School days....!!

Gone are the days when we used to look forward to new academic sessions. The excitement of reading all the stories of our books as soon as we get them. The days when the school reopened in July and we settled at our new desks and benches. When we used to chase one another in the corridors and returned drenched in sweat. We never required an water purifier at that time. We never complained for air conditioner not working properly. We were never afraid of going out in sun and playing for the whole day.

When a single games period in the week's time table was awaited more eagerly than the lunch break. Playing always superseded the hunger for food. The sports day, annual day used to take one full month of preparations and we used to have fun doing that.

We used to study,  enjoy, played, win few games, lose few but still we returned happy everyday.

I used to wonder when will I start working and earning....and now I wonder why did I wished to work and earn..those were better days with no timelines, no targets, no appraisals and no expectations.

I badly miss you my school days....!!

Are they too supposed to follow the rules.....!!

Here I am sitting inside train, wondering if only I and fellow civilians are supposed to follow the rules laid down by "The Government of India" or  it applies to everyone including the people who are serving in armed forces.

When our train reached Agra Cantonment, I stepped out to have stroll and was really shocked to see a army vehicle parked bang opposite to my coach on platform no 1. The vehicle was surely belonging to some big shot, it was with a red light on it, a alert driver in uniform and 2-3 more guys waiting for the Sahab to get down from the train. Wow..!!

I am  really shocked to see this. When ex-prime minister don't have a right to drive his own vehicle on the platform, I wonder if there are separate rules for the armed forces. If this is how the resources are being used from the money I am paying as tax, I rather prefer not to pay tax anymore, I refuse to pay tax now and I want all my money paid as tax (even though its too small) back. Or else, I request authorities to give me right also to drive in my vehicle to the platform whenever I am traveling by train. 

 

Come on, reply to me guys, me and every taxpayer like me is waiting...!!

My country, my people..!!

It has became a fashion statement now a days to say "I love my country". But how many do really care. If its my country, then it should also be my fellow people and my rules too.

How many of us wear a helmet or use a seat belt or never drive after drinking because its my country's rule and I should respect it? Although I met someone last week who refused to drive after a drinks session, these type of people are rare to find. He said, its our rules and we should respect it, I am impressed. Instead most of us will prefer to ignore the rules and they rarely care for the law enforcers.

Today I saw in the flight, my fellow British passenger switched off his mobile on being instructed but one of our fellow Indian (he was wearing shirt of one of the biggest auto manufacturing company) left his mobile switched on. When we were about to land he got a message on his mobile and surprisingly he was not sorry to commit that mistake, rather he was smiling, how shameful. That British guy was surprised to see my fellow passenger's reaction and said, its really bad that people don't follow the rules.

If we really feel India as our country, instead of wearing a I love my country statement, or wearing a tri-colour  face paint we should try to follow and obey the rules, which are formulated to save ourselves.  We should be a bit more polite to our fellow travelers, be more patient while standing in a queue at a airport, or at ticket counter for a movie and so on.

Then we can say proudly, my country, my people, my rules and I respect them all..!!

Change in Life ....!!!

I owe this to so many factors and people in life....

Here I am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed from a maverick college life to strict professional life…..

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives less happiness….

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger…..

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a bike always in reserve changed to bike always on
but then why there are less places to go on……

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away…..

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & more message……

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed…..

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment….

How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on……….

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
but then why after 8'o Clock it always feel like getting late….

Here i am sitting in my office @ night…
Thinking hard about life
How it changed….. how it changed……..

How to handle criticism...!!

Destructive criticism has become a regular part of our lives. This is a criticism that tears down rather than builds up the person it is targeted at. The more ‘public’ a person is, the more criticism he tends to face, simply by virtue of the fact that more people know him. These people can be writers, blogger, artists or people with ideas, even at office.

Almost always, someone else will have a different method of doing things, or a different opinion on a matter, just as we have our own methods and our own opinion. We all like to impose our methods, as we think that we have the best method and the best opinion on the matter. Our inherent pride only serves to increase the friction and spark division and conflict. This can easily lead to uncontrollable anger, a sense of injustice, insecurity from a lack of approval, or depression from being unappreciated. How to handle all this?

Be prepared for the unexpected

Yes, this is probably the first mental step. Whenever you start something new and you are upbeat about it, obviously you think for the best and think that everyone will like what you have accomplished. However as the saying goes, prepare for the worst. It doesn’t mean that you should be pessimistic, but you should have a frame of mind where you are ready to face all kinds of feedback.

