Posts tagged ‘faith’
“Promoting Conspiracy, deceit and vengeance”
CLOUDED JUdgements
Yet another negative side of, Recession: It’s Not just about Jobs:
Over the years, calamities, terrorism, economic depression and such scores of slumps have brought about chaos, corruption and coldness among peers and groups.
This time, the global chillness of the yet oncoming and growing recession is already seen taking tolls on not just one’s pocket but majorly amongst lives of one another.
It’s a cat eating dog world today, it actually has been for long, but it’s very much out in the open now.
The world with advent of technology has shrunk into a global village today and with that so have the virtues and the sense of integrity in general.
I am not trying to sound philosophical at all, not even close….
Yet, this is what we can see all around us. With jobs being lost, with money being spent on everything that can have a negative impact on the society, with certain media sections and groups literally going ‘Media crazy’ for sponsors so much as they tweak the news, spoil the plots, anger the mob and even agitate the crowds at time just to get the ratings up without care and concern of its social implications at large.
The situation is only getting worsened.
The concern for the performer, the guidance to the one with high levels of integrity and loyalty is being reciprocated majorly with good old office politics.
Where are we heading to…….
Give in your comments………………………..
Post in your views
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Image Courtesy: IMAGE CLOUDED
Young Talents – Aishwarya Venkat – Fiction – Onions…..
Why do we cry for the onion?
Many centuries ago, a tomato, a capsicum & an Onion were best friends.
One day, their master felt hungry & was looking out for them. As soon as he saw the tomato his pangs of hunger shot up.
All the three friends tried to flee but the master caught the tomato. He cut it into slices & ate it. The capsicum & Onion started crying for the poor tomato.
Next was the capsicum’s turn & he too was cut into slices & eaten by the master.
The Onion started crying for the capsicum again.
Suddenly, a spirit appeared in front of the Onion & asked him why he was crying.
The Onion said that his friends Tomato & Capsicum had been cut into slices & the Onion had cried for them. Now that he was all alone, there was nobody to feel and share his pain.
When he will be cut into slices, nobody would cry for him. The spirit blessed him & said that anyone who cuts you will from now on cry for you.
So the next time we slice onions, we know why we shed those tears, don’t we?
Aishwarya Venkat
Age:10 years
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Do post in your comments and views below
Hope: As strong as coffee and as formed as water – Don’t give up!
‘Be formed my friend, be very formed, as water. Water does not break, nor does it crash. You put it in a jar, it becomes the jar… be free… yet be formed!’ Quoted Bruce Lee.
It is so true.
When we feel disturbed not through exertion or excess work but through stagnation or incapacitation, the strongest of the tone and the harshest of words seem to flow as free as water, don’t they?
Thoughts tremble under the weight of time and voice cracks with every anxious decision. The decisive moments are not the only pensive ones anymore.
As we dreadfully approach another possible personification of a plan, the feet feel the weight of the head as much as the palms feel the sweat of the brow. But at the end, we still go ahead with it and that’s when the hammer hits the iron ‘hot’.
So with a strong heart powered by the huge mug of “Black Coffee” we charge ahead and make another, oops, yet another jump to the vexed hands of the listener, we pull it off big time or on the contrary we say, here we go again!
Dismal behavioral patterns often seem to be a huge face of such extreme rollercoaster lives.
But the idea is to have that cup of coffee meaning, to get up again desiring that energy, that freshness booster and be formed like water and be ready to accept that one’s “Eureka ideas” might be differently felt by the onlooker. Like the old saying goes, not every mud thrown gets you in a dump and not all pats in the back land you to the top.
So this is for a very nice friend of mine, “be formed and always desire the freshness of the coffee. Do it all, but just DON’T GIVE UP!”
God bless and be well
Ananth V
Image Source: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com
IPL 2008, Team management, the Royal Treat
Team Management Win’s it all!
Being a true Mumbaite, there are only two things that I greedily crave for. One is Vada Pav and the other is the pulse racing game of Cricket.
About 7 weeks ago, I became a great fan of Mr. Lalit Modi who gifted all of us a fantastic product (though said to be ripped off from the Football leagues – Who cares?), the IPL – Indian Premiere League.
A product wherein you get the best from every nation.
It’s like having a Macintosh design (Beautifully packed) on a IBM machine (Brand sells) with windows OS (Love it or hate it… but you can’t ignore it – Everyone owns it)
The IPL brought in adrenaline rushing pulsating anticipation and anxiety to the young and senior players of Cricket as much as it did for the “dumb / struck” audience watching one of the best marketing practices sold right at their face.
