Escape from freedom.

Humans constantly seek predictability. The stress caused by lack of certainty can be unbearable.

Take the case of air traffic controllers. These folks who pore intently over computer screens directing air traffic. They suffer from extremely high levels of stress and often take ill because of stress. The stress is caused not so much by the work but from being responsible for many lives and huge resources. Aircraft moving at high speed, the high possibility of aircraft colliding depending only on technology, common sense and training of humans.

Too much predictability and humans get bored, too much variety and uncertainty can exhaust us. We need the right balance to stay excited and satiated.
However excitement is an addiction. Like all addictions we need increasing doses to get the same high. This explains why we pay good money for stuff like adventure rides to people to spook us. Paying money to be frightened.

Rulers, governments, bureaucrats, organisations and the movers and shakers understand this aspect well, and none more than the priests belonging to all faiths. All of them amplify uncertainty and present answers and a predictable future, as means to assuage the masses and keep them on the straight and narrow path , to God only knows where.

Using Religion, morality, patriotism, social norms uniforms etc, they manipulate and manage the masses.
Most humans have an inkling that they are being toyed with but do not see any other option but to follow the so called 'leaders'.

Due to dramatic and constantly increasing influence of, technology and mismanagement by leaders, life looks increasingly uncertain with each passing day. Couple this with rapidly declining moral values and life looks dangerous. People feel trapped and helpless. We want to break free.

Ask most people what they want most and they will say they want to be free. If you ask them what do they mean by being free, you will be surprised with the answers. Most people only want to escape their present situation, but they have no idea what to do with that freedom.

Voltaire the great French writer and philosopher remarked "It is not enough to be free, it is more important to know what to do with one's freedom."

Freedom has two aspects, 'freedom from' and 'freedom to'. We often seek to be free of people, situations and problems, but lacking true thinking and self understanding we attach ourselves to a new set of beliefs imposed on us by society, family, friends, priests the government and the media. Only to wake up alarmingly one day that we are in the same situation but in a new environment. We then seek freedom from the new set of beliefs and situation.

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free". ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe


We painstakingly extract ourselves from one situation to mire ourselves in a new set of problems because we do not think. Thinking is a rare thing. I am not talking of animalistic thinking needed for survival, but the search for meaning in our existence, and ourselves. However it is only possible to think effectively when the mind is stilled and free from disturbances.

In today's world we are operating at high excitement and stress levels. Even catching the bus or the flight, getting to work or the children to school is now become an exhausting grind. There is no time to be alone with oneself and to come to terms with the inner person within us.

Most of us are rational human beings, yet we continue to escape from freedom and into bondage. Why?

Man is a social creature. If his economic, social and political condition do not provide him a sense of individuality while simultaneously depriving him of ties that provide him security then freedom becomes unbearable and creates powerful doubts. This situation gives rise to a powerful urge to seek submission by man to the world in some manner which promises relief from uncertainty and thus deprives the individual of his freedom.

The world as we now know it is extremely uncertain. Enveloped by turbulence born of hatred and greed we grasp at straws so as not to be overwhelmed by confusion and uncertainty

Let us teach our children that excitement is not joy, it is good to be bored so that we are able to find time to contemplate and better understand ourselves and our world. That more is not always better. To respect oneself and other human beings and all creatures with whom we share this planet. Life is not for consuming ourselves like a candle burning at both ends.

To live and work as an individual in harmony with the world not under compulsion but as an individual making independent choices. To do all this so as to be truly free. If we do this successfully, then we would make the world a better place for ourselves and our children.

Love it, then Live it.

My friend Vasant has been writing poetry for a long time. When we read his poems, both my wife Mohini and I were moved to tears. Such beautiful thoughts and expression that touched our hearts.

When we asked him why he had not shown us this aspect of his character for so long, he sheepishly replied; "I was afraid that it was not good enough to show others." Now he has tested the waters and as his poetry and writings are being published, I remembered the story of Emperor Akbar and the great poet and vocalist of Akbar's court Miyan Tansen.
________________________________________

The Mughal ruler Akbar (1542 -1605), despite his illiteracy, valued great minds and souls. He surrounded himself with artists, intellectuals and creative minds.
Of the numerous courtiers nine were valued above all else. Known as 'Navratnas' (the nine gems) they were;

1. Abul Fazl, the poet and chronicler
2. Faizi, the poet and religious scholar.
3. Raja Birbal, the brilliant and intelligent advisor, poet and court jester
4. Raja Todar Mal, Akbar’s finance minister
5. Raja Man Singh, the trusted general in Akbar's army
6. Abdul Rahim Khan-I-Khana, a poet and astrologer
7. Fakir Aziao-Din, the mystic, and advisor to Akbar
8. Mullah Do Piaza, the intelligent advisor
9. Miyan Tansen, the musician, vocalist and poet

The emperor so loved to hear Tansen sing.
One day Akbar asked Tansen, "You are a magnificent singer, who is your teacher? Who could be this great person to instill such passion and sweetness to your voice? How great must be your teacher to have a student like you?"
I want to meet your teacher, fetch him and bring him to me. I wish to meet your teacher" demanded Akbar.

Tansen said "My Guru ji (teacher) is Swami Haridas ji, he dwells deep in the forest and lives all by himself". "He will not leave the forest and he obeys no one except Almighty God. I am afraid to say, but not even you, your majesty"

Akbar grew angry "I will have him beheaded if he refuses to come before me"
Tansen replied "He is a man of God and he fears nothing not even death. None can force Swamiji to do anything, if your majesty wishes to see him then your Majesty will have to go to him"

Akbar was fascinated. He felt compelled to go and meet Swami Haridas, Tansen's teacher. Akbar ordered his royal retinue to make ready for the march to the forest.
Tansen hurriedly intervened. "Your majesty, if my Guru ji sees you coming with arrogance he will definitely not meet you." He continued "We must go alone and meet him early in the morning at the ambrosial time (about 4 am).

Akbar was curious beyond belief. He agreed to all of Tansens's suggestions.
Very early the following morning they left the palace for the forest. Leaving the guards at the forest edge they rode on alone.
A distance from a large clearing near the river, they dismounted and crept up slowly and waited a small distance from where they could spy and eavesdrop on a small hut.

In a short while they heard the most fantastic and melodious songs. The Swami ji had arisen and started his bathing and recitation of his prayers. He sang hymns with such divine devotion that Akbar was captivated.

After a few enthralling hours the hermit felt silent having begun his meditation. The couple reluctantly crept away and rode back home.

On his return the emperor summoned Tansen and said " You are marvellous, but tell me, when you are your Guru ji's student, why can your voice not evoke the same feeling within me?"

Tansen bowed his head and said " Your majesty, I sing for your pleasure. I seek rewards and gifts from you. My song and poems are corrupted by the need for your appreciation.” “My teacher seeks no gain. He is filled with emotion which he expresses in his singing for his own pleasure and the praise of God".
Tansen concluded “ His song is rich because it is true and a reflection of the overflowing love and joy he feels.”

