Danub - Delta - a picturesque experience

Danub was just a word from my social studies text book. I don't remember which class was that. Some primary school. But recently I had an unplanned visit.
That was a picturesque and serene land. The place was full of steamers and boats but still maintained virgin without much concrete/plastics littering etc. It is a vast amount of water with countless channels and abundant vegetation and lots of birds! When I was deep inside the delta only civilian signs were my local mobile network, my local hosts and some steamers with tourists. Well, indeed lovely!!! I took memory full of videos in all my electronic gadgets.. to relive the nature's glory!

Though I am not a great nature enthusiast, a visit there triggered me an aspiration to visit Ganges. Well, that needs no VISA, just a couple of weeks of Annual leave! Hmm...luckily..

A South Indian (Asian) travelogue in East European country

As I always believed in re-intenting my self, which couldn't keep my profession out of it while I found an opportunity.
This took me for a short visit to far East European country and gave me one of the perspectives of those people about my country.
Well, it all started with taxi driver who dropped me to my HOTEL from the airport. As soon as I said I am from India, he started shooting questions, though I was not willing for any conversation. It was a kind of one way conversation, started as he asked if I am an IT professional. Trust me, this is one profession that gave a brand name for us in recent days, most of the times positively. Every thing associated with our country act as cultural ambassidors - least I could guess this could be our daily soaps as well. As the taxi driver puts it "we watch bollywood daily"- the long hour bollywood movies (?)..these movies continue days and months (omg?) he said...Now the reluctant conversationist got curious and asked..really? I am not aware of any Hindi Movie more than 3.5 hours (painful)..which movie is that..? taxi man "I cant tell the name.. it means 'little bride' in Romanian..(oops, now the reluctant conversationist knows.. it is not movie.. it is soap..those fictitious stories of daily melodramatics soaps, outlandish, imaginative stories to keep time-pass on for viewer and increase TRPs.. and what not" .. OMG.. the reluctant conversationist.. sighs. :(.. who is the market for our overly melodramatic, outlandish soap stories in a far east, culturally different east Europe.!!
But the damage is done. The impression created comes out with questions shot, sometimes too irksome. Some samples are like this. Ïs it true that in India you have child marriage?", "What age did you get marry?".Ïs yours a forced marriage too,, like I saw in "bollywood stories"all marriages are forced marriages?.."Why do you mix English with your language" "is every civil worker corrupt in India?"...Did Englishmen did all the development in your country? (what rubbish?) ..oops(?)...
Well taxi driver saga went on.. with 2 in every 3 taxis hired..and If my nationality was known! All the foreigner touchpoints like taxi fellow, receptionist, co-passenger in subway, co-worker....sigh! sigh!
HMMM... can we prevent our soaps from crossing the boarders? ..its sickening..

Reluctant conversationist...encounters that Raj Kapoor and Nargis, whose movies she did not watch, still being identified as one from their country..(well.?)

Browsed some TV channels out of curiosity.. ! Suddenly I felt I was in Bangalore..when I stuck into a channel that aired only Hindi soaps, among too most melodramatic, overly fictitious stories.. :( sigh ...sigh ..sigh :( :( :(...

Dear Information & Broadcasting Ministry.. My appeal to you ...please prevent our soaps from crossing the boarder and
saving some grace for Intellectual Indians who cross boarders occasionally..?


Well, perspectives are perspectives. We can prevent soaps crossing the boarders.. but not those 'intentional documentary makers' crossing in! Or some of our people not behaving rightly across boarders..As a country we need a brand building ministry..which we dont have at the moment!

My favorite Prime Ministor has proved that a country can be run like a company with a smart CEO, this one is not an outlandish idea?
Hope all those 'occasional intellectual Indians abroad' agree with me!?!

UBUNTU - a philosophy for team work

I was aware of Ubuntu as open source technology much before I fancied the philosophical meaning of it.

I believe this is great mantra for team work. Those who worked on critical team projects may very well understanding it.
"I am, because all of us are". As a team member, one contributes on various parts of project to the best of skills. A perfect team must have each team member thinking like this.

Kids make perfect team members than adults. This was my finding after I coordinated a cookery competition. There was a team of children along with team of ladies in the competition. The children's team won the event. I had to take a winning team representative on to stage for announcement. I asked the eldest looking girl from the team to walk along. She grinned big and said "everybody won. So we all come" ...hmm...I had to agree.

Believe ubuntu. Say thanks to the society irrespective of whatever. These influences are subtle & big.

Wishful thinking...
Willful actions..
Collective results..

Tarka - Logic

As a kid I read the story of Shyamantaka Mani in Amarchithra Katha story books. That meant only a story then


Some stories don't leave us. Over the years, when I was exploring for earliest evidences of logical thinking- the story reverted in mind. The Lord Krishna goes to the route of an incidence to find out the truth -over an allegation of assassination against Him.

-The Prince goes for hunting
-Sign of fight between Prince & Lion
-Lions foot marks
-Dead Lion
-Sign of fight
-Bear's footmark
-Tracing the Bear
-Defeat the bear
-Recover the Gem

The detectives & lawyers do this often. Because they are not present in crime scene. The logical thinking leads to the nearest of truth.