Humbly learn what you can

There may be some truth behind what your critics say, despite their motivations. Be humble and be willing to listen and learn. The critics can be a means of grace by which we learn to be more godly, or wiser in some matter, or become more competent in some skill. So treasure them. In fact be highly suspicious if no one seems to be coming to you to point out our mistakes.

Reduce the passion

In the previous point I mentioned about being prepared for the negativity. Now, I know this is easier said than done because when we are in a positive frame of mind and cheerful about something new, we don’t usually want to think about the negative aspects. Hence the way to get in that frame of mind is to reduce the passion and be calm before you announce something new. That’s when if negative feedback pours in, although you will get upset, but you will handle it in a better manner without getting frustrated.

Face it as it comes and then analyze it

Now when negative feedback and criticism does start pouring in, there is nothing much you can do. Well, yes, you can always stop the comments, sign out of your IMs, mails, twitter, log out of your computer and then run away to your home. But does that solve the purpose? In fact if you do this, the next day you will face double the criticism and you may be titled as a coward who knows how to tickle the dragon but can’t face the fire.

So here the important thing is to face it as it comes and then analyze it. Check why you are getting negative feedback and what exactly people are disliking. You could also participate in the discussion and be candid and answer the questions. This can help you in two ways:

• You get a lot of constructive feedback and a lot of support from your followers.
• Those who criticized you bluntly may change their mind after participating in the discussion and may accept that they were actually wrong.

Hence instead of running away, you should face it in a brave manner.

Believe in yourself

Last but not the least, no matter what happens, its important to believe in yourself and in your work...!!

Has India’s poorest and most lawless state turned the corner..!!

If you believe the government, the answer appears to be in the affirmative. According to it, Bihar clocked up a giddy growth rate of 11.03% in 2008-2009. This would make it India’s second fastest growing state economy, just behind the industrially developed western state of Gujarat.

Not so long ago, Bihar was written off as a basket case, trailing behind every other Indian state. Its infrastructure was pathetic, jobs had disappeared, factories had shut down, lawlessness was rife and the government was in a mess. I believe that with a change of regime four years ago – regional leader Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) leads a coalition government with the Hindu nationalist BJP – Bihar’s fortunes have picked up.

Even if this is an exaggeration, there are definite signs of the economy turning the corner. 

Consider this:

• Government spending on infrastructure and “social development” has been pegged at Rs 200 crores every year
• Use of cement in the state has grown 28% in the last four years against the national average of 9%, pointing to increased construction work
• There has been a 78% growth in air traffic in and out of the state during the same period, the fourth-highest in India.
• Automobile sales in the state have recorded a whopping 700% growth.
• More than 6,800km (4,225 miles) of roads have been rebuilt and 1,600 bridges and culverts have been constructed
• The government says it is working overtime to tame Bihar’s runaway crime rate – nearly 40,000 criminals, it says, have been convicted in the last four years.

“All this proves that there has been all round growth and development” says Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

“Bihar is back on track”

But many doubt these claims. These figures are too good to be true, says many. They wonder how the state could have recorded double digit growth when last year’s economic survey – a central government publication – showed that the growth rate was just around 5%. Also, last year’s economic survey said that Bihar had recorded negative growth in the farm sector. At Rs 1,451 per capita social spending remains one of the lowest in the country.

Most economists do however agree that the Keynesian nature of growth in Bihar – most of it spurred by government – has led to increased spending in construction.

Also, the savings rate remains pretty high – Patna alone has more than few hundred crores in bank deposits, which is higher than many prosperous small cities in India.

Since Bihar’s development base is abysmally low, even a small investment here results in impressive growth in percentage terms, but still I would say these signs are for sure good for people of Bihar.

Good going guys..keep it up..!! 

A mixed feeling...!!

I never belong to a category who is very happy to come to office for any thing on any given day. I prefer to work as per my wish, in my style keeping in mind the timelines given, but not in the traditional 9 to 6 orthodox style. But today when I came back to office after a gap of around two weeks, it was a different feeling altogether. One bit of me was happy to be here while other was not so happy.

Last two weeks were crazy for me, nothing was fixed, no schedule, sleep was missing as peace inside mind was missing. Body's internal cycle went for a toss, late nights and early mornings, errant eating patterns along with all type of junk being dumped into my stomach as food. News of few people leaving us at job front and an uncertainty of what next will come.

