In tribute of URA...

Dr. U R Anathamurthy (URA) passed away yesterday and there has been a lot of discussion about him in the media, his contribution to the Kannada literature and being a new-age thinker and also about his version of development. It was as if a co-incidence that I was wondering on the influence he as made when one of our professors at IIM Bangalore and also a well known Kannada author - Prof M S Sriram shared URA's foundation day address in 2013. 

For the ease of the readers of my blog I have shared the video below.

I loved the piece where he spoke about the three kinds of hungers (not the biological hunger)  of our time:

1. Equality
2. Modernity
3. Spiritual

I missed listening to his speech on the foundation day, but rest assured I missed listening to this speech live! This is an absolutely scholarly speech (much different from what I had heard as part of the SPICMACAY national convocation that we had organized at MAHE in 2005 - I feel I was so myopic and possibly stereotyped much early).

The speech is one which has absolutely influenced me - while I continue the search for purpose of what I have been doing. I can now get a better perspective of what I intend to do by positioning it in the context of these three hungers. I guess it has also sparked a sense of zeal into what I want to do. 

What I also see amiss in my training is the strength of such a strong scholarship - I aspire to gain one such - I just wish I would be able to get myself trained thus.

The Butterfly in me... finding my purpose

Chomp! Chomp! I moved few inches ahead,
Chomp! Chomp! I ask my self where am I going...
Chomp! Chomp! I seem to be getting nowhere by wondering for a purpose...
Wandering almost every day - searching for a no purpose!
Chomp! Chomp! I continue to feed on as I still wander in my search...

Waking up every day; even before the first rays of the sun knock on my eyelids...
I ask - "Is this the purpose of my life?", or sometimes... "Is there a purpose for my life?"
While it seems as if I make a daily progress... a few inches ahead!
I still wonder -Is this is the right direction?"
Move I may in any direction - I still hog - Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Ages of this purposeless wandering has gotten me to believe-
It  is this that is the purpose - Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!
There is something in there that tells me - "IT CAN'T BE"... or may be "IT IS"!

But still, I continue my search.... may be there are answers at the end of the day...
A doubt lingering in my ears - "What if you have accepted this to be the answer very quickly?"

The Chomping seems to have got the better of me...
The feeding has bloats me, and more so my ego - "I am the biggest guy around, don't you see?:
My moves slow down almost saying - "there is no more of you I can carry"
But having identified with my ego can I still go Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

From the edge of my eyes I see others like me - chomping a longer than me
The doubt lingers in again - "May be there is where it all ends?"
May be - they know where they want to go...
May be - they would get bigger than me...
May be...

I slowly see myself change - I no longer move ahead...
I intend to move now - not to Chomp! but to find a purpose that is beyond Chomp!
But here I am - not moving...It is almost like life has come to a stand still
In my own world I feel this is my destiny -
"There is no more a direction, no hunger, no purpose"
Looking back, I ask - "Was there something that I could have done different?"
Answers there are many, but I move no more... to act and change...
I am now folded into a cocoon...

Lying in here... 
Nothing of the world interests me, I am bound to this tree... I have all the time in the world to think...
This is possibly where He wanted me to be...
but I still ask myself - is this the purpose of me...
No rationale can help me find peace, when I haven't understood the purpose to be,
Living off my fat from the chomps I had the Only energy I now have is to ask myself -
I wonder - Is there any greater purpose in life? What if I don't find a purpose in life? I have to make peace with my past - find a rationale that helps me pace peace...
I just hope I had a second chance....

I try to move - but there is not much of a space -
my cocoon is all the space I have,
I fear tearing it for the fear of not knowing my purpose
and being lost again only to think of chomping as my life's purpose.
my thoughts are now tiered of thinking about accepting the fate...
I see I need some thing more to do...

The turbulence in my mind, doesn't let me rest in peace,
The curiosity wants me to catch up with life... I know...
There is a world outside this cocoon that covers me...
I have waited long, in here, with no motion and almost no action...
I wish had wings to fly... Fly I will and explore the world

The wings of hope strengthen with each day I stay here...
It is as if I am only eager to fly... not walk any more!
But wasn't it the slow walk that allowed me to chomp as much as I wanted?
May be I should just wait for the cocoon to disappear and begin walking again...

But no! wait I feel there is something I haven't got yet!...
Walk I will only on this terrain, fly I will over different terrains....
I would rather try flying and failing than just waiting here in this cocoon...
After all, life is meant to be experiencing different things!

Isn't the Cocoon is really my creation?
Does it really exist? or, Is it me who thinks it exists?
It possibly is my imagination and not the cocoon that is holding me in here...
I have to challenge my limits....a struggle is ensured...
But I will fight, It is better than having just accepted the action less life here...

After days of struggle, I see the cocoon slowly giving in,
I see a faint light from the out trying to enter my eyes...
Its such a pleasure to see what I had been so long waiting for...
may be its time to push my wings and break it open...
hold on I no longer can... I want to fly not walk any more... I am so excited...

As my wings tear open the cocoon...
I feel the mild wind fluttering through my wings...
I just open them up and... lo! I am off from my cocoon...

The cocoon that so long bound me...
The cocoon that gave me time to look beyond my immediate...
The cocoon that strengthened by wings...
The cocoon is now gone... no more  it exists...
The legs that helped me walk - are only my resting pads...

I am no more of what I was... But, I am now a free butterfly
not chomping any more, but extracting the nectar from any beautiful flower I see...
I feel free - almost unbound!

I still haven't found a purpose, but I feel free...
I still find nothing in the goal, but the process of freedom that gives me the strength to go...
Its in enabling others realize their aspirations that I realize my purpose...
Being a part of converting the potential to performance... is where my beauty comes from,
My beautiful wings now have a beautiful purpose...
May be I simply allow them realize their purpose..That is what makes me free...

- Chi
[Pc: the internet I have given the link to the actual source for those who are interested in finding it out :)]

Bhaag! by Ganesh V

I just finished reading "Bhaag!" by a first time author - Ganesh V. I met Ganesh at IIMB-NSRCEL when he mentioned about the book he had written on Student entrepreneurs. I offered to write a review and he was kind enough to send me a copy of the book.

It has been an interesting attempt to look at bugging entrepreneurs from colleges across India and across different sectors. It is definitely the first of such an attempt in the space of student entrepreneurs in India - kudos! I loved the Bio-tech story in the set the most and I am a bit skeptical of the inclusion of the "Nurturing Green" story as I think it doesn't fit with the remaining set of stories.

What I liked about the book?

• The channelization of energy
• The focus of mentoring by the faculty of colleges
• The support of various B-Plan programs across the country

What I could like to see different in the book?

• Font! Man the font is so small - couldn't it have been bigger?
• Some elements of the narration! Looks like the Ganesh also wanted him to be part of the effort (this is my personal opinion: let us focus on the subjects instead of how you went about asking them!)
• Could have included a set of key pointers for the enterprising students who would seek to go enter entrepreneurship - the how element. (Resources: I am not too sure if these are the only ones - there are many more and some really interesting ones. I guess Ganesh could have done a better job on this)

What I think could be a good continuation?
Being one of a research mindset, it would be inapt to think of letting the new set of cases go off without tracking over a longer period of time. This could lead to a lot of interesting insights into entrepreneurship.

The Shiva Trilogy by Amish

I just completed reading the Shiva Trilogy by Amish (all the three parts in less than 3 weeks - an achievement my standards who doesn't read much of fiction!). I must admit - the narration was extremely gripping and I just finished one part after another - Hats off!

All three books:

1. Immortals of Meluha
2. The Secret of the Nagas
3. The Oath of the Vayuputhras

I found them equally engaging as a reader.
If you are open to reading a story that plays on your existing associations that we do with the various gods that we have - this series is for your. Read it if you enjoy thinking on these lines. For someone who is looking for facts to support the line of thinking - you might not enjoy the fiction.

Seek - Rakesh Godhwani

I completed reading Rakesh's book on career choices - Seek a few minutes back, and as is my habit - here is my review.

Here is what I liked about the book:

• The structure of the book - he covers each of the cases (as I call them) and takes care of the most commonly aspired sectors for an MBA student.
•  Mistakes were highlighted too - it makes it more real life, that we see people making mistakes
• Subtly highlighting the role an alumni plays as a mentor to the those in dilemma (builds a case for many colleges to strengthen their alumni network)
• Highlighted the existence of naysayer and their influence in every cases. These people have stood their ground.

What else I would have liked to see in the book:

• Could have also included not IIM cases - that would potentially increase the audience to which one could reach out to
• How about Non-MBA (some where I felt the book could have included a few cases of those who managed career transitions without an MBA - could have been a more generic learning for the readers - and there by making the recommendations more generic. MBA itself gives the breadth to adapt and hence may act as a cushion of sorts - should readers believe that an MBA become necessary for career shifts?)
• How should one learn from mistakes could have also been added - may not be the subject of this book and hence excluded. But it would be good to help people learn  how to course correct.

This is a good starting point for those seeking career guidance, however I hope that Rakesh of other authors in this line consider different starting points and help seekers learn how to navigate from different starting points. All the best for your work on careers going ahead - keep the good work going.

Here is a presentation he has upload covering the highlights from his book - I guess this was during the launch of the book.

Seek: Finding your true calling by Rakesh Godhwani 2013 from Rakesh Godhwani

Running Lean - Ash Maurya

The lean-start up movement has taken pace all over the word for its ability to focus attention on getting to build a functioning business at the expense of least resources. Numerous people have talked about the Lean Start up movement for quite some time - Ash Maurya seems to have given the closest to reality description of what the practical application of the lean means would come up to be.

For all those who have read Eric Ries - Lean Start up; and felt there is still a lot that they felt required explanation of - this book is definitely the go to book. It isn't a very hard read and given that Ash takes through his case study of CloudFire - it is definitely engaging and easy to relate.

 A quick read and am sure very easy to relate if you are looking for answers in your entrepreneurial pursuit. - Go get this book and get though the initial working business model.

However, I still find the approach of lean requires you to work on the boundaries of your rationality constantly to keep a track of what new customer segments would work out best for you - even the story of CloudFire towards the end indicates that while the method is well illustrated the pivot to a new opportunity required one to find its existence and then work on the same! 

That said, lean start up is still a  good approach to start your venture and grow with a systematic learning focus.

Nammamma andre Nanagishta - Vasudendra

Vasu (he has been a good trekking mate for me) had gifted this book to me almost an year back - I am pretty slow in reading kannada and always pushed away any such high effort attempt on my part. Recently, I began using the traffic signals as a time when I could catch up with some reading that I had left behind sighting various reasons. 

It is only when I read through the book did I realize what I had been missing all these months. Written in simple and lucid style - it took me back to my childhood and the sweet memories tied with it. 

This is a must read for anyone who is wondering how simplicity could be beauty - hats off to this work sir! I loved it - thank you.

Rich Dad - Poor Dad (Robert T Kiyosaki)

Today's fast paced world is driven by two factors - fear and greed (desire). Keeping a balance between these two aspect is the essential key to being successful in effective financial management.
 

This book is extremely inspiring, in that it gets us to act towards taking ownership of our finances. The simple explanation coupled with practical inputs one could take towards building a strong asset portfolio that could help one live the future as planned or dreamt.
 

The explanation using diagrams is extremely effective and communicates well with novices and gets them to be able to understand and use what is learnt.
 

My rating of the book - Very Useful. This is book is definitely the first step in awakening the financial intelligence of us living in today's world of wants. Go get your copy.