Writing a book

Writing a book is, in many respects, a kind of intellectual assertion or a search for an identity. In this sense it is an "I write therefore I am," kind of activity. If this were not so, the author is no more than a mechanical instrument stringing facts and data together, or to use a cruder term, "a hack."

Nevertheless, the commercial considerations of the publisher (who, after all, is the vehicle that carries the author's message to the public audience!) need to be considered too.

Writing a book is thus a tight rope walk between retaining one's own integrity to a holistic self identity and making the conntent more palatable for the end-users perceived needs.

What is Business?

Business is creation of value propositions. We don't sell products or services. We enable customers and clients to have visions and dreams about what they can do with our products and services. We then put in place processes that facilitate the actualization of these dreams and visions at an affordable price!

The Pay Off

What is the real Pay off or Reward of Inspirational Leadership?

Money? Position? Influence? Well...maybe... but the real reward is a genuine sense of satisfaction and joy that we have been able to impact and change the lives of a whole lot of people for the better!

A Special Day

To day is the day when the moon dwells in the Uthram star in the month of Phalguni. Popularly known as Panguni Uthram in south India. I learnt today why this day is very special for Hindus;

• Shiva married parvathi on this day
• Lord Ranganathar of Srirangam can be seen with his consort Ranganayagi today at Srirangam
• Ramanujacharya wrote three famous works in prose as a Plea to the lord called Gadyathrayam. The lord pleased with this ordained that any devotee who sincerely prays for salvation (Moksha) today will attain it.

PRIME Academy Valedictory

I addressed the students of PRIME Academy on Examination Techniques. I spoke about motivation and the need for positive thinking. The speech appears to have been well received. Ms. Aishwarya one of the participants at my GMCS programme at the ICAI said of all the speakers who spoke that day, I could hold the attention of the students longer.

The Guest of Honour was Mr. A N Raman, a Central Counmcil member of the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of India. He is also a nominated representative at IFAC (The International Federation of Accountatnts) wherein both ICAI and ICMAI are members.

Mr. A N Raman spoke about the need for global spread in professional knowledge. He related his role as a member of the Committee at IFAC. He spoke about how IFAC classifies Accounting members as Value Creators - Those who are into strategy, Value Enablers, Value Preservers and Finally Value Reporters. He felt Accountants in India continue to perceive themselves as Value Reporters . He urged trhat the future CAs should strive to become Value Creators.

Fluency

This happened about ten years ago. The scene is the senior executive committee meeting of a large Multinational Company. Those assembled are the select group who are being groomed for taking up top management positions. The discussion is on future trends in the FMCG sector in developing countries. Many ideas are being thrown up and seriously discussed, including those on new products and innovative packaging.

Rajeev mehra, (fictional name) is somewhat silent. A great performer on the job, he believes that actions speak louder than words. His last quarter sales figures are stupendous. Suddenly, this 38 year old Engineer and MBA from reputed B School has a flash of inspiration. He realizes that developing countries like India and Pakistan have a huge rural segment who are not yet aware of toothpaste and soap. Hitherto all FMCG companies including his own had concentrated on urban markets which were essentially saturated. Moreover brand loyalties were high among urban customers and weaning t hem away from competitors was simply impossible or needed high adspend and publicity budgets. So…attack the rural customer and expand the pie. A great idea? But Rajeev suddenly had second thoughts, then third thoughts and finally decided that the idea was too silly to be mentioned to this elite group of seasoned Managers. So he kept quiet.

Hardly, half an hour later, Sunil Vohra (fictional name), another younger manager who was in the shortlist for a promotion along with Rajeev stood up and propounded the Rural Market penetration theory! This was received with acclamation and applause. Sunil was asked to give a presentation in the afternoon and then made the Team Leader of a task force for implementing the concept. He finally moved on to become VP.

Fluency is the ability to convert ideas and thoughts from the conceptual to the verbal dimension. People who have this ability succeed simply because they speak up!

Let me end this post with a quote from an essay titled Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) a great and profound thinker and writer:

“A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within…Yet he dismisses without notice his thought, because it is his. In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty. Great works of art have no more affecting lesson for us than this. They teach us to abide by our spontaneous impression with good-humoured inflexibility…Else tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another.”

