CHANGE!

I read the below from an farewell email of a colleague who was departing our company:

“It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them.”

These words are from the political sage Nicolò Macchiavelli on the subject of change (conveniently translated from the mediæval Italian).

I was inspired by it. So thought of sharing.

Cheers,
Arun.

WORDS OF INSPIRATION

Words That Inspired me... From a forwarded email:

  WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE HINDI LINEs

1) No matter how GOOD YOUR INTENSION IS
  The world LOOKS AT YOUR PRESENTATION
AND
 NO MATER HOW GOOD YOUR PRESENTATION IS,

GOD LOOKS AT YOUR INTENTION .

Choice is urs !

2) "Everyone have two Eyes ... But
No one has the same View... "

3) The most important quality of successful people is their willingness to change..

4) "Human beings are very strange.
They have ego of their knowledge
but, they don't have knowledge
of their ego".

5) PARENTS don't expect much from us,
They just expect the loan of LOVE which we borrowed from them in our childhood to be returned in their old age.

6) People who judge do not matter. People who matter do not judge.

7) Success is the time to redefine our Goals.
Failure is the time to redefine our Methods.

If people are trying to bring you down..... It only means that you are above them.

9) Alphabet "O" stands for Opportunity which is absent in Yesterday" Available only once in "Today", And thrice in "Tomorrow"

10) "Pain Is Unavoidable but,
Suffering Is Optional"

11) A STONE GOES TO THE TEMPLE ONLY ONCE AND BECOMES GOD

WE GO TO THE TEMPLE  EVERY DAY BUT STILL REMAIN AS STONE

12) MESSAGES ARE NOT LIFE ,.......BUT..... OUR LIFE SHOULD BE A MESSAGE

13 ) Risk is My Life..
Possible is My Hope..
Impossible is My Enemy..
Dangerous is My Game..
Walk with Me..
My name is SUCCESS -- .

Vitamin F

I loved this and wanted to share it with you...         

Why do I have a variety of friends who are all so different in character? How can I get along with them all? I think that each one helps to bring out a "different" part of me. With one of them I am polite. With another I joke. I sit down and talk about serious matters with one. With another I laugh a lot. I listen to one friend's problems. Then I listen to another one's advice for me. My friends are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. When completed, they form a treasure box. A treasure of friends! They are my friends who understand me better than I understand myself. They're friends who support me through good days and bad. Real Age doctors tell us that friends are good for our health.
Dr. Oz calls them Vitamin F (for Friends) and counts the benefits of friends as essential to our well being. Research shows that people in strong social circles have less risk of depression and terminal strokes.

If you enjoy Vitamin F constantly you can be up to 30 years younger than your real age. The warmth of friendship stops stress and even in your most intense moments, it decreases the chance of a cardiac arrest or stroke by 50%.
I'm so happy that I have a stock of Vitamin F!

In summary, we should value our friends and keep in touch with them. We should try to see the funny side of things and laugh together and pray for each other in the tough moments.

Some of my friends are friends on line. I know I am part of theirs because their names appear on my computer screen every day and I feel blessed that they care as much for me as I care for them. If ever you don't see my name on your screen please remember that it is not because I have forgotten you but because something has happened to me. I know as we age we cannot be on line forever but we are making the best of it while we still can. While there is breath in me I will always keep in touch, as often as I can, and will not forsake you Ever.

Thank you for being one of my Vitamins!

Indians Abroad Who might not have made it to the top if thery where in Indians in India!

 The Blow are not my thoughts. I read this on a email fwd and I kind of agree with the facts that this email states. In India you cannot just come up with your own footsteps, you need few hands to help you....




WHY? is my question. I live outside India and I am proud to say that what ever I have earned let it be people, status and/or money is with my own deeds. I can say it proudly as I have worked hard for this....


Any way... there are loads of people who might disagree with me... 


Read below...

ALL INDIANS MUST READ THIS

I would like to sum up our performance in the 20th century in one
sentence.Indians have succeeded in countries ruled by whites, but failed in
their own.

This outcome would have astonished leaders of our independence movement. They
declared Indians were kept down by white rule and could flourish only under
self-rule. This seemed self-evident The harsh reality today is that Indians are
succeeding brilliantly in countries ruled by whites, but failing in India. They
are flourishing in the USA and Britain.

But those that stay in India are pulled down by an outrageous system that fails
to reward merit or talent, fails to allow people and businesses to grow, and
keeps real power with netas, babus, and assorted manipulators. Once Indians go
to white-ruled countries, they soar and conquer summits once occupied only by
whites.

