Ironing Clothes

I iron my own clothes. It saves lots of time and hassles for me. Today when I was ironing my shirt, I noticed how it worked. The shirt I picked up was clean and dried. But merely being clean didn’t matter – it had to be wrinkle free. When I ironed it, it eliminated all its wrinkles and made it appear perfect. But the process of ironing may not be very pleasant for the cloth. After all, it would heat the fabric, and then rubbed on the surface to give that perfect touch. This made me think: the process to attain perfection is almost always through some unpleasant experiences or challenges. It is also reflected in the oft repeated anecdote: gold attains purity only by getting melted in a furnace…

I kept watching the hot press move, the wrinkles vanish and my shirt becoming wearable… The difficulties and challenges in our life making us and our approach closer towards perfection…

- Rahul

Lessons Learnt - Online

Learnt these lessons:

1) Arrogance is a disqualifier for friendship.

2) We should learn to keep friends who are more intelligent than us, for our own benefit.

3) There is fine line between admiration and flattery and we should not become victim of the later.

4) Expecting flattery from friends means having only weaklings as friends who would not only dump us in critical times but lead us towards mediocrity.

5) Online friendships are often a ‘waste’ of time/energy and can be ‘dangerous’ too.

6) Intelligence breeds more opponents and enviers than friends.

– Rahul

My Article Published: “Role of Software Tools in Supply Chain Optimization”

My Article titled “Role of Software Tools in Supply Chain Optimization” has been published today on MBASkool.com. You can read it here:

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Role of Software Tools in Supply Chain Optimization
By: Kumar Rahul

http://www.mbaskool.com/business-articles/operations/192-role-of-software-tools-in-supply-chain-optimization.html

Here is a small URL for the same: http://lnkd.in/FZ5tkZ

The article builds on my experiences during working on supply chain optimization software packages and in my interactions with many 3PLs (third party logistics services providers) in India. While interacting with many 3PLs and also their clients, I noticed a level of discomfort in using the latest software tools for supply chain design and optimization. They wanted to do the same thing using Excel. And I knew for sure that it was not possible to achieve the same result without using the advance tools enabling them. I have attempted to summarize my thoughts in this article.

Do read and if possible comment/discuss, like, or recommend.

- Rahul

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Infosys in Pune - Shining India!

Infosys Campus in Pune, India. Shining India!

Infosys in Hyderabad - Happy Moments!

Infosys Campus in Hyderabad: Happy Moments!

Acknowledgement: Snaps taken by many people. Sorry for not being able to mention names.

Is India really so Diverse?

It is true that our India is very diverse. It has diverse people, diverse cultures, and diverse places. But at times we tend to take such diversity too far and too seriously. I realised it very recently.

It was raining in Delhi. There had been a snowfall in Kashmir a few days back. Two days afterwards, weather changed in our hometown in the East, there was a cold wave. Back West in Pune, I saw clouds in the sky and also felt cold wind blowing through. When I told mother about change in weather at my place, she said, “How big India is, but see how each part is getting affected by the same change.”

So true… I think we should not get so lost in appreciating diversity that we forget to notice the unity and oneness of India!

- Rahul

Short Listing

I was writing a one-line email to my colleague. I wrote:

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“I had done some shorlisting; sending you those:”
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I was doing a spelling mistake, as the correct word should be “shortlisting / short listing”
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When I tried to correct the mistake, MS Word suggested me this:
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“I had done some shoplifting; sending you those:”
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:)

Add Sanskrit in Census Data

I received a noble request from a friend. Sharing it because I support the cause:
 

Dear All,
 

I want to bring your attention to the very important thing…
 

The census of India has come to the last stage now and at any moment the government officials will come to you to ask information about you and family …
 

The form contains some basic information such as your name, no. of family members and the languages you know…
 

While filling the details DO NOT forget to write SANSKRIT language against the Languages You Know …. Please.
 

Though we rarely use Sanskrit in our day to day activities, it is the oldest language of the human civilization and is the language of the Gods.
 

All our ancient scriptures & Vedas are in Sanskrit. Every year many scholars from various countries visit India to study this language.
 

Its now been a known fact that many of the words from other languages such as Hindi, English, Latin are borrowed from Sanskrit…
 

The sad story is that, this cultured language is taking its last breath. It has been found during the last survey that population aware of this language are only in few thousands. So the government might declare this language as DEAD Language.
 