Lord Rama—A Role model for Communication

25.03.2010

Yesterday was Sree Rama Navami. I was performing pooja. As part of the ceremony, I was chanting the Ashtothra Satha Namavali or the 108 holy names of Lord Rama, when I came across these three names of Rama that intrigued me as trainer. A little bit of research with the Apte Sanskrit-English dictionary and a conversation with my relative Mr. G Ramachandran, who is well versed in Sanskrit, gave me better understanding of these mames. I would like to share them with you because, understandsing the essesnce of these names would show us how to become better communicators. In this sense, Sree Rama is the best Role Model for Advanced Communicators.

Om Smithavakthraya Namah

He who has an ever-smiling face. Smitha means smile. Vakthra is face or mouth. We like someone who is smiling. Please do not confuse a genuine warm smile with a sarcastic one that actually irritates people.

This is a gentle upward turn of the lips that is reflected in the eyes as well as in the forward movement of the head and trunk. Have you seen the smile I mean? One that makes you want to reach out to that person and get to know them better?

This is the smile that wins friends and influences people! It enabled Sree Rama to find allies and friends everywhere. Sree Rama had so many of them. And, what variety…Tribals like Guha, Monkeys like Sugreev and Demons like Vibheeshan, and scores of animals and birds that flocked together to assist Rama during his Vanvas. There are so many instances where characters in Ramayan claim that they are drawn to Sree Rama because of his smiling countenance.

Om Poorvabhashiney Namaha

He who speaks first. Poorva means first or before. Bhasha is, of course, speech or language. Sree Rama was one who spoke first. Remember, Sree Rama was a king whether in exile or otherwise. He could have had an attitude that was aloof and distant. He could have refused to speak to people unless introduced. But he was not like that at all. He spoke first!

He greeted them openly and with genuine interest. He enquired after their welfare. He hugged them and called them his brother. And they, in turn, shared their innermost thoughts with him.

Om Mitha Bhasiney Namaha

One who speaks with moderation . Mitha means measured or moderate. This is not the same as being taciturn or tight-lipped. This is knowing when to stop talking and become a goods listener. Sree Rama did not talk on ad on and on. He knew when to stop and allow the other person to complete his message.

He thought before he spoke so that when he spoke his words were the soul of brevity. The only other person in the Ramayan who was his equal in brevity and communicating more with less words was Sree Hanumanji with his world famous, “Karpukiniyaalai Kanden Seetaiyai..” (I saw her, she who is beautiful through chastity, Seetha). But, no true devotee of Rama or Hanuman can ever distinguish between the two!

The Four Secrets of Inspirational Leaders

Inspirational Leaders have been able to consistently influence their teams and others. They have been able to

1. Communicate their vision to others,
2. Convert it into executable plans of action,
3. Identify the right people for each task and finally
4. Review progress and monitor the plan till the attainment of the final goal.

What I have described above is the approach. Successful application of this approach requires the development of four crucial abilities. A manager who is taught the above approach (well, most of us know them already!) would assume that mechanically going through the motions of this approach should automatically result in success! Well, I wish it were that simple!

What great Inspirational Leaders bring to the table are four ingredients that make the difference. These are four abilities. These are essential in the same way that knowledge of Trigonometry is essential for engineering and Compounding is for Finance. These subjects, unfortunately, are not (yet!) being taught systematically in schools in the same way that math and basic science are being drilled into our children. Think about it… your son or daughter is going to need these abilities most after the age of twenty-five and what they are learning in school today is really doing nothing to help them then. Their employers are going to spend a huge amount of money teaching them and trainers like me are going to have to design newer and newer methods to help adult learners internalize these concepts which are easily taught and absorbed at the primary school level. What are these abilities?

• Fluency

o The ability to express concepts and abstract ideas in a way that makes it easier for the other person to understand them and talk about them. We are not talking about oratory or rhetoric here. This is about more mundane issues like clarity, brevity and using a pleasant tone of voice and (you are not going to believe this!) smiling.