And the best part is… the majority bought it and why wouldn’t we? It was a fantastic product with amazingly surprising ingredients, fresh recipe with a dash of rules being cooked in a cauldron of magical glamour.
It had it all and today at the DY Patil stadium at Navi Mumbai where the Underdogs finally did it and Rajasthan Royals bathed in pure glory.
They did it on the grandest stage of them all and with panache and flair. Raw overdue talent like Yusuf Pathan and Tanvir, fabulous findings like Asnodkar and pure all round skill like Shane Watson with the legend like backing and faith of Shane Warne, the match ended gloriously.
As the Chennai Super Kings skipper and his team gave a fabulous fight till the last ball was bowled, the Rajasthan Royals devoured the final ball for the ultimate prize of Glory and of course around 4.8 Crores Rupees.
But everyone loved it and the way the Royals had played it throughout, even the Chennai skipper wouldn’t have ‘minded it’ this time.
It was a great blow to all those who did not believe and kept saying with utmost faith that the underdogs will remain underdogs as they finally watched the most economical team biting the biggest chunk of them all, the biggest prize of them all the worlds most expensive Trophy – The IPL trophy.
More important than the combination of all sorts of skill levels was the beauty to see Muralidharan happy on Jayasurya’s wicket, Sachin rejoicing at Dhoni’s dismissal, Sourav hugging Shoaib and the Aussie Watson as glad with hitting Symond’s ball like never seen before, was that it brought in a lot of team spirit and a never give up attitude amongst all who played and to many who even just watched.
It was a great lesson from Shane Warne’s team that, it is not as important to have the best in the team as it is to give your best to the team.
I would like to end it with just a simple kudos for the legendary performance by the retired Skipper Shane Warne for his team management and to the whole Rajasthan Royals for the consistent performance by adding so much zest and energy to the spirit of the game.
Three cheers to the fact and power behind ‘Team Management’ and a Huge Hurray to Mr.Modi, Mr. Warne and the Rajasthan Royals.
IPL rocked!!!
Be well
Ananth V
Image Source: http://wikimedia.org
Offical Website: http://www.iplt20.com/index.html
Life: Taking my breath away – ‘SIMPLE’ things
As I pondered at the starry sky for the moments that were spent I could plainly see the spills on the carpet and the stains on the mattress. I kept thinking I needed to improvise, a change would be good said my sanely perplexed brain.
Again, the dove flew off like the starry night before. Today, it reminded me of a work of art from one of the famous Italian painters and my mind wandered into one such artists words. He had said that an object that has been assimilated or formed and now needs no addition, no editing and no change is pure beauty…
Thank god for those famous quotes by artists.
That’s what I felt today, at the end of the day… it was beautiful… it was stunning… it was pure and perfect ….. simply because it was “SIMPLE”
My brain came to the present and looked at the wonderful things that were gifted to me till date.
It did not make me overlook the demands and the twinge, but gave me enough nerve to keep fighting, never go down on hope and have a conviction, a stronger faith in myself.
I had a horrible yesterday but had an awesome day today.
Had an amazing and astounding 10 hour sleep (keeping in mind my usual sleep of not more than 4-5 hours), woke up fresh, had a glass of my favorite mixed fruit Tropicana, did some workout and had a stupendous brunch fit for a king with a great friend of mine who also is an important part of my routine, someone from whom I take a lot of advice.
The day ended perfectly with a call from my side to a very kind and sweet relative wishing him on his birthday today which is a huge deal because of the fact that I barely remember even my own birth day.
At the end of the day, I had good food, great friend, amazing family and an awesome book to read not to mention my grand day with loads of real keeping fit routine and some virtual game plays on my computer.
So, I had grown up a bit today but with zest and loads of energy.
I was responsible for something that was not part of my job, I was with and around those who cared and vice-versa, I put enough energy into my physical and mental training today and after a long time could write a simple post for a blog, not too long and just like my day, could keep it simple.
So I guess, it’s not just the remarkable mind blowing things that make impact on us. It’s also these simple aspects from our everyday that make us cheerful, gives us hope and courage to face life with belief, dedication and optimism.
So….
When things go wrong
And life gets crude
Hang on to the soulful hope
That never keeps you aloof
Kiss her hand and breathe in her heart
Sing a song to the blues
and play your part!
— Ananth V
god bless and be well
Image source: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com
Ananth V
Warli Art India: UK Art Council: A journey, for Art’s sake!
March 11th, 2008
Destination: Bapugoan, Dahanu Village, Maharashtra, India
Purpose: Being part of the Documentation shoot about the Warli art and one of its immense talent: Mr.Ramesh Hengadi.
