LIFES LESSONS - My Poem

LIFES LESSONS - A Poem by Rajan Venkateswaran 

At Eight and Fifty 

I learned to take baby steps again 

For neuropathy had laid me down 

Making the path to recovery ardous and painful 

With lead in the thighs 

Gritting the teeth 

I took one ginger step ahead of another 

Braving the pain shooting up the legs 

As the days went by 

One step led to ten 

Ten to hundred 

Hundred to thousands 

Calling out to Devi in anguish 

Turned to a song in praise of her 

As she handheld me slowly but steadily 

To attain a sense of normalcy 

Life last few months hasn't been easy 

Living with pain never is 

But there is always a silver lining 

In the darkest of the skies 

The ordeal made me shed my haughtiness 

Taught me not to take anything for granted 

Made me humble and thankful 

Only regret being it took me so long to realize 

PS: I tried my hands at poetry just to satisfy a personal whim. Do not intend to write poems again

Father, Son and Teacher

A father told his Teenage son Do whatever you want in the School. I will back you, except 1. Disrespect towards teachers 2. Bullying other Students 3. Indulging unethical practices in Examinations I wont even ask you your marks. And he didnt The Son, given the responsibility for his behaviour, turned out to be model student. The School had regular Parent - Teacher one on one interactions Father never attended any of those Son was in 10th second term and complained to father that his teacher of 2 years is pointing out that his father never met her Father sighed and promised the son to attend the next PTM, and he did The Teacher was surprised to see him. The interaction started. As is wont, the Teacher pushed the mark sheet in front of the Father, and started "See, your son has scored 94 in maths, 96 in english.." Father raised a hand to stop her I am quite capable of reading a progress report. I dont want to discuss this" "You dont?", the teacher was perplexed "Ma'am, please let me know how my son is as an individual? How does he get along with others?" "Err..Sir. He is ok. Fine" , Teacher was at a loss for words "You have been his class teacher for two years now. May I ask what do you know about him?" "Sir, he is well behaved, academically good, disciplined" "What else do you know about him?" "Well Sir, actually I dont get close to Students" "You are his class teacher and mentor, right?" "Yes Sir" "Do you know that he is a voracious reader?" "No Sir" "Do you know that he plays Tennis?" "No Sir" She was a bit embarassed now "Do you know that he writes wonderful Essays and Articles?" "Why didnt you tell me?" She asked at the Boy accusingly "Do you know that he knows a lot about Investing in Business?" Teacher was totally lost now "Do you know what he wants to be in life?" "No Sir" "He wants to be an Astro Physicist" Teacher nearly had apoplexy Father rose. "Thank you Ma'am for your time. Have a good day" On the way out the perceptive Son remarked "Sorry Appa, now I realize why you never attend these PTMs" Father fondled his sons hair in affection

Dangers posed by Food Aggregators

Food Aggregators is the flavour of the season - be it Swiggy, Zomato, Food Panda. It really is convenient for lot of people and I know many who swear by them. ( I am not a great fan of getting packed hotel food. I like them fresh.

One of the reason I stick to Ghee Roast in hotels, at least they are made fresh, unlike Iddli or Pongal or Vada which are pre prepared) Restaurants have got themselves associated with Food Aggregators because 1. It gives them better reach 2. Better Deal Flow 3. Reduces their Delivery Cost But they are 1. Forced to give up to 30% Discount to the Food Aggregator eating into their profits Since the profit margin in food business is much higher, the increased volume compensates to some extend for their revenue loss. In the short run, it is fine. But there is a major pitfall The Restaurants have handed over their "Home/Office Delivery Customers" on a Platter to the Food Aggregators. The Food Aggregators are quietly building up their Customer base at the expense of the Restaurants. Once they attain a critical volume, they have plans to have have their own massive base kitchens that operate 24x7. Admitted customers still have loyalty to Restaurants through Food Aggregator App. This will vanish once Food Aggregators start offering quality food at affordable cost. They can do that because of Economies of Scale Since nearly 40-60% of a Restaurants sale is through "Take Away and Home Delivery",they will be hit very badly & even pushed out of Business. 2-3 years ago, Restaurant owners in Eranakulam took a decision to not engage Food Aggregators, sensing the above. I am not sure whether that still holds. Businesses evolve but one has to be aware of long term dangers to survive

