Empty mind and Empty Heart

Make your life hectic and it blocks you out from your mind and heart. Its good actually, to a certain extent. An idle mind is a devil's workshop, they say. It fills your mind with somethings that are inconsequential in fact, but appear too important to ignore if you have nothing else to occupy your mind. Empty minds are tough to manage even for aspiring budding managers. Great saints have not been able to tame this mind, who are we!

This blabbering I am doing here for the irritation of my esteemed reader is just another method being tried in the hope to unburden the mind and the heart. It felt tough to write anything 6 months before joining this institute. But now, I am an expert FAFFER. For the uninitiated, FAFF means a group of words evilly designed to make more sense than they actually do.

Now back to where I started. Life's been cruelly hectic to make an understatement. Enough activities to fill out multiple diaries of an executive. Too much to deliver. And also lesser time for doing it. Over it all, exams, syllabus, classes, extra activities. Its never stops here. Mind's always filled up. Hearts always beating with excitement. I mean this is not all bad. This is really good stuff. To be a part of this marathon of activity, I do feel lucky. I feel lucky for the people I am surrounded by. I got a lot to learn from these people.

Now that there appears a sense of calm in the horizon, I can sense a cloud of thoughts dizzying my brain that I want to wash off by some means. They are of course inconsequential, and of course, temporary. Because thinking about something with YOU in the equation is always temporary, energy sapping, misleading of the real picture, and eventually unproductive.

But sometimes the YOU becomes too much to ignore. Especially if others are paying attention to it. Or perhaps you think that they are. But I want my efforts to actually get me away from these perceptions. There's no fun here. FUN is always outside of YOU. Start looking outside. Its full of stuff that you are lucky to be a part of. Involving yourself there, makes you very light. You start doing things you never did in life, or ever imagined would do. Sing, laugh hard, feel happy even during dizzzyingly worrying times, and feel so brave when others are worrying like hell. You feel it all easy. The dizzying speed of everything becomes slow motion for you.

Now that's why its my efforts directed away from YOU. But whats worrying me is the focus on it, from other quarters which I believe is all useless, and part abnormality on my side. I hope time being the best healer would make things easier in the near future. But now anyway that should not be a cause of concern.

Now I want that empty heart and mind to be really empty for my sake. and wish the same for all. But I always  thank the power which provided me with this beautiful perception and hope that I will for my entire life respect it.

WOW! An example of PURE ABSTRACT FAFF. Can't be in a better form after writing an exam of HR management. Hope my form continues till tomorrow so I could scrape through the communications exam too.

Bye for now. May God Bless us all!!!!

Would you like to be a great guy(or girl)?

                            
People are respectful for Great people. Like in our own country,India has a lot of Great men or women whom we pay obeisence to, respect albeit formally,and celebrate their birthdays or death days with holidays. For us, except a few men who have indelible mark over us,like Gandhi or Nehru, or of course, if you know some local leader who has done great for the community you live in, are really respected in that you remember them in your thoughts on the day of the jayanti or some other time during your discussions. Otherwise, suppose there's some other holiday or jayanti of some other leader we know little of, then its fine. We are happy with the day off we got from our workplace or school or college or whatever we are doing(except if you are in IT for a foreign client, there you can't afford even these little pleasures).

I mean to ask, why are we respectful of these guys. Its like yeah everybody knows that he's great. So I know too that he's great. I am not saying that he's not great. But heck, so let him be. Why are am I remembering this person? Haven't the thought crossed your mind for once, what's the purpose of respecting some guy who's been great. I know its a good thing to respect the great people. But how is it a good thing.. We are so used to this habit of our elders to whom this habit was passed on from their elders that we are 'supposed' to respect.But what's the purpose of this good thing. Is it serving any purpose?? Maybe it is..... But do we know?? I don't frankly..

But I feel there must be some purpose, ain't there?? These people have just become like those Gods we pray to. Why do we pray to them?? Because everybody is supposed to do so..But there must be some reason..Otherwise the whole community isn't dumb to do it right since how many generations...