• Listening
• Too much importance cannot be given to this ability which also one of the three crucial “skills” that managers do not learn but Leaders do. Listening demands a slowing down and cooling down that is seen in today’s aggressive world as a weakness. Possibly why managers easily forget their vital lessons on listening and slip back to their easier and obviously impressive “fast” approaches.”
• Feedback
• The ability to accept that we are not perfect and that there is always scope for improvement. The further realization that the best way to improve is to listen to what others have to say about us and, like the proverbial swan take the good suggestions for improvement and ignore, forget or forgive the rest. Finally, having the maturity to learn how to give effective, useful, non-emotive feedback to others thus helping them perform better.
• Empathy
• The ability to feel and understand the feelings of others. A sensitization to others feelings is a sign of leadership and also a condition for its attainment. Does this mean that we have to be “weak” and always concerned about others? No! This is NOT a way of living. This is a drill-down capability; a tool that you use on need basis. You use it to pause and understand totally what the other person is saying “from their point of view”. Thereafter you go ahead and use the other tool (Remember the first ability?) of Fluency to help them understand why what you are proposing is as better for them as it is for you.

Supervisory Skills Development

Conducted a One-day programme on Supervisory Skills Development for the executives of Besmac Components Limited. They are engaged in manufacturing multi cavity injection moulded plastic components including male and female housing for connectors used in electrical fittings for automobiles and motor bikes. They are certified for quality. This was the first HR programme. The dempography was mostly executives and senior operators being considered for elevation to management.

I stressed the need for planning and review. I identified five crucial skills necessary for supervisory management:

• Interpersonal Communication
• Listening
• Team Leadership
• Delegation
• Motivation.

Siruvaapuri

After conducting a second batch of the programme on Change Management and Leadership, I visited the nearby temple of Murugan at Siruvaapuri also called Siruvaayoor.

You have to take a left a little before Gummidipoondi and drive about 5 kilo metres from the main Chennai-Kolkata High Road to reach the Temple. The temple has become quite popular recently and has been well renovated and maintained.

The idol of Muruga is majestic and well carved. The Peacock and many other idols here are made of Maragatha Kal (Green Granite Stone).

The bronze idol of Valli Manavala Peruman iss great with Muruga and Valli depicted as facing each other, the God holding Valli's hand in his.

The Temple is famous because of two reasons.

• It is belived that people who place small stones in the shape of a house behind the Aadhi Moolavar Temple will build one in a short while. This was confirmed from personal experience by a senior executive of Greaves Cotton who accompanied me to the Temple.
• There was a woman in this village called Murugammai who constantly chanted the name of the Lord Muruga. Her husband enraged at this cut off her hand. In stead of crying out in pain she merely uttered the name Muruga and entreated the Lord to stop her sufferiung. It is told the the Lord appeared before her and made her hand whole again.
• Nakkeerar had a vision of Murugan on a Peacock here. There are 4 Thirupughazh stanzas on Siruvaapuri.
• The name takes its origin from the fact that Lava and Kusa, the Sons of Rama, had stayed here. This is also claimed to be the place where they, armed with mere bows and arrows, fought the army of Rama which had elephants, horses and warriors in it. As they were skilled in archery this place was called Siruvar(boys)-Ambu(Arrow)-Edu(Take). Which became Chinnambedu and then Siruvaapuri. This could also be the famed Kusalavapuri where the brothers ruled.

A small yet satisfying temple. As it was Friday there was not much of a crowd.

Change Management and Leadership

17.03.2010

Conducted a programme on Change Management and Leadership Development for the Sr. Executives of of Unit IV of Greaves Cotton Limited. This Unit manufactures Heavy equyipments like Road Rollers and Graders. They also have units that manufacture Cement and Concrete Manufacturing equipment.

This is a 150 year old traditional automotive manufacturing company. It has been in operation since 1859! That's one year after Queen Victoria took over the Indian Dominions from the English East India Company.

I conducted the program in their ultra modern training hall which is mainly used for technical trianing by Mr. Sreekumar Menon, who, incidentally attended my progrtamme throughout the day in spite of illness.

The executives were senior but receptive to change management thoughts. All were interactive and appeared to have thoroghly enjoyed t he programme.

An Interesting Student

13.03.2009

One of the students attending my morning Corporate Laws class is Mr. Levin. He is an interesting person. He hails from Mangalore. A thoughtful and lugubrious young gentleman, he is serious most of the time, but manages a wry smile after one of my witticisms in class.

His brother is in the Round Table. He is a Tabler himself. He was a mewmber of a Gavel Club as a student at School.

He joined CA based on hiss Dad's advice. He claims his passion is more in HR and People Development.

Quite adult in his midset and approach. He says CAs are too straitlaced and that I came "as a breath of fresh air."

