Images from Vaizag

Book Review of Jeffrey Archer's "And Thereby Hangs a Tale"

Only hard core Archer fans would be able to enjoy this anthology of very short stories. Others may endure the experience for the sake of the author’s reputation. In fact these fifteen tales allegedly “gathered together" during Archer’s “travels around the world”fail to grip.

The word short story is a sacred term and the form has been explored by masters like Poe, Maugham, O Henry and Maupassant and Tolstoy to name a few. In fact we have great Indian short story writers like Tagore, Preem Chand, Mulk Raj Anand, R K Narayan and Raja Rao. The Peerage he might have achieved but into this list of Peers Jeffrey Archer will never enter. The short story is not just about a twist in the end. The ending gives joy only if the story is built up right. This Archer successfully fails in doing.

With this view about Archer and his ability in short story writing why did I read the stories in this book with interest? I can only explain why I read through them all by comparing this collection with a gift hamper of éclairs.You just can’t resist it! The milk-chocolate covering is quite tasty and as the tongue explores the sweetness, it hits the pure chocolate center and then it’s over. Some of these stories are so exquisite but they end almost before they have reached a stage where we’ve started enjoying the plot.

The next major dampener is the fact that the endings are so obvious. How much can mastery over words compensate for absolute lack of complexity in the plot. Archerism’s like “it was therefore no surprise for anyone” take cliché to newer heights. In fact there are truly no surprises for anyone, least of all the poor reader who is dogged in his determination to finish the book and claim that he has read the latest Jeffrey Archer. The beauty is that his worst critics love him for the magic of his story telling abilities. In fact Archer does well in longer fiction. His recent novel (though not his latest) “Prisoners of Birth” is a classic in its own right.

But, “Thereby Hangs a Tale” does have a few tasty morsels. Stuck on you, and Where There’s a will have been crafted well. I personally liked the ingenuity of the ending in High Heels. Blind Date, Double Cross and Politically Correct are so obvious that they are boring.

The Queen’s Birthday Telegram may be a favorite for all, though I found it too mundane if somewhat unbelievable that a husband would never know a difference of five years in age between himself and his wife.

I personally felt A Good Eye should have been titled “The Arsonist and the Gullible Priest.” Members Only is made of the kind of the gooey sentimentalism that Archer excels in dishing out. But that does not work well in Caste-off where he gets it all wrong as usual. I don’t know why Archer goes out of the way to irritate Indians when we possibly worship him and are also erudite enough to catch him out on his slightest mistake. He mixes up the Hero’s surname with first name and also makes a mockery of the Hindu Custom of taking seven steps together during the Marriage ceremony.

No Room at the Inn and The Luck of the Irish are so blasé that they do not even register. The Undiplomatic Diplomat and I will Survive are too contrived to be actual real life incidents. They must be development of theories that Archer must have heard at his club or a bar.

Better the Devil you know is different, original and worthy of exploration as a short novel. The concept is too good to be exhausted so easily.

The book is no more than a pot boiler for Archer. May he write better novels in future and cease these perilous experimentations with the Short Story.

Tenneti Park

The evening was spent in visiting Tenneti Park which is on the beach road opposite to Kailas Giri. The park is well maintained by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA). It is situated on a ledge jutting out over the sea. There is a small hillock which can be climbed to obtain a good view of the sea down below. Steps run down a steep incline from the park to the beach about 200 feet below. Behind the park and across the highway Kailas Giri rears up majestically.

Ayn Rand and Covey

One of the studentsat GITAM, Ms. Moithri, who hails from Bengal really impressed me with her erudition . She was one of the three in thee class who confirmed that they had read Ayn Rand’s seminal works. During the break we were chatting in the coffee shop when she remarked that she had liked Fountainhead rather than Atlas Shrugged. I personally prefer the latter over the former as I feel Roark the hero of Fountainhead is a bit too idealistic. I remarked that Ayn Rand’s philosophy was utopian and that applying it in real life would be highly impractical due to the essential complexities inherent therein. It is so easy to develop a philosophical theory within the construct of a novel where the writer has the power to “ignore” or suitably “modify” uncomfortable issues.