It all boils down to this...... We need to know the reason for doing this respecting chore that we have been thrust with....Otherwise shouldn't do it...Because it becomes a burden when you are doing something without knowing why!!

Well you see, its actually wrong to suppose somebody's great or somebody's God. You have the right to know why. Because unless you do know, or better realize, you aren't truly respecting him, from your heart, you are just faking it. That's like doing nothing at all. It can have repurcussions you know...like those in RSS, and the dumb guys of MNS, who think they know what God is?? or they are actually respecting God by forcing others to be like them. Its not done that way. They are a group of people who suffer from the problem that they don't know what they are doing..But they are supposed to do it..Just like their elders. But you see, you should know the reason and then do it. So, you do it from the heart. Otherwise, you are bound to become a hardliner. (This is just right...I don't care the hell what the world thinks). And these people get easily influenced by somebody bent on politically taking advantage of them. Like their leader. I don't say that you shouldn't follow your tradition, but understand it side by side. Its not great or difficult to understand to live by your culture. Neither is it great if you are doing that, nor is anybody not doing it bad. Its a matter of choice. Of course, a guy loses out on a lot when he leaves his culture. So he will come back when he sees that. If you force him, he will not come back. Because then he's afraid of u. But show him that he has a lot to gain by coming into your culture AND that he has a choice to do it or not. And he will come to u. This was digressing from my point. I was showing a repercussion of not knowing your leader or God AND trying to respect him.

I am not saying that there's a sure-shot definition for the greatness of these guys. Or that, it can be explained in short, and even if its possible, still tougher more to understand the same. But hell, man, its rather at least possible to keep a sense of inquiry rather than just accepting.What I am saying here is not something you can go and tell an MNS guy and he will understand. Of course, he won't. But if an MNS guy himself is reading this, patiently enough, not to tear it apart, he has the chance to understand. This is not anti MNS propoganda. I am not even using u as any scape goat. I am just trying to explain your state of mind and using that trying to make my point. My point is....

We need to try to understand why these guys who we 'know' as being great, were great, if that's what they truly were. Just you need that sense of inquiry. The reason isn't to obtain a guide to how to be 'Great'. I mean what's the ultimate point of being great by one person, and a mass of people respecting him for being 'great'. That's something I don't say doesn't exist but I want to know what it is. It would be good if I could know what drove these guys to be what they became, achieve what they achieved, that's what I am trying to arrive at. If the aim to remember these guys is to get back the driving force that drove the nation towards our independence, then its definitely a profitable venture. But are we really able to do that is not that I care about. I care about whether we are really assimilating those facts. Simply put, why were these guys great? Did they eat a different variety of foodgrains, or slept in some magical bed, or had some operation done on their brains to make them so great,huh?? I will respect these guys if they were something of special sort only if they were useful for me right?? That's what our gut feeling tells us, we are not going by what our parents,teachers have told us, to respect them!!Why, because he did this, he did that!! Ok fine! what am I supposed to do. Why I am writing all this bullshit is because I read an article in TOI today in edit page by a man called Arvind panagariya who is sad. Poor guy, he needs a change I think. He's sad because the remarkable period in modern India's history that is our freedom movement is in danger of being forgotten. Fine, right, absolutely correct, we are on the verge of forgetting something we don't understand why we are doing, maybe we are missing something that's good. But hell, why would we try to remember something that's like a burden of history books on our brains, that's just a lot of syllabus and nothing else.

