Monday, March 30, 2009

Travel in rescission.....experiance unfolds

I met one of my friend from US last week. He was business travelling on economy class though he was at very high band. Yes…..travel restriction during recession is catching up. I have been always an economy and economic traveler……never claimed perdieum ….always went on actual expense reclaim basis…..stayed in serviced apartment……..went to modest restaurants…..kept my trips to only essential…..never consumed alcohol or entertained alcohol. Still………I travelled almost 70+ international travelled in last 6 years across 3 continents …….. Across 15+ countries.



But if you look market report they very upbeat about prospect of travel industry.


Back to actual subject….For me traveling was always a prudent spending. Coming from a lower middle class upbringing I always felt guilty about consuming any luxury.

In corporate the travel budget gets tightened during pre budget time. Today the Travel budget is tight due to market conditions. Very different situation than earlier.

For me this situation is boon in disguise.......I am 100% enjoying the time of non travel for past 3 months.....no one is seeing a very compulsive reason make me travel nor I am seeing very compulsive business reason to travel . But look like the time has come again ....I need to travel now to Shanghai, Beijing, Tokyo,Singapore & Malaysia. As usual I am happy to cover this in 9 working days.

BUT...this time I want to make a change. Take cost cutting to next level . I am planning to travel with next level cost cut :
1. I am travelling by Train from Beijing to Shanghai
2. I am travelling from Malaysia to Singapore by Train
3. arrange travel in such a way to avoid lodging where ever possible.

So watch out some adventures stories and pictures about my train trips abroad.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

I learnt something more about apology…...courage!


Today morning I saw an email in my email box where some one sending an apology note for an incident which they thought occurred during one of our earlier meeting a fortnight back. I was unable to recollect any incident in the meeting which required an apology.
What intrigued me in the situation was courage and morality of some one senior to remember, reflect and act to apologies. That too in professional environment, where incident like this will go unnoticed if there was a situation where the person did some thing wrong …..As he/she perceived.
This has left very big mark on me today. Given my nature/attitude there were incident in my 18 year career I did crossed the thin line during meetings or email in a rush to get things done or convince someone he is wrong. But pot the incident though I reflect on my behaviors I have not shown courage to send an email apology.
I wrote back to the person about this learning I had from her email. Hope it will get perceived appropriately. In the end it was precious learning for me.

'from God to God' and 'prana prtistapane'


Yesterday night I was reading a book Christianity. In the chapter about Christian prayer it is mentioned that Christian worship is from God to God. Worship comes from God in two senses:



  • it focuses on who God is and what he has done

  • God himself puts into people's hearts and minds the desire for prayer and praises.

During my weekend Veda class, my Veda guru was explaining to me about prana prtistapane. This is ritual which we Hindus perform before we start pooja to an God Idol. He explained this ritual is about installing prana (life), which is the life energy of the deity, into the God Idol. I believe this is more way to recognize god in oneself and in every object.
Grossly....I feel both prayer coveys the same. While praying you are basically awakening the god in your self.

Monday, March 16, 2009

Valentines Day, Charlie Chaplin & terrorism……are we focusing civic activism on wrong issue.

