Wednesday, February 27, 2008

original thought----not so original

I am thinking about the concept of “original thought”. Is there anything such as original thought when the seed of our existence is one and the same…from a single seed we were all born. The properties of that seed defining our characteristics and idiosyncrasies, and the environment we are thrown into defining our outer characteristics and shaping our behavior. I feel sometimes that mutation and evolution gave us much more than took away from us. And all the rotten things that have happened to our human race like the dreaded Alzheimer’s and Cancers…the shocking HIV’s which wipe out our loved ones in millions…..are but a logical protective measure of Mother Earth.

I always thought Malthus was a great guy, a visionary who saw what nature and man were doing to each other.
"The power of population is so superior to the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man that premature death must in some shape or other visit the human race. The vices of mankind are active and able ministers of depopulation. They are the precursors in the great army of destruction, and often finish the dreadful work themselves. But should they fail in this war of extermination, sickly seasons, epidemics, pestilence, and plague advance in terrific array, and sweep off their thousands and tens of thousands. Should success be still incomplete, gigantic inevitable famine stalks in the rear, and with one mighty blow levels the population with the food of the world."

Abstinence isn’t such a bad idea to control population…OR nature will take its own course and make sure we never play around with Her. The continuity of the species will be jeopardized with our interference and the mutated strains carried forth will be not the ones we need but the ones which we think will be good for the human race. Do you think that mutating the aging gene or creating Dolly will be any good to the human race? In retrospect if we look at the situation totally objectively ---do you think we need to tamper with the genes to control diseases…….if we don’t die by diseases and natural causes we sure will by other means like natural disasters like Katrina which will in one sweep kill thousands……….

Sadly we have no answers for the temperamental nature of Nature. strangely if I look back to the origin of the diseases and such like it was we humans who actually were the cause of such diseases like Aids etc…..need I say more….
Are we trying to correct the wrong we have done or merely trying to capitalize on the disasters we have wrought. One nation pretending to be the rescuer of the lesser fortunate one ….is it all about Humanity???
So many questions and very answers forthcoming……..
One thing is there for sure….one must not try to tamper with the natural ways of the world…..penguins will always jump to their death to let their young live on….

The Mother's Song

Out of the darkness, the chaos of time,
The whirlwind gave birth to the Mother sublime.
She woke to Herself knowing life had great worth,
The dark empty void grieved the Great Mother Earth.
The Mother was lonely. She was the only.

From the dust of Her birth She created the other,
A pale shining friend, a companion, a brother.
They grew up together, learned to love and to care,
And when She was ready, they decided to pair.
Around Her he'd hover. Her pale shining lover.

She was happy at first with Her one counterpart.
Then the Mother grew restless, unsure in Her heart.
She loved Her fair friend, Her dear complement,
But something was missing, Her love was unspent.
She was the Mother. She needed another.

She dared the great void, the chaos, the dark,
To find the cold home of the life-giving spark.
The whirlwind was fearsome, the darkness complete.
Chaos was freezing, and reached out for Her heat.
The Mother was brave. The danger was grave.

She drew from cold chaos the creative source,
Then conceiving within, She fled with life-force.
She grew with the life that She carried inside.
And gave of Herself with love and with pride.
The Mother was bearing. Her life She was sharing.

The dark empty void and the vast barren Earth,
With anticipation, awaited the birth.
Life drank from Her blood, it breathed from Her bones.
It split Her skin open and sundered Her stones.
The Mother was giving. Another was living.

Her gushing birth waters filled rivers and seas,
And flooded the land, giving rise to the trees.
From each precious drop new grass and leaves grew,
And lush verdant plants made all the Earth new.
Her waters were flowing. New green was growing.

In violent labor spewing fire and strife,
She struggled in pain to give birth to new life.
Her dried clotted blood turned to red-ochred soil,
But the radiant child made it all worth the toil.
The Mother's great joy. A bright shining boy.

Mountains rose up spouting flames from their crests,
She nurtured Her son from Her mountainous breasts.
He suckled so hard, the sparks flew so high,
The Mother's hot milk laid a path through the sky.
His life had begun. She nourished Her son.