It was fine that he's sad(the writer of that article) because of this genuinely serious problem, of us forgetting our heritage that is our freedom struggle's history but just look how is he proposing the solution. He's says we have failed to give due recognition to the heroes of the independence movement and we need to build a grand museum to do so, and have pavilions for this movement and pavilions of that movement. Well, sir, my most respectful gratitude to you for having being sad for this problem, but sir, I feel that the matter is not getting recognition that is at the root of the problem, but, the problem is, we don't understand the recognition because you are not recognizing him, you are idolizing him, just like we are idolizing our Gods. You see, it would be a better idea to tell us the secret of those great guys. We don't need to be told again and again, that at such and such date, such&such great guy did this or that great thing. Tell us, instead, why he, instead of those millions that were following him, was the leader, what did he came to know, while living among us, that we couldn't understand while living around him,huh?? Scrap those museums, build us some social security for this great nation and allow them a standard of living. We the people are not great by ourselves, but our deeds make us so, said some guy. But man, why did he do them, did his mother tell him to? Or did he sleep walk through it all man..... Those are the things that matter, if you can tell us, explain us, or even have time for us out of your busy schedule of seeing over the construction of that great museum of yours, please let us know..

Should Marketing be osmotic or simply,gulping the consumer down

Well, now that I have become a management student. I will be thinking of issues relating to marketing, finance, etc. Ok, today I opened the morning's newspaper at night 8 30 pm and starting reading the article on National Conference. M J Akbar is relating the history of National Conference to the present scenario, what it had been and what it is now. Now reading this article I started wondering.... well we are the center of our whole mundane lives. But look from the perspective of these political leaders, take Farooq Abdullah for instance.His father has been the leader of Kashmir since pre independence. Has played a big role in contributing to Kashmir's accession by India. Now his son, must be bearing his father's legacy on his back when he is doing his politics.

I sit here, and many times simply criticize any politician as and when I feel right. But now we need to think again, are the politicos really that bad or shallow that we may scold them, shout at them, disown them at any pretext whatsoever. Thinking from their perspective, it dawned to me, that these people must be trying to uphold the legacy of their fathers, who nurtured them to be future leaders, and that being only possible if you have the utmost sense of belonging to the very place you want to lead. The thing that is called in hindi 'Apnapun' is essential. People like them are sincere for their motherland, their birthplace.

By the time, you must have either started mocking me or shall I say (gaali de rahe honge) because the topic I am discussing and the title to this blog are nowhere in common. True, but only through this article I found an idea of what marketing could be.

I feel that marketing is the art of engagement. How do these politicians convince the voters? Only through engagement. And they are the best marketers for their party for being at the forefront of the political scenario. This is how my thought process went which you can see is getting so crazy as to find linkups to marketing with a political editorial. So, coming back. This is what I feel is the approach I should give to marketing. I saw a forum wherein this guy had a marketing plan ready and is showering such broad terms like Anticipating future needs, creating a better perception of the organization. I want to tell that guy, please hold on. The tasks you are mentioning are no mean tasks. It would take a series of tough changes, hard work and great perseverence to see through any of these changes happening in your organization. Just using these terms flippantly makes the whole job of marketing look frivolous, which it is definitely not. Just throwing money of the organization onto vague or insensitive ideas is like blowing loose air onto customer's face which I believe is not going to make him sit up and look at you. You need to be utmost sensitive and careful on what you project and portray. Its like osmosis. wherein exchange of substance happens at the molecular level. You need to have a microscopic view of the consumer and understand him and then provide the solution to his needs. I don't know how much do market surveys help, i believe they must only help in case of sincere responses by consumers, which are more often not. Now I hope the topic above feels relevant. Please pardon the slight relation between the editorial and my random thoughts, but I wanted to write it because that was precisely the only connection my brain made and the editorial is solely responsible for my having all these thoughts, however irrelevant it might be to the context of my discussion.

Thanks and Good Night.

How to fight lack of interest?

Well friends, I have started to write a blog now that I have exhausted all other sources of trying to bring my interest back into daily life. I don't know whether I am trying to write something specific here. I read a blog i wrote sometime back, and I said wow! did I think that.Strange. I have lost interest in my routine. I know that there are billions of voices echoing my thoughts. The mind feels empty. That's basically caused by lack of work, lack of proper thought. I have just completed my prep for MBA during which time, i came in touch with lots of beautiful articles, knowledge sources, and felt that all the time that I have is not sufficient to absorb all the information. Then at that point, I had promised myself that I will keep up the tradition of keeping in touch with current affairs, and also the latest happenings around the world.