When I reached office, it was like coming back to place where I belong to, but the bad part was that so many things were missing. I missed someone who used to be there everyday, his comments, his jokes, his teasing comments, his guidance, the fun time we used to have, but on the other hand I was feeling good to be back with my guys all around me. Those leg pulling sessions, pseudo working..sometimes really working, conference room gossips and all.

The day ended with a session of match watching with present and ex-colleagues. Enjoyed that too, reminded me of college days when we all used to go out for movies together. Now I am trying to settle down from inside of my mind with what I am left with.

This is what we call as life, full of unexpected events and lacking few expected events....still it moves on..!!

A vacation you will never forget...!!

I have no idea how many of you had ever tried a eco-holiday or eco-tourism. These words may look fashionable marking term used to promote tourism but if you ever try to understand what exactly they mean, they are very simple.

The idea itself of taking a break from our daily routine life and moving more and more towards nature will look like a crazy one to most of the people. Forget about going on a vacation at a place like this, where you will be spending money but won't be getting Jacuzzi or a personal swimming pool. The idea itself will look weird to most of us. They may end up experiencing this vacation as a guilt trip instead. How can someone pay for a vacation in today's times to get nothing of these so called luxuries, with no mobile, no Internet or no television?  No, I am not interested..will be the reaction from most of us.

Now think of a place in Kumaon, where only bus you can catch is bus number 11, your own legs to explore the place. Or at Haridwar, where you have to climb a 7,000 feet high mountain by yourself for trekking. Or at Kanha national park, where you can travel across the park fastest in a bullock cart, where food is organic and the wheat in your bread is pounded in a water mill, at a near by village not at any big food processing factory.

The adventure package may include walking across the villages accompanied by porters who helps you in identifying the places, flora, natural resources around and sometimes will assist in carrying your luggage, or staying every night at different rest house across villages, or having local delicacies cooked on either solar cooker or dung cakes but no electric ovens or LPG, in night you may have some dim bulbs glowing, thanks to usage of solar power or else you can sit in the varandah and enjoy the breeze. For the health freaks, you will get packaged drinking water, a chance to go for a cycling trip across the terrain, a swim in fresh water rivers with no contaminations. And above all a rejuvenated body and soul that none of the so called healing spa sessions can provide. 

Although most of us reading this write-up may not be much enthusiastic and eager to take all these challenges, there are people who prefer to take a break for a vacation at one of these places. And yes I belong to that crazy category.

Give this a thought next time when you are planning a holiday, remember, your life is calling, where are you...??

Trip back to the woods...!!

This time when I went back home, I thought of visiting county side to feel and live real India. Not what that is promoted in all the business magazines and websites. I wanted a break from traffic, pollution, mean city, rushing people and far far from the concrete jungle. I started my journey in a pretty lovely weather with really a good view ahead. 

It looked like an ambitious trip as I had to travel long to escape from all this, but I gained my courage and started my journey with an aim to reach my destination.

The roads were sleepy, full of fog, with a pinch of cold in air which was penetrating through my body and soul, but also pushing me towards my aim to reach that far far village in search of calmness and in a desire to be with nature. 

I kept on driving deeper and deeper in the woods, the road seems to be never ending but i kept on driving. Stopping to feel the unpolluted nature, to capture the breath stopping moments, to give myself a boost while sipping hot tea, while thanking myself to come out this far leaving my cozy bed. It all felt so good and I was loving every bit of that.

 

I crossed river Narmada, drove through the base of Satpura's dark forests in search of a small road which could lead me that small unnoticed village.

And the road which I was searching for so long....there it appeared from nowhere........
                            

A small pathway leading to an unknown place, you really need to be adventurous to take that kind of road, I took that. It lead me to much wider road inside.

    

The jungle was coming to and end and fields came into picture giving a pleasant feel to my eyes. I knew the outcome was going to be awesome.

The more and more I was driving, more I was getting deeper into the pretty fields, all green fields covered with natural cover of eye pleasing yellow, a smell in the air that you will never get in any of the Indian city. I was getting more and more curious about what is going to come next..what I saw again left me speech less and motionless...

And there was a little hut standing proudly and peacefully in the middle of all this. Although there was no electricity inside it, no air conditioner, no television or no telephone or mobile. That looked to me like a complete entity. Got a little bit of the feel which was felt by "The Monk who sold his Ferrari"....

               

Well done SRK..!!