Once declared as DEAD Language, the government will stop the funding and there will be NO further hope.
 

The only hope is YOU, the people of this country, can enliven the glories of this language.
 

If you think this is right step, do spread this message to your friends…
 

Regards,

My Article Published: 'Wal-Mart in Banking?'

My Article titled “Walmart in Banking?” has been published today on MBASkool.com. You can read it here:

http://www.mbaskool.com/business-articles/finance/187-walmart-in-banking-and-financial-sector.html

The article analyses Wal-Mart’s interests in the banking and financial sector and tries to see the business rationale in those. It also analyses whether such a move is beneficial for the stakeholders.

Do read and if possible comment/discuss, like, or recommend.

- Rahul

Multiculturalism is Not a Failure in General

In the recent times, a lot many National Leaders in the West have expressed concern over non-integration of immigrants with their societies. The oft repeated statement is: “Multiculturalism has failed”. I think Nicolas Sarkozy of France was the most recent one to say this to the world. You can news about his statements at:
 

https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jR1m5BpdMrDES3u4Cso1v3FwQRUg?docId=CNG.6b096ac0cdcfce7a0f599fbbb1c85c27.911
 

Or
 

https://www.sify.com/news/multiculturalism-has-failed-nicolas-sarkozy-news-international-lclmafaahgd.html
 

Among the other World Leaders who have said exactly the same about “failure of multiculturalism” include:
 

·         British Prime Minister David Cameron

·         German Chancellor Angela Merkel

·         Australia’s ex-prime minister John Howard and

·         Spanish ex-premier Jose Maria Aznar
 

These leaders have said that their respective nations have not been able to effectively integrate the immigrants and hence “Multiculturalism has failed”. While reading through all their statements and all the news about them, I want to correct what should be the tag. They should have said: “Multiculturalism with Muslims has failed”.
 

In each of these nations, the Muslims no matter from where they migrated from have lived a life in reclusive pockets. We see the same thing in India. Muslims world over have shown the tendency to start taking part in terrorist activities, as all the biggest terror attacks have involved participants from many nationalities and colors but with a common religion. And if we read all these news, we realize that all these leaders are indeed speaking about non-integration of Muslims in the Western societies, and not about others!
 

Being an Indian, I would like these world leaders to know that even India, a country which celebrates “multiculturalism”, has by and large failed to make”integration” with Muslims. In India, there are two separate penal codes – one for the Hindus and one for the Muslims. Due to different penal codes, Muslims are legally allowed to have so many “privileges” in personal lives, which would be called criminal for Hindus.
 

In fact while reading a summary of the book “Tea with Terrorists”, I realized that such “failures” are neither failures of multiculturalism as a concept, nor failure of these world nations, but these failures are failures of the Islamic world to keep up with the times…

Ram Setu and Contribution of a Squirrel

In his article titled “I am not a Statistic”, (ET, 11 Feb 2011), Devdutt Pattanaik writes a wonderful episode with a very nice lesson for all of us to learn. I think this lesson is only a drop from the ocean of Ramayana.

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The bridge was being built across the sea. This would enable Ram’s army to reach the island-kingdom of Lanka and rescue his wife who was held captive there. This was no ordinary army - this was an army of animals. Vultures had identified the location of the island. Bears were serving as the architects.
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Monkeys were the workers implementing the construction, carrying huge boulders and throwing it into the sea. Work was hectic. The monkeys were jumping and screeching everywhere to ensure everything was being done efficiently and effectively when suddenly there appeared amongst them a tiny squirrel carrying a pebble. This little creature also wanted to contribute to the bridge-building exercise.
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The monkeys saw him and laughed. One even shoved the squirrel aside considering him a nuisance. But when Ram saw the squirrel, he was overwhelmed with gratitude. He thanked the tiny creature for his immense contribution. He brushed his fingers over his back to comfort him. This, it is said, is what gave rise to the stripes on the squirrel’s back that can be seen even today, a sign of Ram’s acknowledgment of his contribution.
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Statistically speaking, the squirrel’s contribution to the bridge was insignificant. But he had given it his 100%. Does it matter? Not as far as the bridge construction is concerned, for sure. But to Ram it did. He sensed that the squirrel’s devotion was second to none. The material contribution may not have been as great as the others but his emotional contribution was as high. That mattered.
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You can read his complete article at this Tiny URL: http://tinyurl.com/6y6dajy
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At the end of his article, the author is concerned and says that the tragedy of modern management is that it is teaching us “not to be” Ram. But I am sure until there are writers like him, all is not lost.

