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.