God - Beyond the apparant...

There are debates all over that try to talk about GOD - where there exists a single GOD, or is there a plurality...

I don't take any stance here, but thought this interesting thought on GOD is worth a note...

Most of us would have heard the acronym for GOD - Generator, Observer, Destroyer, and in the Hindu Mythology, we call these roles performed as being performed by Tridev - Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva. Brahma takes the role of the Creator; Vishnu that of the Manager of happening of life, and Shiva the Destroyer who closes life as such!

These gods are generally accompanied by their consorts - Saraswthy, Lakshmi and Parvathy respectively. Saraswathi is considered the Goddess of Knowledge, Lakshmi the Goddess of Wealth, and Parvathy the Goddess of Power. 

Combining the Gods with their consorts, we have Brahma who is married to Sarawathy, Lakshmi who is the wife of Vishnu and Parvathy who is with Shiva. If we are to abstract this a bit - would could take the action performed and the corresponding representations we have- Brahma the creator is with Saraswathy who represents knowledge - the underlying implication being that - "to create something new, you got to possess the knowledge. Similarly,for one to sustain and manage an existing set up, finance place a primarily role and that seems to be logic highlighted in Vishnu-Lakshmi as a pair.Also, to get to close aspects or issue that have grown beyond the point of control, use of power become mandatory - possibly represented by the pairing of Shiva and Parvathy.

Why have these three Gods: Why not have them all in one?

It is but usual for one to ask, cant all these be handled by a single GOD? Why have three or them and what advantage would it actually get to the table? 

Very often we find that people who create things fall in love with their creation, they would like tobe so closely associated with their creation that they would no more realize the direction in which the creation is proceeding...it is best done with by someone else who get in an expertise on taking care of things and has the decision of taking the creation in the right direction. In the process of creation, its is always possible that the manager could be so enticed into maintaining that he/she could possibly not realize that the creation has outlived the utility.

Where one's responsibility ends the other begins. This however is not to state that they don't discuss or realize that at places there is a need to collaborate. 

In fact, Shiva who generally comes in the phase of destruction is also considered an expert on knowledge and learning - from what gets closed or destroyed, it is important to realize that learning are crucial and an means to improve the next cycle...So in some form, even Shiva is seen as an epitome of knowledge accrued over ages and generations.

Why do the pictures generally show them meditating?

The tasks these GODs do is very sensitive, if not delicate; and it is important to create a balance between action and involvement at the mental and physical level.  Less said the better - these are extremely high pressure roles!.

Meditation enable self-reflection, which allows these high pressure jobs be analyzed in a perspective that disassociate the problem from the individual and focus on solving the problem and lesser of blaming it on the individual.

Start-up Nation - Dan Senor and Saul Singer

Israel - the name resonates with a country that is today synonymous with Innovation, Technology,  a Start-up culture that could be the awe of any country!

Definitely, Israel is unique... is there something that one could learn from this small country that is located in the midst of a hostile neighbors. For a community of people who were displaced from their origins over 2000 years ago, to come back and create an innovation powerhouse, it is nothing less than a miracle! 

The authors - Dan Senor and Saul Singer have just written a fitting biography of this nation that has rebuilt in the last 6 decades a story of a culture that had to start from scratch and script its prowess as a leading start-up ecosystem. 

As one who has an interest in entrepreneurship, this book has an interesting combination of history, societal aspects, the economic conditions etc very well written. Right from the genesis of the country to how they seeded each of the industries - the need for innovation, the role played by military, a comparison with startup clusters, and last but not the least the challenges ahead... all so well put across that the reader is just glued to the story.

I just love this book and would urge every guy interested in entrepreneurship read this book.

Lazy!!! - well relaxing is for rejevination I thought... Doing something new does...

"All work and no play make..." 

So goes the adage...but is it only relevant to young kids? It is that only kids get dull? The large populace of IT professionals (well this doesn't really stop at those working only for IT) working around me too have a similar problem...they dont seem to give me an inspired feeling! I don't see "life" filled with energy in them.

I really don't see many of them getting to new things - they call the time that they do not do anything other than watch movies or sit in front of the television - relaxing! We is this relaxing! The mind of this duration is entrapped into the television or the movie and gives the sense of a temporary relief, but over a longer duration one would have really lost out on hours that could have been employed elsewhere and into something more engaging and enriching.

Everyone has a unique way of spending time in a manner that rejuvenates themselves - but what I feel people really do not do is get out of their comfort zone!... try something new!... Our mind loves to do what is likes.. it pulls us into the direction... it loves wandering... You could make better  use of it if you define or confine the mind a bit too... It could help if you add in a little bit extra in every thing you... and before you know ... you have really beaten what you thought you would ever reach!

Yes, the point I am trying to make is the lack of effort we put in exploring and then improving and if possible excelling at what we attempt to do. Its is time that we as people begin realizing that exploring an alternate side is very useful... I have heard many people say - I never knew I could really do this!

It is time, we move away from being lazy and engage ourselves in going beyond what we immediately know. A constant attempt to improve, is something that we never consciously engage with... and even if we engage with we behave as if its a competitive advantage and attempt to safeguard it to an extent that it doesn't transmit beyond the brain that has created it. 