Leadership Skills

12.03.2010

Management Skills Orientation Programme conducted for newly qualified Company Secretaries. The participants stated that they were extremely happy. The session was on Leadership and Latest trends in management. I stressed the need for enabling rather than controlling. I also strssed on the need for ownership in ensuring Sustained Superior Performance.

I did my usual geometric shapes activity. The first pair requested time to discuss their strategy for a minute. They used this opportunity to plan a pre-arranged code or semantics in which they used directions like South-west, North-East etc., and managed to complete the diagram well within time.

I also commented upon the essential unpredictability of human behavior and the need for understanding and influencing this unpredictability.

The fall of Viswamitra: A Tale Retold

One of the classic examples of the consequence of the lack of reserved power of will at a critical moment is the story of the Fall of the Great sage Viswamitra:

Some western readers have seen the Mahabharata story of the fall of the mighty Rishi Viswamitra through carnal passion. This adept of adepts, this Maha Yogi, had spiritual power so tremendous, (gained) by centuries of ascetic practices as to make Indra quake upon his celestial throne and cause the King of the Devas to desire the humiliation of The Kingly Sage (Rajarishi). So the God took counsel of Menaka, first of the Apsaras (Divine Damsels or Celestial Choristers) how it might be effected. The beauteoius slender-waisted Menaka according to the plan, presented herself before Viswamitra in his hermit retreat, in all her seductive loveliness, but bashfully seemed afraid of him and pretended to run away. But the complaisant Maruta, the wind-god, suddenly sent a breeze that stripped of her raiments and exposed her charms, like another Phryne, to theastonished gaze of the Rishi. In an instant, the sexual desire, long easily suppressed from lack of temptation, flamed up, and he called her to him, took her to wife, and a daughter- the most lovable Sakuntala- was the fruit of the union.

Judge not lest you be not judged

Swami Nityananda complains that he was not given a “benefit of doubt”. He may or may not be right about the manipulation of the video tapes and that the tape is part of a “larger conspiracy” against him.(Source: Indian Express Mar13)

What struck me was his plea to the general public to “neglect such allegations, considering the “services” he has rendered. Whether he was a successful fraud or a failed sanyasi is for the future to reveal. In the mean time I was pleasantly surprised when I found the February issue of The Madras Theosophical Bulletin carrying an old article on Ascetism by H.S.Olcott titled “A word of Friendly Wisdom.” The extracts from this will keep us pondering on the deeper issues connected with the path to renunciation and the thorns and pitfalls that an aspirant for sanyas encounters en route.

“And yet how bitterly uncharitable is the world—the world of concealed sinners and respectable, undetected hypocrites, usually – over the failure of a poor soul to scale the spiritual mountains in consequence of lack of reserved power of will at a critical moment. How these undetected ones patronizingly condemn the vanquished, who at least have done what many of them have not, made a brave fight for the divine prize. How they strut about in fancied impregnability, like the street-praying Pharisee of Jerusalem, thanking fortune that their private sins are still hidden…

Let him that thinketh that he standeth take heed lest he fall,” (1 Corinthians 10:12) was the warning of the Nazarene (Jesus Christ)

He also said another thing that the reader would do well to keep always in mind, as a sort of vigilant mastiff at the threshold of his consciousness; Judge not that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged.” (Matthew 7:1 ; Luke 6:37)

J&K Visit: Gulmarg

Gulmaarg means Meadow of flowers, so named after the naturally colourful wild flowers that grow in profusion in the Gulmarg valley.En route there are apple orchards with apples abounding on every branch.

The climb to Gulmarg begins at Tang Marg (Pronounced Tung Murg) which means Pearl Meadow. You need to hire a guide at Tang Marg mainly to protect you from the attack of the horsemen who will force you to hire their horses. At Gulmarg the main attraction is the Gondola ride. The ride consists of two stages. The first stage takes you up to 10500 ft above mean sea level. Thereafter, the Second stage takes us to 13500 ft! Yet higher up at 14000 ft, snow is present throughout the year.

This costly climb of almost Rs. 1000/- per person is well worth it for the panoramic view of the Kasshmir Valley that it affords.I realized that at this altitude thoughts are clear and pure. As I gazed around me at the magnificent snow-tipped mountains rearing up above and the beautiful Baramullah valley far far below, I felt that life is best understood as a lesson. Every opportunity to learn should be fully exploited for its possibilities.