These things actually give u a perspective. And that's an essential characteristic of your personality. I was slowly developing the taste for good content, and relishing reading that. These things actually make you a better person. Try to read good things by good people, there's no dearth of information in this world. And its our good luck that we have got all the facilities to access the same. But look at me, I allowed myself to slack and there I lost touch with all the momentum I had gained. I won't blame myself for that completely because I had been busy since the last whole year so was yearning badly for a break. Once I have taken some time out, now I plan to get back into the groove of being updated with all that's going on in the world. It provides you with some confidence.

Now back to what my status is at this point... How to bring back the interest that is absent. Well, for one thing, i should look at times which I feel for myself to be most productive. Most of my lack of interest has been stemming from my not being able to fit into the general surroundings either at office or at room. If I could tune into one of the person, who could be on the same thought process as me, I could spend more and more time according to my own way. Here at this place, I believe most of the time goes unproductive. I want to talk, and talk well. Not just rubbish talk. But serious productive talk that really brings about change in my thinking,life.

I feel all the pent up pressure of constructive ways that are just clogging my brain.
The main reason of it being pent up is that different people have different ways of releasing their creative energy, it goes into hibernate mode during company of people. I don't know what the reason for that might be, but maybe because I try to hide it in front of others and afraid to discuss about them, because i don't have the energy to convince others of my ideas at this point, because i myself am generally exploring my thoughts, and i prefer to keep it that way. But people generally think it better for them to interrupt and presume to have better understanding.

I am just hoping that future holds a better kind of atmosphere but I want to continue thoughtful brooding, gain knowledge, perspective, and use the same for my development. I am confident of my abilities to think logically and keep a decent opinion of myself. Of that, I am sure. And I believe once I get out of this thoughtless phase, I will generate interest..

Analysis of One's Weakness

Suddenly, I felt it. The emptiness that is eating me from inside. Which is preventing my feeling of happiness and belonging. But I am not able to connect, there's a lack of trust. Lack of it because I know they are honest, but I don't trust their methods. Even after succeeding, I am of course not more confident. I am just feeling relieved. I don't feel that I have come among the top 1% in India and made it to one of the top 10 b-schools. I feel I am still lacking some thing. I don't know if things will improve by changing places. Its my attitude.I don't feel inclined to show fighting spirit even in the most worst of times. I always creating backups in case of trouble. But when trouble really comes, I never intend to take it head on.

I believe the major reason for that is the lack of belief in my own ideas. For a long time now, I am enmeshed in a network of thoughts because of being in that kind of company for long. I mean, they have good minds all of them, but their style is totally different from mine. And to these idiots, ideas that don't agree with them are stupid. As a result, my way goes on to the back burner and get lost. But what I have achieved, is completely my own style, and hence, they are appropriate. Because my way has provided me a way out while they are still struggling to get out.

There in lies my fault too. I should keep my distance. They expect me to be simpleton, its fine. I am and can't help that. But let that not make me a fool. I work hard, I am intelligent and can achieve great for myself. Let me focus on that. I need to keep my distance with these guys. Its not totally their fault. I am responsible for it too.

Leaving kolkata for good.....

So late and after a long wait, the time has come finally to bid adieu to this place known as the city of joy to many but unfortunately, has brought more sorrow than joy for my part. This place was destined to be the start of my career which now thankfully is going to a new level, now that I by the good grace of GOD, will resume my studies and study for MBA.

Women Empowerment: Is it possible?

This is actually a response to a blog by my good friend rajeev kandpal, u can read it at:
http://seagull-rk.blogspot.com/2009/12/why-do-we-exercise-gender-biasing-and.html

Dude, I appreciate your feelings against discrimination of woman in this society. There are not many people actually, who realize the discrimination. Those who discriminate, they learn it from their elders. Not thru teaching, but by observing their actions. I am not saying its part of our culture to take advantage of our opposite sex, but this tendency comes because the opposite sex is vulnerable to exploitation.