Power of Fact Checking

My Paati (Grandmother) had two children. My father and his younger sister 1 1/2 years younger. Paati was never tired of telling that my father was special, as she did not bear a child for a long time after marriage, and she had to do special intense prayers,which finally bore fruit in the form of my father. We could understand the pressure she would have gone through those days, as not bearing a child resulted in a stigma. That my father was thus born out of penance became a kind of folklore in the family. When I was in my mid 20s, I had started taking an interest in Astrology. I was rummaging through some old wooden boxes in my Paatis Agraharam House as I had nothing else to do, when I stumbled upon her horoscope written in Palm Leaves. I started reading it. Suddenly it stuck me that something was amiss. Her birth year was written in Malayalam as was the practice then. I quickly converted it to English Calendar year and noted that she was born in 1916 January.I went up to her and asked when she got married. She told me she remembered she got married immediately on turning 13 (they did marry young those days) and in the month of Makaram, which makes it from Jan 16-Feb 15 of 1929. My father was born 6th May 1930. Hence Father was born to her when she was 14 years and 4 months old, and 1 year and 3 months after her Marriage. It also meant, she conceived him within 5 months of her wedding!!!! I went back and asked her where then did the question of her not having a child for a long time and praying arose? She was wishy washy and diverted the topic. I posed the same question to my father, who was quite surprised at this finding but asked me to let it be. There is always a huge advantage in doing a simple fact check before opining or taking a stand. It may reveal a different picture, and avoid getting splashed with mud on your face. You dont have to rely on palm leaves but have Google.

It is lonely up there in the Front

Year was 1986. I was in my 3rd Semester of MBA. We were only 11 in our Class, and we had another 15 as our Juniors Our Enterprising Head of the Department used to get top professionals and academicians for VFac lectures and programs. One such was a 3 day program on T-Group Training conducted by Dr. Veeraraghavan, then Dy Director of SITRA (South India Textile Research Association), Coimbatore. He was a Harvard Alumni. I had always considered to be a leader and took pride in it. On the first day, he conducted a simple exercise. He asked all of us to write in a piece of paper whom we would like to lead, other than us, an expedition. We were to rank our choices 1,2,3. We were told we should also write down how many we thought will choose us as 1,2,3. Then we were to assign 3 to every 1, 2 to 2 and 3 to 3 and arrive at our expectation total (maximum possible was 25*3 = 75) I looked around, assumed who will chose me 1,2,3 and who wont choose me at all, and arrived at a total of 47. Then we were made to sit in a chair in the middle of a circle with others in the perimeter and asked to tell our expected score following which others told their option regarding me. I was shocked that many who I thought will back me had not ranked me, and I ended up with a measly 18. The first was 38, second 29, third 24 and then me. I was given the option of knowing why I was or was not chosen.Some of the comments stung. I was called too arrogant, autocratic, lacking diplomacy, poor listening skills and even some didnt like me because I dressed well. I was left red faced as it was the first time I was getting such a blunt feedback. We were asked to assemble under a Mango Tree outside, & were requested to take one step for every mark scored. We were to only look ahead The leader was far ahead, the other two reasonably ahead, but there was a huge group of 15-16 who got 0-1 and grouped at the rear I looked at the three ahead. The leader was a poor decision maker but acceptable to all because he agreed with everyone. The number two was older than all of us by 6 years and a very quiet calm person. The number three was a crackpot, maverick and fun to be with. The big group at the rear were giggling, not concerned at all, making fun of those ahead, criticizing the Faculty, and in general having a good time at others expense. Dr. Veeraraghavan came to each of us and talked to us. He asked me how I felt. I expressed my unhappiness and he understood my ambition. He asked me evaluate the feedback. He empathized. We went back, and he explained about Expectation vs Reality. We continued with the 3 day session and had many Management Games. One of which was where we were all supposed to be in a Hot Air Balloon, and the Balloon was losing height. Only way out was for us to decide to either ask people to jump or throw them out. The leader jumped off during the first 5 minutes, 'sacrificing' himself for the group. He was asked to stand on top of a table (meaning he was up there dead!). This went on for 3 hours. I stood my ground, and was one of the 3 left when the game ended. We assembled again, and the same exercise of ranking 1,2,3 based on the game was asked to be given. Once bitten, twice shy, I marked 26. But was surprised to get 43 and the First position. The leader in the first exercise was pushed back to 3rd (Halo Effect!). The group of 14-16 still remained where they were. Some minor reshuffling apart. Still giggling, making fun of others and living in denial. Dr.Veeraraghavan came to me after talking to them. I was swelled with pride. He asked how I felt. It dawned on me suddenly, though I was happy, I was very lonely there up front. I told him this. He patted me on my back and told me never to forget that a 'Leader is always lonely' and it is a natural feeling.

