Darasuram

These photos are from Darasuram. It is a crying shame hat these architectural monuments are allowed to decay and rot in the name of preservation. Why not reconstruct them to the best of our abilities as they would have looked during the Chola period. I am sure Raja Raja would want only that. The Nayakars who have added a lot of wall paintings to the outer walls of the temple seemed to have had no compunction about touching or changing these ancient chola marvels.

Paradise Resort

Ganapathi Raman the brain behind Paradise Resort with a row of heritage houses in the backdrop

We next headed for Tanjore, where we stayedat Paradise Resort. This is a classic heritage resort set in the lush green Thanjavur countryside on the banks of the Arisalaru, a distributory of the Cauvery. The resort has been painstakingly crafted on a more than ten acres of serene ntural beauty. The rooms are masterpieces of archtectural reconstruction. The rooms are spacious and comfortable. The bathrooms are fitted with the the best fittings and have massive bathtubs.
The promoters are an unassuming yet highly creative couple, Ganapathi Raman and Latha Raman. Ganapathi is a Chartered Accountant with industry experience with Lucen Technologies. It just goes to show that there is nothing that Chartered Accountants are not capable of doing!

What I really loved was the extraordinary care they have taken to avoid cutting down even a single tree. Where they are forced to cut down a tree they have planted and nurtured another. Bravo!

We spent the evening viewing the world famous Tanjore Brahadeeswarar Temple in the evening. The massive Nandi, Siva Lingam and Gopuram were awe inspiring.





The next day was spent in viewing the sculptural splendour of the Iravatheeswarar Temple at Darasuram. The temple at Tanjore was built by Raj Raja Chola I. There is another temple at Gangai Konda Cholapuram built by Rajendra Chola his son. And then we have the Darasuram temple built by Raj Raj Chola II the grandson!

The Arisalaru

Those of us who have read Ponniyin Selvan by Amarar Kalki would appreciate the significance of the Arisalaru and its environs which are the backdrop of substantial parts of the First part.

Independence Day at Puducherry

(Puduchery celebrates Independence Day)

This year Independence Day (15.08.08) fell on Friday making it a long weekend for everyone. We decided to take the weekend off and headed south to Tanjore.

Enroute we stopped over at Pondicherry, the pictersque French colony just a two hours drive from Chennai. As 15th August is Shri Aurobindo Day, the Ashram had opened the room used by him for public viewing. We took the token and queued up to see the room, pasing through a narrow staircase leading to it. The room is just above the meditation hall and beyond The Mother's samadhi.

The room has an aura that is quite palpable. The presence of the great soul can still be felt by those who tune to it. My daughter Srija could feel it too, but she experienced it as a heavy pressure that made her a bit dizzy.

As we walked out I remembered Aurobindo's words, " India cannot attain freedom until every Indian has become free from the shackles ogf his own ignorancea nd egotism."

(Puducherry Central Park)

We then spent time in the Central park; a huge expanse of green with a miniature Arc De Triomph in the midddle.

In the evening we browsed around J N Street. I happened upon a nice Art Gallery tucked into a old heritage building on Mission Street. The paintings were by a group of Pondy based artists. It was run by Mr. Anand. Anand's painting of an Indian Mona Lisa in Gujarathi dress was arresting.

Corporate Leadership

Institute of Directors (IOD) in association with UK’s World Council for Corporate Governance (WCFCG) is offering a unique opportunity to both executive and non-executive directors to obtain a world-class certificate as Certified Corporate Directorship by participating in the MASTERCLASS FOR DIRECTORS program.

Recent boardroom reforms introduced in most countries have put the onus of responsibility on directors, to meet such challenges that Institute of Directors has designed a unique, innovative and comprehensive programme for Company Directors.