About the Artist: Mr.Ramesh, will soon be reaching out to the world showcasing his skills and bringing India closer in the art front on the international map. He is from Dahanu, India and is a master craftsmen and artist.
His benign behavior and simplicity will take you off your feet when you see his artworks. He has done his MA and has been into Warli art since a very early age.
The Journey:
I left from home at 5:30 am heading towards Churchgate station where I was to meet Mr. Barney Hare Duke and Mr. Jeremy Theophilus and leave for Dahanu.
I touched the meeting place exactly at 6:50 am and the vehicle arrived with the curious and skilled duo Mr.Barney and Mr. Jeremy. They both are partners of “A FINE LINE” and are project managers at HAT.
This program was being also funded majorly by the Art council UK.
As I learnt more about their work and about their travel around the world, I found something very interesting. They both actually loved art to the core….And instantaneously I knew that the journey would not be long and would be very informative and a great learning experience.
As Mr. Jeremy explained to me about their study on varied cultures, different art forms, distinctly varied media, about the totally unique cultures that each country offered them and the new discoveries about customs, traditions, people that they acquired, made the journey very much interesting for me. Mr. Barney told me about their research plans, documentary shoot about the artists and the art form at Dahanu village.
I then also came to know that I was going to meet the artist Mr.Ramesh in about half an hour, as he had travelled more than half the way so as to direct us to his home.
As my cellular phone rang and Mr.Ramesh enquired about where we had reached, we finalized on one point of meet and then…. I met the talented to the core artist.
As he got into the vehicle and the questions about his village and art work kept barging, his soft spoken ways and smile eased the pace of questions from our side. We were closer to reaching the destination and as we looked around, we saw my country, India with its beautiful crude beauty. The sceneries around were breathtaking and very picturesque.
In a total of 2 ½ hours, we touched his home and were greeted by his mother with ‘Aarti & red Tilak’.
The whole place looked very neat, clean and was stunningly beautiful. The people there were living a very simple life with limited resources and means, but were living happily.
Why wouldn’t they be, one of their artist was being recognized for his work and was being interviewed and documented on, before he left for UK to showcase his talent.
We went inside his home, met his big and hospitable family and within half an hour or so we were out, for exploring his village, their culture, traditions, their way of life etc. We saw his school, as his brothers, friends and other villagers took us around the whole village. We saw how they grinded wheat, rice etc, and the way the kids were taught to greet the elders and anyone who was new to their homeland.
They explained to us of their faith in the god, “Vagobha” meaning ‘The Tiger’ whom they worshiped in idol and symbolic form. They took us to that temple that was built and has been maintained since generations.
We obviously found dust and mud all around us, but yet, the air was amazingly fresh and there was absolutely no pollution. So, in other words, I was having difficulty breathing the fresh air…. Hmmm…. Only pure oxygen to breathe. Being from the polluted side of the world, I had no idea how to take that in… but I managed and survived.
The village was amazingly clean which reminded me of the media coverage and other hoardings begging our city dwellers to keep the city clean. There were dustbins in the village and the garbage was properly disposed.
It reminded me of the ‘ruffles lays’ packet that was thrown out in the middle of the road by one of the Honda city owners kid while we were leaving in the vehicle for Dahanu today morning. So much for a civilized city, Huh!
As I came out of the horrible flashback, back to the clean and fresh village of Dahanu, Ramesh’s brothers and friends showed us few other houses and the art works and the style in which the house had been designed and coloured, amazed all of us. It was clean, neat, colourfull and had motifs and other different wall paintings on the in and outside of the house walls. They had kept God idols etc hanging from the ceiling, painted the invite to the wedding in the houses where marriages had taken place, the lamps and wedding turbans that were hanging on the nails on the wooden pillars of their houses. Even with so much humidity and heat, the inside of the houses were cool because of the cow dung plastered on their walls.
The massive support that the whole village showered on its talented son, Mr.Ramesh H was something that one could feel so much positively in the air with such strong and happy vibes that were hovering across the whole village.
We then feasted our eyes to the amazing Tarpa dance while the Head Tarpa player (who was easily in his seventies) played the amazing looking musical instrument and the other dancers, performers and singers showed us their skills and brought us closer to the village, people and their art forms. They danced, hopped, twisted and turned greeting us and sang songs of THE GAURI (the God and Goddess) and the harvesting of crops which were very important aspects of the village life.
Later on as we looked at the Warli art, it was very clear that the Tarpa dance, the Tarpa, the harvesting process of crops and the gods, idols, temples, their faith, religion and worship played a massively important role in their upbringing and were vividly seen in their Warli art.