Ms. Moithri agreed in principle and went on to state that in this sense the Seven Habits of Covey though essentially idealistic are more practical and provide an approach that is holistic and can be applied in all aspects of our life. Due to the consistent efforts to practice the Seven Habits in my life, I firmly believe that there is a Seven Habits solution for all conceivable managerial and personal issues. I raise my hat to the lady in admiration and appreciation.

Management Control and a Sleek Ferrari

26.07.2010

I began my course on Business Strategy and Management Control Systems at GITAM Institute of International Business today. GITAM has combined Business Strategy and Management Control into a single paper, thus recognizing that control is merely the flipside of strategy. Further this would enable the student to appreciate that the best of strategy is of no use if the implementation is faulty. Good implementation depends on the effectiveness of the controls.

I used the metaphor of a stylish Ferrari or a Lamborghini automobile to illustrate my point. Of what use is this sleek and well engineered car if it has no brakes or speedometer. Now, the sporty car is like a well crafted strategy while the brakes and speedometer are control mechanisms. The brakes control speed, while the speedometer assists in monitoring the speed.

But, it is the Geo-positioning System (GPS) that truly illustrates the link between strategy and control. You should have clarity about where you are headed. If the direction is clear the GPS can give you alternative route suggestions. You choose one route based on this information and your own perceptions about traffic density. This is crafting strategy.

Once you start your journey the GPS keeps you informed about how near you are to your destination. When you deviate, it can point out that you are straying and help you get back to the correct route. This kind of control can be achieved in organizations through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

Ruminations on Rushikonda Beach

SUNDAY

25.07.2010

For want of anything better to do in the evening, I decided to take a stroll up to Rushikonda Beach. The GITAM campus is bang opposite the Beach which is, arguably, the best beach in and around Vaizag. The sea has created a small semi-circular indentation into the shoreline forming a sheltered beach well away from the deeper and more dangerous waters. Here, at Rushikonda, the waves splash gently on the shore of the large cove where families romp amidst the benign sea. Sitting on that beach and looking out at the Bay of Bengal, I missed my family. But, thanks to mobile telephony, I could call tham the next instant and share my thoughts. I suppose the feeling of nearness must be even more intense with 3G Mobiles.

The peculiar geology of this rocky coastline has left a small spit of land uneroded which extends like a pier into the sea. As this formation runs due southwest to northeast, it gives a strange feel of walking between two beaches with waves on either side.

I love the sea with its soothing wave-rhythm and its willingness to absorb all my petty worries and fears in its immense all-encompassing maternal bosom.

As I walked back to the campus my mind slipped into peculiar reveries steeped in nostalgia and regret for things which could not be or should not be. As my mind kept wandering around thus, the ganta natha (sound of a Bell) from a nearby Shiva Temple rang loud and clear breaking into my somber thoughts and silencing them once and for all. I went into this private shiva temple set in the middle of a verdant grove.

I sought my solace at the feet of the Father who destroys all sense of self and the Mother who is Grace personified.

Matha cha Parvathi Devi, Pitha devo Maheshwaraha;

Bhandhava Shiva Bhaktha cha, Swadesho Bhuvathryam!

Parvathi is my Mother, My Father the Lord of Lords—Shiva;

My relatives are His Devotees, My realm the Three worlds!

Why worry when I have such great parents to protect and counsel me and promote my welfare!

Visakhapatnam again

I am here at Vaizag to handle Business Strategy and Management Control for the second year MBA students of the GITAM Institute of International Business.

The temperature in Vaizag is pleasant at 26 degrees with occasional showers. My ride from the airport to the campus on Rushikonda beach was a pleasant one especially the winding beach road running along the ranges of small hills. The view of the beach on the right and the hills on the left is spell binding especially after the turing beyond Tennetti Park.