Garlands of Roses and Chappals

As Sales Officer in Charge of Coimbatore Sales Area of HPCL in early 1990s, I had 4 LPG Dealers and 16,000 LPG Customers under me. Those were the days of LPG shortage, malpractices and we were the focal point for any complaints. My hands were full with Complainants. 2 of my Dealers were rogues, one more so than the other. They used to give illegal connection, divert domestic LPG to Commercial Users, did not do Door Delivery and Domestic Customers at times had to wait for nearly 2 months to get a refill. I discussed with Regional Office. They were indifferent as it was the norm. I warned the Dealers, documented their malpractices but stopped short of suspending the Sale as that would involve massive logistics issues of arranging an alternative. Finally, I had enough. Situation was getting out of control.There were cases in the Consumer Court and HPCL were a party to it. Doubts were cast on even my Character. I barged into Regional Office, Cochin & told I am going ahead with suspending the dealer. Dy Manager LPG was very honest, he having once been in a Seminary He backed me to the hilt and both of us fought for 2 days to get the permission. We also created a rock solid backup plan. Phone calls were made to higher ups as the Dealer was a powerful Congress Ministers relative. He was young and actually a nice guy, always very polite I came back, gave order in writing for another dealer to take over, who rented a showroom quietly. I swooped down one morning at 8 am, did an inspection and suspended the existing Agency.People came to know and rushed to the showroom. They were very happy. I was surrounded, garlanded at least 14 times, and they praised me no end. I felt great having done a good deed. Supplies were arranged on a cash and carry basis with Rs 2 discount, and I explained to people why we cannot do door delivery. We worked in coordination with our filling plant and ensured 300 cylinders were made available every day, and cleared the backlog in 16 days. I personally sat and managed the operation in the upcountry location.Situation was controlled, people were happy. Except those who had bought LPG Connections illegally from the Dealer. They agitated. I personally confronted them and told them they were in the wrong too but stood my ground that I will not supply them.RO asked me to regularize those connection. But I put my foot down and said nothing doing. There were friction and some, at the prodding of the suspended dealer, went to the Consumer Court. 10/n Dealer met me many times, I told him to reimburse all the money he had collected from illegal consumers as a precondition. But he had invested in a Pandiarajan film that bombed and was broke. But he moved his cards politically In the meanwhile, I was hauled up by the Coimbatore Consumer Court and lot of unpleasant queries were asked. It was made out as if Dealer was innocent but me and HPCL were the guilty party. My lawyer did a good job telling the Court how I corrected a bad situation. But the Political Appointee in the Bench, a DMK Lady, was very nasty, till I had to use the then Collector, a professional acquaintance, intervened and had a quiet talk with her. Collector was very close to Karunanidhi. Things were under control and going on smoothly, when I got a call after 10 months from my Regional Manager.He was very apologetic and embarassed. He told me that the Suspension was revoked at HQ level due to Political Pressure & HPCL has decided to reinstate the Dealer I asked them what happens to the illegal connections as that issue was not resolved. No decision was taken on that. Just go back and reinstate the Dealer was the order. Regional Manager was kind "I can understand if you dont want to go back and reinstate him. I shall send the Dy Manager from RO" I told him "Dont bother. I am a professional. I argue my side till a decision is taken. But will go ahead and implement whatever the Decision is" The Dealer who was substituting for 10 months was furious. He refused to come with me. I could understand him. I went alone, was 27 years old then. The old dealer had kept the Showroom open. Word had got around that he was being reinstated. An angry mob of about 50-75 had gathered. I parked my Ambassador Car and got out. They surrounded me and abused me, my father, mother, family, HPCL for nearly 2 hours, with the choicest of words. I just leaned back on my car and heard it out. Didnt react, didnt explain. I had no explanation. One guy made a garland of Chappal and put it on me. I removed it calmly. The dealer did not come to my rescue. Finally, word got to the Sub Collector, who was a friend, and he came down with a Police Force.He spoke to the Crowd, explained I was just doing my job and should be left alone. They dispersed still shouting at me. I thanked him, walked in to the showroom and gave the letter handing over the Dealership back to the Dealer. I sat for an hour and left, called Regional Manager and told him "Job is done" . He just said Thanks RM, my Manager, Dy Manager came to Coimbatore after 4 days, didnt dare visit the Showroom but asked me whether I am alright. I just smiled though I was scarred badly