We travelled across to majority of the places and areas learning about Warli art and were gifted to watch the young artists and the master of Warli art at work. As the master craftsmen Mr.Ramesh and the 10 year old Ashish with his friends and elder brothers Rajesh, Ramesh took small pieces of cloth dipped in their soil / mud and cow dung, which had dried up now to look like a great canvas place for their art to be etched or created, they slowly began the magic.
As we watched their undivided attention and focus on their art being converted to shapes, forms, figures we could see that they were actually creating the different dances and performances that we had just seen their today, few hours ago. It looked amazingly alive and breathtakingly beautiful. The flow and the rhythm of the art work were exquisite.
Throughout as Mr.Barney and Mr.Jeremy were shooting the whole thing and taking notes, I had a real blast as I could not only learn about the art of warli, but also meet such sweet, skilled and amazingly talented people and learn so much about my own culture of the village life in India.
By the end of the day after taking rounds of the places where the master artist usually works, where he gets his inspiration from, later on we also caught a glimpse at the various artworks created by his wife on cloth, t-shirts, Ramesh’s unique combination of using the gourd vegetable to be used as pots, moulds and create amazingly exquisite showpieces of Warli art on it, we headed back to the vehicle. Mr. Jeremy treated us to a nice lunch and we then headed back home.
The journey back home was very much different than the way it began.
There was so much curiosity and so many queries when we had started at the crack of dawn, but as we headed back home, I was filled with so much awe of the humbleness, simplicity of their lives and pure art that I could feel rushing inside my head. I rested in the comfortable and BIG Chevrolet and went back home with a day, that was fun, had a huge learning experience, meeting brilliant artists, great people, the partners of A FINE LINE who had shown so much respect and love for the art and Indian culture…..
(For pictures of this whole journey, click on the link below: http://ananthvclicks.wordpress.com)
The day had ended with the setting sun and I was grateful to a very good friend of mine, Mrs. Neela Shinde for introducing me to the brilliant researchers from UK, was Thankful to both, Jeremy and Barney for such a wonderful journey and humbled by the loving and talented villagers at Dahanu.
God bless art and artists for spreading so much life, culture, love, passion hope and dreams all around us.
Be well
Ananthanarayanan V
http://techdivine.cgsociety.org
http://www.art.in/artists/ananthanarayanan-v.htm
Making the moments count…
This article is written by a friend of mine and it speaks of an amazing and beautiful personal experience of her and she has asked me to share it with you all:
The author Karishma S, is from Mumbai. She is a poet, an Engineer and a software developer by profession….
”Making the moments count by Karishma S“
Numbers have become such an integral part of our system today that to assure knowledge and know-how too people term “experience” as a factor today. Thus, age is often used to count the number of years a person has lived, but I feel that is only a psychologically quantifying factor. The quality of the years is what actually matters.
I am only 24 years old but I have come across and gone through certain experiences which have made me feel I have lived one entire lifetime in those moments .These were the factors which have made me recognize the significance of being, I have been gifted with.
Of those many ups and downs, I recollected one of my visits to the epitome of true pure love and kindness. I had the opportunity to see Mother Teresa’s orphanage where there were small children all below the age of five. Some of them were only a couple of months old and many just a couple of days old. They were there mostly because they were born to unwed mothers.
Now they were all alone in the world without a glimpse of an idea of what this world means. Of course they are looked after in an exceptionally good way. They are given the best of food and toys and all the other care required. But what is missing is the love, the tenderness and softness of the mother’s bosom which the child feels when the mother carries him, the basic feeling of security which a new born baby too would understand.
They crave attention like any child does. As all these thoughts rushed like the gush of wind to me, I realized, I was only an observer to the scene. I will stand there, think for two minutes about what is missing from the life of these kids, feel sorry for them and go back home and resume my daily chores. It is these kids who will have to face the harsh reality after sometime. It is them who will have to answer the daunting questions of the world.
They say what you never have you never miss. Maybe these children will never miss not having parents. Their earliest memories might be those of having plentiful brothers and sisters all about the same age as them. Loads and loads of fun playing on the swings, playing with lots of toys and living a life of unknown reality.
It was then what hit me…. Isn’t everyone entitled to a particular kind of life? I do believe in destiny and fate, but fail to understand what these little angels have done or not done to be in this moment at this time.
As I walked through the doors of the orphanage I heard a little angel about eight to 9 months old, call out to me from her crib with her arms wide open, telling me to carry her. But I was not allowed to carry her, as the Sisters at Mother Teresa’s have told me that they don’t let you go once you carry them. So no point in making them cry, obviously I understood this.