Vaizag is surrounded by hills on all sides witth the Bay of Begal on the East.

Spectacle Bank!

Here's a humourous anecdote from Dr. Babu Rajendran's speech. Its typically Babu with his laconic delivery makes the punch line even more funnier. Babu clearly demonstrates that you are funniest when you seem very serious.

Even the Ladies enjoyed albeit with furitive

glances at each other to test the propriety of their enjoyment. Toastmasters aspiring to become humorous speakers should listen to Dr. Babu's speeches and pick up the style.

Here's the story!

In the early stages of the Rotary Club of Madras Southwest when Dr. BV was the charter President and Babu had just joined Rotary, BV came to Babu and asked him to suggest a good project. Babu came up almost immediately with a brainwave and said, 'sir, let's open a spectacle bank.' BV appeared to be puzzled and shook his head and asked,'How will you collect them?' Babu replied in his usual resourceful tone that they could ask volunteers from the Rotaract i.e. youngsters in college who could go aroud and collect them from the Rotarians. Babu also volunteeredd to clean the spectacles disinfect them and fit them on again to deserving recipients. BV did not reply but went away to the buffet table, filled up his plate and came back and said, 'Dr. Babu I don't understand what you are saying about this bank of yours. How will these youngsters collect the...what was it you are going to collect...?'

Dr. Babu says, "spectacles, sir."

BV now sighs in relief and says, "Oh..spectacles is it...I thought you said Testicles."

There was uncontrolled laughter in the hall after this.

What is Rotary

Dr. Babu Rajendran, a senior Rotarian and reputed ophthalmologist spoke today at my Rotary club on Rotary. The speech supported by a dynamic PowerPoint presentation was truly Edutainment. The audience consisting of the members of the Rotary Club of Madras Southwest (My Club) and the Rotary Club of Madras Silver Beach were received a treat of wonderful and humorous anecdotes with inputs on what Rotary means and what it means to be a Rotarian.

Doc Babu gave a detailed expolanation of the Rotary Wheel and its symbolism. He took the 24 teeth on the Rotary Wheel and compared it to the 24 hours and the 7 white spaces (six between the spokes and one at the Center) represent the seven days of the week thus signifying that Rotaery is functioning 24x7 across the globe! Babu went on to say that the Sun never sets on Rotary because at any given minute Rotarianss are doing something somewhere across the globe to further worthy causes amongst their communities. It was almost like a Masonic portion inside theLodge Temple. If only Rotar

ians could bring the seriousness that Masons do for Masonry, Rotary with its International spread can work wonders and be an engine for communitryt relief anmd social change.

He associated a word beginning with P for every teeth on the Rotary Wheel. They are:

1. Paul Harris, The Founder of Rotary
2. Purpose
3. Participation
4. Performance
5. Periodical (Bulletin)
6. Program
7. Punctuality
8. Publish
9. Publicity--Or else how will people come to know about the good work done?
10. Public Relations
11. Promote--Rotary
12. Provide
13. Pin--Babu stressed the need for wearing the Pin always. One lesson I took home today.
14. Polio Plus
15. Praise
16. Polite
17. Protocol
18. Procedure
19. Past--should be respected by recognizing the Past Presidents and Charter Members
20. Partner--To be involved
21. Party--Necessary to maintain the buzz. After all Paul Harris conceived Rotary as a group of people meeting regularly to do good to society.
22. Profession -- Our Vocation is the reason we are in Rotary
23. Persistence
24. People--In Rotary and Outside, People matter.

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Quotables

Here is a great quote that describes assertiveness very aptly:

Be as nice as you can, and as un-nice as you have to be.

Quotables

The Power of Perseverance

A man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

William Faulkner

Proving yourself

Every time the World tells you, "You can't" the loudest way to tell the world to shut up is to produce results.

Every time they say "You can" acknowledge by proving them right.

Bengaluru is Cool Again!

