate.  People trying for it will be labelled communal, not respecting other religion. Its a big mess where workmanship is less preached than religion..so just relax you got to be secular!

The Richer Journey

We all want to be rich; even those with all form of richness want to be even more rich. Some find it in material world, some in spiritual. And it comes on the cost of all the moment you would have lived without the desire of that richness. So is that the real richness we want for our life...my answer is certainly no. Life is a journey and if that whole journey is not rich, no other form of richness can give that satisfaction. But what is that richness? In my eyes, is the feeling of living our present in full and a conserved memories of past for every single thing you did to make life beautiful. And that richness is always a journey, where you feel the riches of life in form all what you have gone and going through. It sounds very spiritual but in my version its more like living yourself in more consciousness; nothing more! without any additions or reduction in the current life form...just to enjoy the richer journey.

The spirit of giving all

Saw an interview of AR Rahman, this morning on NDTV. It was like listening to my own vision for life although much more to be done to live that vision in me as I am not a legend (btw I don't need to tell that either ). He was talking about the artistic need for distruction of self ego which I believe to be as much needed in anyother walk of life. I think there is a very thin line between pride and proud. The pride is very much needed for any quality creation but nothing can be as toxic as being proud as it very soon takes your control out of you. The other important thing I liked was when he spoke about the readiness to give and its importance for sustained richness in professional achievement. The more you give the more you get should also be mantra for life, because if we just try to retain the knowledge or skill we have in ourself within us, it is going to make us stagnant. Unless we leave the previous ground we can never move to the next ground, the common physical phenomena we see n do every day. All we need to understand that, same is true even for the other parts of life also. Believe in you, your luck-destiny-thrust whatever you feel-like, and give away your current best to move forward..you will get next best and don't stop there.

Dreams and the realities

Sitting on San Francisco Airport for the way back to Amsterdam. It was amazing experience with lot of learning, fun and syndication. The idea of Think Big was reflecting everywhere in Silicon valley in form of entrepreneur implementing every crappy to wonderful ideas at big scale. Same time, it was also an opportunity to see the shallowness of big American dream and culture. Lot of people where lying in streets and surprisingly much more elderly people on Friday nights begging when rest of the city of which I was also part was trying to explore night-life of San Francisco. The big rift between the two parts of same society exists unlike any part of world despite of huge money flow in the system. Whatever, my feeling for now is that, although whole lot of realities and dreams of life are waiting on the other side of the ocean, San Francisco we will meet again. 

Finally in Valley of Dreams

So finally i reached to Silicon Valley after a year later than expected. But, year later than never, and my entrepreneurial spirit got a boost with the feeling that, success may come late but it does comes we don't give up. Only that its not like last year for me, was not so excited right from start as uncertainties were lingering more than  feeling of being here if I succeed from past year experience. But whatever, once I am here I can feel it happened really and my real dreams for life would not be dreams always n I am not far from them either if I would be persistent towards them. The valley boy still needs to emerge, and coming days will give some more lessons and energy.

Bunch of Buggers!

Cultural diversity isn't something to be proud. It shows how u historically failed to develop infrastructure to bring cultural fusion. It was a thought from one of my friend on facebook which was an open discussion thereafter with lot of counter-acting comments. It is quite thought provoking for me too also because only few weeks back I had read “2 States” by Chetan Bhagat. Whatever, I was somehow very much agreed to the thought and also because of my understanding of the cultural diversity and current exposure to the western society, which makes me think that. The whole concept of diversity not just exists because of geographical but social regions. We in India although are very social, our priorities and actions in life are not governed by personal expectations from life and basic Maslow’s needs but are controlled by others dreams and social rules. So, there are more walls than bridges. Historically because of some driven interests and comfort of choosing less-challenging path have not just thicken these walls but also made more and more inside. This social behaviour is exactly opposite in the western open society concept which is somehow more challenging but more realistic with respect to acceptance of basic human needs. And so diversities are not controlled by social limits but just local conditions. 

Anyway, western influence is increasing in india. But its important for our societies under transition to understand there is something more to learn from west beyond McDonalds, Pepsi, Pizza, Rock music and all…we need whole lot of buggers across the society who are convinced that lame-old rules are needed to be broken, some new are to be established to give a fresh breath for society. Its a process and somewhere it has started too...