Anyways I couldn’t help myself from going up to her. I think she did understand that I am not going to carry her. By now she must have been used to this. But I did stand there and play a game of peek-a-boo with her. Said a couple of rhymes and heard her giggle and laughed with her. For those moments I felt time was not there, it never existed. It was just me and the kids there and loads of laughter.
I felt I had lived a very sweet part of my life in those few moments that I was there. I had understood so many things about my own life and made a couple of silent promises to myself. That day when I walked out of that orphanage I felt grown-up.
I felt a stronger sense of urge, responsibility and reason to exist… to make a difference… to be there for someone when they need… and I hope… I am able to keep my promise and fill in any void of the destiny of fate!
Thank You!
Karishma S
Her blog: http://karishmasinghal.blogspot.com/
Image source: www.stanford.edu
Dhirubhai Ambani: Dare, Dream & Destiny!
Dare, Dream & Destiny!
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani: “Dhirubhai”
The saga of dreams and destiny wherein the possibility and ability to challenge every obstacle was literally larger than life, such is the chronicle of the legend who lives perpetually in our minds and hearts, Dhirubhai.
This article is a mark of respect from just one of his billion fans from all over the globe on his 75th Birth Anniversary on 28th December 2007!
Dhirubhai, as he was affectionately referred to by his scores of followers and fans from around the world, began his life with scanty means, humble start but with dreams beyond people’s capability to anticipate. He began as a small time delivery boy, rose up as the brightest shining star and became the face of our India.
Dhirubhai became the embodiment of triumph, guts, passion and the guide of one and all who dared to dream, each one who sought life out of the ordinary and was ready to go and pursue it no matter what.
He was someone who not only had implausible industry acumen, but also had remarkable prudence and foresight to seek, conquer roads and paths where no man had ventured or dared to go before. He was a man who could turn a fading dream into a bright and merry dawn with his charisma and his passion to grow like no one ever did.
Dhirubhai defined new scales and set new standards for the common man to grow beyond his own competence. He made everyone become conscious that all you need to grow in a way that would stun the world is just CONVICTION… as in Faith and belief that you would achieve it… and that once you start believing in yourself no matter what, you would reach the pinnacle of success and growth like no other.
His life, his road and his dreams are now shared by billions of individuals and communities all over the globe and his name is a permanent shining star in the midst of the vast and bright blue sky.
Dhirubhai like many other great national leaders, reformers, scientists, geniuses, made our INDIA stand distinct in the global map and taught each of us that it is not good…. But great to dare to dream!
He will always live in our hearts, mind and soul and keep reminding us – IMPOSSIBLE IS NOTHING!!!
MANY MANY HAPPY RETURNS OF THE DAY DHIRUBHAI!
Ananthanarayanan V
image source:http://googling.in
Heat has to be two-way………….. or eventually it just loses the charm!
When something cold comes in contact with something hot, the heat is transferred to the cooler object till they both reach a balanced temperature……..
In real life, that translates to the fact that when something impactful comes in tune with something less or a lot less powerful, all the great force does is keep giving and it gets nothing in return.
Eventually, it turns cold too………… and life continues without impact and actual societal growth.
That is what the law or rule of science states. Indirectly. So is that how the world was suppose to function?
It is very true to say that all great or at least the majority of the most brilliant scientists have had a powerful spiritual force and a philosophical side. So whenever we look into any of their mind boggling theorems, we can take a part of our life and draw inferences from that too.
My article today is about one of the NGO’s.
I have always supported those less fortunate or less privileged in every aspect of life. But there are always exceptions in life and in these cases, such that, many a times, the good forces get taken advantage of by those less fortunate.
One such voluntary organization recently lost many a good volunteers and would keep losing more if the heat is only taken every now and then…….
I took a stand few days back in one such issue and fought for those who had come for a cause and got no satisfaction in return. The people who had come to help for the sake of helping the needy were taken for a ride….. by both those who were taking the energy and those who were the channel for the transfer of this heat and force…. It was an NGO and its so called, less fortunate members.
One has to understand clearly…… very clearly…..
Everything in life has to be two way.
If you need the heat, you also need to channelize and tune in enough support for the charge to remain and the power to be stable at least, if not growing. Or else, eventually, the power loses its charm on you and itself. The sad part is, people realize that only after the loss… but by then it is too late…..
The great Master and guide, Swami Vivekananda had once said, do not feel great that you helped someone, but feel huge that you got an opportunity to extend your services.
But I guess that has been used and abused by those who have taken the good heart and the good souls for granted in their life.