The emperor understood and he felt humbled. He gifted Tansen handsomely for a valuable lesson.

The lesson;
The stream gurgles musically. The birds sing and chirp melodiously because they are happy. The wind wafts and whistles through the forest without hesitation. They all do this without care of who will listen and who will appreciate them. They sing because it is their nature and they are happy. They are the way God has made them.

We human beings can also be happy if we choose to be.
However we often sacrifice our happiness by constantly seeking approval from others for our actions and even our thoughts.
If our actions do not harm others and make us happy we should pursue them.
Sing because we are happy, play because we want to, write poetry and blogs because they allow us to reach into the depths of our intellect and soul.

Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul…
As the new year dawns, I wish you all good health, happiness and success.
May you be able to pursue your heart's desire without fear or shame

Howard Hughes - The poor billionaire.

TWA (Trans World Airlines) and Hughes Aircraft Company were two of the numerous companies that legendary multi billionaire Howard Hughes owned and built up into great organisations. An intelligent, hardworking and a result oriented person, Hughes ran a complex business empire achieving both personal and professional fame in numerous fields. He made significant industrial and aircraft innovations and broke several aviation speed records.

Howard Hughes an American aviator, engineer, industrialist, film producer and director, philanthropist, died in April 1976 under mysterious circumstances leaving behind an estate worth US$ 2.5 Billion, making him one of the richest men in the world at that time.

Hughes lived and worked in a manner and for results that challenged and pleased him. Brilliant and creative he was anything but conventional. His so called ‘eccentricity’ is evident in the manner he responded when awarded with the United States Congressional gold medal for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of aircraft technology. Hughes never even bothered to travel to Washington to collect the medal. Finally it was mailed to him by President Truman six months later.

Creative and brilliant people by nature are different. If one is wealthy, powerful or both this abnormal behaviour is tolerated and often even admired. After all the distance between genius and insanity is often measured by success.

Like all brilliant people Hughes loved to spend time alone, contemplating solutions to challenges he set himself. He shunned interruptions by visitors, telephone calls etc. Months would go by without even a glimpse of him by the outside world. Hughes let his aides handle all matters on his behalf. After a while the media which is more interested in entertainment than the pursuit of truth, lost most of its interest in Howard Hughes classifying him as a recluse.

By his 50th birthday Hughes empire had expanded considerably yet Hughes the individual was completely out of the public eye. To the world at large it appeared this was the lifestyle that Hughes himself had chosen, but in fact his aides took over his life completely. It is believed that Hughes was drugged and forcibly isolated from the world and made a prisoner in his own home. Issuing instructions and managing resources in his name, his aides became the de-facto owners.

To keep Hughes unsettled, homes, the environment and staff were constantly changed. It was impossible for any outsider to get a fix on what really was happening in the life of Howard Hughes. His aides had become Howard Hughes for all practical purposes. Even when he did appear in public Hughes was no more than a fragment of his former self. He appeared uneasy, confused and listless.

When brought to the hospital upon his death, Hughes appeared to be seriously ill and totally malnourished (his tall 6'4" frame weighed only 41 kgs). He had long finger and toe nails and had serious hygiene issues.

Subsequent to his death a mysterious handwritten will appeared. This will granted US$ 470 million to his aides and the remaining US$ 2 Billion to other individuals and institutions. The will was subsequently found to have been fraudulently drawn up and was dismissed. It did however show the aides in poor light.

In the ultimate, Howard Hughes was a multi billionaire only in name. He was no longer free and had to live a wretched life, imprisoned and trapped by his own aides and betrayed by the very people he chose to protect him.

This kind of situation is more common than one expects. This misfortune also befalls many rich elderly people when they become physically or mentally weak and become dependent on their aides. The caretakers isolate them and then manipulate them until they have sucked out all they can from the hapless individual before allowing them to pass on.

Most people spend a lifetime breaking their backs to create wealth and make savings so that they can live their old age with dignity and comfort and provide for their dependents.  However only fortunate people live to enjoy the fruits of their earnings or inheritance. The unlucky ones share the fate of Howard Hughes.

------------------

Sat Sri Akal Daddy ji.

Last week my 83 year old father had a brain seizure. His brilliant brain, sort of short circuited, and he was suddenly mentally incoherent. All this caused by a condition called hypoatremia, where sodium levels in the body plummet.

As I sit by his bedside in the Intensive care unit of the hospital I listen to my father. Dad has lost touch with reality. Random communications tumble out of his mouth.

I observe that Dad is not fully conscious, yet he was struggling very systematically to undo the knots and bindings that strap his wrists to the hospital bed ( to prevent him from pulling out the various tubes and needles plunged into his frail body). I admired his persistent and combative nature fighting challenges even in his semi conscious state.

My admiration soon evaporates, and I am suddenly filled with dread and gloom. I realise that I may never be able to sit and talk about God, life, philosophy or politics and a thousand other things. We might never be able to share jokes and laugh again. I sense a strange hollowness in my being.

The hospital room is stifling and I go for a walk, I meet a couple of friends and try to pretend that everything is ok, Maybe this is just a bad dream, one from which I will wake up and learn that my anguish was caused by a trick played on me by my mind.

In the life of a family where you stay and work together, there is a lot of scope to do stupid stuff, to say and do things which we look back with regret in later years.
I and my father had our share of disagreements. I was too keen on doing things right and he was keen on getting things done asap (as soon as possible). I can't help but feel that he has been a better dad than I have been a son.

Dad and I were estranged for several years. Maybe it was a blessing that we lost everything that was material and thus eventually found our love in each other again. He hasn't changed that much but I have learnt to be a better son. I no longer wish to change him, I merely want to be with him.

Traditionally Indians have described their fathers as 'Anna Datha' the provider and hence life giver. The same term is also used for God. The one who gives and protects us. This we so readily forget.

I can recall numerous instances where our father walked those extra miles to get us whatever we desired or needed to guide and protect us, sometimes excessively. We were sometimes unreasonable and selfish, yet he never refused us anything, ever.

I remember when I was about 8 years of age and studying as a boarder in Bishops School, Pune. I can vividly recall my Dad riding one chilly morning into the school on a Lambaretta scooter with a bundle of blankets, one for each of us brothers. He had sensed that the winter was exceptionally cold and he had travelled 200 kilometers to Pune to get us extra blankets so that we would be warm.

My life is full of many kind acts of my parents and I am sure there in everyone’s life. The tragedy is, we seem to have a selective memory of remembering clearly the few unpleasant things they may have said or done while remaining blank on all the wonderful things and the sacrifices they have made for us.

It is difficult to understand human behaviour. Maybe it is best to stop rationalising and start feeling. I now know that feelings of love and gratitude humble us, and make us better people.

I feel blessed that I can look after my aging parents and my widowed aunt. Not to be their feeder and caretaker but to be their companion. This is always easier when you have a compassionate and supportive spouse.

All those who are born must leave us someday. Between the borning and the departing is but a short spell. Let us not waste it on collecting things at the price of losing family and friends.