Sitting high up above the world there at Gulmarg, I learnt valuable lessons from the mountains. The value of patience and the willingness to accept the present moment as the will of God and as the best of all possible outcomes that were meant to happen.

The futility of worry and tension. The value and Power of Silence. It is better to be like these tall mountains, silent. In this silence there is a grandeur and majesty that no amount of speaking can produce.

Finally I learnt Humility, because at 13500 feet, I was still at the foot of the Himalayas! The utter insignificance of humanity as a whole can be truly perceived only at the feet of these giantswho were there, are there and will be there for a long time to come.

After our descent back, we went on Horse-back around the Gulmarg valley. The notable sights are the Golf Course, the Rani Temple and Bobby house where the movie, Bobby was shot.

On our return to Srinagar in the evening, we vuisited two of the famous Mughal Gardens: ChesmaSahi and Shalimar. Chesmasahi built by Akbar, though small is the best. The Shalimar Gardens are badly lit and poorly maintained. The route to the Gardens takes us around the Dal Lake. In the middle of the lake is an island with four Chinar trees.

Thee night was spent in a Boat House. The boathouses that line the waterways connecting the lakes are charming. Richly decorated and fully furnished with ornate sofas, kaskmiri carpets, mahogany tables and mughal miniature paintings.

The sit out or Balcony, looks out on to the Dal Lake where w e canm sit and chat. Shopkeepers keep coming in on small canoe-like shikaras to show thjeir wares and make sales. s

J&K Visit:Srinagar-Pahalgam

21.09.09

We spent 21^st evening riding a shikara on the Dal lake. The word ‘Dal’ means big and rightly describes the largest of the five lakes in the Kashmir valley. The Kashmir valley is called Heaven on earth. Here be snow capped mountains, lush green fields & forests. At 1585 to 1829 feet above sea level, cool Kashmir was the summer capital of the Mughals and their favorite spot.

22.09.09

Pahalgam

Situated 96 km away from Srinagar at a height of 2195 m, Pahalgam is in the Lidder Valley where the Lidder flows down from the mountains. It is surrounded by high mountains with snow caps even in autumn!. Pahalgam means Shepherd’s village.

All the places of interest here are situated on top of the mountains. We had to take a bone wracking and perilous ride on horseback.

Our first halt wasat the Water Falls, where the Lidder river rushes down on its route to the valley below. We then made a dizzying climb on horseback up an almost vertical slope with hearts in our mouth. But the risk was worth it as we had reached “Kashmr Valley View”, a viewpoint on a grassy sloping meadow from which we had a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges as well as the Lidder valley down below.

We then passed through Dabgyan a place where the Raja of Kashmir Harish Singh used to stay while on Shikhar.

The last point was Baisaran, an open grassy green valley with mountains all around.

En route to Pahalgam we saw a couple of ruined Vishnu and Shiva temples built by an Oriyan king Avanti Varman who had ruled parts of Kashmir for a time. The destrucrtion of this site must have happened post Islamization of Kashmir.

Not to be missed is a drink of hot Kavah a spicy herb tree with almond, saffron and fragrant herbs.

The rare trees that grow here in the Kashmir valley are Poplars, Firs, Pines, Willow and Deodhar. Cricket bats made from the local willow are world famous.

On the whole, the majority muslim population here in Kashmir is interested in peace. The Kashmiris, especially those directly dependent on tourism are go out of their way to prove that Kashmir is safe. They are particular in enquiring if we are happy and satisfied with our trip. Why rates are not low, they are negotiable. Everything is made to seem hunk y dory. But, the Jawans sitting or standing silently every ten feet or so with their

rifles ready, tell a different story. The people are under constant observation. Their slightest movement is questioned. Vehicles are stopped at will to verify identity proof. He argument that these Jawans are a protection to tourists sounds convincing. Better to take a proper ID proof if your travelling in J&K.

J&K Visit: Amritsar

20.09.09

The distance between Jammu and Amritsar is about 300 kilometers and takes about 5hrs. The highway passes via Madhavpur and Gurudaspur.

We first visited Jalian Wala Bagh which is quite near the Golden Temple.

The Narrow alley leading to the grounds, the bullet holes on the walls and the Martyr’s well are all reminders of the massacre that ultimately lead to the emergence of India as a sovereign democratic Republic. After absorbing the historic significance of the place, we made our way to the Golden Temple.