Today Shahrukh spoke up finally after all that controversy about Pak players in IPL. He in a very bold voice says "I may be coward as I don't speak up for everything but I am not scared of anything or anyone". You need to have guts to say something like that. That too against someone while sitting in their so called den. As we understand clearly what he meant by saying this, we should also appreciate that he took a stand for what he thought was correct and stood there irrespective of being threatened by Shiv Sena. There was not much of support for him from his own Bollywood and the state government. When general people like me are debating on if Hindi is our national language or not, or if there exists anything like national language, when migrants are feeling scared in Mumbai, when existence of state governments doesn't makes any sense as it fails to give its citizens any feeling of comfort and security in that state, a tough stand by a public personality makes some point.

SRK made an interesting point, our  politicians are not sure about their stand towards Pakistan. They say we should not have any sporting relations with Pakistan but still we are playing against them in commonwealth games, in hockey, in everything, but not cricket. Come on, make yourself clear on your stand guys.

If he whose so much was on stake doesn't stepped back, then why can't we take a stand towards togetherness and try to keep aside the differences of caste, religion, colour, region, quotas, language and politics revolving all this, and be fellow citizens of a country India which is full of cultural diversity but still standing tall despite all odds for many year and will continue to be like that. To me it doesn't looks like as an unachievable task. So lets all of us come together for achieving this aim.

हिंदी हैं हम, वतन है.हिन्दुस्तान हमारा....!!

Relationships...The Smart Way..!!

Trust me, over the past few years I’ve learned more about the value of relationships than I could possibly ever imagine. Thank you all to those who encouraged, uplifted, and most importantly listened…truly listened to whatever I uttered.

Conversely, thank you all too those who did the exact opposite of the above. Without you…I would not had been the person I am today.
 

The idea of rebound relationships is so ingrained into the way we think about dating that it just seems natural to look for one after a breakup. There's something to be said for getting back in the saddle, choosing a partner when your judgment is clouded usually does more harm than good overall. If you want to get over your ex fast, there are better ways to do it.

The first step to keeping yourself from doing something you'll regret is to take an honest look at what you're feeling and understand how those feelings can lead you places you'd rather not go. A lot of times we just miss the companionship and look for someone to fill the gap in our schedule and distract us from the fact that our heart's just been broken. In that case, make a point of finding a social time-filler that doesn't involve romance.

The best thing you can do to avoid getting involved with someone who's all wrong for you is stick to your standards. In fact, go ahead and raise them a little just to add a safety buffer. If the person you're thinking about dating is less kind, less intelligent, less anything that you'd normally want, stay away.

When we look for someone to rebound with, we need someone fast. Normally We don't have time to waste looking for someone we really click with, so we tend to latch on to someone we already know and have at least some rapport with. It might be a close friend, a co-worker, even someone who works at the grocery store down the street. If you find yourself falling for someone you've never been the least bit attracted to before, stop and think about what's really going on here.

Instead of filling your time with go-nowhere dates, get out and make some new friends (that's friends,not lovers.There's a difference.) Get involved in something you've always wanted to do but never had time for. Whatever you do, don't sit around pining for your ex or scouring the bookstore shelves for self help books.

Even if your not sobbing into your pillow every night, the end of a relationship will naturally make you feel a little bummed out and low on energy. Take that into account and try not to start any major projects for a few weeks. Instead, treat yourself to some time out to do something you enjoy.

Of course, not every rebound relationship ends up a disaster. If you're lucky, you'll have a fun fling. If you do decide to get involved with someone after a breakup, though, make sure you've taken a little off by yourself and you're not lowering your standards.

Bottom line : While we should try hard prevent broken relationships, rebound dates gone wrong are much easy to avoid

Students opting for suicide..!!

The cases of students killing themselves are on rise in recent past. Mr Kapil Sibbal says, parents are responsible for that. Come on Mr minister, none of the parent would like their kid to kill themselves.

It's never the pressure by the parents that prompts the students to take this extreme step, instead its again the ragging and favoritism at institutes. The medical student of Lucknow killed himself because one of his lecturer at college was intentionally giving him lower grades. The student of Ferguson college Pune killed himself because of ragging by his seniors.

Although ragging is never the same as it used to be few years back but unfortunately still it exists. What is still persistently there  is the torture and favoritism at institutes by the teachers. Being a citizen of this free democratic country, I too had equal rights to go to that city for education, which was never welcomed by those localites. And incidentally the college was forced to accept us as students just because of bondage of rules from Ministry of Education.