I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. I want to just bask in the love and blessings of my parents. A service only lucky children are privileged to get.

I pray that my dad gets well soon and we can have a little more time together, doing nothing more than enjoying the passage of time.

I remember my Uncle Manohar Singh ji with whom I stayed for many years and who looked after my Grandmother with great devotion and love, once remarked; "The elderly need so little , but they need that little, so much".

Paradox of our times ..

      Image by Ben Heine

We have bigger houses but fewer residents,

More conveniences, but less time.

We have more degrees, but less common sense.

More knowledge, but less judgement.

We have more experts but also more problems.

More medicines, but less wellness.

We spend too recklessly;

laugh too little,

drive too fast,

get angry too quickly,

stay up too late,

read too little

watch TV too much,

meditate and pray too seldom!

We have multiplied our possessions,

but reduced our values.

We argue too much,

love too little,

lie too often.

We have learnt to make a living, but not a life.

We've added years to life, not life to years.

We have taller buildings,

and shorter tempers.

Wider roads but narrower viewpoints.

We spend more but we have less,

We buy more, but enjoy it less.

We've been all the way to the moon and back, but we have difficulty in saying hello, smiling, or reaching out to shake a hand.

we have conquered outer space, but not inner space.

We have split the atom, but not our prejudices.

We write more, learn less, plan more but accomplish less.

We've learned to rush but not to wait.

We have higher incomes but lower morals.

We build more computers, to hold more data, to spread more information, make more copies, yet we have less communication.

We are long on quantity, and short on quality.

These are the times for fast foods and slow digestions;

Tall men and short characters.

More leisure and less fun;

More kinds of foods, but less nutrition.

Two incomes, but more divorces.

Fancier houses, but broken homes.

________________________________________

That is why I propose; 

that as of today, you do not keep anything for special occasions because every day you live it's a special occasion.

Enjoy the passage of time, be one with creation

Read and discuss more,

Seek wisdom along with your search for knowledge, 

Admire the view.

Spend time with your family and friends.

Eat your favourite foods, and visit the places you love.

Life is a chain of enjoyments, not merely about surviving.

Use your crystal goblet, and don't save your favourite perfume, use them when you feel like it.

Remove from your vocabulary words like "one of these days" or "someday".

Write the letter you've thought about writing.

Tell your friends and family, how much you love them.

Don't delay anything that brings joy and happiness into your life.

Every day, every hour, every minute is special.

You never know if it will be your last.

Last but not the least

Never forget Him, that made this wonder called life possible.

My Thanks to Mr. Ephrem Augustus for this contribution

US$ 4.77 Billion for a chair.

History is full of tragedies. Not so long ago the deadliest war in terms of casualties was World War II. 60 Million people perished unnecessarily because of the arrogance and stupidity of European leaders.

Almost 5.7 Million, that is approx 78% of the 7.8 Million Jews living in German dominated Europe were killed in what came to be called the 'Holocaust'. Most of them innocent civilians. They were the citizens of the very countries whose governments ordered them to be looted and killed. Their only crime was that they belonged to the Jewish faith.

Before World War II the laws in most European countries prohibited Jews from owning land /property. Yet the Jews were by and large wealthier than their fellow citizens. Most of their wealth was in assets that could be easily liquidated.

When the atrocities against Jews gained prominence, many Jews fled with whatever wealth they could save to Switzerland which bordered Germany, Italy and France. Many people stayed behind in their countries mainly in Poland and Germany but sent their money and wealth for safekeeping with Banks in Switzerland. After all the Swiss had announced that they would remain neutral in any war.

The Jews believed that, they had safeguarded the future for their children and families.

Unfortunately the anti-Semitism wave killed most of the Jews. Even their bodies were scavenged for things like gold from the teeth, which was melted down and sent to Switzerland to finance the war effort.

It was estimated that in the years just before the war US$ 700 Million at that time (worth about US$ 8 Billion today) of savings and money was kept with the Swiss Bankers for safekeeping by Jews.

After the war survivors and many families of Holocaust victims, sought information on the dormant accounts of their parents and deceased family members.
The Swiss refused to cooperate. Citing time held procedures and guidelines the Swiss bankers simply refused to address the special circumstances of the situation. They demanded death certificates etc and created numerous other obstacles so that descendants were unable to get the wealth saved by their elders for them.

Soon after the war the WJC (World Jewish Council)was formed. It sought amongst many other things the restitution from the Swiss for the families of the victims of the holocaust.
Nothing really happened for a long time until the WJC got a new President, Mr. Edgar Bronfman.

Edgar Bronfman the North American liquor baron and owners of Seagram group who made gigantic profits during the US prohibition years amassed a fortune worth of US$ 9.5 Billion by the late Nineteen eighties. Bronfman was a shrewd, and resourceful man. He was a seasoned fighter and politically extremely well connected.

To recover the wealth of the Jews who had banked with the Swiss, Bronfman sought a meeting with the Swiss bankers. He pursued the bankers for a long time. Finally the bankers agreed to grant Bronfman an audience. In Sept 1995 Bronfman flew to Switzerland to meet the Swiss bankers . The meeting was a disaster.

It is believed that this is what transpired;
The Swiss had heard of Bronfman's aggressive nature and decided to show him his place. Bronfman was initially kept waiting and then eventually ushered into an office where no chair was made available for Bronfman. As an insult he was made to stand during the brief meeting.

Bronfman was undeterred, he delivered his message and ultimatum standing up. 'The Swiss were only custodians and not owners of the money parked with them. They must return the money of the Jews who were Holocaust victims to the families, descendants and inheritors". The enraged Bronfman struggled to keep his temper under control.

Smarting over the high handed, and disgraceful conduct of the Swiss, Bronfman now made this issue a crusade. He used his influence with the United States political machinery, the administration and lobbied both Republican and Democrat leaders.

Soon thereafter the American government machinery swung into action. The Americans launched a multi pronged investigation to look into Switzerland's war time dealings with Nazi Germany.

The Swiss government eager to avoid an avalanche of skeletons tumbling out of its cupboards, advised the Swiss bankers to cooperate with the Americans and show some token of good faith.

Fearing punitive action by the US government on Swiss banking and other interests in the United States, the Swiss bankers agreed to attend hearings in Washington.

The Swiss bankers did not know what hit them. Skillful manoeuvring by Bronfman and his colleagues within and outside the US government coupled with the inept attitude and ham handed approach of the Swiss bankers (who hardly ever speak) cost them dearly.

The hearings based on the testimony of thousands of Holocaust survivors and descendants of victims clearly portrayed Swiss bankers as heartless, arrogant, and guilty of denying the victims their due rights.

____________________________________

It is easy to get carried away by the trappings of power and position that they ride roughshod over others. This high handed approach can frequently come back to haunt the perpetrator of the slight.

Eventually after facing a global embarrassment the Swiss bankers and the government had to shell out US$ 4.77 Billion for a restitution fund. An amount significantly higher and multi fold more than what the WJC originally sought.

For the Jews justice was seen to have been done. However for the Swiss it was a huge price for denying a visitor a chair.