Now look at the logic sequencing done by the Lord himself;
-Prince & Gem are missing
-Gem was last seen with Prince
-Trace the Prince->Trace the Gem
-Prince gone for hunting
-Fight scene --> no footmark of Prince returning--So Prince is probably dead
-Lion's footmark seen
-Lion's dead--> So Lion is killed--> by whom? find a clue-
-Bear's footmark in the vicinity
-Trace the bear ->trace the GEM


While synthesizing each instance, first identify number of probabilities then select the most logical one. Eliminate the rest. Synthesize sequences again..identify number of probabilities...then select..eliminate..

Logical synthesizing is effective only so long as we are able to arrive every possible occurence and not otherwise. It can be practiced. Now take a process and build all possible logical sequences around it...Well...playing a game of chess is better..!

one end attained by any of several means..!

Yag --Yajur - Vidhi - Vidhana - Japah --Tapah-- prarthana --keerthana ==>> Devine Blessing

There are various ways to appease almighty. It can be one and all of the above. The nature's message is clear. It does not say there is only one way to reach an end. There are several. Nature says dont limit the means. The means should be peaceful, right for self & right for rest of the nature's creation.

If ultimate blessings can be achieved in many ways, same applies to life's common goals too? That is nature's message.

Let us find new means every day - so long as they are right & acceptable, we have contributed a new discovery to this world!

Ten commandments of Extra Ordinary Leadership

Intellectuals are a rare breed. Whereever they are, I tend to pay special attention to them. Intellect develops out of observation, synthesis and thinking. However, I dont find harm is sharing some thoughts, that was shared by someone whom I consider an intellectual.


Arnab Goswami or for that matter who ever had said these commandments, sure a takeway!

1. Believe in yourself and take risks. Quotes from Julius Ceaser "Tide of life". !!
2. Don't get into analysis paralysis. Get out of your comfort zone. Be scared of irrelevance.
3. Don't study the map so closely that you don't go out of your house. Go out and seek opportunities.
4. If you want to win a battle you can't do it by stepping on someone else toes. Be a team player.
5. Change the rules of the game. ! if you are young and want to win, change the rules of game!!
6. If you want to win and bring extra ordinary leadership be ready to fight extra ordinary power.
7. Your best revenge against criticism is to ignore them.
8. Tell your team to rewrite history, not meet financial targets.
9. Story of elephant, horse and deer race. Elephant will lose, horse will run early start deer will win....Be a deer!!Always change strategy. U can't predict next move of deer!!
10. Have a dream so big and Be passionate about it!!that success of the moment appear small!!


Take few moments to read this. If you are, great. If you aren't, at least you will be able to know your leader's worth!! Hmmm....Thats something..!!!

Liquidity Crisis in personal finances

This is no money economy theorum and I am no economist(but I fancied this title)! In the management of personal finances, every one is an expert on their own! We know it right from the ages we managed our pocket money! But in my opinion we have different styles of managing. Extra liquidity is a risk in personal finances. In a hurry to suit the lifestyle, often the liquidity gets spent on a fancy of the moment. Limiting the liquidity just sufficient for foreseen expenses, keeps the personal finances healthy. Some tips are as these; Believe in investing and not spending! Keep saying it to your self, every day it is meaningful! The postponed spending leads to best of purchase decision, most of the times you would have had a better choice. Flipside, may be the attractive offer is gone, but dont regret. This makes us a careful spendor Dont be an acrobat or gymnast! if you have more than handful of investments and assets/businesses to manage, hire personnel and deligate. If you wish not to let a single ball on ground, you can't everything on your own..ex: Have a trusted broker for your stock market purchases / sales! Power of today - If it an opportunity, dont expect it tomorrow! it knocks only once, when it is sencond time, there will be more than many takers! Contingency - deschiplined investment of past is our best friend at contingency! Asset verification: An idle asset need not be so, for eternity. May be, it is the time you utilize it and there is a marginal utility unaccounted so far.. Lastly, personal finance is very 'personal'. So dont copy others...! Hear, listen, read others.. Analyse to do what you want.. after all its 'personal' finance!

Some tasty timepass..

If creativity is one's forte...anything can become inspiration... why not at kitchen?.. After the Sunday siesta, calls for a really hot tickler for toungue.. I tried something like this.. It tasted good when hot...! Potato is so deep frying pan friendly..Any combination tastes good.. Try this out if you have some time after a lazy Sunday Siesta and at a company who appreciates to eat.. (eat well!!) Scrape some peeled potatoes, better crush them in a Mixer Grinder jar, add salt, Jeera and chick peas floor with salt to taste! Potato crush leaves moisture and therefore don't add extra water. Mix the ingredients well until it can make into small patties.. For added taste along with potato, add crushed green peas and carrots, a little.. Heat the oil in a frying pan and deep fry the patties.. Remove before all the bubbles fade..Color is golden brown! Serve hot with ketchup and Masala tea..!! For my kind of Masala Tea, keep the following ready! Your ordinary tea will no more be so.. Vanilla beans dried, ginger and elaichi, better dried. Crush them in mixer grinder and keep in seperate containers! For sugary tea, vanilla goes well,use for tea with milk, blended with hot boiling at a jar. For medium sugar, ginger goes well and anything else elaichi.! Remember to keep the milk thinner to avoid milkly smell over riding the aromas of blended tea!!Serve the tea piping hot!!! That makes the end of perfect Sunday!