He laughed and he played, and he grew big and bright.
He lit up the darkness, the Mother's delight.
She lavished Her love, he grew bright and strong,
But soon he matured, not a child for long.
Her son was near grown. His mind was his own.

She took from the source for the life She'd begun.
Now the cold empty void was enticing Her son.
The Mother gave love, but the youth longed for more,
For knowledge, excitement, to travel, explore.
Chaos was Her foe. But Her son yearned to go.

He stole from Her side as the Great Mother slept,
While out of the dark swirling void chaos crept.
With tempting inducements the darkness beguiled,
Deceived by the whirlwind, chaos captured Her child.
The dark took Her son. The young brilliant one.

The Mother's bright child, at fist overjoyed,
Was soon overwhelmed by the bleak frigid void.
Her unwary offspring, consumed with remorse,
Could not escape the mysterious force.
Chaos would not free. Her rash progeny.

But just as the dark pulled him into the cold,
The Mother woke up, reached out and caught hold.
To help Her recover Her radiant son,
The Mother appealed to the pale shining one.
The Mother held tight. And kept him in sight.

She welcomed him back, Her lover of old,
With heartache and sorrow, Her story She told.
Her dear friend agreed to join in the fight,
To rescue Her child from his perilous plight.
She told of her grief. And the dark swirling thief.

The Mother was tired, She had to recover,
She loosened Her hold to Her luminous lover.
While She was sleeping, he fought the cold force,
And for a time drove it back to the source.
His spirit was strong. The encounter too long.

Her fair shining friend struggled hard, gave his best,
The conflict was bitter, the struggle hard pressed.
His vigilance waned as he closed his great eye,
Then darkness crept close, stole his light from the sky.
Her pale friend was tiring. His light was expiring.

When darkness was total, She woke with a cry.
The tenebrious void hid the light from the sky.
She joined in the conflict, was quick to defend,
And drove the dark shadow away from Her friend.
But the pale face of night. Let Her son out of sight.

Trapped by the whirlwind, Her bright fiery son,
Gave no warmth to the Earth, cold chaos has won.
The fertile green life was now ice and snow,
And a sharp piercing wind continued to blow.
The Earth was bereft. No green plants were left.

The Mother was weary, grieving and worn,
But She reached out again for the life She had borne.
She couldn't give up, She needed to strive,
For the glorious light of Her son to survive.
She continued the fight. To bring back the light.

And Her luminous friend was prepared to contest,
The thief who held captive the child of Her breast.
Together they fought for the son She adored.
Their efforts succeeded, his light was restored.
His energy burned. His brilliance returned.

But the bleak frigid dark craved his bright glowing heat.
The Mother defended and would not retreat.
The whirlwind pulled hard, She refused to let go,
She fought to a draw with Her dark swirling foe.
She held darkness at bay. But Her son was away.

When She fought the whirlwind and made chaos flee,
The light from Her son glowed with vitality.
When the Mother grew tired, the bleak void held sway,
And darkness returned at the end of the day.
She felt warmth from Her son. But neither had won.

The Great Mother lived with the pain in Her heart,
That She and Her son were forever apart.
She ached for the child that had been denied,
So She quickened once more from the life-force inside.
She was not reconciled. To the loss of Her child.

When She was ready, Her waters of birth,
Brought back the green life to the cold barren Earth.
And the tears of Her loss, abundantly spilled,
Made dew drops that sparkled and rainbows that thrilled.
Birth waters brought green. But Her tears could be seen.

With a thunderous roar Her stones split asunder,
And from the great cave that opened deep under,
She birthed once again from Her cavernous room,
And brought forth the Children of Earth from Her womb.
From the Mother forlorn, more children were born.

Each child was different, some were large and some small,
Some could walk and some fly, some could swim and some crawl.
But each form was perfect, each spirit complete,
Each one was a model whose shape could repeat.
The Mother was willing. The green earth was filling.