Modi and Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

I am not a Political Analyst, but have been watching Indian Politics for close to 45 years. Allow me to take the liberty of sharing a few thoughts. This has nothing to do with any State, Political Party but a general observation I observe many exhorting people to vote out X, Y or Z and they give solid reasons. One of the fundamental principles of any marketing is to answer the question to the Consumer (here the voter) the answer to his WIIIFM - What Is In It For Me? Most of the exhorting is based on, 1. Why X, Y, Z is corrupt or lousy, hence need to be thrown out 2. Why X,Y, Z should not come to power to save Hindu Civilization Both valid premises definitely. But it is not likely to make much headway. Because it doesnt answer the WIIIFM to the Voter. Take the Second Point first and refer to Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs. It is known that one has to satisfy Lower order or Basic needs-Physiological/Safety Needs - before thinking of higher order needs. When we talk of Saving the Hindu Civilization, we addressing to the Self Actualization Need of the Voter. In a situation when his Basic Needs are not met, it is unlikely the average voter will even think of Self Actualization Needs. Modi understands this very well During the last 6 years, Modi made a Conscious effort to address the Basic Needs - Food, Water, Electricity, Home, Sanitation, DBF, Gas, Medical Insurance. Slowly he moved towards 3rd and 4th order needs, once many of the basic needs are taken care of. He always starts his address "Bhayiyon or Behanon". This addresses the Love and Belongingness Needs apart from the way he takes us into confidence, trusts us - especially during the LD. He did not use the stick but tried to convince us the need to follow rules for OUR SAKE. Now he has gone one step ahead - He talks about National Pride, Atma Nirbhar which essentially aims at the 4th order Esteem need of each one of us. The next step is to address the Self Actualization Needs. Till then it is premature. Coming to Point 1, it is not easy to make people vote X, Y, Z out because they are corrupt or goondas or dumeels or commies, unless we are able to show an alternative. For ordinary voter (who is street smart), he doesnt care much if Tweedledum or Tweedledee rules. They are all corrupt in his eyes. For the first time, Modi at the Centre has shown them that it is not like that, and it is possible to rule without Corruption, and with benefits reaching the last man standing.

This needs to be the focal point and am sure this will achieve the purpose of throwing out those X, Y, Z Corrupt, Goonda, Dumeel, Commies....

Study Plan - An Anecdote

When I was running NIIT, a Parent, Bank Official, came to me with a request for help. His daughter was in 11th but according to him not living up to her potential. His solution to the problem was simple "She has to work harder, but she doesnt. X,Y score more than her" I asked to see his daughter,he brought her,but he and his wife accompanied her. I asked them to wait outside. He was not happy but agreed. The girl was sullen, clearly unhappy and in a rebellious mood. I spent the few minutes talking about her hobbies, friends.She relaxed. I asked her what she liked about her school, what she didnt like, and gossiped a bit. Then I casually asked her which subjects she liked best. "Sir, English", she was very enthusiastic I allowed her to open up about English. Then "Which subject do you like least?' "Maths' And she had her reasons. Gently, I made her rank the subjects in the order of her preference. "English, CS, Physics, Chemistry, Maths". Then I asked her for her marks in the last 2 exams. She was at 88% level and a good student - 441/500. She told me she was 13th in the Class, and the first mark was 98%. I told her not to worry about others. She was genuinely surprised. She gave the split up on marks and surprisingly it matched her preference of subjects with the exception of Physics and Chemistry. Marks from high to low was English, CS, Chemistry, Physics and Maths" She told me she put 4 hours after the school studying which was a good workload. I gave her a small exercise. Created a simple excel sheet with Date of X Axis for a month, and Subjects on Y axis. She was to just note down the hours she spent on each subject at home every day. She asked incredulously "That is all" I replied in the affirmative. I called her parents in. Father was clearly unhappy that I hadnt given any "Good Advise". He told he will 'Supervise' whether his daughter did fill in the table. I told him to let her be and not go anywhere near her The girl came back exactly one month later. The Table was filled in without any errors. I asked her to analyse herself. She totaled the hours for each subject and looked at me with mixed emotions. Whenever she started studying she spent more time on English, her most preferred subject, and least on Maths, the hated one. The spread was like 40% E, 20% CS, 15% each P & C, and just 10% on Maths We also went back to her Marks. I gave her the first target of moving up from 441 to 450 - additional 9 marks. Told her where it will come from. She was scoring 74 in maths. Gave a target of 77 in Maths. Likewise for other subjects so that she scores 15 marks extra. assuming she might lose a few. I also asked her to restructure her Home Study hours. She did the workings on her own happily and took ownership. We continued this exercise till she finished 12th, pushing up the target little by little. She ended up scoring 473/500. She came with her parents with a big box of sweets when her results were announced, and she was a little disappointed she didnt score 480, her target. I brushed aside her disappointment and congratulated her She later on studied in REC, and is well settled now