The Temple, which is the holiest shrine of the Sikh community is situated amidst a huge tank and is enclosed within marble walls. Entrances from all directions lead into the shrine. It is important to note that the access to the temple is by steps that lead down from the entrances to the tank. My friend Kamaljit, a Chennai based Sikh, informs me that the devotees are forced to go down the steps to the tank to show that the greatest of men has to lower himself in the presence of God. The tank, filled with clear water and containing trout and other fish, (some of them longer than the span of a man’s outstretched hands!) signifies purity and purification before entering the presence of the Almighty.

There, right in the middle of the tank is the Golden Temple glittering in the sun. There is a single causeway that leads right up to the shrine of the Guru Grant Sahib. The verses of the Grant Sahib are continuously chanted in the temple enclosure.

J&K Visit: Vaishno Devi

19.09.1994

Trip to Vaishno Devi. The Shrine of Mata Vaishno Devi is situated in the …hills overlooking the small (today it is a sprawling town) hamlet of Khatra. The shrine is in a small cave at 10000 feet above sea level. The deity has manifested in the form of Pindis which are crowned and decorated. The shrine is accessed through a main darbar hall leading to a small cave in which the Pindis are kept.

We left early and journeyed on the route from Jammu to Khatra. This is Ghat section and the road goes further onward to Ram Koti and finally Sri Nagar. The road offers excellent scenic views for the discerning traveler. En route we passed through a Tunnel called the Nandini Tunnel. Fat, well-fed monkeys are to be seen throughout the way.

The helicopter ride from Khatra to Bhawan not only saves time but also affords a quick panoramic glimpse of the entire area; Khatra on one side and the mountain face on the other. The magnificient mountains housing the Shrine rear their heads majestically up to the sky. Each Helicopter can carry five passengers only. The brief flight is an exhilarating experience. I was enabled to see the world from the point of view of eagle soaring in the sky.

The Helipad is not at Bhawan but at Sanji Chat whence we have to walk about 3 kilo meters to reach Bhawan (the Sanctum Sanctorum). As our HeliTickets included VIP Dharshan, we went to the Sanctum directly. The crowd was heavy but not too much.

Inside the Gupa or holy cave are Three Pindis, which is how the Goddess has manifested herself here. I prayed sincerely for myself, my family, my friends, my clients and organizations that I serve and society in general. Our religion has an easy way to express this complex thought! Sarve Janaha Sukihno Bhavanthu!

We took ponies on our way back to the Helipad. Due to heavy mist, the helicopters wern’ flying! So, we decided to do it on foot and after a light meal, started walking down. The weather was pleasant and misty. The views were agnificient. We managed to climb down to Adukuari. From Adukuari, we took ponies. The way to Ban Ganga is by a paved pathway with steps running in between. Viashno Devi is a daunting mountain evenwhile getting down.

J&K Visit: Jammu

These are extracts from notes made during my visit to Jammu and Kashmir Last year:

18.09.2009

We reached Jammu by Jetlite flight via N.Delhi. Jammu is pretty hot. In the evening we visited the Raghunathji Mandir, a temple dedicated to Lord Sri Rama. The temple is beautiful and has numerous pretty shrines and statuettes of minor Gods and Goddesses. For example, around the main shrine of Shri Ramachandra Murthy, I saw, in small alcoves, idols representing the deitoes of the Four cardinal directions. All are essentially personified by feminine characterizations each mounted on an animal representing the direction. For example, North was on a White Horse, South on a white elephant, West on a Camel and East on a Tiger.

The only downside is the behaviour of the Pandas or preists who disturb pilgrims and devotees by their constant and extortionate demands for Dakshina. It is this atrocious behaviour that gives a wrong signal about Hinduism as compared to other organized religions.

RamaAnjaneyar Temple on GST

I was visiting the MEPZ today. On the way back, I went to the Rama Anjaneyar Templee on GST Road, a short distance after MEPZZ when travelling towards Chennai.

This is a pair of Temples in the same complex, one for Shiva and the other for Rama. Both Temples have a tall Gopuram surmounting a small entrance chamber leading to a large covered square hall with the sanctum santorum in the middle. The Sanctum is on a raised platform with steps leading up to the antechamber. The Antechamber can accomodate ten to fifteen devotees who can have dharshanof the idol.