All the birds and the fish and the animals born,
Would not leave the Mother, this time , to mourn.
Each kind would live near the place of its birth,
And share the expanse of the Great Mother Earth.
Close to Her they would stay. The could not run away.

They all were Her children, they filled Her with pride,
But they used up the life-force She carried inside.
She had enough left for a last innovation,
A child who'd remember Who made the creation.
A child who'd respect. And learn to protect.

First Woman was born full-grown and alive,
And given the Gifts she would need to survive.
Life was the First Gift, and like Mother Earth,
She woke to herself knowing life had great worth.
First Woman defined. The first of her kind.

Next was the Gift of Perception, of learning,
The desire to know, the Gift of Discerning,
First Woman was given the knowledge within,
That would help her to live, and pass on to her kin.
First Woman would know. How to learn, how to grow.

Her life-force near gone, The Mother was spent,
To pass on Life's Spirit had been Her intent.
She caused all of Her children to create life anew,
And Woman was blessed to bring forth life, too.
But Woman was lonely. She was the only.

The Mother remembered Her own loneliness,
The love of Her friend and his hovering caress.
With the last spark remaining, Her labor began,
To share life with Woman, She created First Man.
Again She was giving. One more was living.

To Woman and Man the Mother gave birth,
And then for their home, She gave them the Earth,
The water, the land, and all Her creation.
To use them with care was their obligation.
It was their home to use. But not to abuse.

For the Children of Earth the Mother provided,
The Gifts to survive, and then She decided,
To give them the Gift of Pleasure and sharing,
That honors the Mother with the joy of their pairing.
The Gifts are well-earned. When honor's returned.

The Mother was pleased with the pair She created,
She taught them to love and to care when they mated.
She made them desire to join with each other,
The Gift of their Pleasures came from the Mother.
Before She was through. Her children loved too.
Earth's Children were blessed. The Mother could rest.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

REALITY BITES

TWO MAJOR TRENDS SEEN IN A B SCHOOL

Out of sight is out of mind

And

Money makes the mare go

Relationships are highly fragile things as it is. Long distance relationships hardly withstand the test of time especially when either of the partners is subjected to long absences of the loved one. Isn’t it true that when we are sore or happy, we need the loved one to be there and be with us…what if such a loved one is not there to share our love? Is there any use in such a relationship?
I’ve see really sturdy relationships crumble into nothingness…because in a B School we are taught ROI, profitability and how soon we can Breakeven. Too bad we are not taught that love and life is not about business only. Unfortunately most of us start measuring the finer things in life by such metrics and then can’t comprehend what went wrong where?
Sometimes we feel that life has given us such a raw deal that we close up ourselves to all feeling be it love or pain. Not the very best way to tackle the problem but, I guess we are but human…and have our limitations…after all who doesn’t go through the same phases?
Still each feels the pain as acutely as the next person.
I think its time we realized the concept of opportunity cost lost. More important than ROI or breakevens…it tells us what we are trading off for what…do you think love, contentment and companionship can be compensated by salary hikes or promotions…the best profile in the world cannot bring back a smile to the loved one’s face if you are not there to share it with them. This is why the divorce rates are on a steady rise nowadays and people prefer to get rid of the hassles of legally ending a marriage by accepting the more convenient second best cousin ‘live-in’ relationships.
Oh what pain more money brings with itself……….and for all our emancipated outlook and women’s lib movements we still feel that the woman is the home maker or home breaker…..and the onus of the family’s happiness lies on her shoulders. Hence she will have to squash her career aspirations or choose more amenable ones which don’t meddle with the beautiful exemplary family structure currently prevalent.
But in all honesty I can’t even crib about that solely. Men are equally harassed in such situations. I guess we just need to realize where our priorities lie………and work accordingly…taking both career and love life as irreplaceable and non substitutable. we just need a balance…an equilibrium…