A great boss.

My wife and I were watching the grand and surprisingly good inauguration of the Common Wealth Games on the third of October. The crowd was enthusiastic and the mood was jubilant.
Prince Charles of Great Britain was heartily welcomed. Political leaders and various dignitaries received varying degrees of appreciation by way of cheer and applause. The crowd however reserved their greatest cheer with many standing up to applaud when the name of a particular individual was announced.

I recall a story narrated by my friend Tushar Parekh about this great person. This article illuminates one of the numerous reasons why he is considered great and so deserving of the love and respect he always receives.

________________________________________

A Great Boss . . .

There were about 70 scientists working hectically and tirelessly on a very demanding project.

All the scientists were extremely frustrated by the demanding pressure of work and the high standards of their boss. They complained but yet they persevered, for their boss possessed something mystical about him. Loyal to him and excited by the vision he showed them,  they could not even conceive of quitting their jobs.

One day, a scientist came to his boss and told him - "Sir, I have promised to my children to take them to the exhibition going on in town". "I want to leave the office at 5 30 pm."
His boss replied "Sure, if it's important to you, you need to go home at 5.30, it's alright".

The scientist resumed work immediately, eager to complete the next phase of his work at the earliest. As usual he got so involved with his work that he lost all track of time. Just as he was completing the work for the day he glanced at his watch, it read almost 8.30 pm.

He looked forward to getting home and spending time with his lovely children. He was aghast for he suddenly remembered his promise to the children. He searched for his boss, who was almost the last to leave, but could not find him.

Well, he had already informed his boss that he would leave early so he closed everything up and departed for his home.

He felt a great pang of guilt, he had let his children down, gain. He was sure they would be disappointed.With great trepidation he entered his home.

The children were not there, and his wife alone was sitting in the living room reading a magazine. He knew from past experience that any excuse could only boomerang on him and make the situation worse. He braced himself for a severe tongue lashing.

His wife smilingly asked him "Would you like to have coffee or shall I serve dinner if you are hungry?”
The man replied "I would love to have a cup of coffee if you are getting yourself one too" "Where are the children?" he queried
Wife seemed surprised "You don't know ?? Your boss came here at 5.15 pm and took the children to the exhibition."


This is what had really happened ..

At 4.45 pm the boss noticed the scientist deeply engrossed in his work. He knew from his experience that the work could not be competed in time to permit him to leave for home early as planned.

"Such devotion to work by the scientist cannot be a cause of unhappiness for the children", thought the boss. "The children must visit and enjoy the exhibition they longed for and promised by their father."

So he took the children to the exhibition.

Now more than ever there is bad trend of pampering employees. Bribery never works to build good individuals, teams or great organisations. The leader need not be a nanny, but does demonstrate leadership in umpteen ways.

Good leaders knows how to get the best out of their people. A good leader considers the team members and followers subjectively as people not objectively as a mere resources, or things with just a number.

Winning the hearts of people is a necessary element of any collective effort. Winning the minds is an essential requirement, particularly in endeavours requiring intelligence, to deliver the extra zing to produce superior outcomes.

That is why all the scientists at Thumba continued to work with great success under their boss even though the demands made from them were seemingly impossible.

The boss was none other than Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, Former-President of India.

Humility is more effective than aggression

It is a good habit I guess, to reflect on all what we say or do.
This is an excellent way to learn from our actions and thoughts, and thus to better ourselves.

We Punjabi's are naturally hot blooded, therefore for us physical action and violence is normally the first thought and course of action rather than the last..
I have however learnt that this approach often yields bitter fruit and only temporary respite.

Most people face problems in understanding and handling power.
Is being violent or belligerent a sign of power or is it the ability to command resources to achieve desired goals and objectives that can be considered to be a sign of power?

Are brutal and aggressive people without scruples powerful or does the person who wins your heart with kindness, humility and morality more powerful?

When faced with moral and spiritual dilemma, I often turn to Sant Baba Ishwar Singh ji my teacher and spiritual guide.
I asked Baba ji, about use of aggression and violence to seize power and control
How could anyone rule and maintain power without being aggressive?

Smilingly and with his usual softness he asked me a question "Can you name me one incident or issue that was resolved by violence?"
I was embarrassed to say I could not think of even one issue.
"Violence only begets more violence. Sure you must be prepared for self defence. Violence is prevented not initiated", Babaji remarked. "You can beat to death a violent man but it is near impossible to keep on attacking a humble and defenceless person".

"You have to be aggressive for what you want, by persevering and relentlessly pursuing your goals, but not by being aggressive in your behaviour and conduct", he concluded.

I found it hard to swallow this advice, but I had faith in Baba ji.

So began a journey into managing my anger and aggressive behaviour and learning more about one of the most negative of human traits. My introspection and study eventually led me to agree with Baba ji.

To illustrate, I draw your attention to a great man Shri. Mohandas Gandhi popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi ji, the father of the Indian nation.
Gandhi ji taught the world, that, humility is infinitely more powerful than violence and aggression. Here is an illuminating example of this philosophy of real power.

The British exploited India during its rule of nearly three hundred years. Like all exploiters they ruled with an iron hand.
As per Lord Hastings the British Viceroy that by the year 1900 an amount of 1,000,000,0000 Pounds had been earned from India by the British Crown. This amount is valued at 1 Trillion pounds by today's standards. This is greater than India's current GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

It was natural that the majority of Indians yearned to be free from the British yoke. The restless Indians united under the banner of the Indian National Congress party (INC).
Late in the year 1929, the INC agreed to Gandhi ji's advice to start a civil disobedience movement to make India ungovernable by the British and thus force them to leave India.
The INC requested Gandhi ji to lead the movement.

Gandhi ji had observed that Indians had neither the weapons nor the training for an armed conflict. Any attempt by his more violent colleagues would lead to unnecessary deaths and provoke the use of excessive reactive force by the British. The British could easily justify it as self defence.

In any event violence was not an option for Gandhi ji, for he believed in 'A-Hinsa' that is the path of non-violence.

Early in 1930 Gandhi ji wrote an open letter to Lord Irwin (the British Viceroy in India) of his plans to lead a march from his ashram in Mumbai to the coast in Gujarat to collect salt from the sea in defiance of the salt tax imposed by the British on its monopoly of the salt trade.

The British laughed at Gandhi ji and decided to let him do what he wanted. They were sure that it would be a non starter and everyone could sleep easy. In any event it would not look good for the British to attack an old, frail and half naked man with his ragtag band of followers.

This was a fatal mistake of the British. Even members of the Indian National Congress were dismayed at Gandhi ji's seemingly timid form of resistance.
We should not judge such people too harshly, for it is easy for most people, particularly aggressive and violent men, to mock and underestimate the capability and capacity of peace loving people, mistaking non-aggression for weakness.

Gandhi ji called press reporters from all over the world and made a grand event out of the march to Dandi in Gujarat. He converted a civil disobedience program into a spiritual war. He called on the citizens of India , businessmen, civil servants, labourers, villagers and students to join him on the march to protest against injustice.