The hope and the faith

It was late night at Belgium Bar with friends in Delft, just like any other nightout there. We were all high after couple of drinks when a guy came to table and offered a game in chess. My friends who were already looking for a reason for the next drinks pushed me saying, come'on you are an Indian, we know you guys play chess, you have to play! I don't understand who invented this bad idea of chess in pub, but whatever, the game started with one guy on alcohol and other on cola...yes, the clever fellow was himself sipping cola! but somehow beer lubricated my mind or the other guy was insanely tipsy on cola itself that I had to guide him and tell that take care you will loose your key players on board. It continued till he got benefits of constantly raising alcohol level because of my drink and instantly collected mine like a child! well I opened my eyes first time in game to play and gave a mate after a little trouble. The cola man got up from his seat saying, Man you spoiled my night, nobody defeated me here before..how you did? I sincerely doubt his claim but other side effect of alcohol appeared and I spoke my heart. I said, Man, you know what is hope and what is faith? you had a lot of hope on others to loose but no faith on self that you will win! I had only that and I won it despite of loosing all my majors in game...just have it you will not loose next time.
It was almost 3 and we returned flying back home!

Why India lacks innovation

Corruptions news are hot cakes for news channels to keep them running and these stories are been watched nothing different from the 24 hr Ramanyan display anymore. But behind this all corruption and money, a huge social pull-back is also there which brings a question. What is happening, why we don't have innovation except in the field of corruption. After globalization, enormous amount of money has flooded in India; a lot people touched it and lot rest atleast smelled it. This smellers lot is the middle class of India, which is ready to be rich at any cost. In any nation this is the class which drives the wheel of innovation, by daring to look the world in a different perspective. A sense of nothing to loose and to gain the real vigor of life brings the thrust in it. But this is not working in India as it should be. Lot of easy money has come and along with the shine of money, which has spread a puesdo supply-demand equations. Surprised to see a country where only few decades back majority of people were living all life to improve the afterlife are busy ironically turned otherway around. Kabir has summed it up all in two lines, ages ago.
Kanak kanak te sau guni, madhakta adhikay.
Ja khaye boraye nar ba paye boray.
(Gold/riches are a hundred times more addictive than drugs.
Drugs make us crazy only when ingested, but riches, merely by having them).

There is no India...

Even outside India very often i get the feeling why India not to be called as a country. People should be allowed to better put their state stamps on their passport to workout the sick mind. One year of my stay here I saw so many marathis, gujjus, u.p. waale bhaiya and all, and I'm surprised how they manage to retain their individuality so well after staying so far and long from their areas where the real poison exists! A chennai-anna last week in a gathering almost jumped looking at me, with excitement and asked "chennaiiya???" and as soon I said no! Banaras and he almost ran away, never asked me for anything else beyond that! But it was just one of the case. We are apprehensive to talk about it mostly but somehow it exists and keep looking for its opportunity to grow. I don't know how much national integrity matters for these people but surely, its something which i feel should wait for a crisis-time like war to prove ourselves as a country.

Krishna Himself

I have been listening lot of philosophies from Hindu Religion and about what Lord Krishna said, but it was first time when I was so much frustrated. Well before going itself to ISKCON here in Amsterdam , I had no high opinion except that for the food but it will be so ridiculing, i couldn't imagine. While entry there was a musical performance in don't know which language out of which I only grabbed Hare-Rama-Hare-Krishna-Krishna-Krishna-Hare Hare. But, whatever it was from full devotion and so was good to listen. After that Mr. GodMan came. I have no other words for him as he was as sure as Krishna himself were there in his words. So, Mr. GodMan started talking about Krishna putting himself as example bringing redlight district and pleasure of marijuana in context to explain his high thought. But the worst came when finally he tried to be Obama and told audience to ask questions and somebody asked him about form of GOD and the shapelessness or not? He turned on fire! saying people who believe that Deity can be an inobject are rascals! I was shocked..atleast a so called Swami shall refrain from such language. After that he spread somemore bullshit but I was immune by that time. We as a common man, who never preach on Dharma also are taught from the childhood about the Sakaar-Bramh and the Nirakaar-Bramh. We know it from heart that its the state of union-ness to the supreme not a antonym. It so obvious and simple Hindu phylosophy which anyone who claims himself to be Swami must be knowing and should have explained like that only, but it was not! I recalled a line from Bertrand Russell a british phylosopher after longtime between this all, "The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubt"