I remember one of our  lecturer literally cursing one of our classmates just because he was of some different caste and city. Although our that champ is now in a better position than those favored students, those days were hell for that poor guy.  We too being outsider were always treated differently by few of the institute's staff. While all the favor during sessional and internals was given to the localites, we had to fight for our rightful marks. And those huge difference in internal marks always made the difference in the semester results and hence rankings. There were few instances where we were not even updated of the company's visit for placements. Even while depositing the fees we has to stand in the different queues. The incident of fights between locals and we outsiders was a regular and common thing.

Under these extreme conditions and pressure, some of the students who cannot handle it, opt to take an extreme step like suicide, which is very unfortunate.

Instead of issuing these type of statements, if Mr minister tries to get to the root cause of the problem, it will surely help poor students under stress to evolve as a better human beings.

"ये तो मंदिर हैं इन्हें कब्रगाह न बनाओ, जो आये हैं आपकी पनाह मैं उनको सही राह दिखाओ..!!"

Wah Behanjee Wah..!!

Today's headline "Behanjee recruiting 1000-1500 security personals for protecting the 10 monuments and their surrounding areas".

Why so much of hue and cry? Why can't people see the bigger picture?

In a state crippled with un-employment, if she is building monuments, she is creating job opportunities. If she is recruiting security personals, she is giving those guys an option to live a life of their own as serving state government employees. If those personals will take care of area surrounding the monuments, including the public facilities, what's wrong in that. Don't you remember the pathetic situation of those facilities at other places, smile, you will get a cleaner and properly maintained public facilities next time you will visit any place like that. Which chief minister of UP in past has thought something innovative like this for the people of their state

So the benefits you have are

• Employment for people
• Better maintained parks
• Hence income for the state from tourism

Ya I can see that you will say there are problems too, like

• Wastage of tax payer's money
• Why not security for general people?

Let me clarify on these points too. There is already a wastage of  you money, who is caring for that. You still have got potholes, contaminated water supply, poor law and order situation etc etc. So why don't accept happily what you are getting out of that? And as far as security for general people is there, wait ..she has started with parks and monuments, your turn will also come.

Till the time you get better options, why don't take what you are getting as of now. So smile, this is the best government available which you can buy :)

60th anniversary of Indian constitution..!!

I got up yesterday on 26th January with lots of cough and cold inside me (although its irrelevant here, but still I would like to mention it)  and fog and cold outside.

There were so many pieces of news floating around...One MLC from Bihar beating a girl who complained against her gunner's misbehaving...Rana's father in law claiming him to be innocent...people disliking new version of Mile sur mera tumhara....President saluting the flag past parade at Rajpath....our guests daring the cold and attending the republic day parade...the common man missing from that same parade in the name of security...Bill gates spotted table dancing and being reported as a level-40 dance party wizard....people all of sudden singing patriotic songs, which they will surely forget very next day..... taxi drivers in Mumbai getting notice to learn Marathi...and incidentally Mr Ambani opposing this move...SRK saying that whatever happened at IPL auctions was bad, but he can't help....Branjelina split....naxalites calling of a bandh in Orrisa on republic day....people not happy with the prohibition on alcohol coz they were missing that something in their hangouts...ministries clarifying and defending the mistake they did in a paper advertisement a day ago boldly..most of the office goers happy with this mid week break...people queued up in front of super markets to save their money by purchasing anything and everything that was being offered at discounted rates.... knowing that both Barkha and SRK are sad to see all the controversy around the padma awards....and so on...

Still we all celebrated republic day..!! 

Why do you need to clarify Mr Tharoor..!!

We all saw the controversy created by media about comments of Shashi Tharoor on Mr. Nehru, but it was again a case of irresponsible and non professional journalism as clarified today by Mr Tharoor. Even if it was the case so, why aren't we open to hear something about Mr Nehru or any of our politicians?.


Everyone knows about what they had given us and what have we lost because of them. The Gandhi family is here in politics because of their legacy. We always had good and bad politicians. Those who were seriously into doing good for our country never had any legacy. Where is anyone from the family of Sardar Patel or Dr Rajendra Prasad? Everyone knew how Sardar patel was asked to opt out of Congress leadership by Mr Gandhi.

All we have got now are the people from Gandhi and Nehru family.Those who got a license to "serve" the country because they are from those families. One of our ex-PM Mr Devegowda appeared on telivision scolding current Karnatak CM. Hw was using a language that will not be accepted for even a school kid. Today we have so called veterns like Mr Tiwari getting caught in something in appropriate for even a "Aam Aadmi", forget accepting a Governer getting caught in doing that.