In the Ramar Temple I saw many unstripped coconuts hanging in a corner. These have been placed by devotees who will come back on the twenty-first day after hanging it to break it open and offer it to Lord Anjaneya. It is believed that anu prayer made duringt this twenty-one day period will be answered by the deity.

I come to worship; Not to teach

07.03.2009

At the class on Communication Skills today at Prime Academy, there was a lot of whispering among the students. This being difficult to ignore, I stopped my lecture to speak to them on what exactly was happening in the class. I quoted the Taittriya Siksha Valli which speaks about the Five great Joinings or Mahasandhi. I mentioned that in a class the Teacher is the Anterior form, the Student the subsequent form, Learning joins them and the Lecture is that which joins them.

Many of them being Vivekananda College students could quote the second half of the chant on their own.

I told them that I did not come to teach but to worship at the altar of learning. asnd requested them to join me in this holy activity. Their interest was increased and the class was somewhat smooth after this.

Toastmasters Meeting

I attended a meeting of the Chennai Toastmasters Club after a long time on 7th March 2010 . The experience was as usual pleasant. We had two Ice Breakers and a Tenth Project.

Mr. Ashok Babu a participant at myTrain the Trainers public seminar had come with his daughter, Subhadra who got the best TT Speaker award. She spoke fluently and quoted Henry Wadsworth Longfellow inmpromptu which was well received by the audience. The quotation was

" The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night."

I was called on to speak in Table Topics on the topic "I like Dreams of the Future Better than the history of the past". I agreed with this view and spoke about visions and goals. I made t he point that it is better to be able to see where we are going than remember where we went.

Othe nice TT Titles that I liked were:

Life is a Foreign Language.

Mistakes are the portals of discovery.

Budget Impact

The long and short of the Budget 2010 seems to be that it will have a favorable impact on the Markets. The reduction in personal taxation rates will now place additional post tax disposable income in the hands of the people. This would either be used to purchase more goods or services or it will be invested in the market either directly or through intermediaries. Either way it will give a fillip.

The FIIs are also showing renewed interest in Indiaa as an alternative destination in their search for rapidly growing economies. The Budget has given the right signals. The increase in MAT by 3% is not good but it can be covered by performance.

I heard Mr. Ganesh Shanbag a Mumbai based Investment Advisor who expressed similar views.

He is quite bullish on Power and infrastructure. He also mentioned banks and finance companies that could become Take Over targets on further liberalization of the Banking Sector.

He stresses a long term strategy over ten years? This concept was wasted on his audience who were the members of the Tamilnadu Investor Association a majority of whom comprise individual investors whose ignorance of fundamental analysis is equalled by their desire for short run high returns!

Penance is not in a lengthy Beard

Contemplating on the Paramahansa Nithyananda debacle, one wonders what is true Sanyas? Is it merely the outward showw of penance such as saffron robes, long hair or shaven head or is it an inner peace that emanates from the attainment of perfect balance with the whole universe?

Thiruvalluvar, the Divine Poet is emphatic in Kural 280 when he says, "There is no use of Shaven Crown, nor of tangled long hair if a man abstains from those deeds which the wise have condemned."

So emphatic is his condemnation of those who defraud the public in the guise of Sanyaasis. In fact the main thrust of the 28th chapter of the Thirukural is to warn the gullible about the wiles of these charlatans who have the external appearance of monks but are rogues at heart.

I am also reminded of a great poem which goes like this:

Penance is not in the lengthy beard;

Knowledge is not in clever argument;

The world cannot be contained in your shoulder bag.

Renounce after realization not by suppression

The Parama Hansa Nityananda issue seems to have blown over. What surprises me is that people are still disturbed and shocked by these revelations.

It is biologically impossible for a male in prime not to feel the need for sexual gratification. What was possibly wrong was that this gentleman decided to wear the garb of a Sanyasi and attempt to control his senses. Renunciation cannot arise out of suppression. It arises out of realization of the futility of enjoyment. The correct method is to go through the experiential process of living and then realize the uselessness of the whole thing at the right age and then slowly "Urvaarukam iva" release oneself from these mortal coils.

What is also surprising is the Chief Minister's stand on the Morality front. This is the problem with Morals. They are temporal and changing. What is right for the CM cannot be wrong for the poor young "swami" and I suppose vice versa too. There is no true right or wrong in these things is my humble view.