Nay Sayers

There are people who caution us against everything under the sun. My Late maternal uncle,who as a VP in a Welding Rod Manufacturing Company in Mumbai was one such.He,being the eldest,was always asked for opinions. eg; if there is a match for my sister, father would ask him and his standard reply was "Paathu Pannu" (Be careful and do with due diligence), which means nothing Ditto if anyone asks him whether he should take up a particular job. If things go well, he basks in glory saying "Yes, they asked my opinion, and it had my consent" If things go wrong, he would say " I told him to be careful but he wouldnt listen. He didnt take my advise" Heads he wins, Tails you lose. He never took a stand. His Sons wedding got postponed because he wont take a decision. His Wife, my Aunty, got fed up and said "I am going for a wedding in TN for a family wedding. I will pick the first eligible girl I see in that wedding for my son". And she did precisely that. Only once in his life my Uncle took a stand. The Founder of the Company where he worked for 34 years died & there was a turf war between the Son and Nephew for Control of the Company.He thought and thought for 7 days and finally decided to back the son. One day he went to the office in the morning, as usual as he was about to enter the Cabin,Nephew walked in & said "Thank you. Please clear the desk. Take whatever you want, keep the car, here is your settlement check, but ensure you are out in 30 minutes". Apparently my Uncle chose the wrong horse on the only time he was decisive He was 58 and was shocked beyond belief. He was also one of the 4 who knew the Chemical Formula for the Welding Rods.He came home crying, never really recovered, health deteriorated over the next few months and died I was reminded of him when I saw some tweets cautioning us to not get Covid Vaccinated as it will take 15 years to develop a Vaccine!

You can learn from anyone

I had just joined HPCL in 1989, and was in Chennai. Roaming around near Siva Vishnu Temple in T Nagar, I was accosted by a Lady Selling Flower' "Ayya, Poo Vaankungo. Veettukkarikku kudungo. Nalla Malli Poo. Adukka thoduthirukken" "Enakku Kalyanam Aakalaye" "Azhaga Sevappa irukkenga. Kathalikku vangi kudungo" Smiling I said " Enakku Kathali illaimma" She persisted "Ammakku kudukkalame. Santhosha peduva" "Amma oorile irukka. Naan thaniya than irukken" Pointing at the temple she insisted " Appadinna Kadavulkkaga vaangi podungo. Seeghram kalyanam Nadakkum" Just to humour her and her superb ability to create a need, I bought 5 muzham poo and went inside the Temple I used to give this as example while teaching Need, Want and Demand to may MBA Students & they were "Eh? You giving silly examples of a flower lady to teach concepts?" Look around. The average Street Sales guy will teach you more about Marketing than any Harvard Professor

Can Indians be a little more Professional please?