By the time the crowd arrived at the sea shore they were nearly an electrified hundred thousand strong. The event ignited hope and courage in the marchers and in all Indians.
The marchers gathered salt from the sea. The salt was sold at nominal price and often freely distributed to Indians in the cities.

Eventually the British arrested Gandhi and came down heavily on most Indians. However it was too late for the British, for the fire of freedom was now burning ever so strongly in the hearts of most Indians. This was a turning point in history and started the end of the British Raj.

Using great intelligence and tenacity, Gandhi ji prepared and executed a brilliant strategy. It was a powerful spontaneous mass movement where every Indian irrespective of caste, creed, social status or religion could participate. In addition the movement required very few material resources. It drew on the human spirit for strength and effect.

It is the ruled who grant authority to the rulers by obeying and cooperating with them. Power is bestowed on the ruler by the ruled people who obey rulers. Stop obeying and cooperating and the rulers have no authority .
Gandhi ji chose the right battle with no violence. Touching issues close to the heart of most Indians he demonstrated the vulnerability of the British Raj's incapacity to rule a united and charged people of India. Gandhi ji was thus able to unite Indians in their goal to drive the British out of India.

Sure Gandhi ji had human failings. Not every decision he made was perfect or politically beneficial. He however lived by a noble and high spiritual code delivering spectacular results.

Today the 2nd day of October is Gandhi Jayanti the birth day of the Mahatma.
Gandhi ji, we say we bow to you. Unfortunately most of us find it easier to live by the code of hatred and aggressiveness rather than love and humility.

SIMS Students, welcome to the real world.

Student life can be fascinating. If you were a real student you should have learnt about various subjects , about yourselves and the world around you, then you are ready for the real world.

The real world is however quite different from student life and more demanding.
People will not always be logical, polite or kind. Unless your parents own the organisation where you will work, most often the rule is that as a fresh joiner and intern you can expected to be treated rather impatiently and often impolitely.

Getting a job these days is not difficult, however whether you will be successful, happy or satisfied is debatable. Even in a recession most employers complain of not being able to get and retain good people. It is your choice whether you want to be recognised as good or just another 'has been'.

Here are some tips that should make your career journey smoother, more meaningful and likely to project you as a winner.

• Perception lasts longer than fact. Your reputation will make or break you. Your reputation will come from your conduct and more important from your ability to deliver results.


• Never argue with others, particularly your boss on basis of opinions. Facts are difficult to dispute where as it is easy to dismiss an opinion.


• I believe in the philosophy “Do not say , show. Do not claim, prove”.


• It is more important to be respected than to be liked.


• When two people agree on everything one of them is useless. When two people disagree on everything then both of them are useless.


• Your education never ends, you must constantly learn, unlearn and relearn. So keep your old books, acquire new ones and stay up to date. Remember a well educated person should know something about most things and everything about something.


• Try to work for and with people with whom you share similar values. It does not mean you will not have disagreements, it just helps you to resolve differences quicker and understand each other.


• If you seek career and personal development and progress, you must win the trust of your colleagues and particularly your boss. Trust comes from trust worthy actions.


• We Indians are the world’s leaders in making excuses for non performance. Success needs no explanation and failure tolerates no excuses. In today’s challenging and competitive world performance talks and failure walks.
  

If you want to have a meaningful career and personal life it might help to look at the story of the pickle bottle and two cups of tea.

The Pickle Bottle.
When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the pickle bottle and 2 cups of tea.

A professor once stood before his class of students who were about to graduate
When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty pickle bottle and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the bottle was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the bottle. He shook the bottle lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.
He then asked the students again if the bottle was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the bottle.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the bottle was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of tea from under the table and poured the entire contents into the bottle, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
‘I want you to recognize that this bottle represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family, children, health, Friends, and favourite passions
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.
The sand is everything else –The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
‘Take care of the golf balls first - The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the tea represented.

The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked’.
It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a cup of tea with a friend.’

This article is written by Gurvinder Singh for the SIMC student website at the request of Mr. Mohan Sinha.

Solving the Naxalites & Maoists problem

Every day we read about some crisis or the other caused by Maoists & Naxalites and how the government is responding with massive force. Yet the situation gets only worse with each passing day.

History always provides interesting lessons, if only we attempt to learn.
_____________________________________
Herman Cortes a young Spaniard, had visions of conquering Mexico for Spain and making himself very rich by plundering the huge stockpile of gold the powerful Aztecs possessed.

In 1518 landing on Mexico's east coast with just 500 men, the 33 year old Cortes set up the town of Veracruz and then began to study his quarry.
The fierce Aztecs had 500,000 warriors. They were ruled by the powerful Moctezuma from his palace at Tenochtitlan, 250 kms west of Veracruz .
Herman Cortes learnt from local tribes and through his spies that Moctezuma ran a highly centralised system with Moctezuma at the very centre. Cortes hatched a daring plan. When Moctezuma granted Cortes an audience in his court, Cortes lunged and killed Moctezuma in front of many of the king's subjects.

The Aztecs thought Cortes to be a powerful God, for he had with great ease decapitated the all powerful Moctezuma. The powerful Aztec army meekly surrendered. Thus Cortes conquered Mexico.
The weakness in the strong kingdom came from its reliance on an individual at the centre. The organisation structure could be called a spider structure.
This is based on the observation that if one were to cut the head of a spider, in spite of its eight legs it will die almost instantaneously .

_______________________________________
In similar fashion the Spanish tried to conquer several of the Indian tribes of what is now the southern part of The United States of America by adopting the same approach that Cortes used with Moctezuma and the Aztecs. Yet for two hundred years they were unable to overpower the seemingly primitive Apache Indians. Why did the Spanish fail in this endeavour in spite of being stronger and more powerful than ever?

At this point, let's look at another type of organisation called the starfish structure.
This is based on a creature called the starfish. If one cuts a starfish into many parts , each part will grow into another starfish.

The Apache Indians unlike the Aztecs or some other Indians times had a highly decentralised existence. They lived in temporary camps and were always on the move. They had a distributed democratic leadership which was shared by all individuals.
What the eldest (called Nant'an) did everyone simply followed. If a Nant'an died in battle or in a hunt a new one would take his place and everyone followed him.

The Spanish found it exceedingly difficult to attack the highly mobile Apaches. Even if the attacked and killed the Nant'an, a new one would rise immedeately. The Apaches frustrated the efforts of the Spanish for over 200 years.

The American settlers eventually conquered and killed off the Apache by giving them cattle. Once they accepted the valuable cattle the Apache settled down at various places. The Apaches got rooted and set up a centralised system to fight and control the scare resources of the cattle. After that they were easy pickings for the kill and therefore soon conquered.

________________________________________________
Let us return to the topic at hand.
If one looks at the parallel from history it is not difficult to see why the Government administration is having so little luck in tackling the Maoists and the Naxalites.

They are using classical war techniques to attack a spider organisation whereas the challenge is a starfish organisation. Therefore all efforts under the present strategy and approach are doomed to fail and that to at great cost to the Indian state and people.