23.07.2010

The sharp chillness in the air hit me fully on the face as I got down from the Bangalore Mail at the City Station, Bengaluru. This is signature weather of the Garden City this early morning biting cold that makes the teeth chatter and numbs the body and mind. I am here to conduct aa programme on Cost Control and Cost Reduction Techniques.

A canvas in the Sky

I shot this Photograph just before boarding the flight from N Delhi. I can never cease to marvel at the wonderful canvas of the sky that the Almighty uses daily to paint millions of colorful scenes for us to behold. Just looking up at these glorious evening sunset skies makes me want to fall on my feet and offer thanks to Him for painting these pictures with such subtle colors and giving me the blessing of eyesight to see and appreciate them!

Delhi Dharshan

21.07.2010

I am in New Delhi on a one-day trip. N Delhi is pretty hot. In fact hotter than Chennai which has become cooler after the early rains. The day was spent zipping around Delhi from Airport to Gurgaon to Naraina then across the Yamuna and back. I got some candid views of Delhi Buildings.

A HR Professional should be an Invertor

19.07.2010

I was invited by the Madras School of Social Work to conduct sessions on Team Building at the Skill Lab for the MA in Social Work group. I did a couple of activities on Team Skills.

I made the point that a HR professional should be like an Invertor. When a person comes fully charged up we should reduce the charge by absorbing the surplus energy so that he cools down. Then he would be ready for rational debate on the issue.

When someone is emotionally drained or negative we should in turn pass on a bit of our energy so that he will be charged up again and ready for dedicating himself to his personal growth and the organizational good.

It was a satisfying day and the interaction of the students was very high as also the quality of their participation and eagerness for content absorption.

While going through the Machine Game, one set of participants demonstrated a Direction Finder. The coordination was superb although they had made the directions go around while the needle remained firm. Normally it’s the needle that moves to point to the True North.

There were two girls from Nagaland. They were a bit poor on the communication side but quite friendly. One of them comes from Woka, which is on the way to Mokukchung.

Madras Pattinam

18.07.2010

Madrasa Pattinam

This is a sickly sweet romance from the Kalpathi stables that merits watching. The story is a flash back of a love affair between an English Girl who comes to Madrasa Pattinam just before India attains Independence. In fact the climax scene is on the eve of Independence when the British are slowly walking out.

The story follows the well explored English Lady Meets Country Lout formula of Lagaan and Nadodi Thenral and so on. There are also fleeting resemblances to the Ivory Merchant Production of Ruth Prawer Jabhwala’s “Heat and Dust.” People who have read E M Forester’s “Passage to India” may also see comparisons. At least its not a case of “The Empire Striking Back.” Quite the opposite as we follow the hapless old lady’s travails in trying to locate her long lost beau.

The scenes of Old Madras are bewitching and it is this aspect of the movie that takes it above the normal. The recreation of the settings of Mount Road, Central Station and Spencers would produce nostalgia. The bridge on the Cooum with the imposing Central Station in the back drop while boats ply up and down sluggish river truly transport us back to this bygone era of elegance intertwined with arrogance and brutality.

The plot is tight and the last scene is apt. As the lady dies here she reenters the old Madrasapattinam where her lover awaits her return. This scene have gained more weight if they had played the “Vaamma Duraiamma…” song as she enters the shot.

The song immediately after the interval could have been avoided. Similarly ignoring or downplaying the role of freedom fighters in obtaining Independence could have been avoided. But the director has rightly decided to merely usethe Freedom Struggle as a broader canvass on which to paint in more detail the lives of the ordinary people who rely on the British for their livelihood.

As we walk out we long wistfully for those days when Chennai was Madrasa Pattinam. Will this longing be sufficient to bring about a cleaning up of the Cooum and its environs so that we can once again ride on a Thoni down the Adyar Creek or up the Buckingham Canal?