There is a vicious cycle that's has created this sort of equilibrium where a woman in society is subject to discrimination and she accepts it as part of life.

Forget man or woman, any person when subject to discrimination by the very society in which he/she lives, will try to fight initially coz all ppl come to this world with the belief that they are free. But subject the person to discrimination forever,(that is the case with our womanfolk) and they come to accept it as part of their life, and even start to believe it as to be the truth.That is the case with womanfolk. Because she has forgotten what freedom(being free from discrimination) is, the voice inside her that used to fight dies fast and she now believes that its a matter of fact, that she is inferior to man. And her daughter is taught the same by her. and this cycle continues.

The only way to teach the person against discrimination is to first have a society which treats woman as equal among all citizens. But half of the society itself is composed of woman who from childbirth have been taught and they have come to accept and believe that. So, they won't resist any kind of discrimination.

Your perception rajeev, that westerners, treat woman as sex objects and one-night hookups, is only a wee bit misplaced. You can't generalize. Had that been the case, the western society would have been a barbaric society. There too people respect woman the same way we treat. Its just that they are more open and transparent in what they are doing. In asian or middle east countries, too, there are enough men who treat woman as sex objects and nothing more. I will go on to say as much, that here, in our countries, the discrimination is much more than that in the west. There the woman who are treated as sex objects are in most cases, responsible for the consequences themselves. But their society accepts that and accomodate them. Also, their the society is sexually more mature because talking abt sex is not taboo.

In our countries, talking abt sex is not welcome as part of daily lives. But flesh trade is rampant. Not having decent sex education makes the society sexually immature. But they can't ignore their basic instincts. That's why this flesh trade, and red light areas flourish. Here, please note rajeev, woman come into this trade not willingly but are forced into by gangs who abduct or buy girls from poor families and throw them in this gutter to spend their lives in rubbish. And society afraid to tarnish its superficial image, of being pure(don't they have passions man!!) don't dare to take these luckless girls back in their world. Only a hafta is sufficient to keep the police's mouth shut. What are these girls supposed to do? Well, they accept it and move on. Then start living like that. Because they have no other option. Western society doesn't do that. With time, these woman come to be shunned by society for no fault of theirs. They are treated as "character-less". But society is "ball-less", can't dare to accomodate them.Tell me who actually treats woman as "objects" - having no emotions, no character. Or simply believe so, by choosing to ignore any emotions, or show of character by those woman.

The solution to the problem itself poses a new problem. The solution is, according to many sources oriented to empowerment of woman, to be education of society. I agree totally, there's no other way. Unless you show the society what it is to live in a society where all people(irrespective of men and women) are treated as equal, they don't understand. And where from can u bring a society to teach people on this planet? Not from another planet!! You can't create one outside this planet. So u got to create one here itself. That definitely means, you need to change one of the existing societies. That brings us back to square one.

All this while, where is the "man"? He's happy, content to have half of the society subjugated. He thinks its to his advantage. He is getting everything suited to his requirements. You tell him to treat her as equal. That's what education does, to a boy. But he will do that at his convenience. Becoz he can, when it comes down to it, gain an upper hand, when he wants,coz society gives him the right and the woman can't reject this fact. So, any respect any man is showing, is superficial, it can't stand the pressures of life. But that's what is truly respecting. I am not saying all men are like that, not you rajeev, i believe, but most are.

Problem is everybody's doing what everybody's doing. And damn him who thinks different.

The key, i believe, is to stop doing what everybody does, and do what is right. But for that, you should know what's right. That's education. I believe rajeev you are educated. And u should do what's right, but everybody doesn't do what one is doing. You can't do what Sachin Tendulkar is doing. But everybody's does what everybody's doing. Now the solution is everybody needs to do, what you are doing, only then will everybody do the right thing. And then they will see that they are doing the right thing, and they will be educated...that's how they will learn. The question is, will they, and by when?