I never thought I could actually do some digital media marketing... to took up a community event marketing and realized it is no great science and over the weekend I was able to get a lot more knowledge and experience from what I did. I was extremely thrilled at what I was able to learn... I think this has to become a sustained practice by everyone.

It is also in sharing that knowledge gets fertile... The experience of everybody and the interpretation of the scenario at hand help our knowledge grow and mature. 

It is time all of us attempt to move away from the usual, try something new, improve steadily, share what we learn... you never know what legacy we leave until we have left.

Why dont students challenge the exisiting norms?

We really don't find students challenge their teachers today? This is so much an Indian phenomenon...

This is how one of the conversation started today with Rishi... yes, Rishi and I keep discussing quite a few topics relating to the education in India. 

In this case it was interesting - I for one have not seen many of my students challenge me on the concept, I have seen some students who did try to put me out of the comfort zone due to attitude issues, but not on the subject matter. This too synched with what Rishi had observed, however I differed on his overall assessment that this was an Indian Phenomenon. 

We have heard about Gargi or Maitreyi who had been in a detailed discussion with the renowned saints of Janaka's period on various topics which required tremendous expertise. So it is not possible that discussion or even dissenting with the opinion of one's teacher is completely unheard of. In fact most of the early scriptures from here are in the from of a discussion and highlighting the nuances of the knowledge/philosophy. The drawback however was that not many were exposed to the knowledge as it was transmitted orally as the primary means and the written scripts were accessible only to a select few. 

I would rather blame the reason for suppression of the questioning mindset to the period when the system of knowledge transfer was broken thanks to the fear! Yes, the history of India has had enormous challenge to the survival of the religion of the masses at least a couple of times during the Mughal Period and later on during the British Rule. People being closely attached towards religion, feared the influence of the new beliefs and tried to avoid their religion being taken away! They possibly tried to prevent questioning of the fundamentals of their own religion under the influence of the new thoughts and began suppressing the thought of a creative discussion. 

Coupled with this, the system of generating mass scale clerks through the education system that was introduced during the British Era only worsened the problem. You needed people who could follow instructions while not really applying their minds!

The effect we see of this - is today in the form of people who dont think independently or question the foundation and belief!

The way forward I see is to encourage discussion as part of the knowledge discovery and dissemination. It is only through effective dialogue and discussion that one develops Independently thinking individuals who could fearlessly voice their opinions.

An exciting journey of starting a society - extremely satisfying

My life has been a summation of various experiments that I have been venturing on - many of the decision I have taken and followed have really no rationale description that even I could give - forget a prescription. Experimenting with uncertainty is now a part of me... and when some of these experiments make way to something that is extremely tangible there is no bound for the satisfaction and happiness I experience.

A recent such venture that sprouted into an organization has been setting up our own - Amba Bhavani Vividoddesha Souharda Sahakari. A cooperative which today almost every one from my community says there has been a felt need - their argument goes saying - "every other community in the region has one and we are late - none the less - better late than never". 

I possibly wouldn't have ventured onto this one if it was not for a dear friend of mine - Murali who was helping me explore the possibility of owning a house in my home town - Udupi. It was he who really was the guy who sowed the seed into my head... 

Frankly, I didn't know much about Cooperative Society to begin with - it was entirely a new field. I just waited on for Murali to repeat his idea so that I am really sure he was interested in it - and yes he was... I kept hearing the enthusiastic idea again and again. 

Being in Bangalore, I knew it would be relatively difficult for me to really venture out to Udupi and attempt setting up the society - I instead thought it would be best if I could focus on getting people involved into this venture. I realized that banking would be a crucial part of this venture and so, the first person whom I got on board was Manjunath Uncle...

I discussed the idea with him and then connected Murali and uncle to chalk out the list of people we could get on board... the first of this was my father and then we went on to add in a lot more experienced people onto the list of directors and slowly we could see the action begining.

There was still some doubt and skepticism, but these were put to rest as the team began to speak with each other. There was then the phase were people would keep meeting to chalk out the plan of action, but it wouldnt take a kick start and begin moving... I had my doubts of this begining to take off really, but thanks to the energy of uncle the engine slowly began moving....

We got a provisional approval for the process of making shareholder... this was possibly the toughest task of the whole process thus far. We were given 15 days and were asked to make 500 members and raise a certain capital to show that the people on whose behalf we were really attempting this were also seeing the need for it. 

Several several full-days and evening hours of pursuing finally bore results - reached the target well within the time and submitted our application... but then... the assembly elections were announced. 

We were this close to finishing the process of registration and now we had to wait for two reasons - there was a change in the act that would define how we were to proceed next, and the second when the new act would really come into effect.... even bigger wait was... when would the time come for us to start after the elections...

All we could do was just wait... after nearly 4 months of waiting finally we got the go ahead from the department and it was time we came out....

The society was inaugurated after a long delay but yes.. it gives me great pleasure to see it live on the ground. I know our task is just beginning - there is a tougher challenge ahead - that of really executing the plan ahead.... lets hope by God's grace we build on this start...

Wishing all the best to the team and seeking the continued support of all involved...