Random Musings

While creating human being, God was under pressure to create a life that sustains. He didn't want to repeat the same mistakes that led to creation of dinosaurs or its ancestors. He wanted to create a species that will rule the world for thousands of years. 

God first created the human body. He put in a lot of efforts in designing the overall system and in assembling the various organs, with a lot of inter-linkages. He was very glad about what he created.

But he was not very sure if this is the best possible design. After all, many of the species that he thought were the best, didn't last long. His doubts took over him. 

So he wanted to give the human beings some of his powers . He wanted to make each individual very different from another, so that they start becoming better and better.  

Thus got created the mind.  

Like many of the good ideas failing due to poor execution, here was a trap. In all his excitement about creating the best species,  God didn't check the powers of the mind. He gave it infinite capabilities. 

Mind went on to become the master, changing the face of the world - It created infinite number of things - some tangible, some intangible. It is the human mind that is behind everything that we have in this world - from fire to spacecrafts, from arts to sports, from doctors to terrorists, from love to hate, from joy to sorrow. 

Our minds have taken over our lives so much that, it's impossible for most of us to differentiate between what we think and what thought comes to us ( Some other day, on this in detail) !

The most potent tool that mind has created to control a human being is Happiness. Happiness is a state of mind, after all. For most of us, happiness is the quest of life. 

Given that happiness is so addictive, the mind directs to get attached to the source of happiness. This attachment then becomes the source of grief. ( Buddha was right, all this time !)

Attachment to loved ones, to live a long life, to food , to work, to money, to power, to fame, to ideologies, to petty materialistic things keeps the human beings always in a state of anxiety. 

This anxiety lets the mind to take complete control of us, robbing us of the ability to think clearly and make rational decisions. 

The insatiable quest for happiness, and attaching happiness to something, and hence the fear of losing that something is mind's way of controlling all of us. 

Even in business, attachment has been the source of grief. 

Attachment to control has run down many promoter run businesses. Attachment to self (aka ego) has led to resistance to change, which has made many large companies irrelevant. Attachment to profits has led to loss of consumers. 

While it's practically impossible for normal human beings to not being attached to anything at all, it's important to be conscious of what we are trying to get attached to. 

Let's minimise our attachments, internalise our happiness, take control of our mind and enjoy the journey of life. Let's use the infinite power of mind to create goodness, spread kindness and love, and leave behind things that will stay long after we depart. 

The Sound of the Soul

A Thamizh proverb says,

வாய் விட்டு சிரித்தால் நோய் விட்டு போகும் 

A hearty laughter keeps diseases away

Laughter is one of the most under-rated things in the world. 

Laughter is the most human among all the "human-only" things in this planet. It is said that primates took almost 10-16 million years evolving the ability to laugh. Most of the animals cannot laugh, however hard they try ! Research shows that the expression of pleasure by the animals are limited to the extent of a minor variation in their breathing or making small unrecognizable sounds. 

We might have heard of a "Hyena Laugh" - the closest we could have associated laugh to an animal ! Check these links to know the reality behind the same

Video - Hyena Laugh

Why Hyenas Laugh

The inability to seek laughter is simply a waste of Nature's gift to mankind. 

While popular culture idolizes Smile as a virtue, Laughter gets looked down upon. More often than not, people raise eyebrows, if they see someone enjoying a full blown guffaw at a public place or a meeting. Forget about having the ability to laugh at themselves, how often do we see leaders (Business / Political) laughing out loud in public ? How did this even happen that having a good laugh is seen as a weakness ?

Even in Entertainment industry worldwide, comedy is not mainstream. We call the laughter artists as "Jokers", whereas they should actually be called as "Heroes" for all the free health service that they provide ! Wikipedia lists just 17 Comedy television networks in the World, and 5 in India ! 

Wiki : Comedy_television_networks

Wiki : Comedy_television_channels_in_India

The only silver lining is that the South Indian Film Industry is able to stand out, and sustain comedy as mainstream, thanks to the highly talented artists, across generations and across languages. There are dedicated comedy TV Channels with very high TRP ratings, making it a profitable business as well. The Vadivelu / Jagathy / Brahmanandam Memes have ensured that a daily dose of laughter is delivered through social media and messaging platforms non-stop. 