Ethics as against Mo0rals are ageless Principles that arise from deep rooted value systems that are essentially Dharmic. Ethical people constantly adjust themselves to the true North and allign themselves with the Principle Centre. They can never err as they always act from the Centre.

Daily Planning- Daily Review

I am just back from Bangalore, where I had been to give lectures on Law, Ethics and Communication to the studentss of the Bangalore Branch of the ICAI. The lectures were well receved with nearing 200 students in attendance. I love Bangalore students as they are focused and q

I took this opportunity to give them tips on plannig for success and similar attitudinal issues.

At the end of the dayafter my Lectures were completed, many participants met me in person to share their thoughts and get clarifications. One of the issues I heard was that of a person who said he was unable to stick to a time table. He wanted to know whether this was really a major problem as he had managed to complete school and pre-university without this kind of meticulous planning.

Here is my reply:

Let us think of clearing an Examination as a kind of Project.

Any project needs to be planned. As a Seven Habits Practioner I immediately "Begin with the End in Mind." Well... Beginning with the End in Mind is not only about long term vision. It is also about Daily Planning and Daily Review. You must have daily goals and targets too. A well scheduled time table covering all relevant and important topics gives us clear and meaningful intermediary goals within the framework of the broad goals of the project as a whole. Sticking to this time table as far as possible and frequently reviewing progress automatically ensures focus on the long term vision. You are seeing the Forest and the Tree.

A time table also ensures that you Put First Things First because after all preparation is your priority. Where there is no such pre-determined daily preparation schedule you will have merely vague ideas about coverage. You will end up reading topics that you like and suddenly wake up nearer the exam date to find that you are not confident about nearly two-thirds of the syllabus.

What I have stated is conceptual. Here are two Practical Tips on how you can overcome the habit of not adhering to your time table:

1. Frequently reward youraself whenever you maintain the schedulre meaningfully.

Rewards can be anything--Listening to music; a walk; a cup of coffee...whatever gives you joy.

2. Constantly remind yourself of the great benefits you will derive from attaining the long term vision that you have.

Vinaa Venkatesam

On 21st February, the usual Parivettai Utsavam of Sree Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal was celebrated. This is when the Bronze idol of the deity is placed in a Palanquin and carried in procession through the streets. This is to enable the old, sick, infirm and the othertwise house-bound to have glimpse of the Lord. Utsav is a popular event in Indian temples and every Hindu Temple has its own calendar when Brahmotsav is celebrated with pomp and show. This is so deeply rooted a custom that it is followed even in Christian Shrines such as the Shrine of Velankanni in Nagapattinam district where the Image of the Holy Mother Mary is placed in a wooden chariot and taken in procession.

I had another close encounter with the Lord Venkatesa when we visited Thirumal;a Thirupathi. We took the IRCTC Day trip option. They pick you up at 5:30 AM from the TTDC office on Venkatnarayana Road and take you direct to Thirumala. There they push you into the Rs. 300/- Jaldi Dharshan Queue. They take you next to Thiruchaanur and around 8:30 PM drop you back at Chennai.

Why do so many people flock to this Temple amidst Seven Hills spending time, energy and resources, waiting endlessly in queues for the briefest of brief glimpses of the Idol of Vekatachalapthy?

Vinaa Venkatesam Na Natho Na Nathaha

Smara Venkatresam Smarami Smarami

Budget by the Jees

It is a bit coincidental that the Railway Budget has been presented by Mamta Bannerjee while the Finance Budget has been presented by another Jee, Peranab Mukherjee.

The Budget this time is a soft Budget with the FM trying to play a balancing role.

I attended a Budget discussion seminar today conducted by Prime Academy. Mr. Pattabhiram the anchor made this point: Umbrellas have always attracted successive Finance Ministers with the Excise Duty on Umbrellas swinging from nil to as high as 16% in succession.

We had an Economist Mr. Kabali who answered queries on Economic Impact. He made the point that while India had internal debt of about 53% of GDP, Greece has 113%! Therefore the Grecian Economy is on the verge of collapse.

After the session, Mr. Kabali was inquiring ofsenior Economist Dr. Radhakrishnan if he had spoken sense or otherwise. I remarked (in my own way!) that luckily for him in Economics, the difference is very difficult to detect.