Thursday, September 14, 2006
How do I protect my Bangalore ?
"When will you use your Quality process to inculcate some driving sense into Indian roads ???"
This was a question posed to us by one of the senior executives of a multinational company visiting India on a tour to evaluate business opportunities in India.
Today we received a delegation of executives from 4 companies looking to setup shop in India and engaged them in a presentation and discussion on challenges of working in India. The meet went off pretty well and the guests definitely got their times worth from the students. Whether this will yield any fruits in the recruitment season, only time will tell.
The India Marketing apart, the one question which stuck with me was the one innocently asked by a lady on the pathetic state of affairs with regard to traffic,roads and infrastructure.
Any other day I might have just brushed aside the comment as a feeble attempt by a "sophesticated-white" to poke holes into the India success story !!
But today the innocence in her voice made me realize how indifferent WE have become to the whole situation and have immunized ourselves to many unnecessary inconveniences !!
They tell me our mind is not a data analyzing machine but a data rejection filter !
We don't need a better example to illustrate the point. I never imagined that the "Solpa Adjust madi" credo, hardwired into the soul of the middle-class indian would have a negative aspect in-built to it.
Alas, the Indian Youth grows up under the ingrained belief that it's OK to compromise ! It's OK to have an accomodative nature !! It's OK to not Fight first !!!!
Even though the corporate jungle does challenge some of our natural instincts, I guess habits die hard. But the most heartening thing for me is to see a defiant young kid speak out his mind and boldly challenge our boundaries at an age when I was oblivious to all enternalities ...
I want to be in a position to challenge other countries on their tardiness in development. I want to be in a position to teach other cities how to grow into a Bangalore. I want to be able to twist back all finger pointed towards Bangalore and towards India !!!
And that ain't happening with being an orthodox,shy,acomodative,defensive,goody-goody South Indian !!!
"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff" - JC
This was a question posed to us by one of the senior executives of a multinational company visiting India on a tour to evaluate business opportunities in India.
Today we received a delegation of executives from 4 companies looking to setup shop in India and engaged them in a presentation and discussion on challenges of working in India. The meet went off pretty well and the guests definitely got their times worth from the students. Whether this will yield any fruits in the recruitment season, only time will tell.
The India Marketing apart, the one question which stuck with me was the one innocently asked by a lady on the pathetic state of affairs with regard to traffic,roads and infrastructure.
Any other day I might have just brushed aside the comment as a feeble attempt by a "sophesticated-white" to poke holes into the India success story !!
But today the innocence in her voice made me realize how indifferent WE have become to the whole situation and have immunized ourselves to many unnecessary inconveniences !!
They tell me our mind is not a data analyzing machine but a data rejection filter !
We don't need a better example to illustrate the point. I never imagined that the "Solpa Adjust madi" credo, hardwired into the soul of the middle-class indian would have a negative aspect in-built to it.
Alas, the Indian Youth grows up under the ingrained belief that it's OK to compromise ! It's OK to have an accomodative nature !! It's OK to not Fight first !!!!
Even though the corporate jungle does challenge some of our natural instincts, I guess habits die hard. But the most heartening thing for me is to see a defiant young kid speak out his mind and boldly challenge our boundaries at an age when I was oblivious to all enternalities ...
I want to be in a position to challenge other countries on their tardiness in development. I want to be in a position to teach other cities how to grow into a Bangalore. I want to be able to twist back all finger pointed towards Bangalore and towards India !!!
And that ain't happening with being an orthodox,shy,acomodative,defensive,goody-goody South Indian !!!
"Ambition should be made of sterner stuff" - JC
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Can We do an Agassi ?
I actually found it hard to hold back tears even as the News Channels beamed the emotional scenes of a Golaith of my Tennis world Bow out of his Theatre !!!
The new song of "Bas ek pal" aptly echoes the thoughts on everyones mind ..."Tere Bin kaise jiye, Kaise Jiye Tere Bin" !!!!
One of the many dreams my dad had cherished for my career was to see me persue Tennis at a professional level .... Though I will have to move heaven and earth to fulfill that dream of his, what it has done is develop a deep sense of respect and love for the game !! Tennis is one of the very few games I love to watch more than I love to Play it !!!