Stimulus: A religious activist group wants to ban Valentines Day. http://in.news.yahoo.com/43/20090211/818/tnl-valentine-s-day-was-non-event-in-ban.html
Result: All intellectuals take time to organize themselves and protest such move. Political parties go on statement rampage continually for 3 weeks. Youths come together and make “Pink Chaddi capihn” across the country. Some techno savvy group creates face book group attracting thousands of followers to join the “cause” to protest such great protest. Religious group went on further and support its stand in all possible manner. It believes this is make or break point for a thousand’s of year old culture.
Impact: Multiple sheets of newspapers loaded with news on this all over the country. Multiple channels devoting hours of satellite time on this “Breaking news”. Billion of SMS’s across the country. Thousands of web pages filled with this news. Political parties taking strong stand on their position with this subject.
Stimulus: Some film shooting unit wants to erect a 60+ feet statue of Charlie Chaplin in front of a temple in a village near Udupi. http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/16/stories/2009031656371300.htm
Result: Hell breaks loose….people oppose such thing for different reason….from religion of Charlie Chaplin to religion of people in that village to administrative issues about permission. And same set of youth group, Media, intellectuals & political parties get involved with same rigor as earlier incident.
Impact: Multiple sheets of newspapers loaded with news on this all over the country. Multiple channels devoting hours of satellite time on this “Breaking news”. Billion of SMS’s across the country. Thousands of web pages filled with this news. Political parties taking strong stand on their position with this subject.
Stimulus: News on front page of all major news paper about how all the money from pirated DVD market is flowing into terrorist funding. The report is supported by research. www.indianexpress.com/news/buying-pirated-dvd-you-could-be-helping-dcompany/431798/
www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2009/RAND_MG742.pdf
Result: The news doesn’t go beyond that date.
Impact: Nothing. Neither the Activist group which focused all their earlier effort in the name of saving country from western influence …….all the youth, intellectual, Media & Tech power who tried to save freedom of expression continue to buy the same DVD on the street to fill the bank account of terrorist funding.
Do they think the people who are watching are fools?…..who get carried away by these groups who try to convert their liberty of impression into larger manipulated freedom of expression?

If these groups who took stand by taking position and “Action” on either side of issue………to save larger interest of humanity or larger interest of the country…………..why are they not taking any stand and action on the real issues where real civic activism in required.
Can we do something?
1. On priority STOP purchase of pirated DVD’s
2. Avoid focusing our energy on misplaced civic activism which doesn’t serve any thing bigger than bringing some popularity to people who are involved in it.

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Upcoming posts

1. My experiment with Six Sigma
2. Me and 海瑞士
3. Am I an expert
4. I want to teach
5. I want to give
6. I want to learn
7. Is my profession adding value to human kind?
8. Travel in rescission.....experiance unfolds
9. Do you know what happened today??!!
10. My trip from Beijing to Shanghai.......by train
11. My trip from KL to Singapore........by train

Food Food Food....



I love food.....if people think they don’t have live to have eat but rather eat to live. I am very clear I live to eat good food.

Let me give you my piece of philosophy on this...........food is the only material benefit for which you say enough. According to me that is a big thing according to me.........if your material focus is on is on something for which you will say enough than you are left with more satisfied mind to focus on other things. In today’s world, as long as you are focused and committed to do something than you will end up making material benefits.
Officially I am a vegetarian (I know my Dad and Mom don’t use internet so I can confess this on my blog). My family is hard core vegetarians…eating non vegetarian food is an unforgivable sin.
I have experimented on all types of food. I have tasted both vegetarian and non vegetarian food across the places where I have travelled. I have tasted enough to remember the taste. Travel has enabled me to do that as well. I have traveled almost 70 times across the globe touching 14 countries and 3 regions. Asia is my most destined region due to my work focus.

I have tasted from deserts made of Frog sperm in China to rattle sake sizzler in Arizona. I have never tasted red meat of big animals .

My Ganesha

I spent last Ganesha festival with one full day of work to create the Ganesh mantap inside my house. I did the front side Rangoli as well myself.
That is the kind of passion, love, attachment and last but not the least...Bhakti...I have for Ganesha. This is not today but this is teh way from the age of 3...I am 40 year old now.
People say I have Ganesha images & Idols all over in my house. But I am not sure if the I have Ganesha all over in my house or I am all over in Ganesha's house.

I have nearly 40 Ganesha Idols in my leaving room, one Mysore paint of Ganesha presented by my friend, a wooden carved Ganesha presented by another friend, a Ganesha mural at the entrance door. Not to forget 27 Small Ganesha Idols which are from Nepal ( I purchased it in Bangkok for a very good rate) made of pancha loha.

My both Names are named after Ganesh.....my house in Yeshwantpur in called Benka also the house in Malleshwaram is named Benaka.

Ganesha has his hands in all my success and given strength to face all challenges I had in my life.

I am confident he will continue to do the same all through my life in future as well.