Of Questions

Life has so many questions to ask, yet very few answers does it give. You have to search for the answers yourself. The questions can be simple, complex, simply complex, or complexly simple..

When I say life asks questions, I am obviously implying that the questions are asked by a person to himself ie introspecting, by another person to you, or the questions are formed out of some thought that you’ve read or seen or heard somewhere.

The questions can be from the downright silly. Ok.. These questions can be absolutely hilarious, sometimes weird, even scary but are to be taken with a pinch of salt. Some examples that immediately come to my mind are - Are you back?! When you or your father returns by your mom.. Like No, I’m not back.. I fell dead on the way, jus thought I would send my ghost over to say a final goodbye! or Do you hold your dick when you pee.. This one really freaked me out, especially since it was asked by a girl! Thankfully not to me, but Chirag, n I happened to be around.. but like WTF?!

Some questions you’ll keep asking all through your life…These are mostly philosophical, like Whats my contribution to this world, How will I leave my mark in such a big world, Where is life taking me, but you realize that though these questions make for very interesting conversations, and when you’re really depressed, yet these questions all come down to nothing when you face a serious situation. Then, it’s just a question of survival. However much you talk about death, when you get a call saying your dad is hospitalized, unconscious, with blood sugar almost zero, your brain just stops working, the only thing you care about then is reaching the bloody hospital. Then all the questions about God and his existence all come down to nothing. You just assume his presence around you and PRAY!

The most important questions are mostly that pertain to your present day life, and these may be from any of the above mentioned categories. These affect you the most, since these determine your immediate future. Why can’t I just go and tell her? So what if she has a conservative family? When will the results be out? Will I pass? Will he confirm the date for the interaction? Will I get selected for the job? Will India win the World Cup?

Some questions you know the answers to, others you wish to know the answers to, while some you know the answer, but not the question, Sometimes you know what the answer is going to be, yet hope it is different. Sometimes you just don’t want to know the answer!

The bottom line is that whatever the question be, the answer must always be thought of rationally and unbiased. And most importantly, if the answer demands you to take some actions, don’t overanalyze, go ahead, take the step. NOTHING VENTURED, NOTHING GAINED.

The Iron is Hot, Lets Strike NOW!

While being critical about anything and everything comes very naturally to most human beings, very few are those who actually have the resilience and the will to actually go out there and change things.

We are right now living in an India which very genuinely can become a superpower by 2020. As perceived by the present President. Just give this a thought right now. Look at India right now. We are in the first quarter of 2007. In the next 13 years, we have to attain that position... We have the manpower, we have the brainpower and we have the natural resources. And there is no dearth of the ability to raise adequate finance...

The media, and through the media, the common man must, and is gradually realizing that it is within their ability to rise up and do something. While the media, you may say only broadcasts that news which sells. Let us use this very aspect of the media in a positive manner and let us stand up to make a difference. The saying that a hand is much stronger than five fingers stands very true here. If we all stand up and take a stance against all wrong, then we can make India the country we want it to be. If a few thousand people can help get justice in the Priyadarshini Matoo case, if they can make the court order re-trial in the Jessica Lall case, then imagine what would happen if the youth united as one. And it is not difficult. All it needs is the right motivation.

The current population of the country is roughly 1 billion, and the age group 0-14 constitutes 30.4% of the population. That makes it 30 million. The age of the average Indian is 24 years. It is not about changing corruption, or population or anything of that sort. It is about changing the way one thinks. Because if we change a particular habit, then the person may change only temporarily, but if we change the thought process, then that is a permanent change. A change for the better is the need of the hour.

We’re living in a democracy, but sometimes I myself wonder whether we are utilizing the democratic nature of the government to the fullest! We are being fooled by the government because of the lack of awareness. The criterion for a person to be called literate in this country is if he can sign his own name. This is plain ridiculous. If the criterion was changed to something stricter, say knowing A-Z then India’s literate population may just drop from the current 60% to somewhere around 20-25%. The need is to ensure that basic primary education is imparted to each child, across the length and breadth of the Country, free of cost, with the actual infrastructure, in the same manner that the ‘pulse polio’ programme is driven. The villages should have clean drinking water, proper health centres and electricity. Let the Corporate's adopt villages and change the infrastructure in each such village.

We must realize that there are various ways in which this can be changed, and like everything in life, the change will be gradual... Most people don’t practice what is right because they’re busy enough with their own worries to think about the nation. What we fail to realize is that if we develop as a country, then the country itself will become a better place to be in.

Don’t mock ‘process’, follow it

By N R Narayana Murthy

One of India’s best-known business leaders argues that the Indian cricket team failed because Chappell’s process was not implemented correctly
The tragedy of India is that instead of seeing what’s wrong with us and taking steps to correct it, we indulge in hysterics and look for scapegoats. Right now, everyone’s busy blaming the coach and the captain. But India has a long record of playing badly away from home, which precedes both Rahul Dravid and Greg Chappell. So why single them out?
The real problem, I believe, lies with the system. Not just in cricket, but in virtually any walk of life, we are unwilling to put in hard work and live with discipline. Other countries are so neat, clean and well-organised but Indian cities are a mess, because we’re simply not willing to respect the rules. We can succeed, not just in cricket, but in everything else if we only follow four basic principles: strictly adhere to meritocracy, be willing to work hard, adopt global best practices in training and follow absolute discipline.
We need to pick the best guys available, based purely on merit and no other considerations. And the same applies to the coach. People keep asking whether we need a foreign coach. I don’t think that’s an issue at all. We should ask, who’s the best guy for the job? Whoever it is should get it.
Next, once you’ve given someone a mandate, let him implement it without interference. At Infosys, we have all our debates, arguments and discussions before it’s decided who’ll be responsible for something. Once it’s decided that X is the boss, all arguments stop and everyone rallies behind him. We shouldn’t be constantly undermining the coach by trying to second-guess him.
I know ‘process’ has become a much-mocked term, but at Infosys we firmly believe in following processes and it’s always worked for us. If Chappell’s process didn’t work, maybe it was because it wasn’t followed properly or he wasn’t allowed to implement it in full. I’ve read that some senior players were allowed to get away with indiscipline and that’s totally unacceptable. No matter how big a star you are, if you’re disruptive to the team, you need to be shown the exit. Never mind if we lose a few matches. If you follow the correct process, positive results are bound to eventually follow.
Frankly, I don’t think having a coaching camp for a few days helps. I’d suggest that we pick the 30 guys who we believe are the best in the country. They should all be given good salaries by BCCI and closeted in a hitech training centre round the year. Rotate them so that even if 15 are playing a series, the other 15 are training.
Ensure that everyone gets to train intensively during the year. Follow best practices from around the world, give the players the best facilities and make them work really hard—eight hours a day. If anyone refuses to practice or follow the rules, axe him immediately. Follow these principles and you’re bound to have a worldbeating team.



P.S: Really really awesome article.. Great Man, Great thoughts

Happy Blogging!

OK.. Now this is my first attempt at blogging.. So let me just point out..

While I'm a very opinionated person per se, I'm not very proficient in expressing those thoughts on paper.. My interests are quite varied, as you'll probably realise by readin my blogs, as an when they are posted..

I dont know how long an average blog should be, therefore the size of my blog will purely depend on what I feel about the topic, and my mood..

I'm a firm believer that each person should have opinions, and that they should voice it. But the opinion should be based on what you firmly believe in, rather than hear-say.. You have a voice, and that voice has a weight. Use it..

Heres wishing myself Happy Blogging!!

~~Shrek~~