Rono Dutta has become head of United Airlines, the biggest airline in the world.
Had he stayed in India, he would have no chance in Indian Airlines. Even if the
top job there was given to him by some godfather, a myriad netas, babus and
trade unionists would have ensured that he could never run it like United
Airlines.

Vikram Pundit has become head of Citigroup, which operates Citibank one of the
largest banks in the world.

Rana Talwar has become head of Standard Chartered Bank, one of the biggest
multinational banks in Britain, while still in his 40s. Had he been in India, he
would perhaps be a local manager in the State Bank, taking orders from babus to
give loans to politically favoured clients.

Rajat Gupta is head of Mckinsey, the biggest management consultancy firm in the
world. He now advises the biggest multinationals on how to run their business.
Had he remained in India he would probably be taking orders from some sethji
with no qualification save that of being born in a rich family.

Lakhsmi Mittal has become the biggest steel baron in the world, with steel
plants in the US, Kazakhstan, Germany, Mexico, Trinidad and Indonesia. India's
socialist policies reserved the domestic steel industry for the public sector.
So Lakhsmi Mittal went to Indonesia to run his family's first steel plant there.
Once freed from the shackles of India, he conquered the world.

Subhash Chandra of Zee TV has become a global media king, one of the few to beat
Rupert Murdoch. He could never have risen had he been limited to India, which
decreed a TV monopoly for Doordarshan. But technology came to his aid: satellite
TV made it possible for him to target India from Hong Kong. Once he escaped
Indian rules and soil, he soared.

You may not have heard of 48-year old Gururaj Deshpande. His communications
company, Sycamore, is currently valued by the US stock market at over $ 30
billion, making him perhaps one of the richest Indians in the world. Had he
remained in India, he would probably be a babu in the Department of
Telecommunications.

Arun Netravali has become president of Bell Labs, one of the biggest research
and development centres in the world with 30,000 inventions and several Nobel
Prizes to its credit. Had he been in India, he would probably be struggling in
the middle cadre of Indian Telephone Industries. Silicon Valley alone contains
over 100,000 Indian millionaires.

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi has become since 2006 the CEO Of PepsiCo Inc., a
Fortune 500 company.


Sabeer Bhatia invented Hotmail and sold it to Microsoft for $ 400 million.Victor
Menezes is number two in Citibank. Shailesh Mehta is CEO of Providian, a top US
financial services company. Also at or near the top are Rakesh Gangwal of US
Air, Jamshd Wadia of Arthur Andersen, and Aman Mehta of Hong Kong Shanghai
Banking Corp.

In Washington DC, the Indian CEO High Tech Council has no less than 200 members,
all high tech-chiefs. While Indians have soared, India has stagnated. At
independence India was the most advanced of all colonies, with the best
prospects.

Today with a GNP per head of $370, it occupies a lowly 177th position among 209
countries of the world. But poverty is by no means the only or main problem.
India ranks near the bottom in the UNDP's Human Development Index, but high up
in Transparency International's Corruption Index.

The neta-babu raj brought in by socialist policies is only one reason for India
's failure. The more sordid reason is the rule-based society we inherited from
the British Raj is today in tatters. Instead money, muscle and influence matter
most.

At independence we were justly proud of our politicians. Today we regard them as
scoundrels and criminals. They have created a jungle of laws in the holy name of
socialism, and used these to line their pockets and create patronage networks.
No influential crook suffers. The Mafia flourish unhindered because they have
political links.

The sons of police officers believe they have a licence to rape and kill (ask
the Mattoo family).Talent cannot take you far amidst such rank mis-governance.


We are reverting to our ancient feudal system where no rules applied to the
powerful. The British Raj brought in abstract concepts of justice for
all,equality before the law. These were maintained in the early years of
independence. But sixty years later, citizens wail that India is a lawless land
where no rules are obeyed.

I have heard of an IAS probationer at the Mussorie training academy pointing out
that in India before the British came, making money and distributing favours to
relatives was not considered a perversion of power, it was the very rationale of
power. A feudal official had a duty to enrich his family and caste.

Then the British came and imposed a new ethical code on officials. But, he
asked, why should we continue to choose British customs over desi ones now that
we are independent?

The lack of transparent rules, properly enforced, is a major reason why talented
Indians cannot rise in India. A second reason is the neta-babu raj, which
remains intact despite supposed liberalisation. But once talented Indians go to
rule-based societies in the west, they take off. In those societies all people
play by the same rules, all have freedom to innovate without being strangled by
regulations.

This, then, is why Indians succeed in countries ruled by whites, and fail in
their own.

Top five regrets of the dying

Top five regrets of the dying | Life and style | guardian.co.uk

There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps. A palliative nurse
who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most
common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top,
from men in particular, is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'.

Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in
palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their
lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called
Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put
her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.

Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at
the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom.
"When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do
differently," she says, "common themes surfaced again and again."

Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware:

1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the
life others expected of me.

"This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that
their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to
see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not
honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it
was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom
very few realise, until they no longer have it."

2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard.

"This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their
children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke
of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the
female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed
deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a
work existence."

3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.

"Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with
others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never
became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed
illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a
result."

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

"Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends
until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them
down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had
let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep
regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they
deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying."

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

"This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end
that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and
habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their
emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them
pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content,
when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in
their life again."

What's your greatest regret so far, and what will you set out to
achieve or change before you die?

இயல்பை மறந்து இயந்திரத்தனத்தால் இழந்தது எத்தனை???

Interesting Poetry... And believe it is true......


இயல்பை மறந்து இயந்திரத்தனத்தால் இழந்தது எத்தனை???by Lakshmanan Ganesan on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 10:15pm


இயல்பை மறந்து இயந்திரத்தனத்தால் இழந்தது எத்தனை???

சிரிக்க மறந்தோம்; சிறப்பை மறந்தோம்; மனிதன் என்பதை முழுக்க மறந்தோம்.

காலையில் எழுந்ததும் காப்பி தொடங்கி, இரவு வரும் வரை இயந்திரமயமாய்

காசும் பணமும், கவலையும் சோர்வும் வாட்டிவதைப்பதை வாழ்க்கை ஆக்கி,

முழுதாய் மூச்சு வாங்க முற்றிலும் மறந்தோம்.

மழலை முகத்தில் மலரும் சிரிப்பை ரசிக்க மறந்தோம்.

தென்றல் வந்து தீண்டும் போது உணரும் சுகத்தை உறுதியாய் மறந்தோம்

இயந்திரத்தன்மை ஏற்றது போதும்...மனிதம் ஏற்று மகிழ்வை ஏற்று

இழந்த தருணங்கள் மீட்க பார்போம் ..சிரித்து மகிழ்வோம் தினம் தினம் வாழ்வோம் ...

இரவு வணக்கங்களுடன் ...லேனா கணேஷ் ....



சிரித்து மகிழ்வோம்

We have many such brilliant jewels all over India! The Sales Girl in Chennai.....An Eye Opener..

The below was a very very interesting FWD read that I read. First day in to my consulting role.

Very Very Inspiring:

The Sales Girl in Chennai.....An Eye Opener..


THE SALES GIRL IN CHENNAI GIRI STORE THROUGH THE EYES OF A WASHINGTON POST JOURNALIST

After the Temple Darshan at the Kapaleeswarar Koil at Mylapore, we entered the "Giri Trading" stores and started searching for this Book on "Thatva Bodha".

We found many people buying various Books and CDs and from their smart walks and accumulation of CDs from Abhang to Aruna Sairam and Bhajans to Bombay Jaishree, sent a nice feeling in us, that we have come to the right place indeed.

I was looking for this Book while my wife started collecting Bharathiar's songs and MS's Music. I searched everywhere for this Book.

There was this Girl, standing next to the Cashier, sincerely watching all our movements - a dark complexioned Girl, should be from a nearby Village, might be 17 or 18, should not have crossed 8th Std., might be out of poverty she is here.. All my Journalist's brain unnecessarily calculated about this Gullible Girl..and tho' she was repeatedly watching me, I ignored her and started searching for "Thathva Bodha"

I saw many books from "Sandhya Vandanam" to Swami VIvekananda's "Chicago Speech" but having spent a good 40 minutes. I looked at her, she also looked at me curiously.

I did not asked her, knowing fully well that such a girl cannot have any idea of anything, leave alone "Thathva Bodah"

"Sir, may I help you?" (in Tamil)

"Yes. I am looking for 'Thatva Bodha' "

"Sanskrit Text or English/Sanskrit?"
God..she knows.

"Sanskrit & English"



"Do you like to have the Publication from Chinmaya Mission or Indu Publications or by Ramakrishna Mutt?"

"I don't know..I just want to only Learn you see..I don't really know indeed"

"Do you read Tamil Sir?"

"Yes I am a Tamilian " (thinking to myself how most of mylife time I like to act in most
Otherplaces that I am not)

"Then Sir, you can take this"..she ran to the shelf where I had searched for 30 minutes, removed the books in the front and came out with a Book in Tamil. "This one in Tamil by N.Sivaraman by Indu Publications infact is simple and wonderfull. You have the Sanskrit Text too inside."