In this scenario if Mr Tharoor writes something, he is critisised by his party and forced to clarify. Why should he do that? I am amazed by the transperancy he shows in his work. How many politicians have guts to share what they are doing in their everyday life. To share something, they need to do something in everyday life for the poeple who eleceted them, which I doubt they do.

Anyone who is interested in Indian poilitical history know about Ms Edwina Mounbatten's tryst with Indian politics and Indian politician. They know what India has lost while listening to those so called leaders. Sardar Patel who was someone responsible for bringing all small "Riyasats" together to form India of today, had different views from those big leaders of that time. And we can see now whose started things on wrong notes, we can see people again fighting for their separate states.

I being a proud citizen of free India respect everyone's views and expect everyone to express his views, so Mr Tharoor no need to clarify anything, just keep doing good work for the people..!!

Social Networking in today’s Corporate World..!!

Social networking is the hot topic that needs to be handled with at corporates nowadyas. And why not? The ability to share thoughts, pictures and video with friends seems like a good option for everyone including the employees. What's not as clear, however, is the how businesses may utilize that same technology.

Nearly one in four businesses block employee access to social networking Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter,according to a survey of about 200 human resources professionals because they see social networking as a "productivity killer".

While many companies do not view social networking as a threat to productivity, one in three survey respondents said their companies consider the sites a major drain on worker output. "Twenty-three percent of companies block access to these sites entirely."

But I still believe that to get a real recruiting edge, business should integrate social networking and other Web 2.0 tools "into every facet of the organization, from marketing to internal employee communication".

Most companies aren’t formally addressing social networking sites. Fifty-nine percent do not have a formal policy on using the sites during work hours. Nearly half said social networking isn't a problem as long as employees get their work done. Formal corporate policies on social networking are scarce because it is such a new phenomenon, and the policy makers belong to the age when Internet itself was a taboo.

Employees nowadays are spending 30 minutes or more per work day on social networking sites. Viruses and leaking of confidential data are among the dangers raised by heavy usage.Lost productivity is not the only reason some organizations ban or limit the use of social networking at the office. These sites produce an extra demand on bandwidth. They also pose a security risk for corporate networks, making company systems vulnerable to hackers and viruses. There is also the potential for employees to leak corporate secrets or damage the company’s image due to the content of their personal profiles.

More than two-thirds of IT pros surveyed by Network World last December said they use social networking sites. IT pros spent more time on the sites for business reasons rather than for play, and numerous organizations have seen business value in these tools.Vendors such as IBM, Microsoft and a number of start-ups have responded with social networking tools for the workplace. Vendor InsideView lets customers integrate social networking tools with business intelligence software.

Many managres are heavy LinkedIn and Facebook user, but they try to keep their respective uses separate -- LinkedIn for professional relationships, Facebook for personal. It's a quandary many corporations are facing today, trying to balance how they might benefit from participating in social networking against security or legal issues that could arise.

Although I can sees potential opportunities through social connectivity, there's a lot of noise to filter out too. Many businesses have already started to put out an official Facebook site, and I anticipate that as a positive changing work culture.

CIOs today should at least make themselves familiar with social networking, if only because they will be employing the Millennial Generation, for whom the technology is becoming a way of life.

Back when the Web was coming of age in the mid '90s, people started talking about why staff needs Web access. Won't it just give them a chance to waste time? My opinion then and now is that if someone is looking to waste time, they can do it while sipping coffy, reading the daily news or using the Web. Web 2.0 tools are just another source of content and the key is managing people properly."

One of the pioneer in using social media in the corporate world is Telstra, the Australian telecom giant. The 40,000+ person company makes social media training mandatory for its employees and formalized a policy of “3Rs” – Responsibility, Respect and Representation. Taking things a step further, today the company is trying something about as transparent as it gets – publishing their entire social media training guide online, so that anyone can check it out, learn and critique.

While this communications environment has risks for corporate entities and individuals alike, I believe that with the right training and policy support the potential benefits far outweigh the risks. This decision to open up this is a bold move by Telstra that will leave them open to plenty of criticism, but ultimately it looks like a smart one that should foster a lot of conversation in the space.

25 Years, Bhopal still weeps..!!

I get shivers down my spine whenever I think about December 3, 1984. On this day a cloud of methyl isocyanate gas got leaked at Bhopal and Within hours, more than 3,000 people were dead. This gas came from leak at Union Carbide plant.