Trust me when I am saying this, I have seen big time NGO’s and voluntary organizations treating their members and volunteers as if they were doing some obligation by letting them contribute their time for the good of the few. At the same time when those less fortunate also take undue advantage of these good souls.
This article is for all those who have sailed on both the sides and also for those who have never been a part of the so called societal issues as they were busy crunching numbers at workplace, so fall into the hardworking, successful and happy souls of society category so to speak.
Someone told me few days back, things are a lot less worthy today as compared to their value before because the world has shrunk. I don’t believe that is true.
I say, the world has not changed a bit…. The only thing is…. Today, there is just less in it! Because so much has been taken over and over again…. We keep losing those with a heart to make a difference to the number crunching world of their own too fast off late.
Why, because, so much has been taken in and out of it that there seems to be a dearth of thinkers and philosophers today. And the way things are moving…. The world probably won’t remember them too.
I recently came across few organizations who fancied abuse of higher power at the cost of the talent, skills and most importantly the good heart of those who came there for a cause. The cause that seems to be forgotten by these NGO’s i.e. to extend a helping hand.
The bottom line being, if we need some positive charge out of life and when we can see it being delivered to us by someone, take the charge and win the confidence of the one giving the force to you. As his/her heart is like a Nokia battery, it runs for long, but you just keep using it…. It eventually dies off. Then…. Even if there is balance, there is no call taken, no voice heard, no network established…. As there is no life then left…..
So take and give…. Do not follow the principle of cold to heat and striking a balance… but create a bubble of energy around such that you rise to the level that you and the force gain the original level of energy possible….
Is that possible…. Why not… we are humans… we are not object of physics.
Like the amazing quote by Edmund Hillary to Mt.Everest goes:
I will conquer you again Mt.Everest. Because as a mountain you cannot grow…. But as a human… I can!!!
So grow and watch the world grow with you… if there is less in it…. Contribute being one… so that the charge never dies off…………….
As always…. Let me know your views and comments
Be well
Ananth V
image source:www.ua.com
Life: NEVER GIVE UP!
I was seven years old. It was barely seven am as I rubbed my eyes and was still lying on the comfortable bed. As my eyelids leisurely followed the cadence of the twinkling stars and I came back to full yet not so vivid vision of the place around, I looked for immediate comfort. I looked for my folks around.
Now this little kid that was me was getting a little anxious to not see his parents around him as he realized all of a sudden that the place he was waking up was also totally new and unknown to him.
I kept calling for my parents and no one answered.
My eyes opened up wholly and I got up in a jiff. As I looked around, my cry for my mom and dad only got louder as the room that I was looking at was at least about 3000 sq. foot big and there was not a soul around. My feet clamped the flooring and I took to faster steps and scurried around the first door that I found open.
I ran three floors downstairs still calling for my parents and now my voice was getting a little more raucous and whiny than before.
Bang!
I startled and shouted for help as I heard a huge clanking clatter to my left side where there was a huge door that was half open. I stood there motionless, scared and worried. I waited till I heard that noise again and then again.
Strangely though, I was a lot calm now and I slowly moved towards that open door and all I could see were massively humongous machines.The smell in that place was filled with fragrance of flowers. I step by step moved in between the clanking sounds and now a lot more confident as I saw a household face near one such machine.
It was my uncle, Mr. K V Ganesan. He owned that whole factory and as he looked at me and my eyes which had tears rolling down my cheeks from before, he immediately lifted me up and said, “Good morning dear. Let’s go and have something to freshen up your morning.”
Soon enough I was sitting on my dad’s lap and my uncle was narrating of probably what could have caused those tears to roll of my eyes. I was now too secure with my folks to admit it was right, so I just smiled and kept quite.
Ganesan uncle was quick to get that thought in my head as he immediately said, “You are a big boy. You were just curious may be and not afraid right?” and I immediately nodded.
That’s when he told me, “My dear boy, in your life never be afraid to accept your fears. As telling a lie and hiding it would only make it stay with you for a much longer time.” That was said to me almost two decades back and it still rings in my head like I heard it yesterday.
Whenever I had the chance to meet uncle Ganesan, I never missed the opportunity as when I grew up, I came to know that the man who was standing with the labourers that early dawn with the soap and machines working was the man who had built a huge business and won acclaims and accolades from all over the globe.
Ganesan uncle had even won awards / certificates from the then President of India for his contribution in the field of his expertise, for his work towards quality Soap products “Chitra Soap Works” and his loads and loads of contribution to the betterment of labour force in their town and city of Chennai which was then Madras.