Sunday, February 10, 2008

whats the worst that can happen

i love the PLC we were taught in the Marketing class......i feel this curve( product life cycle curve) AKA PLC......is applicable to everything in life.......looks like something like the simple harmonic wave motion we studied in class !@ so long ago....looks like a normal probability curve.....only the probability isnt just a 95% but a full 100%

life is all about UP's and DOWN's......crests and troughs.......waves.........look around you and nature itself gives you numerous such examples.......you see the waves at high tide and low tide....continuously chaffing the coastline....gradually eroding even hard rock...making fine sand.....who would think it would be so powerful.....i remember i studied it in geography as something called denudation by water.......lolz....ages back yet again.Then remember how the farmer turns the soil with his plough...making numerous crests and troughs.....furrows.......


even we have the same crests and troughs...........high points and low points......whe we tough the depths of depression and feel that life has nothing more to offer.........our own PLC's.........all we have to remember is that we must never give up climbing the "slope"........

10 DO NOT DO's OF MBA

1) Do not ever let anyone take you for granted.( if presentations are to be made together then make sure they are.....don't tolerate freeloaders.......you'll find many where ever you are)


2)Be a part of social sites and see whats happening on the other side of the fence....but.....do not do PR and bitch about your colleagues or institute or personal life for the heck of it.....you never know who is watching)


3)Do not try to be the extra smart sincere student of the group always in the limelight because of brilliant work and questions...you will find favour only with the teachers...and alienate ur classmates.......thats not so important but you will lose your surprise value during placements or in situation which matters..


4)Try not to put on too much weight...b schools make u put on weight.all those sitting around sessions...late night coffees munching and tea........body clocks go haywire ....

5)Try getting your regular 8 hours sleep no matter what...15 minute naps help....don't worry you'll be dog tired anyway....so you'll be able to get cat naps........do this or youll lose memory soon and exams will not be so much fun when u have two or tree papers per day without gaps.........


6)Don't just go with the flow...companies like people with individuality and not just jargon spouting cookie cuts.......if ur one of the crowd....its ok but try to have ur own USP.....it helps ........u need to have a differentiator..........


7)Don't smoke and drink excessively just because of peer pressure and because its so hip etc..........that combined with rich food, a sedentary lifestyle is a sure way to obesity.

8) Don't tell your mum and dad everything that happens in a b school...they wouldnt understand and will worry overmuch...


9)Start reading newspapers and journals and magazines if you are not into the habit of doing so.....its all about being well informed and street smart...the Dhirubhai's didn't go to Harvard .....


10)Never risk your career for anything and be focused at all times..........don't get depressed.....shit happens to everyone.........read that book SNAPSHOTS FROM HELL........helps.......and try not to please everone..you cant do it anyway..

:)


All the Best

Thursday, February 7, 2008

NEED I SAY MORE...TWO DAYS OF PURE UNADULTERATED PLEASURE

I’ve just come back from a totally insane holiday.beachcombing,walking through the waves, running after scuttling crabs, chasing sea gulls,seaweed… walking through long marauding roads with surprises just around the next bend…multicolored vibrant sunsets, buggy rides on the beach,,,stargazing in the dead of the night…drinking by candle light … meals taken at the best to worst food joints………ravenous hunger……..swishing coconut trees, white virgin sands…hot soup on the beachfront as u watch the sun set…rustic villagers, the tang of salt on the air…fish fry …hot tea on the beach front early I the morning…..sand castles that get washed away with the tide…….solitary walks on the beach………feeling one with the elements…chortling children….swaying casuarinas trees …deep shadows and comfortable hammocks….ten buddies…midnight cozy chats…the call of the sea…cinnamon tea…icy cold crystal clear water quaint roads, speeding at 140km/hr on the expressway….port towns…ferry rides….twinkling lights trimming the beach, lighthouse majestic and solitary….adrak ki chai…conversations with the localites…smiling faces…..contentment….lazy afternoons…..drunken abandon….ghost figures…..memories……….galore




and not to forget an insane rhyme i was taught by Swarup and bored everyone with all through the journey and beyond

"ka ka kawra kha
kawra chibee
uglun pee"


means something insane in marathi like go eat a crow........a rhyme meant for those who pester with too many questions.....n i guess i just took my revenge and pestered them with the rhyme itself.:)