One grouse I have against Indians is their lack of Professionalism. Not all, but a vast majority. They are the worst when it comes to responding to professional E Mails or requests. They just dont reply. Most dont believe in keeping appointments. Just yesterday, a Calcutta based ERP Company, had fixed a Demonstration at 7 pm my time for me and two of my Omani Friends, who are his prospective partners. This was fixed one week ago. I didnt get any communication till 6.52 pm. I sent him a message, and the guy said, "I will confirm in 30 minutes" I told him I have another meeting after his demo. His reply "My Technical Head is on his way home, and I shall get him and reply to you" At 7.10, he is sending a message "Guys, Meeting is called off. Can we have it on Tuesday 8.30 pm?" "I told him I shall get back to him on my availability" I texted my Omani Friends and posed a question "If this is how he treats a prospective partner, how can we recommend him and his product to a Customer and be sure he will deliver?" Four months ago, I got in touch with a Solar Installation and Operations Company with a proposal to work together in Oman,for a lucrative PDO Project. PDO is the Government Oil Exploration and Marketing Company and a giant. A junior guy replied, but hardly gave info I wanted I had to get someone in India to get hold of a Top Level Manager in charge of Overseas Operations. He was barely accessible, and delegated the same Junior Guy to answer my queries and give me supporting documents. They were inadequate Since that day, neither the Top Guy or the Subordinate has followed up with me as to what happened. People will give their right hand to get a contract with PDO. I did in fact ask whether they were keen to work in Oman, and they said yes. I just cannot understand them. The Contract was worth a few million dollars over 15 years!! A year ago, I wanted a quotation urgently. Called a friend in Delhi at 9 pm his time on a Friday, and asked him to send. He said "Too Late. Will let you know tomorrow" I googled and activated a few other contacts, and in the next 2 hours got 4 quotations from all over the World, negotiated and finalized by mid night. My friend called me up at 3 pm next day and asked me to repeat my requirement. I told him not to bother. He was indignant I gave the order to someone else and is not talking to me since. In today's world, you have to be on the button, 24x7, 365 days

Let COVID 19 mark a new beginning for Entrepreneurs

COVID exposed a fatal flaw in most of the Indian Companies, especially the MSMEs. 

It is apparent that MSMEs were literally working on a hand to mouth existence, and just did not plan for a crisis. There was no contingency plan or fund.

This could have been because MSMEs are not professionally managed. In most of the cases, the Entrepreneur is a technocrat or a marketing guy who lacked skills in other domain. The entrepreneur falls into the trap of 'I know everything and can manage' syndrome and were clueless when the sky fell on them as they ran out of cash.

Cash flow is critical for any business.

As a New Venture Advisor, I always insist that either the Entrepreneur employs quality people to man Finance, Marketing, Logistics or alternatively have professionals advising him in these areas.

I have heard complaints that Banks do not entertain funding requests from MSMEs. Having been an Investment Banker, I can vouch that 99% of the proposals are poorly made, do not cover what is required by the Financial Institution, and is more of Project ideas, than detailed Project Reports with 5 year financials plus risk assessment. The least MSME can do while seeking funds is to involve your Auditor and ask him to prepare the documents are required by the Financial Institutions.

Be Professional, assess your Business Risks, have a Risk Mitigation Plan.

Let COVID 19 mark a new beginning

Ashtami and Navami

Working in TN, I found out that people dont do anything or take decisions on Ashtami and Navami. I asked them why.They say ' athu appadi than.We wont do anything on these thidhis'.I asked Father. He didnt know either. Searched for 2 years. No go.

Then had a chance to meet Sri Jayendra Saraswathy Swamigal early morning one day and asked him. He clarified. Once Naradan asked Vishnu who was his most ardent devotee. Vishnu points out to a poor farmer who calls his name 3 times a day as his best devotee

Naradan was aghast. He moaned ' I utter your name every minute and you think this guy is more devote?'. Next day Vishnu places a pot full of oil on Naradans head and asked him to walk till evening without spilling the oil.

Naradan came back successful and bragged he accomplished the difficult task. Vishnu smiled and asked "How many times did you say my name today?" Naradan sheepishly told 'Not even once'. Vishnu told 'That farmer thought about me thrice despite all his worries'

Naradan was humbled. The point here is that 'When you start something new, your focus will be on the task, and you wont be able to do your godly duties'.

Hindu Dharmam expects you to Godly Pursuits. It also tells you to do your Karmam. There is a conflict here

Hence 'ATLEAST TWO DAYS IN A FORTNIGHT, DONT START ANYTHING NEW, BUT DEVOTE THOSE TWO DAYS FOR GODLY DUTIES AND PRAYERS'. Over time doing godly duties slipped into background and only dont srart/do anything remained, as it is convenient

Now why Ashtami and Navami? Ashtamam denotes decline or death in Horoscope. So dont start anything. 

Also, For Devi pooja, Ashtami is auspicious. Sreekrishnsn who gave Geetha was born on Ashtami. Uthama Purushan Sreeraman was born on Navami. Hence these 2 days for prayer

Resumption of Blogging

I took a break from Blogging to recharge myself and to explore Twitter @swamy64 with a purpose in mind

Now that what I wanted has been achieved, blogging services shall resume

Thank you for your understanding

How to Celebrate Deepavali as per Smriti

Happy Deepavali to all.