Hundreds of people died from the effects of toxic gases which leaked from a chemical factory near the central Indian city of Bhopal. The accident happened in the early hours of that morning at the American-owned Union Carbide Pesticide Plant three miles (4.8 km) from Bhopal. Mothers didn't know their children had died, children didn't know their mothers had died and men didn't know their whole families had died. This caused a deadly cloud of lethal gas to float from the factory over Bhopal, which was home to more than 900,000 people - many of whom lived in slums. Chaos and panic broke out in the city and surrounding areas as tens of thousands of people attempted to escape. More than 20,000 people have required hospital treatment for symptoms including swollen eyes, frothing at the mouth and breathing difficulties. Thousands of dead cats, dogs, cows and birds litter the streets and the city's mortuaries are filling up fast.

Bhopal residents said that they were choking and their eyes were burning. They could barely see the road through the fog, and sirens were blaring. They didn't know which way to run. Everybody was very confused. The Union Carbide factory was closed immediately after the accident and three senior members of staff arrested. Medical and scientific experts dispatched to the scene and the Indian government ordered a judicial inquiry. This was one of the world's worst industrial accidents.Nearly 3,000 people died from the effects of the poisonous gas in the days following the disaster. Estimates say that some 50,000 people were treated in the first few days suffering terrible side-effects, including blindness, kidney and liver failure. Campaigners say nearly 20,000 others have since died from the effects of the leak.Investigations into the disaster revealed that something had gone fundamentally wrong with a tank storing lethal methyl isocyanate (MIC).

In 1989 Union Carbide, which is now a subsidiary of Dow Chemical, paid the Indian Government £470m in a settlement which many described as woefully inadequate.But in 1999 a voluntary group in Bhopal which believed not enough had been done to help victims, filed a lawsuit in the United States claiming Union Carbide violated international law and human rights.In November 2002 India said it was seeking the extradition of former Union Carbide boss Warren Anderson from the US. Mr Anderson faces charges of "culpable homicide" for cost-cutting at the plant which is alleged to have compromised safety standards.

In October 2004, the Indian Supreme Court approved a compensation plan drawn up by the state welfare commission to pay nearly $350m to more than 570,000 victims of the disaster.

People still continue to die. Experts say- This month, this week, someone would have died an untimely death because of the exposure back in 1984. And there are still 100,000 or more people suffering from chronic illnesses.

All the compensation story was drama, the real victims never got anything. Those who got were powerful and rich. Poor street dwellers still suffer.

If we don't learn from it,tomorrow, another Bhopal will happen.

The "Berlin Wall" we are building..!!

Today when whole world is celebrating 20th anniversary of fall of Berlin wall, there are people in our country trying to build it again here. Today morning was a great day for Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) members as they attacked state Samajwadi Party chief Abu Azmi inside the legislature after he insisted on taking his oath as a legislator in Hindi. Interestingly the Maharashtra legislature at Nariman Point is a high-security area. When Azmi got up to take the oath in Hindi and as he uttered the first few words, MNS members, all of them first-timers in the House, sprang up from their seats, shouted slogans and rushed towards Azmi. As Azmi continued to take the the oath in Hindi, MNS's Ramesh Banjle uprooted the microphone and threw it away. Other MNS members came and surrounded Azmi, pushed and punched him and an MNS member, Ram Kadam, was seen on live television slapping and hitting him on the chest and shoulders.



Even after Mr. Speaker Ganpatrao Deshmukh immediately adjourned the House for over half an hour, the MNS members continued their aggressive stance, indulging in sloganeering, displaying banners and damaging the fittings inside the assembly. Defending the actions of the party legislators, MNS spokesperson Shirish Parker even argued that Hindi was not the national language of the country. Some MLAs were allowed to take their oath in English. If that was ok, then why not Hindi? What made them (MNS) believe that they can impose anything on anyone?

Indian constitution allows any elected member to take oath in any of the Indian language and anyone stopping him needs to be prosecuted as per the law.

Leaders from all parties condemn the action of MNS party MLAs. Speaker has suspended 4 MLAs for four years. Now are they in a position to serve their constituencies? How can they be henceforth referred as MLAs.

Congress party members say that anything happening inside assembly, Speaker will take an action. Govt will take action if this had happened outside assembly. What a joke ..!!

Incidentally Raj Thakrey's son studies at Bombay Scottish High. As per his dad's policies he should study in some Marathi medium school and speak and learn only in Marathi. If he further wants to be an engineer, his dad will get all the theorems and theories re written in Marathi by Einstein and Edison.