I Conducted the session on Corpoate Leadership- Building High Performance Boards at MasterClass for Directors programme conducted by the Institute of Directors.
The participants were a varied mix of highly proactive individuals from entrepreneurship, Industry and Academia. We interactively explored the concept of Leadership and the role of Boards in motivation and regulating the CEO and his team.
Some issues I liked were regarding the ability to measure qualitative issues like integrity.
One participant who impressed me was Dr. Nirmal from Madurai who had a list of qualifications that ran for four lines. He gave each co-participant and me a miniature copy of the Bhagavad Gita as a memento of the programme.

A Day of Ease

And on on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the Seventh day from all his work...
And God blessed the Seventh day and sanctified it; because that in it he had rested from all his work...

(Genesis 2: 2 & 3)

Sleep a little late;
Leisurely cup of tea;
Painting and sketching till heart's content!
Hot bath, then
a hot home cooked meal
with family; tubers, those dangerous foodstuffs
today, can be relished,
on this day of ease!
Chatting with spouse and children,
remembering the highlights of a week gone by;
Planning (with prayer) for the week to come.
A pleasurable outing in the evening
The beach, cool breeze, bright sun
People and fun;
Dinner at a favorite place
home to bed!

Hosur: Programme on Negotiation Skills

I am at Hosur today. I just finished a one-day programme on Excellence in Negotiation Skills for a group of executives of LUK India Private Limited, a auto-component manufacturing company, which is art of a large German group. They manufacture Clutch Assemblies. The factory was spic and span.

Hosur is an air conditioned town. The weather is uniformly pleasant and balmy. It was also quite windy today. I find Hosur a pleasant change from the sultry and humid Chennai weather.

Active Listening

Listening is rightly denominated the motherskill in communication. In fact the ability to listen distinguishes the great fcommuncators from the merely good. Active Listening is the art of listening with full concentration so as to completely understand what the speaker is saying. It enables effectiveness and Stephen Covey advocates Active Listening as an important ingredient for practicing the 5th Habit - Seek First to Understand Then to be Understood.

Here are FIVE Simple Tips for becoming an Active Listener:

1. Allow the other person to complete his entire message.
   
2. Don’t Interrupt. But provide Verbal and Non-Verbal Support.
   Example: Nodding, Smile, prompting, Open body position, Forward movement of the Head and Trunk
3. Take Notes continuously.
4. After the other person has spoken fully ask Clarificatory and Open Ended Questions
5. Summarize the understanding clearly.

Kalaiyar Kovil

Kalaiyar Kovil

I was in Madurai today (07.08.08) and had to visit Siva Ganga district. In the evening I decided to visit the nearby Shiva Temple at Kalaiyar Kovil. The tall gigantic temple gopuram is visible even as we enter the small hamlet.

The Swarna Kaleeswarar temple was built by Muthu Vaduga Thevar who died in the patriotic war against the British at this very place, Kalaiyar Kovil. His generals were the famous Maruthu Brothers who also died then. The temple lives on in their memory. A huge sprawling campus it epitomizes, everything that South Indian Temples stand for i. e. Wisdom, Strength and Beauty. The Wisdom of the Kings who built them, The strength of the structures themselves which have stood the test of time and lastly the beauty of the carvings and intricate detail that has been brought out in the wall frescoes and pillar decorations.

The Theppa Kulam at Kalaiyarkovil is huge and full of water!

One only wishes that these symbols of our ancient glory were preserved well instead of being allowed to become dust through sheer neglect and insensitivity!
En route to Kalaiyar Kovil is Nattarasankottai where the author of the Tamil version of Ramayan, Kambar was laid to rest. The Kannathal temple is also at Nattarasankottai. Another famous temple nearby is the Vettudaiyar Kali temple at Kollankudi. We couldn’t see these places for want of time. Maybe next time…!

Enabling Vs. Managing

There was a repeat programme on Managerial effectiveness at Hyundai 06.08.08. This time the audience had a lot of Graduate Engineering Trainees in it. One of the main problems faced by them is that they have to work with people who report into them but are senior in age. I attempted to provide solutions during the programme in the form of behavioural approaches that disarm the other person and then bring them closer.