33% of India's land mass is covered by forests. These forests are rich in wildlife, forest products and mineral resources.

Corrupt and crooked politicians often lording over various ministries have the entire government machinery including the law and order aspects at their disposal, treat these lush and lucrative areas as their private fiefdom.

Many of these 'leaders have their own private armies', mercenaries who get a small share in the plunder of the lands and its people.

Many of the 'leaders' are small timers. They lack the capital, technology and the management to exploit the huge mineral resources that lie in the lands belong to locals and tribal people.
Now enter the capitalists who want access to these rich mining areas. They let the politicians use the government machinery do the dirty of work of getting them the mining concession on highly attractive terms and also provide the local infrastructure.

Developing lucrative mining areas is a good idea if the local people benefit from the development. All too often the lands are virtually stolen, toxic waste pollutes ground water and the air and many locals get a very bad deal. They do not even get the pittance that is promised to them and payable by law for seizing and depriving them of their lands.

When the locals attempt to protest, many are beaten up, tortured or even killed. Often trumped up charges are made against innocent people and they are then incarcerated to rot in the jails for a long time.

Locals and oppressed people may get intimidated, but a fire burns within them. This huge tinderbox awaits the arrival of someone to light the fire and start a movement.

Once started no matter how many 'leaders' are killed more people will keep on coming. The government has to realise that they are dealing with a starfish and not a spider organisation. The current efforts are doomed to fail because of a faulty strategy.
_______________________________________________

Then what is the solution?
There are no quick fixes and war definitely is not a permanent answer. War only serves to make forces of evil stronger.

Unless inclusive development starting with decent infrastructure, education, health services and job opportunities are provided along with a suitable law and order machinery backed up by a genuine judicial system the Maoists and Naxalites will grow in strength.
Deny the leaders the cause which they claim to champion and their war will end.

Huge amounts of money are now being invested in the so called fight against the so called Maoists or Naxalites, this has set up a huge money spinning opportunity for people to supply equipment, resources, people, and even fake rehabilitation schemes.

Development is the only solution.
It makes great social and economic sense to spend on genuine development which will bring greater and permanent gains as compared to the huge amounts of funds currently being spent and likely to be spent on waging war.
People's representatives and democracy must serve the needs of the people rather than their own. In our present value system and the apathy of the average Indian, no changes are expected to take place any time soon. Again taking a cue from history, things will need to get a lot worse before there is any hope of them getting any better.

We compound our folly with even greater follies. We then top it off with tough and unproductive rhetoric. Alas this is all in vain.
Troubles can bloom all so easily in a divided and unjust home.

It will be impossible to win this war, but it is definitely possible to win the peace.

Let's not turn our back on nuclear energy.

Though it has quietened down now, everyday we were bombarded with inputs on India's nuclear power program and how risky it was to the Indian public.
I listened in on many talk shows where matters are discussed with more heat than light. With about 158 television news channels in the country broadcasters often sacrifice facts at the altar of extreme sensationalism.
I also received a barrage of emails from people asking me to send this or that petition to the Prime Minister of India against adopting nuclear power etc.

Most people live overworked lives. It is easy to be swept by the crowd and follow the seemingly general consensus on matters. I decided to step back and make an unbiased analysis which I share with you.

India is a nation in dynamic growth. It is likely to grow at approximately 8.5% to 9% this year. As a rapidly developing industrial nation India will need to generate huge additional amounts of energy to maintain that growth trajectory.

All is not well in the energy sector. Dominated by state owned enterprises and infrastructure both quantity and quality of electricity is in a sad state.
Electricity shortfall averages about 22% between generation and demand and the gap is widening by the day. India needs to get its power generation and energy requirements satisfactorily met.

Energy can come from a variety of sources, Oil, Coal, Gas, Hydro, Solar, wind, bio gas etc. Each energy source has some advantages and some disadvantages.

The coal based power plants spew out wide range of pollutants and add significantly to green house gasses which leads to global warming. In addition to this coal has small quantities of Mercury in them. By itself the content is small but with the large quantity used in Thermal power plants the contamination to the air, soil and water sources is significant. It is highly carcinogenic and is a highly potent but silent killer.

Oil fired plants have less discharge of suspended particles but generate equal or higher amounts of green house gases. Large amount of oil is imported and works against India's energy security interests. The oil based plants are expensive to operate and compromises India's strategic leverage by making us overly dependent on imported fuel.

These two fossil fuel based thermal power plants generate nearly 71% of India's power output.

Leaving aside the Chernobyl (formerly in the USSR)incident which resulted in 56 direct deaths and a large number of people affected along with flora and fauna there have been no other serious mishaps.

The famous three mile Island nuclear accident in 1979 in Pennsylvania ( USA) caused no loss to humans or animals or to the environment. Nevertheless it led to the nuclear industry being stopped dead in its tracks in the United States.

Paul Slovic an international authority on risk perception wrote in the prestigious journal 'Science' wrote abut how humans frame their assessment of danger. Normally the thought of a nuclear plant blows up creates images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki where nuclear weapons were used in warfare. The image is extremely horrifying and saddening.

Yet experts have determined that nuclear power plants are so much safer than everyday acts like driving, riding a motorcycle, drinking alcohol or smoking.
In terms of risk, Nuclear power is even less dangerous than riding a bicycle or walking in the streets of our towns and cities.

Like a train accident or an airplane crash, where large number of people die at one time compared to a handful of people in automobile crashes, nuclear plant failures are perceived incorrectly as extremely dangerous.

Drinking or driving or living close to towers with mobile phone transmitters are something people feel they can control. The public has little understanding or sense of control over nuclear power plants so they see them with great suspicion.

Politicians, the coal and oil lobbies, NGO's etc. all have their own agendas and they may not always be in favour of appropriate development. They have a vested interest in opposing the use of nuclear energy.

France generates 75% of its power from nuclear energy. using second and third generation technology without a serious mishap in the past 55 years. It has one of the lowest cost of power production in Europe and is a net energy exporter, in spite of having no natural energy sources of its own.

Nowadays the use of fourth generation nuclear power plants based on proven technologies like pebble-bed reactors are highly cost effective and extremely safe. The pebble bed reactor uses only 9% Uranium 235 and 91% Uranium 238 , it is impossible to use the fuel for making atomic bombs. In addition pebble-bed reactors are meltdown proof.

Nuclear plants built as per second generation design are comparatively extremely expensive , but fourth generation plants are quite economical. With India's strong engineering capability coupled with its ability to bring down costs to fraction of what it costs in Japan, Europe or America, it is a good and viable option. (An analogy can be drawn from the fact that designing and developing a new car in India costs about a tenth to an eighth of what it costs company in developed economies.)

Nuclear power does not generate green house gases nor other toxic products in large quantities.

Managing disposal of large spent fuel rods in deep underground storage is a nightmare. However fourth generation pebble-bed fuel is encased in thick silicon carbide shells which will be able to prevent leaching or leaking of uranium for more than a million years. Thus making them incomparably much safer than everyday things like driving a car.