A Street Car Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire
1951 - B/W – 122 minutes
Director: Elia Kazan
Cast: Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Malden

Stanley and his wife, Stella (Marlon Brando & Kim Hunter), are the earthy couple in New Orleans's French Quarter whose lives are upended by the arrival of Stella's sister, Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh). Blanche, a disturbed, lyrical, faded Southern belle, is immediately drawn into a battle of wills with Stanley, beautifully captured in the differing styles of the two actors. This extraordinarily fine adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play, won acting Oscars for Leigh, Kim Hunter, and Karl Malden.

Elia Kazan and the United States Information Service (USIS), Chennai are becoming closely associated for me. As a member of the Library at the USIS Centre, I get invited to the Saturday morning matinee shows there when they screen DVDs of old movie classics in the Basement Auditorium. I saw Julia Roberts in Erin Brokovich there as also Kazan’s classic “On The Water Front.”

Today I saw another great Elia Kazan movie, “A Street Car Named Desire” starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter and Karl Marden. The movie is an adaptation of the famous play by Tennessee Williams.

Marlon Brando plays a negative role as Stanley, an uneducated mechanic married to a sophisticated southern Belle, Stella (Kim Hunter). His brutal and blunt behavior is offset by Brando’s greek god looks, which take the performance to a different height.

I liked the staircase scene where Stella is coming down from Eunice’s house upstairs and Stan is at the foot of the circular staircase looking up at her. Tight shots and shifting perspectives make the scene memorable.

Hunter’s performance is great when she depicts the pain and uncertainty of living in the French Quarter with a brutal husband she loves truly. She portrays the emotional trauma of being torn between love for her disturbed sister and loyalty to the animalist husband she adores with the minimum of histrionics. She rarely over emotes till the very last scene when she shows repugnance at Stan for the rape of her sister and for being the cause of her slipping off into total insanity.

Karl Marden is also underplayed. I loved his performance in “On the Waterfront.”

Vivien Leigh as Blanche Dubois is the fourth in this quartet of great acting. Capturing the essence of Williams’ Blanche: Ephemeral, false, imaginary, not of this world, sensual…you name it…she is all this and more.

The Cosmic Sound

15.07.2010

I was conversing with Mr. K S Sreekanth at the Masonic Lodge today. He is a Chartered Accountant, senior Mason and good friend. He has conducted extensive research on sound and has written a book describing the power and meaning of the sounds used in Vedic chanting. He shared this information with me that I thought was interesting enough to post as a blog:

The planets make a peculiar sounds as they skim through the cosmos. This sound is OM. This cosmic sound resonates and reverberates throughout the universe and is the essential principle in all created matter.

He gave me a proof of this. Water from high mountain springs in the Andes which is pure and unsullied when examined under a powerful microscope reveals the pattern that resembles OM! When ordinary tap water is thus examined its molecular shape is distorted. When the same tap water is stored in a vessel and the Vedic Mantras for purification of water are chanted continuously over it the molecules reform the original OM shape and become pure and pristine. This ceremony of purifying water and sprinkling it on objects and people is called Punyahavachanam and is routinely performed before a yajna or sacrifice.

Believing this or not is an option. Knowing it, I thought would be interesting and useful…for, after all, to quote the Bard of Avon..There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

Human resource (HR) Skills

14.07.2010

I delivered a special guest lecture today at the Madras School of Social Work on HR Skills. The audience was a group of more than forty young students starting a two-year post graduate program on Human Resources Management.

The enthusiastic and energetic youngsters were quite articulate and interactive. I stressed the difference between Skill and Knowledge. I took them through an activity on communication gap. Two of the groups got the message exactly right. The group as a whole learnt the need for clarity and articulation. Another key learning was active listening.

Participants who caught my attention were Sindhuri, Monica, Sandhya Srinivasan, Peri, Karthik and a few others who asked many questions and also shared their views clearly. But Karthik, who seems to have many leadership attributes surprised me with his comment that he never reads books! Similarly, while I appreciated his confidence when he claimed that he is a great orator already I could not help but wonder whether this confidence may block his ability to learn and grow.

I gave them three “L” Words….Listen…..Learn…..Love.

