Looking at an enterepeneur as a farmer! - An interpreation of entreprenurship

Entrepreneurship is really a hot topic of discussion. There are various forums that discuss about it. I tried super-simplifying this by equating it to farming! But in reality there are many analogies that we could think of when this comparison of start-ups as plants...

Beginning with this blog, I attempt to try drawing parallels between plants/farming/ etc and the world of entrepreneurship.

GOD and the notion of Uncertainty...

The nothing of GOD is extremely intriguing. All of us have different notions of the Generator, Observer and Destroyers (GOD) based on our own experiences. Yes I said Experiences - read on to see why I make this claim. 

One of the comments on my last blog on the trinity of Hindu Mythology and the possible purpose behind the design mentioned - 

"Wonderful Article :-)
Reading this, I could not help myself but think these gods are man-made; they represent what our ancestors thought a wise idea worth sharing. However, the mystery is not solved yet. I just wanted to point out, I personally feel there is nothing divine and supernatural about gods as they have been portrayed for millenia!" 

- Anonymous

The comment got me thinking about why the notion of divinity and supernatural ability might have been attributed to GODs. I think I possibly got the answer! or may be not! However this is definitely an interesting thought - worth sharing. 

Scientific Thinking which found its feet has been built on the concept of reasoning. The ability to question and associate a cause and affect relationship has definitely served the human society well. The near exponential growth in the number of invention, and its commercialization that has quickened the pace of economic growth and gotten more CERTAINTY into our lives. 

Extending this, the possible origin of the notion of God, then has to be on the other extreme - when one feels or experiences UNCERTAINTY. These two observations sort of reinforce my interpretation.

1. The first one is definitely from my own personal experience of facing uncertainty which is so much a part of the entreprenuerial journey.
2. The existence of a high belief rate in God in the lower economic strata of society!

 Let me try explain this observation a bit elaborately:

As an entrepreneur and you will realize the complexity of the issues that (s)he faces from various directions and the limited cognitive ability wouldn't be completely enough to handle this. Even effectuation strategy, which through its principles provides a very very effective way to handle this entrepreneurial uncertainty, acknowledges the role of surprises (Lemonade Principle). In handling such a high uncertain situation where the distrution is unknown and hence a risk cannot be associated requires one to be positive and optimistic all through - and also believe in the strength of miracles. Miracles that just emerge when you least expect it - while some could attribute it to luck, it could also be attributed to the ability of God to influence things in one's favor. An extension of the above claim where this relation of uncertainly in business and a religious bent of mind can be seen in most businessmen being devout to a specific deity.

I also extend this uncertainty to the economically weaker sections of the society, where people have no idea where their next day's meal would come from! The physical strength, minimum skill and the effort of these people is all that they would need to rely on in being able to sustain themselves on a day to day basis. This is possibly one of the reasons why this section of the society is highly susceptible to religious conversions - when there is a slightly better quality of life could be expected!

PS: The above is just a thought that I put across and would appreciate your  feedback on the same.

"Remote Culture" - Get up and change it...

A short while after I woke up today morning I checked my facebook page for some inspirational quote, and lo! I found this.

I have been thinking of the declining willingness in today's generation to bend their back! and feel this quote kind of helps me put these thoughts together. 

All through my childhood, growing up as the only child to my parents it seems to me that my parents should have logically pampered me. I thanks them today for the emphasis they put on hardwork and patience. I increasingly find this emphasis on hard-work becoming a rarity thesedays. 

Most of the students I interact with have grown up in with a lot more attention from their parents (unlike the old Indian kids where the parental attention was divided between almost half a dozen kids!). The higher attention typically translates to parental attempts in ensuring the kid almost everything (s)he wants! Beginning to rely completely on the "remote culture" as I call it. An extremely easy way to get things done - almost at the click of a button!

While this parental attention is great, the repercussions begin impacting nearly a decade and half later, when they are either doing their graduation or are in their work environments. The certainty that was so much a part of the growth years, all of a sudden seems to disappear and the harder realities of life which require one to stretch and get the better of oneself takes over. 

The reactions of the individual in these situations is to either accept the new norm and retain the current pace of activity, or to try and push and may be eventually give up. The major issue is when one stops experimenting and exploring and eventually morphing to be ready for the challenges of everyday life.

If there is someone who can change what we want to change it is us alone.

Lord Ganesha - Deepawali'13 sketch

The long Deepawali holidays gave me some time to sketch a Ganesha. Feeling happy having done it after more than 5 years! Here is a low resolution scanned image of the same: