Change yourself for a better tomorrow!

I was browsing through Orkut today and a video of a 12 year old girl’s video caught my attention. What an emotionally charged video that was at the ‘92 Earth Summit in Brazil! All bureaucrats, government officials and other dignitaries were looking dumbfounded at a girl (Severn Suzuki) who at a tender age of 12 was speaking on starvation, ozone layer depletion, wastages, pollution, etc in an action packed 5 minutes speech.

I had always wanted to contribute on all the topics that Severn touched upon. But, whenever I took this topic amongst a group of people, I was called a saint or recluse. But, i feel i’ve a responsibility to contribute. I also feel that not many people of my age (15-40 age group) know the gravity of what harm they are causing to the environment by continuing to live as they are.

Severn started thus: “I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. And this is what one child told us: “I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection. If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy?”

I can’t agree with this better. I still have a lot many friends, who splurge on food, clothes and parties unnecessarily, but refuse to even part with Re.1 to people suffering without food. These people I think are the biggest losers in life. I’m a strong propagator of the theory that a person gets more happiness by parting with something that he feels important (experienced a lot many times!). Living for oneself causes misery. Only when at least 10% of the population gets a mentality to share, will an economy like India have an inclusive growth. Otherwise, the rich will get richer and the poor, poorer.

Now, here’s what Severn talks on pollution: “I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard. In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.” How true is that! And how wonderful that a 12 year talks about something that we grown-ups hardly even think of or brush it off as an alien topic. Spare a moment for your generations to come. You have experienced this wonderful world, give them a chance too!

This post would not be something urging to change the world overnight. Realize how crucial your role could be in this world. Take care of simple things: switch off lights, fans, reduce food wastage, contribute something to a starving human being, reduce on the parties you attend, cut down unnecessary food, etc. Now that you knew it all well before, it just needs somebody else to re-emphasize it. So, go ahead and be the change for a better today and the days to come!

Lifetime learning from an old age home

It all started during one of our courses on Human behaviour in February 2009. We were supposed to take up a project that we had never done in our lives and that which would be deemed “out of our comfort zones”. I wanted to take up some project that would bring satisfaction to me and that would also satisfy the project objectives.

Brief description of the project

My walkabout was to organize a one day event at an Old age home in Manila, Philippines. I arranged for snacks – biscuits, juice and sweets – for the aged people (called lolos and lolas in the local language – Tagalog) and arranged for some “fun” activities. The fun activities included karaoke, aiming the balls into the basket, reverse counting, making pyramid with playing cards, etc.

Some key-learnings from my visit:

Smile wins hearts:

It doesn’t matter who you are to greet someone, you win hearts by your smiles. You smile at them and they return you abundance of happiness. They are so pure at heart as they’ve come out of the bitterness of the life and its experiences. They have transformed to pure, innocent souls because years of experience have told them what matters most in life. So, I understood what life was all about in the day that I spent at the old age home. So, this applies in the corporate world too. Smile a lot at people. Make people feel happy and important, was the key take-away for me.

Know how to connect with people:

Although I do not know Tagalog, I knew that the lolos and lolas would relate more to the event, if I spoke atleast a few words in the local language. So, I wrote down words such as “Ano po ang pangalan nila?”, “Kumusta po kayo?”, “Magandang hapon po”, “Kumain na po ba sila?”, etc. When I asked these questions, the inmates became very happy. They even responded and questioned in return. Thus, I felt, during a conversation, try to gauge the easiest way to communicate information and make best use of it (corporate world).

Relationships bring happiness and not the materialistic pursuits:

The irony is that most of our time in life we run for materialistic things without focusing on relationships. But then, I realized that it is not money that drives everything. It is the relationships that take you till the end. As soon as I started talking with them, I was called as a ‘Church father’ and a ‘Church brother’. They imagined me to be some divine person who has come to help them all. They were so happy when I took photographs with them. Most of them had their relations’ photos beside them and I could see how they valued their loved ones.

I could see one common thing among all of them. Although I could not understand Tagalog much (the local language), I knew every person in that old age home had stories to share, their life challenges, successes and pains. Each one there is a wealth of information, encyclopaedias of life’s struggles who have seen and experienced both good and bad in life. They just expect a smile, respect and attachment from the world and not sympathy. They wanted me to visit them regularly. I was atleast said thus, thousands of times: “You are such a wonderful person. Hope you come back regularly”.

So, what did I learn from this: Relationships bring happiness and not material pursuits (always).

All’s well that ends well

At the end of all this, I had to present to the class on what I had done. I had made a video that saluted my parents for what I’m today. Suddenly, at the end of the presentation, I saw that some people were moved to tears and that I was getting a standing ovation. I had never got such a rousing applause or appreciation. I always thought that such standing ovations are for people like Sachin Tendulkar (after scoring a century), for great orators and others. I was really moved that people really understood the value of parents. I also felt satisfied that my trip not only taught me an important lesson – that parents are the most precious gifts on earth – but also taught my class mates.

A month later, my professor wrote in Manila edition of Business World. Here is an excerpt on what he said:

“Among the most applauded initiatives was that made by Satheesh Kailasam, who organized a day of fun and games for the elderly wards at Golden Acres home for the aged. Satheesh, 24, worked as a senior business analyst after obtaining an engineering degree. With a slim budget of two thousand pesos, Satheesh brought so much happiness and laughter to about a hundred lolos and lolas who are now living separately from their families.

Many of his classmates emerged with moist eyes after viewing a video clip of his day at Golden Acres. Yogesh Yoshi wrote: “When I reflected on this, I realized that no matter how well I succeed [later in life], my parents have been the ones who always supported and encouraged me. This presentation made me think [about] what is important to me in life — money, career, or people close to my heart? From now onward, I would definitely think on similar lines while setting priorities and making key decisions in my life.”

Aamchi Mumbai – An outsider’s perspective

I have just stayed for a day at Mumbai and it seems like ages now – not because I don’t like the place, but because I roamed around like crazy on the first day.

One thing that I immediately noticed is the cosmopolitan nature of the city. Mumbai embraces people from any place, with just one criterion for survival – be ready to slog. It has considerate people (comparing it with the capital of the country).

The other thing that myself and my dad’s colleague discussed was the kind of customer service offered by Mumbaikars. You call up a carpenter and he comes in 5 minutes and goes about doing his job neatly. Although he charges extra, no one minds it. Autowalas do not charge anything beyond what the meter shows. Taxiwalas seem more customer-friendly. It is because of all these that my dad’s colleague loves Mumbai. So, this city teaches one very important management lesson. Customer is king. You keep him/her satisfied and you can be sure that it is half the job well done. The other half is obviously the product/service itself J

Weather is the third criterion. Being a coastal city, I imagined Mumbai weather to be on the same lines as Chennai – damn hot and “damner” humid J. This was not to be!! It is a lot cooler than Chennai at this time of the year. Probably too much influence of sea breeze. The reasons don’t matter, as long as it makes life comfortable for Mumbaikars.

People are also a lot considerate here. I’m comparing it to the “callous Delhi”. Sorry if I am a bit rude. But, I’ve been there for 8 years to comment about the place. Here, people respect fellow beings.

The aroma of garam samosa, agrak chai, samosa chat..WOW!! Although not a foodie, I simply love the taste-bud arousing tastes of Mumbai

After having sung in praise of Mumbai, there are a few things that I would hate:

The crazy crowd: I think its because of all the factors mentioned above, that there has been a huge influx of people from all parts of India. I find South Indians, North Indians, East Indians (people from East)..The West Indians (hehe..people from Maharashtra, Gujarat, etc.) seem to form a very small proportion.

Cost of living is one other factor. Again, it is because of all the positive things mentioned above. Because of all those factors, there has been a huge influx of people. This resulted in higher demand and lesser supply. The immediate effect is the higher prices that we witness today.

All my doubts – on how a city holds so many people and why are they attracted– are cleared.

The art of being happy!

Being happy and content is one of the slightly difficult things in life. How many of us are happy with our daily lives? One day we are happy and on the other, we curse everybody around us for our life! But, are they responsible for our lives?

Now, here are few quotes that i came across from various sources and let me also tell you that you must make an effort to remind yourself of these everyday, for being happy.

On my way to Manila from India (after an enjoyable vacation), I was in the Singapore airport for a stopover. Sitting in the departure hall, i was not in any mood to even smile at people.  My mind was wandering around various thoughts. What am i going to do in the future? Why am i going to Manila? What would i achieve there?  Why am i leaving my parents and my lovely family behind? What am i gaining from this!? But, later realized that these were too many questions for me to answer. Being in one of the disastrous moods, i came across a person whose T-shirt read “You are responsible for your own happiness”. I began to wonder: The umpteen questions that i have, are anyway not going to be answered in a day or two. They are going to remain for sometime. So, why not make an effort in being happy for today? Why do why waste my today for something that is not under my control? I began smiling at people and to my surprise got it in return too! So, the first lesson is to understand that there are too many things in our lives to worry for! So, leave it aside and make an effort to be happy. If there’s one lesson from the Mumbai terror attacks, it is Life is too short and there’s no telling when it could be over. Be happy NOW, otherwise it would be late.

The other quote is from a pamphlet i got from one of the clinics:  “Speak up for what you believe in”. You can be radical in your thoughts, you might be shy in expressing. But, if you think that you would be able to express the same clearly and politely without worrying about others’ reactions, people would appreciate you. By doing this, you let out emotions that you would have been having within.

Take out time for yourself and don’t be with people who pull you down: Unless you take out time for yourself, understand yourself and love yourself, you are never going to be happy. Also, make sure that you avoid company of negative people around you. They bring your energy down!

These were somethings that i thought i wanted to write it down. I, just like any other human being, is in search of happiness, but realized that even when there is recession, or even when you are fired from your organization, it is YOU who needs to make an effort to be happy. So, I’m still making conscious effort to make myself happy.  My final word of advice to everyone. No one knows what would happen in the future.  So, for today: SMILE AND BE HAPPY!!

Are you really prepared for an MBA?

‘Complete your undergrad and start preparing for your MBA exams’ has become the mantra for most of the Indian undergrads. I tried asking many on the reasons for their wish and was surprised by the answers: The salary criterion beats the others hands down. Next comes career switch, boring job, bad managers, etc. But some others were clueless. Can you imagine 20-year-olds saying I need an MBA just because my friends are doing it?

I’m doing my MBA right now at Asian Institute of Management in Manila now. Don’t ask me which category do I fall under (hehe!!)?

But right after 1 or 2 weeks, I found out that this program is not for the faint hearted. And if you are doing an international MBA, be ready for a cultural shock initially. I was totally taken aback by the “cultural change” between India and the Philippines. And over and above that, we had classes right from the next day of arrival at Manila. Imagine a plight of a tired traveller yearning for some sleep to be stuffed with books right on the first day?? Be ready to see animals and sea-food on every plate with smells driving you crazy (if you are a veggie!!). By ordering vegetarian burger, you might get to see beef/pork/sausages/mnopqr, etc.

Though a person with a decent accounting background, I had to struggle to read through 600 pages of credit and debit. I couldn’t imagine the plight of techie guys in the class. Wrote a basic test on accounting right in the first week and managed to fare decently well in that. 200 more pages per day of global gyaan on supply and demand from economics pushed people to their limits.

All in all, be ready to slog right from the first day till you die when you go for your MBA. If you are one really career-conscious person, you are at the right place. If you would like to live your life relaxed and with a bit more happiness, work from where you are or stay at home!! MBA is not for you.

Now, let me go and self-analyze

Change yourself or there would be no tomorrow!

I was browsing through Orkut today and a video of a 12 year old girl’s video caught my attention. What an emotionally charged video that was, at the UN Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992! All bureaucrats, government officials and other dignitaries were looking dumbfounded at a girl (Severn Suzuki) who at a tender age of 12 was speaking on starvation, ozone layer depletion, wastages, pollution, etc in an action packed 5 minutes speech.

I had always wanted to contribute on all the topics that Severn touched upon. But, whenever I took this topic amongst a group of people, I was called a saint or recluse. I also feel that not many people of my age (15-40 age group) know the gravity of what harm they are causing to the environment by continuing to live as they are.

Severn started thus: “I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard”. “Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent some time with some children living on the streets. And this is what one child told us: “I wish I was rich and if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicine, shelter and love and affection. If a child on the street who has nothing, is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy?”

I can’t agree with this better. I still have a lot many friends, who splurge on food, clothes and parties unnecessarily, but refuse to even part with Re.1 to people suffering without food. These people I think are the biggest losers in life. I’m a strong propagator of the theory that a person gets more happiness by parting with something that he feels important (experienced a lot many times). Living for oneself causes misery. Only when at least 10% of the population gets this mentality, will an economy like India have an inclusive growth. Otherwise, the rich will get richer and the poor, poorer.

Now, here’s what Severn talks on pollution: “I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. We cannot afford to be not heard”. “In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see.” How true is that! And how wonderful that a 12 year talks about something that we grown-ups hardly even think of or brush it off as an alien topic. Spare a moment for your generations to come. You have experienced this wonderful world, give them a chance too!

This post would not be something urging to change the world overnight. Realize how crucial your role could be in this world. Take care of simple things: switching off lights, fans, reducing food wastage, contribute as little as possible to a starving human being, reduce on the parties you attend, cut down unnecessary food, etc. Now that you knew it all, it just needs somebody else to re-emphasize it. So, go ahead and be the change, otherwise there would be no tomorrow!

Inflation in India is due to High Oil Prices

The aam-admi (common man) in India was living his customary life. He did not bother when the crude oil was $60 or $100. The laborers, peasants, other daily wage laborers, etc. wouldn’t even know what Sensex was, when it touched 21,000 levels. More or less, things were serene. Now, the common man finds it hit hard to make ends meet. He’ll have to work extra shifts, sweat more to live the way he lived the same time last year. Reason..INFLATION. Yourself or me would not be bothered much. An extra one rupee here or there does not hurt us much, but, this is a daily battle for the under privileged. 

 

This is going to be a very simple blog for beginners in economics:

 

What is inflation? 

Investopedia defines it as “A sustained increase in the general level of prices for goods and services. It is measured as an annual percentage increase”.

 

What are the effects of inflation?

1. For the same 1 kg of urad dal that you bought last month/week/year for Rs. 50, you would have to shell out Rs. 55. Assuming inflation to be 10%, the prices of 1 kg of Urad Dal now is calculated thus – {(100+10)*50}/100.
2. Since there would be too much money chasing too few goods, it depreciates the value of the currency. The demand of it decreases in the international market. Thus, although exports would flourish, imports would take a hit. This is because, while exporting, the exporter earns in rupees, but while importing, he has to pay in the exporter’s currency.

India’s case 

The current case of 11% is predominantly due to the global crude prices. To save the PSU oil firms from going bankrupt, the UPA government bit the bullet and increased the prices by Rs.5 and Rs.2/- for petrol and diesel respectively. Increase in petroleum prices has a ripple effect in the system. Prices of food items soar (due to increase in transportation, pump sets for fields, generators, etc). So, one gets to see higher prices across all commodities once petroleum prices increase.

 

The Affected

• Aam admi or common man. He cuts down on his daily intake, while the rich still splurge in cafes and bars.
• The government itself. If the prices continue to rise, in the same way as they are now, UPA can even forfeit contesting in the next elections. The normal Indian voter is very finicky on high prices and can be ruthless to a party that might even boast high majority or incumbency factor.

Solutions

• Since inflation is mainly due to petroleum prices and since its prices have been artificially raised in the commodities markets, oil/petroleum products should be removed from commodities trading.
• Indian government should bring in more prudent fiscal and monetary policies to contain inflation. Increasing interest rates alone is not going to be the only solution.
• Exports of essential commodities should be banned with immediate effect.

Begin to love cycles

Cycles may not be as trendy as Mercedes Benz or BMW, but there are numerous benefits for your health, environment and pocket!

What made me write this post? I saw a rickshaw-man today, who just after his bath in the hot summer (yeah..Indian summer ofcourse) was putting on his clothes. I have not seen a better toned body than his for quite some time. This, at a time, when I’m really worried that, I’ve put on 15 kgs in the past 2 years of my stay in Gurgaon. To hell with SRK and six pack abs. You invest thousands in fitness centres and gym, and get a decently toned one after a few months. Somebody like me might take years. By exercising only twice in a week and with sleep getting the better of you, you cannot imagine getting a well maintained body, leave alone measuring your biceps or triceps. That rickshaw man’s job is an exercise. How sweet isn’t it? Just that the returns are so meagre. Otherwise it would have been the most-sought after profession. No wastage of your morning time, no need to invest thousands of rupees on gym, but still great health (again.. no doctors). Woww!!!  

 

Close next is the concern for the environment and your pocket. We see cars giving 10 kmpl and 12 kmpl. With fuel prices going over the roof (crude oil costs $130 per barrel today) and with the Indian government contemplating on raising petrol prices by Rs. 7 – 12 / litre, you would see a huge hole in your pockets in a few months. Start using cycles and you can manoeuvre through the longest traffic jams in Delhi, avoid on road taxes, avoid paying your maintenance costs, save money for going to your favourite movie over the weekend and more importantly avoid polluting our planet. Invest in a very good cycle – a fashionable one if you are looking at flaunting your money. 

Indian Media and the sorry state of “affairs”

First it was Hemraj (the servant) because he was missing from the crime spot, then it was the father Rajesh (doctor and father of the murdered) himself because the servant himself was found murdered..no..no..it is the mother..oops..we are sorry..it was the doctor’s colleague (with whom the doctor reportedly had a secret affair) who did it..Now, this is the state of affairs of the “investigation” done by the U.P. police team. There are many people culpable for this sorry state of affairs (no pun intended).

 

First, of course is the media. There are some news channels (which I wouldn’t want to name here) which always look for sensationalizing incidents and news. Although, I sincerely feel sorry for the murdered, I think there are other more imperative things in the world, to be covered. Understood that you are trying to illustrate the state of cities and do a reality-check on our safety. But, for this news item to cover Page 1,2,5,12,13 and engage 14 hours of air time for a week looks ridiculous, to say the least.

 

You can’t run a news channel just for TRP ratings. There are innumerable farmer deaths, inflation, price rise, deaths due to starvation, etc. Don’t they merit the same attention as this “double murder”? Only ONE answer. Commercialization of news. I feel terribly sorry for one of the leading newspapers (your guess) of India, which unfortunately only has gossipmongers rather than journalists. While other leading dailies such as The Hindu and The Indian Express, carry news of importance as their first news, these dailies’ headlines consists of rain in the city, instances of sex, double murder, new stadium being built, the BRT corridor and other news items which don’t even figure in Page 4 or 5 of The Hindu and The Indian Express.

 

Following the media, is our police force. They went ahead and told the media new names of the actual murderer every other day. Incomplete investigation, pressure from the media (yeah..media again) have been the rationale for such statements from people holding responsible positions. Now, what this does is, cause more insecurity to people. On the one hand you know the society is getting increasingly “blood-thirsty” and on the other you have a reckless police force. The comments on the doctor-father (reported to have had an affair with his colleague) and the daughter (reported to have had an affair with the murdered servant) – sounds complex eh?? –  vindicates my stand. No proof – Plain loose talk. Again, purely due to the pressure of solving the case, due to the huge media attention that this news item got.

 

So, please guys, stop commercializing everything you lay your hands on. Of course money and profits are what is needed for a company to succeed, but have some common sense and put yourself on an educated reader/listener’s shoe! Make people educated and aware by giving the right ingredients. Otherwise we would see a lot more half-solved cases, more insecurity and ‘lesser’ educated people in the future.

Charu Sharma, IPL and the ruthless corporate world

Freehit - as my blogname mentions - is not restricted to cricket and IPL (Indian Premier League), but I thought my first post should be dedicated to the same. Reason: IPL’s popularity and because two of my icons (Dr. Vijay Mallya and Charu Sharma) are in the news.

Just to give an introduction as to how all those 3 in the title of my blog are related: Mr. Mallya owns the Royal Challengers Bangalore team, Charu ‘was’ the CEO of the team in IPL. The stress on the word ‘was’ because, Charu was fired from his post, due to Bangalore’s non-performance. Till date, they have won just 2 of the 8 matches they have played - a stunning 25% win record. For a team full of quality players, this result does not convey the entire story.

I’ve a few concerns/questions at this junture:

1) The role of CEO:  We have known the corporate world for their ’Perform or Perish’ mantra. But, at the end of the day, your 11 players have to perform. And those eleven players are decided by the captain and/or coach. So, what has a CEO got to play on the losses?

2) ‘Individual’ franshisee owners more affected: I think Mr. Mallya, a person who’s worth is $1.2 bn, and who owns 42 homes, 250 vintage cars, a customized Boeing 727 and two other corporate jets, and three yachts-including the Kalizma, took ownership of Bangalore franchisee ($ 0.1 bn) for something more than business intentions. A small calculation suggests the franchisee is worth ~8% of his personal wealth (although the franchisee was not bought out of his money). So, when comparatively (as compared to individual owners like SRK and Preity) you know that you wouldn’t lose much and you would break-even in a few years, why should you fire someone who is remotely related for the losses?

3) Fire himself/Dravid: They chose a very good team which was more suited for a H100 cricket (my terminology for 100 overs-a-side match ) rather than T20. So, it should have been Dravid/Mallya who should have raised their hand and accounted for the bad patch the team is undergoing.

4) No questioning Charu’s credentials: There have been just 2 Indian sports presenters that i have known and grown up with: Harsha Bhogle and Charu Sharma. A person who started his career in 1982 in the Asian games and whose career has been blemishless should have been treated with a bit more respect.

In just the half way stage (7 out of 14 for every team), Charu was fired. This would certainly affect the team’s morale and they would always be under the influence of pressure, which could affect them further. I still have great respect for Mallya, for his flamboyance and charisma, but i feel he was wronged in the way he handled this incident.

The team has played 1 match under the new CEO and has lost it. But, it would be interesting to see how many matches does Team Bangalore win after the new CEO has taken charge. I’m just hoping that cricket would not be influenced more by commercialization and would continue to be played as a sport, for the interest of the audience and the sport itself.