After talking about Active Listening I suggested two instances where they might use it…Recruitment Interviews and Exit Interviews. Thereafter the session became an interactive discussion on Exit Interviews, Confidentiality, Purpose and retention through properly conducted Exit Interviews.

On the whole an Enjoyable and, I hope a mutually enriching afternoon.

Shifting Slums

This morning my wife was deploring the fact that the state government is proposing to remove inner city slums by moving them to areas like Kattupakkam and Pallikaranai. Her immediate concern of course was about the possible loss of our house maid! Will the denizens of the cities several slums move so easily? How easy would it be to convince them to uproot themselves from their comfort zone and move to a new, albeit, more comfortable area? More importantly, how will we provide gainful employment?

The solution partly is to create a transportation infrastructure that will take them swiftly and at low cost to their jobs in the city. Or else we would create pockets where these illiterates would quickly degenerate to organized crime and prostitution. The Soho of Chennai would be born if not the Bronx!

The People's President

After Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam is arguably the second most impactful person that India has produced. He commands a spontaneous respect and admiration among Indians that only Mahatma Gandhi must have produced in pre-independence India. This is not because of any political clout or influence or even any claim to extraordinary intellectual superiority, but by his sheer force of character and simplicity. Dr. Kalam has given back to the average Indian a little bit of the dreams that were shattered by corrupt politicians and indifferent bureaucracy. He has given them an assurance by the examples of his own life and actions that integrity and honesty are still at a premium in this country.

Dr. Kalam is great because he is an Indian first and then a true muslim.

India is great because we prove through our genuine respect and love for Dr. Kalam that we are truly secular in thought and deed.

I could witness a little bit of the spontaneous respect for Dr. Kalam at the Inauguration of Truth Labs the first private, people’s Forensic Laboratory on Saturday, 10^th July at the Triple Helix Auditorium, CLRI. Usually examination of Forensic evidence like fingerprints, chemical testing of materials for age etc., are entrusted to government Labs run by the Police Department. While these are highly efficient, they are a bit slow and delayed justice is denied justice. Truth Labs, promoted by Truth Foundation would fill this gap and provide this much needed service to public at a reasonable cost to the public at large in civil and other matters also.

The Founder Chairman of Truth Labs is Dr. Gandhi P. C. Kaza, former IG of Police. He is supported by Dr. P Chandra Sekharan. Mrs. Ranjana Kumar, former CMD Indian Bank (she is better known in this role although she is also the Former Vigilance Commissioner, Central Vigilance Commission) is also on the Board.

Mr. R K Raghavan, Former Director CBI, in his address mentioned that there is 1248 AD manuscript on Forensics in India that gives the distinction between signs of death by drowning and strangulation!

Dr. Kalam, the People’s President, in his Inaugural address was inspirational and informative. He mentioned about research in USA where the scientists have studied swabs from computer keyboards and identified the persons who had used it from the bacteria on their fingers! Dr. Kalam said a clean hand has about 150 different bacteria on it!

Dr. Kalam sees science as beneficial to humanity provided it is properly directed. He says that when your mind is working on a spectacular project, the boundaries expand. He wants Forensics to be the crucible of different sciences like Nanotechnology and Integrated Circuits. He said, “As crime is evolving new ways to evade fthe law, Forensics too should evolve new techniques for detection.”

Quotables

William Arthur

"Opportunities Are like Sunrises, If You Wait Too Long You Can Miss Them".

Worship Work

People ask me when I start my work every morning. I ask them "When do I stop working so that I can Start again?"

They say, "Work is Worship." I say, "Worship Work because therein lies the solution and our salvation."

And Finally.....

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and trust in our Creator who loves us.

Quotables

Shakespeare
"Laughing Faces Do Not Mean That There Is Absence Of Sorrow!
But It Means That They Have The Ability To Deal With It".

Quotables

Michael Paul
I wrote on the door of my heart, "Please do not enter in"
Love came smiling and said: "Sorry I am an illiterate".