He was an industrialist. He was a visionary and a true leader. He was the President of the Small scale soap manufacturers association of South India. He was someone who used to genuinely go down the line and help the less privileged section of society and was unbiased in helping anyone and everyone.
He was someone who always believed, preached and practised that the court of conscience is more supreme than the Supreme Court.
Ganesan uncle was someone who used to tell things as they were. He was a simple, straightforward, no-nonsense man. He always valued others time and was as brilliantly knowledgeable about the Holy book of Gita, the Vedas and the Upanishads, as he was about his flourishing company.
He could predict about people’s lives and he did not do it with anyone and everyone. He used to just talk and all of a sudden say something about someone and keep quiet. And he has always been right.
I do not know how he used to do that but I always still wish that I could have met him few more times and learn more about practicality and life and more importantly, the road to do things your way, your business and your hard work and as he lovingly used to put it, your profits.
He started his life from working in a hotel with a very modest beginning and reached to positions where almost everyone he met was influenced by him to the very core. He had an amazing charisma and optimistic vigor that he carried with him. It was probably this vibe which took him to the pinnacle of accomplishment and showered respect and laurels on him from scores of big shots from around the world.
The story of his never quit attitude sounds mesmerizing as he had told that to me once.
He told me that one day, when he had finished his work in the small time hotel where he was working, he saw that some customer had left a book on the seat. It was about midnight till when he had finished his that days errands and he was about to hit the sack, when something pulled him again towards that book. That book was about making something, something that was supposed to get things clean.
Hmmmmm……. Clean. He said to himself. Clean is good. Let me know more about this, he thought. Various optimistic possibilities flashed across his mind instantaneously. He started reading it page by page and before he looked around, it was already morning and his shift was about to start. He was fascinated by what he had read, but work was very much important to fetch him that day’s food. So he let the book in his small cloth bag that he had and got back to work.
The thought kept ringing in his head again and again.
That night after work he jotted down the things that were said to be required and asked those around, of things he did not understand what they meant. He tried to get as many of those as possible with him and replaced few others with what the people around had told.
He followed what was mentioned in the book and instead of using machines he manually grounded and got a thick paste with him in just few hours. It had no proper smell as he recalls, “I must have missed out on the fragrance part to be added as I did not have anything for that aspect back then.” But whatever he had got, he tried to put them in a box and tried them on the dishes and Woolah! They were clean in a jiff and looked a lot shinier.
He loved the concept and he began his dream and created Chitra Soap works and in the next three decades went global. His products were well known for their quality and cost and as years rolled by, he put scores of people on the job and built his dream neat and clean.But more so, with his intense sense of humor and immense technical knowledge and his pure business instinct, he touched a million lives on the way to the pedestal.
I don’t know why, but I remembered him very much today as I thought about something with respect to accepting my fear about something rather than hide and make it grow. At the end of it when the approach clicked to my advantage and I felt so proud that I had taken a brilliant decision at the end of the day, it just hit me hard as a bar of soap, and I came to my senses touching the fragrance of the whole story.
I was able to recollect something that had happened so long back and I started jotting down all that I recollected him telling me about life, faith, hard work and money.
So that may be, just maybe, someday, I grow up to be at least a third as brilliant, innovative and knowledgeable like him, just May be…. Someday……. As he told me always………. Never give up on your dream, whatever it might be……. Just never give up.
He is someone I always remember in my prayers and someone whom I hope is safe and happy up there in the company of the powerful almighty.
Be well
—-
Ananthanarayanan V
Be more ambitious!
Interpretations Of the Technical Mind: “BE MORE AMBITIOUS “
Hello There,
I am Ananthanarayanan.V.
The Article here speaks about me pondering on my 25 th birthday this year for just one word that has been driving me at times to the edge of my life with great strength and it is what we term as ” PASSION “. Passion, would be a very subjective term as it means different things for different people, so I was looking at its closest synonym. Passion, is anything that can drive one to an extent to which all that is visible is to achieve and acquire that which is desired. I just turned an 180◦ from my chair and I saw my company’s Logo, that read ” BE More Ambitious “. I kept repeating that word and bingo, it hit me that passion for any technical individual is pure ambition. Ambition to become famous, acknowledged, acquire Higher Skills, tremendous growth, more and faster growth and it all screamed of one word : The Rising Moolah! Let’s face it, at the end of the day if we cannot turn our skills, ideas, concepts to creating and converting it into money, how much use is the extra Drive within us. I had participated in a discussion forum few months back referred to as ” Genesis of the Human Mind “, this heading now keeps screaming to me about the major vote for our debate where we spoke about giving back and thus winning in the long run, for a permanent recognition in the market. So it was Philosophy and Market Capitalization combined. Hey, we are entering into a new era of realization, aren’t we?
