Bamboo In The Wind

The woman appears to be in the mid-50s. A tea stall owner. Busy, enjoying, has her own circle of life. The husband and wife built a business some 30 years ago. The place is gushing with tea enthusiasts. There is busy activity at the stove, rush to open milk packages, wash emptied glasses, serve guests all at one time. The tea is served with a content, confident and responsible smile. Credit to the enthusiastic lady who has assumed her role in the days of people who need tea to get through their day with energy. Her day apparently starts every day at 630AM. The tea stall platform is about 20ft by 10 ft. Reasonably clean; appears swept a few times in a day. Four poles and shanty roofs made up of polythene wraps give the place shade from Sun or Rains. The place is right next to pavements and on the main street, adjacent to a Bank, a small eatery and a travel agent office. There are few sitting stools and a couple of benches that make the place welcoming for visitors. There appears...

I have formulated a  framework  on how to approach problem-solving. 1. Inspect the problem and define the problem clearly I have realized that it is not prudent to  jump into solution mode immediately  and under the temptation to get over the problem at hand. Often we are forced to act with our own pressure and external factors that push us to act on inconclusive data.   I recognize that it is vital to  understand the issue  fully . In some cases, a small problem can become a big one with inappropriate actions.  In other cases, asking the right set of questions result in problem inspection from various angles and it has often resulted in me finding that the problem is really not a problem that needs a solution beyond appropriate explanation!  2. Isolate  facts of life  from genuine problems I have often realized there are certain issues which are facts of life.  T here are some things that you can do nothing...

Top Three Values for a Starter Core values play a vital role in the way a small set of people embark upon a purposeful journey to solve problems. I call them "Starters". They are self-starters indeed. It is the act of doing something meaningful when no one is watching over your shoulders. How you conduct and hold yourself accountable under no supervision, defines how well the starters collaborate, course correct and produce. As such core values are defined by the core beliefs of a person. In my opinion, there are many important virtues of our personal beliefs that extend into our work-life equally suitably. 1. Honesty/Truthfulness It is important to avoid short-cuts in startups where all initial brand creation will likely happen by keeping the given word. Truthfulness is the foundation of building trust and lasting relationships. Starters usually have a promise of a bright future (how they can contribute) and passion (enthusiasm and commitment) to marc...

मला माझ्या मनाचे विचार करू दिले जातील? असा विचार जेव्हाही भेडसावतो  तेव्हा समोरच्याशी  संवाद करताना आपल्याला काहीतरी राहून गेल्याची भावना तीव्रतेने जाणवते.  या प्रकारच्या संवादामध्ये  नक्की राहून गेलेले असते? (१) मला माझे मन पुरेसे बोलून दाखविता येणे.  (२) समाधानकारक देवाणघेवाण झाली आहे अशी भावना. आणि या प्रकारच्या संवादामध्ये  नक्की काय मिळवून आपण बाहेर पडतो? (१) विरोध केला जातोय हे भावना. (२) माझे ऐकूनच घेतले जात नाही असे मत. म्हणजेज सामान पातळीवरील तो संवाद नव्हता. असे का घडते? दुसरे काय करतात यापेखा आपण काय विचार करतो, कसे ऐकतो, त्यावर कसा विचार करतो आणि मग कसे वागतो यावर विचार करणे आवश्यक आहे. आपल्याच मनातील विचार दुसऱ्या समोर मूर्त स्वरूपात आणताना ते विचार आपलेच स्वतःचेच आहेत का? याचा नीट विचार करायला पाहिजे.  आपले विचार मैत्रीच्या, जिव्हाळ्याच्या लोकांना, सहकारीच्या किंवा विश्वासाच्या लोकांना घेऊन मूर्त होतात. कसे? आपले विचार त्याच्यासोबत मांडून, त्यामध्ये सगळयांना सामील करून, सहभागी करून घेऊन, विचार मूर्त आणण्यासाठी...

My Quest: I want to succeed I want to progress I want to grow I want to make friends I want to work for the best company I want to have  the  best company I want to be recognized I want to showcase my work I want to be liked I want to be popular I want to change everything I touch And then the bliss: I am someone. I  am  onto something. I am somewhere.  And then I have this other side: I don't want to get into trouble I don't want to get burdened I don't want to work on what I am given I don't want to listen I don't want to be lonely I can't tolerate It doesn't matter to me I can't make it happen It can't be my problem I don't care I don't want the responsibility I am not being heard And then the puzzle: I am not sure. I am not someone, something, somewhere. And one quiet moment and a discovery that I have a daunting list of ...

I am realizing that liking for individual contribution is important no matter what you do for a living. It stems from hobbies or liking. They tend to be personal and usually are doable without anyone else's help. e.g. Reading, Gardening, Travelling, Exercising. The problem is when we work, we fill up our day with a number of activities that are generated not out of liking but out of interaction needs and hence they tend to be an annoyance. Often the label is a prioritization problem (i.e. urgent vs. important etc). Even when we have the choice to prioritize we do not focus on work of our liking, something that stimulates, something that creates (thoughts, artifacts, collaborations, etc.). When the workplace ceases to be available to you, you are left on your own and then the time that is available to you is hard to spare. There is too much of it with too little hands-on work (individual contribution) of our liking.  Then we simply do not know how to spare our time even when ...

Individual contribution (contribution as an individual) is the single most important habit we should not lose touch with. Our career and home progress heavily depends on that. Delegation while useful should retain the individual's work habits at all costs. Or, you are not walking the talk and then over time you are ineffective in showing others the path of their progress and then eventually you become short on confidence and become out of place. Each set of 20 years of our life has different individual contribution and we must retain it and replenish it with distinct things we will enjoy as our own work that does not require participation from others. When there is an expectation of others to do thing that we are required to do then often there is room for us erring on the side of delegating dis-proportionately not losing the fun of doing it ourselves. Art, Music, Encounters with Nature, Travel, Reading are so uniquely individual preferences that replenish you en...

It's extremely important aspect of attaining transparent work/engagement ethics. I wish there was one in public service the way we have in the Company act. http://www.ilfsindia.com/pdf/code_conduct.pdf . Public service does not get scruitiny that seniors in Companies may get on the aspect of Conflict of interest. It's about time there was one...

I have seen it, and it does work. Why? Here's one theory... there may be others...  An important point is it works like magic! What a boon in recurring monsoon problem? Refraction takes place when a clear or opaque object, such as a piece of glass or a bag of water, alters the course and velocity of light. The rays of light, which normally travel in a straight line, bend. This effect is responsible for a number of optical illusions. In theory, refraction can be just as confusing for some species of  insect , especially the  housefly . It boasts a highly sensitive array of eyes which allow it to see in multiple directions at once.  The insect's head mostly consists of a pair of large  complex eyes , each of which is composed of 3,000 to 6,000  simple eyes . These eyes can't move or focus on objects like human eyes, but they provide the fly with a mosaic view of the world around them. Each simple eye provides one small piece of the puzzle, much l...

Where each adult Citizen has a position at home and a position at work that allows him to express, be creative, make decisions and create impact. In the absence of that, it is not surprising that one Citizen fights another... mostly for holding an answerable position - place of assertion for himself or herself. Role of society is to make such a role (position) possible starting at home. Role of government is make such a role (position) at work possible by becoming enabler to continuous job creation and that of making societies safe and livable. If are missing one or both, discontent among citizens is bound to rise...