My God! Why did I under estimate such a Genius. Just because of my Arrogance that I am an NRI. Or Just because I presumed such a Black, dark complexioned, gullible girl, who would have come for this job out of absolute poverty, wouldn't have any idea of "Thatva Bodha".

I decided to change my attitude and realized that I am absolutely an 'Idiot' at this moment in front of this wonderful girl and submitted myself in all humility. "Madam, I really don't have any idea of even who wrote 'Thatva Bodha' till yesterday. I just attended a lecture on this subject and was fascinated by the lecture and hence....."

"Did you attend Goda Venkateswara Sastri's lecture in Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan?" "Oh God. How did you know?"

"He regularly takes cl-asses on such subjects. In fact he is one of the best Sir, in the city on such subjects."

"You are interested in such subjects?"

"Yes Sir, I read a lot about Swami Vivekananda and Ramakrishna and Thathva Bodha incidentally is my favorite Subject"

"You mean to say you have read Thatva Bodha?" "I have read this one by Sivaraman and once you read it you won't feel like keeping that book on the table at all."

"Why what is so great about this Book?"

"Sir,you must be joking that you don't know about 'Thatva Bodha'."

"Really I accept my ignorance."

My wife was watching from the corner, admiring all her CD collections.

"Sir,according to me if you read this it gives the entire Vedanthic Saramsam and to say it in-one-word you become a bit more humble in life, leaving Ahamkaram once for all."

"Is it a fact that reading this simple book one would get so humble?"

"Of course one should be involved totally into the text. Needs a lot of conviction and devotion."

My wife joined the conversation and she felt this girl is indeed a very very talented intelligent girl, so she told me "Why don't you interview her for Washington Post. Why at all you should think of Paris Hilton?"

I also felt that I owe something to her.. So I asked her whether she can spare sometime for an interview.

She politely refused saying "My boss is to give me permission. Besides many people are looking for guidance like you and hence I have to go."

"What is your name?"

"Kalaivani"

My wife's admiration for her devotion to duty and her total involvement in her work, made her go direct to the Boss "Sir,that girl Kalaivani."

"Yes very hard working Girl."

"This is my husband Viswanath."

"Nice meeting you Sir"

"He is the Senior Journalist in Washington Post."

The Boss stood up." Washington Post?"

"Yes Sir. I would like to interview this girl. I am highly impressed with her ethics."

Boss called her. Time was 5:45 Pm. "Kalaivani, they have come all the way from USA , they would like to spend some time with you. Can you?"

"Sir, there are so many customers waiting for some guidance. it is a rush time. If they can come again tomorrow."

"OK. I can come again tomorrow."

I again came next day morning leaving all my appointments with 'Times of India' and Madras Press Club just to see this girl. It was no rush hour. My wife and myself found out.

Kalaivani is from a small village near Arcot. She has 5 sisters, she being is the eldest. Her father was a drunkard and he died a few years ago caring for none of them. Her mother used to work as a helper in Masonry and passed away two years back, leaving all the 6 on the streets.

This girl who had completed her 9th std decided to search for a job and 'Giri Trading' came forward to help her out. She brought all her 5 sisters with her and with her meagre salary she is taking care of them. All the 5 sisters are going to a nearby Chennai Corporation School .

"Kalaivani. But when did you get this enthusiasm to learn about 'Thatva Bodha'?"

"Sir after joining here, I decided that the best way to be of help to the customers is to know the Subject first. I took small Books on Ramana, Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and started reading. I found the subject so fascinating..I decided to read other books in Tamil like Bhagavad Gita, and Viveka Choodamani. Thats how...."

"What is your salary?"

"Rs 2500, Sir."

"Are you able to manage all your expenses with the 5 sisters?"

"Not at all Sir, but the Boss helps me a lot."

"What is your aim in Life ?"

"I want all my sisters to get education. Then they would easily get employment is it not Sir?"

"If I give monthly Rs 10,000 for meeting all your expenses, would that suffice?"

"It is indeed too much, but I would accept it only through my Boss."

We took her to the Boss and told him that we would like to send Rs.10,000 every month so that all her sisters' education would be completed.

The Boss said "She deserves it Sir. You can trust me - I will hand over the amount to her every month or alternately you can open an account in her name and start transferring to the account."

My friend John Paul, who is the Regional Manager of 'Times of India' had also come with me. He said "You have done a good thing."

My wife said "I pray that 'Karpagambal' helps Kalaivani to become an expert in 'Vedantha' and start giving lectures in USA . We can arrange for her lectures."

We left wonder struck! If we go into the interiors of India , how many more 'Jewels' like Kalaivani can be found!!
I really became humbled!



We have many such brilliant jewels all over India, yet to be discovered, and many who have fled the country because the government systems drive them out&