Quotables

Abraham Lincoln

"If friendship is your weakest point then you are the strongest person in the world"

Quotables

"The world suffers a lot. Not because of the violence of bad people,
But because of the silence of good people!"

Napoleon

Quotables

"I am thankful to all those who said NO to me
It’s Because of them I did it myself.”

Einstein

Quotables

Shakespeare
"In The Times of Crisis I Was Not Hurt by the Harsh Words of My Enemies, But by the Silence of My Friends".

Quotables

Shakespeare

"A Coin Always Makes a Sound but the Currency Notes Are Always Silent.
So When You’re Value Increases Keep Yourself Calm Silent"

Quotables

John Keats

"It Is Very Easy To Defeat Someone, But It Is Very Hard to Win Someone"

Quotables

The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not to react.

George Bernard Shaw

When we react there is only one option.

Vedic Convocation

3^rd July 2010

I was at the convocation ceremony of SMOT School of Business. Dr. N Jayashankaran who gave the welcome sddress mentioned t hat there was a convocation in the vedic period too. After the students had completed their education and passed the necessary tests, they had a sishyanuvachanam when great Rishi’s (Vice Chancellors of universities?) were invited and asked to address them on topics of relevance. One of the suggestions that these rishis gave them was: “Svadhyaya Pramavithavayam thus stressing the need for continuous learning and encouraging them to become life long learners.

My Children are being Children

02.07.2010

I attended the MMA Management Excellence Awards function. I met Mr. V Ramamoorthy, Former IAS officer. He is pretty aged now. Although he is bent double and his voice is a bit quivering, his intellect is still pure and his clarity of thought is unaffected. An example of the triumph of the spirit over flesh.

He asked me what my children are doing. After telling him which class they were in at school, I said, 'Sir, my children are being children, which is what I want them to do now. After all this is the only time in their life when they would ever be children.' He really connected with this thought and laughed heartily with me.

Extraordinary Common Sense

25.06.2010

I attended a seminar on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) organized by the Confederation of India Industries (CII). The knowledge partner was the Big Four firm Ernst & Young. One of the speakers from industry shared a lot of practical tips about implementing IFRS in Indian companies.

Exploring benefits of IFRS Implementation

1. Leverage existing projects.

(Eg. IFRS and ERP combined)

2. Conduct a Trial Run by piloting it in a single unit.

3. Consider shared service centres.

4. Strengthen controls, especially in decentralized operations

5. Revisit ALL your Accounting Policies - More accurate and timely reporting

6. Improve your access to Global sources of Finance

He identifies the following barriers to effective implementation of IFRS.

· The resources and time required are grossly underestimated

· Don’t outsource IFRS implementation which is a heavy, unsustainable use of resources

· Lack of Holistic Approach

· Late stat results in escalation of costs

· Did not achieve “business as usual” state for IFRS report

TEXMO Program on High Performance Supervisory Skills

30.06.2010

I am in Coimbatrore. It’s quite hot here. But there is a nice chilly wind blowing down from the mountains all around..

I am here to train the supervisors and managers at TEXMO Industry

I ran one of my usual activities which involves participants forming groups and making an article that is both functional and aesthetic. Once the participants were informed that there would be a penalty for drawing extra shhets of card board or color paper, they did these things:

· Planned and decided with clarity what they were going to do and decided how much cardboard they would need.

· Drew resources very carefully.

The MD of Texmo Mrs. Ramachandran took time off from her busy schedule to sit in on most of the sessions lending her views and perspectives on issues and coverage. The participants expressed great enthusiasm during the program. But , the comment that truly made me feel satisfied was the one made by Mr. S Duraiswamy, the Works Manager: He quoted the following Kural in praise of my delivery:

Behold the speech that seeks (to express) elements as bind friends and is so delivered as to make even the indifferent to listen with desire to know more. (Kural 643 Ch.65:V.3)

I have transliterated the Kural here keeping in mind the broad meaning. Surprisingly both Drew and Lazarus and V.V.S. Aiyar (my favorite) use the word “enemies” where I have used the indifferent. In my humble view, enemies would listen with interest to counter us. Those who are bored or indifferent are the real challenge for a good speaker. To make them want to hear us is the real arguably an achievement worth the effort.