Let us see how the smritis instruct us to celebrate Deepavali.

In Bhavishya Purana

कार्तिके कृष्णपक्षे तु चतुर्दश्यां विधूदये |
तिलतैलेन कर्तव्यं स्नानं नरकभीरुभिः ||

In the month of Kartika, during the dark fortnight on the fourteenth lunar day, before sunrise with Sesame (Gingely or Til) oil, the one who is afraid of naraka, should take bath.

In Brahmapurana

तैले लक्ष्मीर्जले गङ्गा दीपावल्यां चतुर्दशी |
प्रातस्नानं तु यः कुर्याद्यमलोकं न पश्यति ||

During Deepavali, on chaturdashi (fourteenth lunar day) in the til (sesame) oil is Lakshmi and in the water is Ganga and the one who takes bath early morning will not see yamaloka (avoids naraka).

Further for special results (to get rid of paapa) while taking bath, one can take the apaamaarga stem or branch with thorns and leaves along with a clod of earth from a furrow and ritually rotate it over one's head.
सीतालोष्ठसमायुक्त सकण्टक दलान्वित |
हरपापमपामर्ग भ्राम्यमाणः पुनः पुनः ||

अपामार्ग - In Hindi चिडचिडी, चिरचिटा, चिचड़ा, लटजीरा, In English Prickly chaff Flower, In Tamil நாயுருவி and Biological name - Achyranthes aspera Linn.

After taking this bath one is supposed to do tarpana for Yama. Yama is both a devata and a pitr. So one has to do this Yamatarpanam as both Devatarpanam (yajnopaveeti) and Pitrtarpanam (praacheenaaveeti). Also Yamatarpanam and Bheeshmatarpanam has to be done by everybody i.e. even by the one whose father is alive.

During pradosha (thirteenth day) and amaavaasya (new moon day) in this period, one has to do deepadaanam (donation of lamps) to temples, mathas, gardens, public water bodies, animal shelters etc.

In Skandapurana

ततः प्रदोषसमये दीपान्दद्यान्मनोहरान् |
ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवादीनां भवनेषु मठेषु च ||

Finally Fireworks - उल्कादानं.

In Jyotirnibandha it is said

तुलासंस्थे सहस्रांशौ प्रदोषे भूतदर्षयोः |
उल्काहस्ता नराः कुर्युः पितृणां मार्गदर्शनं ||

When the sun is in tula rashi, during the month of kartika, on the 13th, 14th and 15th days of Krishnapaksha, men with fireworks in their hands, should show the path to their pitrs / ancestors.

The mantras to be chanted in this process are mentioned as follows, in the praachyanibandha:

शस्त्राशस्त्रहतानां च भूतानां भूतदर्शयोः |
उज्वलज्योतिषा देहं दहेयं व्योमवन्हिना ||

1) those (ancestors) who were killed by weapons or by other means, I burn/cremate their bodies with the bright light of this fire in the sky

अग्निदग्धाश्च ये जीवा येप्यदग्धाः कुले मम |
उज्वलज्योतिषा दग्धाः ते यान्तु परमां गतिं ||

2) all those beings of my kula / family, who were burnt by Agni or not burnt by Agni, may they get burnt / purified through this bright light and get an exalted state (paramagati).

यमलोकं परित्यज्य आगता ये महापथे |
उज्वलज्योतिषा वर्त्म प्रपश्यन्तो व्रजन्तु ते ||

3) Those ancestors who left the yamaloka and have come to this earth (during Mahalayapaksha), may they return in the path guided by this bright light.

So let us indulge in fireworks with this attitude. Om.

(All references taken from the book Smritikaustubha) ... Courtesy My friend Srikanth, Muscat. 

@swamy64

I joined Twitter in 2010, but rarely tweeted.

I was never comfortable with FB, Instagram etc. I do use Whatsapp but strictly for one to one communication. I am not part of any group, and bluntly discourage people from send me forwarded messages, audios or videos. Made some enemies that way.

I had always felt that I am reasonably good at quips, one liners and have a fair sense of humour. I have always looked at the lighter side of life. This makes me suitable for Twitter.

Finally, I decided to plunge into Tweeting since the beginning of this month, and am finding it quite a nice way to get my point of view across on many issues facing the Nation.