While physical fitness is mainstream, mental health continues to remain ignored. How many of us have ever recognized the power of laughter, when it comes to the innumerable health (Both physical and mental) benefits it can give ? The best part is that the laughter encourages people to come together, since a laughter generally gets better with a good company.

Let's Laugh out Loud, before it is too late !

The other social distancing

7 and a half years !

The time it has taken for me to come back to this small place of mine.
Last time I wrote a piece of blog, Sachin was still playing, I didn't have a smartphone or a WhatsApp account, I was on a prepaid 2G connection, meticulously comparing SMS packs and Full Talk Time offers !

I have come back to this long- forgotten small world of mine, to share my experiences with my other social distancing - complete quitting from Facebook and a near-complete quitting from Twitter.  It has been almost 18 months since I have used Facebook and it has been a great journey, so far. Thanks to Radhika for being the trigger !

I would like to share my realisations about social media, all of which occured to me after quitting.

1. It hardly adds any value to life / lifestyle


Myth

I will fall out of fashion. I will not "stay updated".

Reality

The good old newspaper still exists ! Nothing major has happened because I knew About a breaking news a few hours later

Whatsapp - the other big problem in my life, which I will talk about later, ensures that I don't miss out on anything, which my company or family wants me to know.

I don't think I missed out on any news in the last 18 months, except that some of my acquaintances got married / became new parent / switched jobs or cities. I don't feel the urge of knowing about everything that happens in everyone's life anymore.

2. It takes over your thought process

Myth

I am immune ! I will not let social media influence me.

Reality

I feel calm and more positive now. The world feels to be a far better place.

I realised that I felt more rage, anger, false sense of pride, stupid sense of superiority / inferiority . The business model of social networks lies on negative emotions.

3. It kills time

Myth

I spend only my spare time on social media

Reality

It takes away your invaluable personal time, which could have been a very productive time for mind and body.

On an average I used to open Facebook +Twitter apps 20-25 times a day, spending an average of 2 minutes every time.

7 and a half years - I wanted to be "liked" and "shared" . I feared ridicule, not anymore !

Direct to Hell !

Yesterday, when I woke up and logged into my facebook account, my wall was spammed by the news of hanging of Kasab. To show my presence in the society, I too pasted a link from "The Hindu" with a hatred comment, heartily cursing Ajmal Kasab to rot in hell. When I scrolled down the page, I saw mixed reactions and many posts against the capital punishment

To some extent, I too agree that capital punishment is against the principles of Ahimsa aka non-violence. Definitely, no human has the right to kill his fellow human being. Another murder can never be the solution for a murder. All those against capital punishment argued that some developed countries have totally eradicated capital murder. Some were right in pointing out that Kasab is merely a tool, and his hanging will not have any impact on those terrorist outfits.

But all these modern day "Ahimsawaadhis" must ask one question to themselves before agitating against capital punishment. Is killing Kasab the same as killing others ? Don't you realise that it is hundreds of your countrymen who got KILLED ? If you can kill mosquitoes as it will harm you, why cant you kill someone who put an end to the lives of hundreds, and to the happiness of thousands , for no wrong that they did ? 

We are considerate enough, human enough to hang him peacefully, that too after taking care of him for 4 years ! 

Ok mama ready !

After inaction for eight years, when pushed to the corner of being termed as a "junk", the Prime Minister wakes up and announces the "slew of reforms". Of course all the reforms mentioned by Government are highly commendable, and will really bring some foreign investment and foreign aid into the country

Some crisp takes on why it is actually necessary :

1. More than FDI in retail sector, it is FDI in supply chain structure.As all the players are expected to spend 50 % on back-end infrastructure
2. The inefficiencies in food supply are mainly due to the an ineffective supply chain. About 40% of fruits and vegetables produced every year are wasted before they reach the selling point. The foreign players alrady have experience in all other countries. So they can use this to provide better services in India too.
3. Farmers get only 10-12% of the selling price of an horticulture product. With the advent of foreign players, this ratio will definitely be higher, as 30% of sourcing for these players should come from local SMEs
4. Employment opportunities in retail, agro-processing, sorting ,etc. to the tune of 15 lakhs
5. Despite 100% FDI in cold chain, it is not so efficient mainly due to the improper retail sector

Will it harm the people ?