I think the session based on the movie clipping from Vasool Raja MBBS made an impact. Use of video clippings is emerging as an important tool in training.

The photos show the participants engaged in an activity where they have to enact a machine in which each one of the team is a moving component!

Participants seem to have understood the difference between a manager, a leader and an enabler. An enabler is participatory and positive. He or she is like a catalyst that does not react but helps the reaction to happen! With complexities and continuous polarization, the tools of discipline and reward (Sticks and carrot) need to be replaced by the Purpose, Empowerment, Praise (PEP) model of Leadership and motivation. This was discussed in the programme.

Whether India becomes a superpower or not Indians should become Superpeople

I had the opportunity to listen to gentleman from china on the above point! His view was that India is still a developing country mainly because of our willingness to allow everyone the freedom of speech. He felt that China and Singapore had risen in global status mainly because their people had agreed to forego their freedom to object to laws in a limited way in the larger interests of economic growth and dominance. Without getting into the pros and cons of this argument, I quote from a long essay written by Shri. Ramachandra Guha for Outlook magazine, titled "Will India Become a Superpower?"

" The challenges of the naxalites, the insidious presence of the Hindutwadis; the degradationof the once liberal and upright cantre; the increasing gap between the rich and poor; the trivialization of the media; the unsustainability, in an environmental sense, of present patterns of resource consumption; the instability and policy incoherence caused by muti-party coalation governments--these are the seven reasons why India will never be a superpower. To this, so to say, objective judgment of the historian, I will now add the sujective desires of a citizen - which is that India should not even attempt to become a superpower."
He goes on to say that we should judge ourselves not against the achievements real or imagined, of other countries, but in the light of our own norms and ideals.
But one thing the chinaman said, I founfd valid. He argued that more than infrastructure, India needs a change in the attitude of the people. For example, when Singapore decided to have a clean envvironment and city, they decided to first educate people and make them understand that spitting in public and littering are socially unacceptable. Thereafter, they built worldclass infrastructure that these educated people use carefully and with pride. Most people who have visited Singapore praise its cleanliness oft forgetting that while they were in Singapore they balled up their litter and pocketed it till they found a trash can;but, the minute they land in India, they start littering freely again!
Whether India becomes a superpower or not, Indians must become Super People!

Evaluation- The cornerstone of Toastmasters!

03.08.2008

I was the Table Topics Evaluator at ny Toastmaster Club meeting today. The speakers were above average and I sincerely hope I gave them good feedback. Incidentally, they gave me the best evaluator ribbon!

Here are some tips on good evalation techniques I heard at the Education session on Evaluation conducted by DTM Manian, a senior Toastmaster from Bangalore:

• Evaluation is the cornerstone of the Toastmasters Edifice.


• Evaluators are not specialists, but rather ordinary people giving feedback and learning in that process the art of giving constructive feedback.


• An evaluator should ask the speaker, beforehand, whether there are any specific inputs they would like to have on their delivery or content.


• The speaker deserves the evaluator's service. The Evaluator owes him three and a half minutes, which is the time allotted for evaluation.


• 6o% of the time, your evaluation should be positive and full of praise for the good things the speaker said or did; 30% of the time should be pointing out the possibilities for improvement in a constructive manner; the remaining 20% should give suggestions for inprovement.


• An Evaluation should also have a begining body and conclusion.


• Keep on noting down positive points because 60% of your time should be postive and constructive.


• Don't keep on carping on negatives.


• Begin with a quotation that is relevant.


• You can use notes.


• Your Summation carries 15 marks, so sum up the evaluation. Summing up should mention positive points, shortcomings and suggestions. Mention that you are going to sum up your evaluation!


• An analytical approach should be preferred.