One more Dham: Amster-dham

The journey which started from 81, harikeshpura has reached to a new city Amsterdam. I could have written this before but it was like a transit stay in the city before in a longer journey which started right from Delft to Mau. But between these days lot of people whom I said that I stay in Amsterdam, were amazed to listen. Nothing different, I also used to think the same, but now when I'm here its time to realize how much it was true. Atleast in the initial walk around the city I didn't see anything surprising. The perception so far is the city, which is same as any other Dutch city with a little more crowd being capital. But, as it is said there is much depth in the sea, and making a guess from the shore is waste, lets see how its goes before I move to my next Dham (abode). 

दिन ..महीने ..साल..

हिंदी-अंग्रेजी कैलेंडरों के झगड़े के बीच मम्मी के बिना एक साल पूरा होने का कार्यक्रम भी पूरा हो गया अग्रेजी कैलंडर से ३ दिन खिसक कर|खिसक कर ही सही, इसके सिरे से जुड़े हम सब घर में बहुत दिनों बाद इकठ्ठा हुए| चीजें काफी कुछ बदली भी थी और कहीं नहीं भी...घर के अंदर मम्मी के मोर्चे को बड़ी भाभी ने सम्भाल लिया था और उसी अंदाज में पहुचते ही गेहूं के ड्रमों में चल रही घुनो की पार्टी में रुकावट पैदा करना शुरू कर दिया| घर के बाहर, शहर में बदलाव के नाम पर मोबाइल क्रांति ऐसे आ गयी थी जैसे धीरू भाई का सपना पूरा करने का ठेका मऊ शहर ने ही ले रक्खा हो| और बाकी सिस्टम का क्या पूछना, बैंक और एटीएम् ऐसे थे जैसे वहाँ सब गरीबी रेखा का राशन कार्ड लिए खड़े हो, और गाँधी जी की शक्ल वाले कागज फ्री में मिलने वाले हों..लगे रहो लाइन में! (कागज ही उचित शब्द है क्यूँ की निकलने के बाद तो वो ऐसे तोड़े-मरोड़े जाने वाला है की वो अपने करेंसी बिल होने की फीलिंग बनिए की दुकान पर ही कर पायेगा)| और जो बात नहीं बदली थी उनमे से एक है हम लोगों का खेत और उसकी निगरानी पद्धति...हमारे छुटपन से लेकर इस बार तक, हर मुलाकात में अपने जल्दी ही मरने का दावा करती हम लोगों का खेत देखने वाली, अभी भी उसी लगन से अपने से अगर कुछ बचा तो बतौर एहसान घर पंहुचा रही है| इन सब के बीच हम लोग भी अपनी पहचान से जुड़े उस घर में बदलाव का हिस्सा ही थे, जो वैसे तो सन्नाटे से भरा रहता है, उन दिनों आबाद था|

Dreams & The Dustbin!

In India, street rag pickers are common phenomenon, and their survival need level matches with the cost of waste, which let them feel that their basic needs are fulfilled. But, there is also a big class with a slightly different next level of need. The class with wish for... a fridge which is more than big enough, a washing machine with latest technology (although available supporting infrastructure are ignored in that dream) and a big screen TV which would have best if it were LCD, and so on...  This thought came in my mind after seeing one such big size LCD tv and washing machine near a bin this morning. It was nothing new observation for me in last one year, but a thought also floats in mind! how much a waste to one matches with the need of next. Only that, sometime they are geographically together, sometime they're apart...

Why not we..

After two WW-II movies today and between daily news of life and death game in naxalite areas in India, the question of value of life and its purpose, pokes me. Why people in countries like us don't dare to stand and speak the truth, live-and-die for it. The world war destroyed major Europe and deleted two cities of Japan but they all emerged out of it, to be even more lustrous than before, but then why we didn't even though we were not so bad. And the mind puts several assumptions, probably we never saw the real pain as a nation to build as a nation; we never realised the glory of victory in last 2000 years of recorded history to cherish and sustain it; we chose wrong hero and ideal in history, which never let us be aggressive to live our dream (atleast I hope nobody dreams of living in the sick system even if he/she is sick to react against it). The big elephant is sleeping...needs to wake up before its too late.