• Yes, it will affect kirana stores in the 53 Indian cities.
• No, it will not harm kirana stores which are far off from these malls, because kirana stores provide a personalised experience to consumers and Indian consumers are unlikely to shift loyalty
• No, it wont harm farmers, because Government reserves the right to first procurement. It will infact benefit the farmers by ensuring good price for their products
• No, it wont affect SMEs at any cost
• No, they cant eat out competition by providing very low prices. Because at very low prices they lose out a lot, in this restrictive policy

So dear politicians, stop playing game, stand up and support our Prime minister who has waken up after so many years, and who seems to be stubborn in his position for the first time after the N-deal

Shameless 790

Voting days in India have never failed to create the feeling of a carnival . A 75 percent voting is seen as an achievement. Voting booths get celebrity status, when celebrities visit it. Stories of leaders standing in queue with normal people become sensational headlines. All the efforts put in by Election Commission, thousands of policemen and polling officials, and more importantly the votes of half a billion voters , seem to be a total time waste, after seeing what is happening in the Parliament.

Crores of Rupees are spent in conducting a Parliament session. Also at a time when country is facing serious issues like serious internal security threats, Viloence in Assam, Economic slowdown, Failure of Monsoon, Pending bills and legislations, no party is willing to take parliament seriously. The oppositions see their strength in stalling the Parliament, over one issue or the other. Either one opposition party or the other puts its best effort in creating ruck-us in the Parliament. Opposition parties, which are considered to be pillars of Democracy behave as if they are there only to stall Parliaments.

There seems to be no end to these ruck-us, and if this continues people will lose faith in the institution of Democracy. Here are some suggestions to Government, born out of sheer anger and disappointment

• If Parliament cannot function for 5 continuous days when a session is in Progress, all the MPs salary for one year must be cut
• If Parliament does not function for a day, a compensation for that day must be held on the sunday of the same week
• If a Minister is not present in Parliament for 10 days in a session(unless it is an official foreign trip ), he must be removed from ministry and should be barred from contesting in next elections. 
• We do not need sick MPs. An MP who cannot attend Parliament during a session cannot serve people of his constituency. MPs must be sacked for long absence
• The process for asking questions in Question hour must be made simple
• A press meet must be convened by Parliamentary affairs Minister before every session begins and the agenda for the session must be set. 

Boss. After all, it is our money !

Teacher - My first and foremost teachers

Having born as a son of a teacher ,and as a grandson of two teachers , I respect my real teachers to a great extent. Over this series , I would share my experiences about, the teachers who have impacted my life, the lives of teachers of the past, the challenges faced by teachers of present and future. Possibly, this series could
end by Teacher's day

My first and foremost teachers are my grandfathers and grandmothers, who have bestowed all their knowledge on me. My grandfather has been the sole person who made me believe, that I can write and speak in English. His Grammar is impeccable, and I would have been nothing in English without him. Being a retired school Headmaster, with an experience of 35 years, he is an unmatchable genius, in his own style. Even today, he is most updated with all current affairs and would easily breeze through any B School Interview. He incorporated the system of studying in me in very small age, and is the prime reason for me being a consistent academic performer throughout my life. He is the greatest Encyclopedia regarding post independence Indian history, and he knows how India evolved as a nation. He generated a lot of interest in me to stay updated. Had I done 10 percent of what he told, I would have been a much better person in life.

My grandmother is such an avid reader that she shows keen interest in reading anything from politics to film gossips. She is the person who has been my greatest childhood playing companion. She introduced Rama, Ravana, Krishna, Shiva, Muruga to me. She introduced Cricket, stumps, 4s and 6s. Without her I wouldnt have known Gandhi, Akbar, Babar. All the History lessons I learnt were nothing but a summarised English version of her narrations. The pain she has taken to make me write the Tamil Alphabets is unbelievable. She is a teacher whom I cannot forget.

I am nothing without the best mentors of my life- my parents. I was never questioned. They never doubted my capabilities as a person. They asked me to stay away from home inorder to grow. The pain they took in shaping my character are inexpressible. I would attain the purpose of my life, if I can remain as a responsible and caring son. 

My father took me for every possible place. He made me utilise all the opportunities that a tier-3 city provided. Whatever I know about relations and human behaviour, which made me survive in life, are the knowledge which they made me acquire.