And as all tennis enthusiasts of my generation I love Becker for the memory of his outstretched mid-air volley signifying the triumph of mind over matter! Even while my dad adores Lendl for his consistency and poise, Becker to my mind represents the ephimeral spark of perfection which leaves the world craving for more !
The biggest challenge for every genius lies in combating "Lonliness at the Top" !!! Both Sampras and Federer have that devine touch to their game which leaves the audiance mesmerised and opponents praying for a quick death !! They seem to almost hover around the "Supernatural" ...
But does that satiate the public ??
If they wish to witness divinity, people would go to a temple !! As portrayed in the movie "Gladiator", the audiance want to see a game which is human, something they can "Enjoy" .. On the Tennis court everyone wishes to see a character they can identify with, who looks vulnerable to defeat, who seems up against the odds all the time, who seems to be tiring faster than the opponent, who seems to be on the verge of succumbing to the pressure ... BUT YET FIGHTS ON ... BELIEVES IN HIMSELF.... FIGHTS TO WIN !!!
ANDRE AGASSI was the Answer !
With Agassi in the game, even 2 sets down and 4 games to love, 0-40 down you could still afford to dream of an agassi revival and he would make your dreams come true !!
I believe it is this aspect of his personality which endeared him to the people, to me and to "Dear Steffi" too ... not necessarily in that order
Watching him take his final bow does have a sentimental overture for me as he in someways represented a part of my childhood memories along with ppl like Mats Wilander, Stefan Edburg, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl,Becker, Micheal Stitch, Thomas Muster ... the very last of their kind
The one fact that Agassi was able to bounce back to the top circuit after so many debacles and tough opponents and speeding age-factor shall remain inspirational to me ....
Even as we combat with a failure of sorts in bagging an ELP project we pitched for at ISB, the learning I carry with me is to fight harder for the next point and next time "Fight to Win" !!
"His life was gentle and the elements So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, This was a man!" - Mark Anthony (Julius Caesar)
The new song of "Bas ek pal" aptly echoes the thoughts on everyones mind ..."Tere Bin kaise jiye, Kaise Jiye Tere Bin" !!!!
One of the many dreams my dad had cherished for my career was to see me persue Tennis at a professional level .... Though I will have to move heaven and earth to fulfill that dream of his, what it has done is develop a deep sense of respect and love for the game !! Tennis is one of the very few games I love to watch more than I love to Play it !!!
And as all tennis enthusiasts of my generation I love Becker for the memory of his outstretched mid-air volley signifying the triumph of mind over matter! Even while my dad adores Lendl for his consistency and poise, Becker to my mind represents the ephimeral spark of perfection which leaves the world craving for more !
The biggest challenge for every genius lies in combating "Lonliness at the Top" !!! Both Sampras and Federer have that devine touch to their game which leaves the audiance mesmerised and opponents praying for a quick death !! They seem to almost hover around the "Supernatural" ...
But does that satiate the public ??
If they wish to witness divinity, people would go to a temple !! As portrayed in the movie "Gladiator", the audiance want to see a game which is human, something they can "Enjoy" .. On the Tennis court everyone wishes to see a character they can identify with, who looks vulnerable to defeat, who seems up against the odds all the time, who seems to be tiring faster than the opponent, who seems to be on the verge of succumbing to the pressure ... BUT YET FIGHTS ON ... BELIEVES IN HIMSELF.... FIGHTS TO WIN !!!
ANDRE AGASSI was the Answer !
With Agassi in the game, even 2 sets down and 4 games to love, 0-40 down you could still afford to dream of an agassi revival and he would make your dreams come true !!
I believe it is this aspect of his personality which endeared him to the people, to me and to "Dear Steffi" too ... not necessarily in that order
Watching him take his final bow does have a sentimental overture for me as he in someways represented a part of my childhood memories along with ppl like Mats Wilander, Stefan Edburg, Michael Chang, Jim Courier, Ivan Lendl,Becker, Micheal Stitch, Thomas Muster ... the very last of their kind
The one fact that Agassi was able to bounce back to the top circuit after so many debacles and tough opponents and speeding age-factor shall remain inspirational to me ....
Even as we combat with a failure of sorts in bagging an ELP project we pitched for at ISB, the learning I carry with me is to fight harder for the next point and next time "Fight to Win" !!
"His life was gentle and the elements So mix'd in him that Nature might stand up And say to all the world, This was a man!" - Mark Anthony (Julius Caesar)
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