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- Rahul

Giving others the benefit of doubt

I had a colleague whom many of us found very irritating. Out of her other habits, one thing affected me most because I sat next to her cubicle. Her desk phone rang very loud. And it seemed that it rang only when she was away from her desk. And it seemed that she purposefully got very late in reaching back to pick it up. It continued that way, until one day I thought I would do something about it. So I went to her desk, picked up the phone, told the caller that she was away and she can call back in 10 minutes, and then I tried to “fix” the phone by lowering its ringing volume. But I was surprised to find that there was no option to lower the volume! When she came back, I asked her about it and she replied that she herself was sad that there was no option to lower the volume! I felt ashamed of my imagination. And on that day, I learnt a lesson: we should give benefit of doubt to others. And we should not judge easily, as the information with us may not be sufficient for the conclusion.

- Rahul

Is our current life worthless?

While walking in the evening, suddenly my sight reached the moon. The moon lit the dark sky. Its shape was incomplete today. My mind wandered to visualise the reason. The sun would be on the other side of the earth, that part of earth would be seeing the day and the part where I walked had a night. The earth would therefore be creating a shadow on the moon, which made the moon lit less than half. After visualising this, my mind saw myself walking on the earth. Earth is so large, sun is larger and moon too very large compared to anything else on this earth’s surface. And I am not even a drop in the ocean. In fact when I saw myself from the high above, everything and everyone seemed small and worthless.

Just 10 minutes back I was thinking about ways to make more money, to enhance career prospects, to buy a house: all material thoughts. But visualising the worthlessness of this life made me think about its purpose. The purpose of life is definitely not to make most money or to become the richest and strongest person on this earth. Even if I become so, I won’t even be a speck in the sky. Hinduism tells our goal is to get free from all attachments and attain moksha. But I wonder:

How all that I am doing now or what all I have been doing for my life, going to help me in that?

Hindu Temples I have visited (Part-II)

Chhattarpur Mandir in Mehrauli, Delhi. It is situated very near to Qutub Minar. This temple complex is an architectural delight! Main deity here is Goddess Durga. There are many temples inside the campus dedicated to various deities like Vishnu, Lakshmi, Ganesha and Shiva.

Trimurti inside Elephanta Caves, near Mumbai. These caves are said to belong to 5th-8th centuries.

Shivalingam inside Elephanta Caves, near Mumbai. These caves are said to belong to 5th-8th centuries.

Mahalakshmi Temple (महालक्ष्मी मंदिर) in Mumbai. This is a very famous temple in Mumbai. It has three images: Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasaraswthi.The temple was built in 1831.

Hindu Temples I have visited (Part-I)

Shanta Durga Temple in Goa. It is dedicated to Shanta Durga – the form of Shakti who is peaceful and who mediated between Shiva and Vishnu. The original temple was destroyed by Portuguese in 1564. The Devi was shifted to this place at Kavalem and worship continued here. The current temple was constructed during the reign of Maratha ruler Chatrapati Shahu Raje of Satara about 1738 A.D. Here is the temple website: http://shreeshantadurga.com/ Hindu Temples in Goa have their own unique design. They are spacious and stand beautiful. Wonderful to visit.

Shri Mangeshi Temple in Goa. This is basically a Shiva temple with a very old sacred Shivalinga kept here. Its legend goes back to the Puranas. There was an original temple of Lord Shiva, which had to be shifted to this place due to Portuguese onslaught who had banned construction and repairs of Hindu temples. This temple was built, survived, and developed in different stages, in centuries. Here is the temple website: http://www.shrimangesh.org/ Temples in Goa have their own unique design. They are spacious and stand beautiful. Wonderful to visit.

The world famous Sai Baba Temple of Shirdi, Maharashtra.

Dagdu Seth Ganesha Mandir, Pune. A beautiful Ganesha Temple with its unique style and design. The Ganesh Idol is also one of the most wonderful I have ever seen. Its peaceful but thronged by people. I found it similar to Siddhivinayak Temple of Mumbai. Must visit in Pune.