What I expect next that Bollywood will cease to exist as it is in Hindi, Stock exchange guys has to trade only in Marathi, no Sanskrit chanting at temples, everything has to be converted to Marathi, there has to be a Marathi version of "Jan Gan Man" and "Vande Mataram", no Hindi version of Mahabharat and Bhagvad Geeta allowed.

Why do Mr Thakre forgets that he is existing because Hindustan exists. Who gave him and his party rights to say that Hindi is not the national language and I wonder for how long we have to witness all this useless and baseless stuff from him. Pl. Mr. Prime Minister, do something, enough is enough..!!

Calling all mobile content developers..!!

Nokia..a leader in Mobile world needs no introduction.

If you are interested in developing applications for mobile and you have a believe in you that you can change the world of mobile users. This is the place for you to be there.

Forum Nokia Developer Conference 2009 on Dec 7,  @ Bangalore, Hotel Taj Residency.


It’s time to free yourself. It’s time to unlock the star within you. At Forum Nokia Developer Conference ’09, get inspired to create your very own application that will run on hundreds and millions of mobile devices all over the world. This year’s event promises to be very special with live demos, real-life mobile application stars who ‘wowed’ the world with their mobile applications to win fame and fortune, and much more. Also, explore how Nokia’s new Ovi Store ensures developers have easy access to publish applications and content to millions of Nokia devices through a unified publishing channel. Get to know the dynamic technology platforms for creating truly compelling user experiences. Get to learn new skills, new connections, and new ideas to create tomorrow’s technologies.


Get ready to step out of the shadows and be in the limelight.

You can find more details Here

Besides there is a Nokia N97 up for grabs too. So check it out!

I will be there to enrich my experience....come.. join..learn..enjoy..!!

Being Single..!!

Being single..not too bad really...now a days its more because of choice, because you are waiting to reach somewhere,  because you are trying to attain something, because you are still waiting for someone of your type and so on.....Now in these time when there are 10-15 % kids in schools are bought up by single parents, being single is not so bad, isn't it?

People choose to be single and are not forced to be so..!!

Being single is not such a bad thing actually. Especially if all your friends and siblings are happily hitched to the sides of spouses/lovers and all you have to boast of is yourself.


The truth is, if you do have a girlfriend, well, good for you. Try holding on to her for as long as you can. But if you don't, you might consider yourself not really too unlucky after all. For, being single is not the worst thing in the world. In fact, its benefits rather outweigh its downsides.

Apart from the limitless freedom that it entails, there are also other such things as an open market and the life of adventure, if you know what I mean (and don't let your imagination run too far for its own good).

But if you want to get into more specifics, here are the few :)

Freedom of movement:  There is nothing a single man enjoys more than this. For, what can beat the pleasure of hopping onto your bike at 11 p.m. and going for a long ride into the dark unknown, to dwell on the joys and sorrows of singleness? (okay, it actually gets better than this).

Nobody questions your late hours or your disappearances for long intervals of time. Your disappearances might be either due to some inane programme that you wanted to attend (without the danger of expanding your mind) or again to ride off into the night to mull over the cruelties of life. Or you may choose to party late into the night with a few well-chosen friends and get up late the next day only to be forced to take off from work due to the hangover. This is not necessarily a good thing.

Your earnings don't have to be split two-ways. So apart from the tax you give the government, you still get to blow up your pay-check on other trivial pursuits, and no questions asked – except, of course, from the magistrate the next morning if you get yourself locked up. But that will be your own fault.

You can spend your private moments at home blasting music and singing at the top of your lungs into a hairbrush, with the shutters down.

You don't have to be in bed by midnight every day, only to wake up again when you've just dropped off, at 1 a.m. when the baby brings the roof down. Conversely, if you're unmarried and not living-in, you don't have to stay awake till 2 a.m. on the phone just because your girlfriend at the other end can't get sleep and needs to talk about the exciting happenings of the previous day (for some strange reason, they're always most exciting at 2 a.m.).

You don't have to spend endless hours shopping for stuff that'll never make a difference to your life (conversely, if you do indulge her, she might indulge you too later on).

You don't have to be constantly reminded about things you forgot to do. When you do remember them, however, it might be too late. But that's another matter.

You can stay back late at work and not be blamed for it, even if you were actually working.

You can pick your nose or eat stuff off the table, and no one will rap your knuckles .

You can be yourself... for as long as you want.

All these things notwithstanding, you still might consider wanting to hitch up some day. Because, of all of God's creations, there's no one quite like the woman.