Experience Vs. Evidence

Dr. S K Rajan, a leading doctor and former Dean of the Stanley Medical College, spoke at our Rotary meeting today. I lked some of the quotes the good doctor used in his speech which was basically on early detection of Asthma, titled, "Sneezing and Wheezing."
He began by saying that he would prefer not to use a Audio Visual Presentation as he would then be speaking on what he knows, unmindful of what we, the audience needed. I liked this usage.
He also said that Asthma may be inherited through parents, inevitable due to pollution and finally invitable through smoking and excessive perfume use!
He had a lot to say about the advantages of experience in the practice of medicine. He said most experiential approaches used by Indian physicians have been confirmed by western research. Unfortunately in India no one can pursue research work. Privately funded research is rare in India. He also pointed out that western books on medicine may not be relevant to Indian contexts. To use his words, "whatever signs and symptoms are present at the bedside of Indian patients is no found in western journals."
His quote, "Experience is Permanent, Evidence temporary," was thought provoking. (In fact I used it to quote my own favourite verse from Kannadasan on experience.

Kuselan: Irredeemable Tamil Cinema!

I have this theory about tamil cinema. Tamil Drama or in a real sense, Dance Drama is the predecessor of Tamil Cinema. It has its roots in Therukkoothu or Bhagavatham. In both these performing arts, it is quite natural (in fact, required!) for the protagonists to launch into song and dance at any point in time in the performance irrespective of plot, story or logic. In fact, the story is no more than the backdrop for these song and dance sequences. It is also customary for the arrival of Hero, Heroine, Villain and Comedian to be announced by a song and dance!
We can see the vestiges or hangover of this tradition in the best made Tamil Movies. Where, the plot and logic are abandoned for a song number. This song would actually go on to become a hit song out of its context and relevance in the movie. It is also common for tamil viewers to use song sequences as breaks for smoking and relieving themselves.
K Balachander (KB) was the first director who lifted Tamil Cinema from this tradition and instead used lyrics as an integral part or component in moving the story. No one could walk out during the song in a KB movie as they may miss an important aspect of the plot! Another Balachander (Sundaram Balachander) had already shown us in 1954 that a plot specific movie with no song and dance diversions can be made in Tamil. That movie was Antha Naal, considered even today as a directorial masterpiece. But it was KB who took Tamil Cinema to its greatest heights.

It is therefore, always surprising for me to note that films produced by KB (as against those directed by him) are made with the commercial eye! Kuselan, the recently released Super Starrer is no exception.

Predictably, the theme of Kuselan is Friendship, and P Vasu presents it with elan. We must appreciate Rajanikanth for his willingness to accept P Vasu's treatment. So much so that he does not apear on screen for nearly a quarter of the film! Not having the usual entry song is an obvious example. But the "Cinema!Cinema! song would compensate hardcore Rajani fans.

Pasupathy as Balu the barber is the main protagonist of the story. But Rajani permeates every frame in thought, word or reference! He is ever present in the minds and dreams of almost everybody in the little village of Maraiyur. Even the most cynical want to meet him!

Yes, the first half of the movie drags. The comedy track, though good does not gel with the sentimental refrain of the main track. The movie must not have cost much, if we discount the flashy song sequences. The fact that these songs and item numbers are not dovetailed into the screenplay is a major negative in KB movie.

For example, there is a song where the heroine of the "movie" being shot in Maraiyur, is reported as missing . Thereafter, she is shown dancing in the rain in a well choreographed number with a group of children!

• How did she get to the waterfall?


• How did she get back?


• Why did she disappear?


• What is the signifcance of this scene to the story?

To ask these questions is not to understand the basic premise of Tamil Cinema which I explained in the begining of this post! Welcome to Tamil Cinema!

Having said this, we must acknowledge that Rajani's speech to the people of Maraiyur is histrionics at its best. Even hardened cynics would have blinked away a tear or two during this performance!

Yet, Kuselan makes a valid point that friendship is a pure relationship that transcends wealth, position and personalities! It is sharing and a caring!

Let's celebrate Friendship Day (3rd August) with Kuselan!