It is high time we look at environmental issues, national and strategic issues and take decisions in a rational manner rather than become one in the frenzied crowd.

India should adopt nuclear power to offer a better quality of life.

UP, an amazing word.

Think about it. UP This two-letter word in English has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that word is 'UP' It is listed in the dictionary as an [adv], [prep], [adj], [n] or [v].

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP?

We have to show UP for a meeting, where a topic comes UP?
We are required to be UP front about what we want. When you can't convince people you give UP.

Why do we speak UP, and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

At other times this little word has real special meaning.
People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special.
And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is clogged UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP !

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look UP the word UP in the dictionary.. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4 of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. The more you look UP, the more definitions will be thrown UP.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP . When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, the earth soaks it UP. When it does not rain for awhile, things dry UP. One could go on & on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now ........my time is UP !

Oh....one more thing:
What is the first thing you do in the morning & the last thing you do at night? U- P !

Did that one crack you UP?

Don't screw UP. Send this on to everyone you look UP in your address book..or not...it's UP to you. Don't forget when your angry at someone it's UP Something !!!

If I want to get anything else done today I better shut UP.

Our thanks to Mr. Kumta for this contribution

Akbar the Moghul Emperor was actually poor

Emperor Akbar (1542 to 1605) is acclaimed to be one of India's wealthiest Mogul emperors.  Was he really that rich? An interesting incident and the emperor's own comments will let you decide.

During the reign of Akbar there also lived a Baba ji, a 'Pir'. In the Sufi path, Pir literally meaning 'old man' is a saint, whose role is to guide and provide spiritual guidance to his disciples.

Many Babas  in India are revered by Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims. Notable Babaji's like Farid ji's teachings are enshrined as one of the fifteen 'Bhagats' (Devotees) within Sikhism and his selected works form part of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh sacred scripture

Wise emperors often seek spiritual guidance, and so did Akbar. He sometimes visited a certain Baba at his village to seek spiritual guidance.

One day the villagers where Baba ji stayed , asked a favour of him.
They said " Baba ji, the emperor visits you so often can you do us poor villagers a great favour?". "The village has no school nor any in the near vicinity, can you ask the Shehan Shah to build us a school?"

Baba ji agreed that he would ask the favour of the emperor on Akbar's next visit to him.
Then he thought for a while and said "This is a noble work, let me not delay it. I myself will travel to Akbar's palace and meet him."

When Baba ji, arrived at Akbar's palace the guards recognised him as he walked up to the palace gates.
They informed him that the emperor had gone to offer his prayers at his private mosque.

Baba ji, walked up the mosque and stood behind the emperor. The prayers were almost complete and Akbar made his ‘fariyad’ (cry for help) God, "Allah!, great, and merciful, give me more power, expand my kingdom's borders and give me more wealth"

On hearing his prayer Baba ji, turned around and immediately left the mosque.

Since it was at the end of his prayer Akbar had sensed that someone had been present behind him. He turned around when he had finished his prayers and saw Baba ji heading towards the palace gate. 

Akbar hurried to Baba ji, bowed to him and asked " Welcome Baba. why have you come and why are you leaving?"

Baba looked at Akbar and said " I came here because I thought you to be rich. I came here to ask you for money to build a school in the village."

He continued " I heard your prayers and realised that you are poor for you are still hungry. It is against my beliefs to ask anything from a poor man."

" Do not worry, I will go to the village and collect some money for you", concluded Baba ji and he strode away.

This incident was not known to anyone except Akbar and Baba ji. It came to light when it was narrated by the emperor himself in '_Akbarnama_' the biography of Akbar He wrote, "On that day I realised how empty and useless I was. I had wasted my whole life in pursuing and acquiring useless things."

Akbar was a benevolent ruler who cared for all his subjects. Yet this incident was a further pivotal point in Akbar's life, for he realised for the first time in his life, that though he had great wealth, he was in fact a poor man.

He is rich who is. He who remains unfulfilled, hungry and thirsty, desiring more and more things, wealth and power is poor.

I am not that young to know everything

After emigrating from Burma in 1964 our parents set up home in Bombay.

Even then, there was a severe shortage of good schools. So two of my brothers and I were sent to beautiful Pune to spend most of our schooling years as boarders at The Bishops School.

In 1969 my uncle Sardar Manohar Singh ji moved to Pune to start a factory to manufacture automotive and engineering components. In 1972, upon Uncle's insistence, my brother Parvinder and I left the hostel to stay with him and our two aunts Prem Kaur ji and Rajbans Kaur ji.

Being a day scholar was great in many ways, meeting girls, the freedom from the boarding school regimen and of course the food. I however missed my boarding school friends for the mischief and the games etc.

Everything always turns out for the better for I had the opportunity to have two sets of parents.

My uncle was my dad's business partner and also head of the family. He was, and remains my idol. Uncle Manohar ji seemed to have answers to nearly every question that my chattering mind could think of. Having no children of their own, our uncle and aunts pampered us while maintaining a strict sense of discipline and protocol.

He took us swimming, golfing, yachting , gliding, aero modelling, tennis. Even at that tender age he taught both of us brothers all sorts of technical stuff, and many holidays and weekends were spent doing various assignments at the factory. My uncle was a tough father figure, yet he was a great teacher and also my best friend.

From him I learnt how to rely on myself by continuously discovering and improving myself. I learnt about commitment, integrity, love, friendship, play, survival, and to be the best I could be.

Uncle Manohar ji and my father had formal schooling only till the fourth grade. They had no choice, outbreak of hostilities of the second world war Burma disrupted many lives.. Yet the two brothers educated themselves by reading voraciously, they learnt to speak impeccable English, developed into successful businessmen and industrialists. They travelled the world, and contributed both their time and their money to society in numerous ways.

I was amazed at how my dad and uncle could hold interesting conversations with people of all walks of life. When I asked him how that was possible Uncle said; "A well educated person should know something about everything and everything about something", this was a belief that shaped my outlook on life.

I was and still remain in awe of my uncle. Numerous days and evenings were spent with him, observing him and hearing stories, legends, facts, beliefs, that gradually shaped my mind and values. He often told me no matter how successful or big your parents become, you must make your own mark. Do not rest until you have achieved something.


Uncle Manohar ji was a good teacher and lit a flame in me.
For a long time I would lap up whatever uncle Manohar told me.
Then as I grew into a young man I naturally thirsted for independence. Independence to try my ideas, to live my life as I often dreamed of. so I began to probe further. In time this led to more discussions and then finally to debates. Though always obedient and respectful I started presenting my viewpoints to my uncle with more conviction and force.

Herein lies the contradiction; parents want their children to rise and shine but always want to keep them sheltered under their wings. We frequently forget as Khalil Gibran the great Lebanese Poet said; " Your children may come from you, but they belong not to you".

When the discussions turn into debates it is a frustrating time for both children and parents. The parents find it difficult to accept the new and assertive child. Gurvinder now has ideas of his own and articulates them with greater conviction. On the other hand young people can't understand why their parents are so rigid, inflexible, and overprotective.