Ravan-Ten Headed Bore

24.06.2010

I saw Ravanan, the movie today. Well, the good points first… Great Location…Great acting from Vikram. The last scene especially the Bridge Fight is great. The setting and the intense action reminded me of Valmiki’s failure to describe the fight between Rama and Ravana. He says there is nothing to compare with the sky or the ocean…they are incomparable. In the same way the only thing with which the personal battle between Ram and Ravan can be compared is itself! This thought was bought out in the fight scene almost in the air over a deep chasm!

Having said this the rest of the movie is boring and the link with the Ramayan is tenuous and contrived. For example a sculpture of Vishnu lies on an Island in the middle of the river in a remote valley where nobody dares to go. How did it come there? Not to mention the obvious loss of continuity due to change in locale from Amba Samudram in deep south Tamilnadu to somewhere North. We are so busy figuring this out that we miss the impact of a pivotal scene.

There is no social message. “Peranmai” the Jeyam Ravi starrer was more relevant to the displacement of the tribals and the atrocities of the police and army while attempting to strike a patriotic and more positive note.

The killing of Veera by the police officer is so obvious and filmy. Similarly, the dialogue that Ice spouts immediately after she is abducted by goondas is so cheesy. Any one would be scared shitless in that situation, not quoting “Jayamundu Bhayamillai in chaste Tamil! And the uneducated dacoit joins in the chorus for his only perfect Tamil dialogue. Aw…c’mon Mrs. Mani Ratnam…there’s a limit.

WIN/WIN--Analyzing the Consequences

23.06.2010

Sriram and I also had a discussion about the WIN/WIN thought process. Many proposals seem great at first flush. We see the obvious WIN for us in it. We try to convince ourselves and the other party that it is WIN for them too. And we claim it’s a WIN/WIN deal. Later when conflict breaks out it will be exactly in those areas that we refused or failed to address originally. Those issues that we brushedaway under the carpet will now rise up as insurmountable obstacles to completing the deal.

WIN/WIN is about analyzing the consequences and then the consequences of the consequences. After assuring ourselves of the long term sustainability of the WIN/WIN proposition we say “Deal!” If there is a possibility that the situation is likely to become LOSE/WIN or LOSE/LOSE it is better to say “WIN/WIN or No Deal!” politely shake hands with the other party and walk away!

Sharing knowledge is a great WIN/WIN! When you have one apple, I have one apple and we exchange both of us have only one apple each. But when you have one idea and I have one too, and we exchange, we have two ideas each.

Arjuna's Paradigm Shift

23.06.2010

I have been recommending the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as propounded by Stephen R Covey to Mr. K Sriram executive taxation at Ma Foi. He has sincerely taken up a reading of the book. Today, while speaking to me, he expressed the view that after reading the first chapter of the book, he has experienced a Paradigm Shift. He was able to look at his long term goals and aspirations from a totally different perspective. I gave him some more inputs on this, especially about the Maturity Continuum and the need to internalize the private Victories that take us from Dependence to independence first. Thereafter we are ready to transition through Habits four, five and six to attain the Public Victories and thereby appreciate the need for Interdependence.

Sriram felt that the transformation that Arjun under goes around the middle of the second chapter is a Paradigm Shift. Arjuna’s problem or the Arjuna Problem as Swmi Chinmayanandaji calls it is typical and not essentially different from the problems of a professional or of an executive in a large corporation. Before we can even start the therapy or the Krishna Solution, there is a need for a shift in Paradigm from a self centric, money centric or even family centric one to the Principle Centric Paradigm. This is the Shreyas that Arjun asks of Krishna in Chapter II Verse 7 of The Gita. Do you notice that he is asking for that which is “Shreyas” or the “Best and Unalloyed Good”. Thus he is actually asking not only for himself but for all of us.