So where am I going with all this. I started with the word, Passion. Went on to the Logo with a slight shift from my usual seat and looked around and Devoured the meaning of our Logo, connected it to the dots of growth and finally touched the humble act of ultimate gain which I refer to as ” GIVING “. This is how we, Humans evolve slowly from the basic needs to the most powerful form of all beings and becoming what I would love to really be ” IMMORTAL “. The easiest way to become immortal is by forming an institution and then making it grow as the kindest and the biggest thirst of any human being is ” KNOWLEDGE “.
How do I come to that conclusion?
Who is richer, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Swami Vivekananda. I am not a spiritual leader who is going to give you a series of quotes and Prove what is Universally true. I am a technical person, so I will go for my traditional use of formulas to prove What is true.
Richness = Gains – Sacrifices, so we have Gains and Sacrifices on either side.
What did Bill gates and Warren Buffet acquire, tons and tons of money, fame and respect with some raised eyebrows. Now what are they doing : Giving back to the world as much as they can. And what did the swami do, took nothing and kept giving and what did he get, Immortality. He has been worshipped for generations and will be for centuries to come. SO will, the Mahatma and Mother Teresa. What did these people have : Money – No, A stylish and rich life – No, Respect – Yes, Admiration – Yes, Influence – The greatest. I met few foreigners in Singapore last month and we were talking about the power of the mind and they asked me where I was from, when I said India they immediately said : Oh! From the Mahatma’s land. So what makes the world drop everything and go on a hunger strike with the tiny looking fragile being, what makes the most so referred to as rich and powerful quiver in front of the swami and bow in front of his teachings and what makes the presence of Mother Teresa so truly powerful. It is their act of giving as much as one can without expecting a smile in return. So who has won the game of the three, those who acquired it all and now are giving it all back or those who have been constantly giving and leaving their prints in our mind, body and soul forever. So here the sacrifice made has won because of the credibility status it has gained. For the statements made by these great and in real terms powerful people is what we call as not INFORMATION, but pure ” KNOWLEDGE “. SO the Swami won.
So what has this to do with my company’s logo. Everything. As I read the logo my Intellect started calculating all the gains I have made in the last 1 year in the organization. What did my Balance sheet show me. There were no Liabilities, though my tax deductions seem to say otherwise. Just kidding. So what have I gained. Am I glad about the performance benefit given to me. My smirk from the face flew away and my mind was calm. In the 1 year with this organisation, that I have been associated here I have acquired tons of laminated cards and greeting cards and personal emails in scores from students at the end of every batch expressing their ” THANKS “. It was just one word that we use so casually most of the times that made me feel weak in my knees and so emotional. In reality was I being a Mahatma or a Swami, Oh dear god! Even thinking something like that would be a Capital Crime. I am just like a candle in front of the Sun. I have been just like any other ordinary person purely driven by the passion of My field and my desire to grow really fast and as a wise man once said, The easiest way to Success is to perform at least three times your level. So I did all this just being motivated to grow bigger and higher in career and prospects. And I gained so much in return. So much more. SO every institution which runs and succeeds with pomp and style, it’s actually a celebration of the People, the masses and those who have applied this knowledge derived from our esteemed fellow brothers and sisters imparting that knowledge to them for their personal growth and the society’s growth in general. So now let me sum up all this talk and take only the BIG words and try putting it together.
Greatness, Reach, Spreading, Generous, Institution, Influence, Act, Ponder, Giving, Money, Richness, Fame, Immortal, Service, Value and knowledge.
Any institution which is built on the foundation of giving, any individual who ponders & thrives on the belief of innovating at any cost and any organization with true values of being a pure service sector to the society will immensely grow through the act of generous giving with a true mission statement, will spread out the good word and stay alive for generations and be referred to as A POWERFUL MOVEMENT and thus grow up to be finally above all fame, money and power and be IMMORTAL.
So at the end of this discussion, the conclusion is :
To Grow rich and powerful and influence the world all we need to do is drive ourselves with pure passion and ambition and strive for our growth as Experts by spreading what we have gained and just simply – ” BE MORE AMBITIOUS “.
If all of this sounded too philosophical to you then I have achieved my goal as spreading of any good thing today in this modern era which is otherwise so consumed by ” greed ” is in our term referred to as being ” PHILOSOPHICAL “. So let’s all get more philosophical and grow by Innovation ,Intelligence and Impact and just get IMMORTAL.
Be well
techdivine
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anandha
karishmas
blessedart
anjeneyan
aduadi
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