This sparring went on for a few months until one evening in the midst of a debate my uncle with resignation said; "You are right, you are absolutely right."
I was stunned. My very wise uncle, intensely competitive was anything but a pushover and here he merely conceded that I was right. I heard him repeat himself and then he smiled.
"When I was your age even I knew everything. Now I am 52 years old and I now realise how little I know." He continued "This is not your fault , it is the nature of youth, for it so fills you with optimism, vigour and supreme confidence".

My sons have recently joined the family business and we all work together. We have numerous debates sometimes silly and quite fruitless. The conflicts are mainly on the wisdom and caution of aging parents versus the dynamism and eternal optimism of youth.

Though we always come to an agreement this consumes much energy , but I like to believe it's a useful investment of energy. Youth should constantly test themselves and challenge the status quo. We elders and parents may not always feel comfortable with it but this is the way it has been and this is how it will always be.

It is not easy and pretty challenging but I always try to remember Uncle Manohar ji's wise words. It is difficult to appreciate the impetus that youthful members bring to the team. After all who wants to be jolted? Revolutionary thinking, techniques, technology, and materials coupled with enormous drive, and confidence can be a boon to families and organisation if harnessed well. I often move from doing to letting them do but to a plan which they submit and review and support them continuously.

On the other hand, youth if unguided can run amok. If over controlled will either rebel or lose all initiative and that would be a tragic loss of youthful zeal.

If left to their own devices they can easily destroy years of achievements and hard earned reputation very rapidly.

I know that knowledge is getting obsolete rapidly and therefore 'learning to learn' has been a guiding philosophy. At least two hours a day are spent on learning and keeping abreast of all kinds of developments.

It helps that I sharpen my mind constantly, but what to do with this middle aged heart which does not beat so strongly as before?

Foot in Mouth Disease?

My friend Seema calls me an expert. My chest always puffed up with pride, until one day she shared with me her definition of an 'expert'.
An expert is someone who is never in doubt but frequently in error!!

I realised a little late in the day that she was merely being polite for an ailment which can be labelled as 'foot in mouth' disease.

Upon this great realisation, I was curious to determine if I belonged to a small group or a larger community that had been afflicted with this malady. I am glad to inform you that this problem is quite common but lays dormant until triggered by any of the following phenomena;

A powerful trigger for turning into an expert is to get elected to office. Does not matter which office, any office will do. Even getting elected to the management committee of a housing society or your local club will bestow upon you the crown of all knowledge.

Some acquire money, some are born with it, and some have it thrust upon them. Wealth thrusts people into the world of experts. It does not matter whether it was plundered , earned, or acquired in the old fashioned way, that is to inherit it, the person is instantly transformed into an expert.

The third way to become an expert is to become the boss of some poor creatures at work. The boss knows everything.

The fastest and most certain way to gain expertise is of course to get married. You will immediately acquire an expert. Whether this makes your life better is questionable, but it will certainly make it interesting, at least for a while.

Last but no less powerful and all pervasive mother of all expert sources is to become a parent. No one knows better than a parent. As the quote goes "You may fool some people all the time, you may fool all the people some of the time but you can never fool Mom." Parents apparently wear the crown of all knowledge.

Before you begin to feel sorry for all these different types of experts and the great burden they have to bear in the upliftment of mere mortals you may want to review the mumblings or should I say bumblings of some other great experts;

• We don't need you. You haven't got through college yet. -
  Hewlett Packard excuse to Steve Jobs, who founded Apple Computers instead.


• I think there's a world market for about maybe five computers. -
  Thomas J. Watson, chairman of the board of IBM


• Everything that can be invented has been invented.
  Charles H. Duell, Office of Patents, 1899


• 640K memory for a computer ought to be enough for anybody -
  Bill Gates, Microsoft, 1981


• There will never be a bigger plane built. - A Boeing Engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that carried ten people.


• Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value. -
  Marechal Ferdinand, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.


• We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out. -
  Decca Executive, 1962, after turning down the Beatles


• There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home. -
  Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corp. 1977


• This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. - Western Union, memo, 1876


• No imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?
  David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urging investment in the radio in the 1920's


• Who wants to hear actors talk? -
  H.M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927


• While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility. -
  Lee DeForest, inventor


• Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax.
  Lord Kelvin English scientist, 1899 ( William Thomson)

I thought they were poor.

6th December 1993. It was my noble Father in law Major Mohinder Singh ji's 7th death anniversary. 

Mohini, my gentle hearted wife wanted to do something thoughtful as a tribute to her father. We agreed that it would be nice to provide warm shawls to the poor. So we bought a 100 woolen shawls and distributed some to the cook, maid chauffeur and the watchmen and some underprivileged people in the immediate neighbourhood. 

The problem with the Sikh people is they are a hardworking and therefore a prosperous community.  We therefore had no clue where we would find poor people in Pune so we decided to drive around at night and find homeless people and gift them the remaining 85 shawls. Better still we would take our young sons Mohit (10) and Pavit (8) to accompany us to learn about charity.

We were amazed that we could not find any homeless person. Damn! You can't find beggars when you want them. After about 20 min of cruising around in the cold we eventually saw a man sitting cross legged under a tree wearing only a loin cloth.

Mohini asked the boys to gift the shawls with their own hands. So the boys eagerly grabbed one shawl and ran up to him and said "Namaste! it is very cold, we would like you to have this shawl to keep you warm." The boys were shocked when the man snatched the shawl and flung it in the other direction. He scowled at the boys and they fled back to the car.

We drove towards the railway station, there would certainly be some poor people there. After about half an hour, we finally spotted a man sitting on the pavement with two medium sized plastic shopping bags. He appeared lost in thought. Our sons cautiously walked up to him and handed him a shawl.

He was taken aback. He returned the shawl saying, "I don't need this shawl." The boys pressed him to keep it saying that "Don't worry you don't have to pay for it. It's a gift and it will keep you warm during these cold winter nights."

He replied in a strange tone, "I am already struggling to cope with so many possessions" and he pointed to the two plastic bags. "Please take your shawl back as I have no place to keep it. Thank you for your kindness but I am quite comfortable."

Confused and dejected the boys returned back to the car. They refused to proceed with the charity effort that night.

Mohit said "Really strange, we thought these guys were poor, but they behave like they are very wealthy,  mom do you think they are crazy? He is content with his meagre possessions and no roof over his head." He asked "Dad, mom, how can that be possible?"

We had no answer as we drove back home silently, each of us lost in our thoughts, mulling over what had just transpired. It has been 22 years since that incident but none of us speaks about charity in the same arrogant patronising manner anymore. Much, much later we finally came to realise the meaning of that evening.

• The rich are not those who have much but those that have stopped desiring more.
• By accepting the donation the recipient defines the donor.                                                        

The next day we handed the remaining shawls to the Gurudwara* for distribution to the needy.

 __________________________________

A Gurudwara - is a place of congregation for Sikhs to hold religious discourses. They also feed the needy.