You can follow me on Twitter  @swamy64  ( https://twitter.com/swamy64 )

Since I am building my followers from ground up, you wont see much original tweets in my Timeline. I reply to those whom I follow. Hence you can see more tweets of mine under Tweets & Replies tag in my Home Page.

Blogging here will continue.

Why do people buy gadgets with features that they don't need or will not be able to use fully?

I have always wondered why PC/Laptops prices dont come crashing down. Both products are in declining stage in the Product Life Cycle, and have skimmed the market for a long time. The Prices should be really low. This is exactly true of Mobile Phones too.

Instead, the manufacturers, add unwanted features and keep the price artificially high, whereby inducing 'Solace Spending' by Consumers.

Why do people buy gadgets with features that they don't need or will not be able to use fully?

For many years, marketers and salespeople have realised there is money to be made selling people features they do not need and may never use. Many people when asked about the intricacies of their Mobiles or the complexities of their digital cameras are not sure whey they did indeed buy. Most sport-utility vehicles with complex off-road traction systems are rarely driven on anything but paved roads.

So if people don't use expensive high-end features, why do they pay more to get them? A series of experiments that explored this question found that people buy unnecessary features because of two cognitive errors: 1) they overestimate the risk that a product without such features will become obsolete, and 2) they overestimate the likelihood that they will learn to use the new features.

Consumers, especially those buying expensive electronic items, fear that if they don't buy this feature and a new product launches on the market, then they may have to rebuy everything again. Because features introduced more recently feel as though they are less likely to become obsolete, consumers who buy them experience less anxiety. The money they pay is really not for the feature but for the psychological solace it purchases .

Another experiment found consumers tend to think of new features as a kind of investment—something that costs money but will pay for itself as they learn to use and love it. Of course, most people never do learn to figure out the technology, meaning the investment is largely a bust.

Cognitive errors, of course, are not the only reason people buy things they cannot afford. A Sociological study found that parents, especially poor parents, tend to buy products they cannot afford because they are acutely focused on whether their children are fitting into peer groups. Parents are acutely sensitive to how certain consumer products influence their children's search for dignity.

There is one last reason people pay more than they should for products: They mistakenly believe a product has more value because it costs more money.

So the next time you buy a fancy gadget at a premium price, reflect for a moment you are getting value for money

Historic Day

Modi, in his first term, shook up everyone by going for the demonetization of high denomination notes. But after that he went with the tide. There were many, including me, who felt he missed out on taking important political decision on Jammu & Kashmir, Ram Madhir, freeing Hindu Temples from Governmental Control or revamping the Education System.

But, in his second term, he has bit the bullet on J&K with a master stroke. This was on the cards the moment Amit Shah became the Home Minister.

It has always been that Modi proposes, Amit Shah disposes. Their friendship goes back a long way. Add to this the brilliant Ajit Duval, and considerable goodwill in the form of a resounding election victory, and we have the blue print for taking tough political decisions.

Bifurcation of J&K and abrogation of Article 370 ( technically not abrogation, but in effect Article 370 is redundant, as is Article 35A) was a master stroke. The signs were there, much before the massive troop movement in J&K. BJP worked overtime to get close to majority by getting first 4 TDP MPs to switch over, then got a few MPs of opposition to resign their position as MP, with a promise to elect them back on BJP Tickets. Congress, the main opposition party, and the stumbling block in the Rajya Sabha to many well meaning Laws from being passed, is currently headless. 

And then BJP struck and how.

J&K politicians were caught napping. They thought Government wont do anything till Amarnath Yathra was over. 

But Duval created a threat scenario, moved troops, cancelled the Yathra, evacuated tourists and yathris from the Valley, implemented Sec 144, put Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti etc on house arrest, and then the legal ingenuity of BJP took over.

Instead of taking the Parliamentary route, which would have meant the need for Constitutional Amendment to be passed with 2/3rd majority, BJP used the provisions of Article 370 itself to have it amended through a Presidential Declaration, which doesnt require a Constitutional Amendment

It was a Masterstroke!

And Modi, allowed Amit Shah to take the limelight, and how. Amit Shah had a field day in the Rajya Sabha today (It is noteworthy that the announcement and voting were made in Rajya Sabha first, where BJP do not yet have a majority, and not Lok Sabha) and got the Bill passed hands down.

While every one was talking about trifurcation of J&K, which would have left Kashmir alone, BJP did some out of the thinking, gave UT status to Ladakh, and created another UT combining Jammu and Kashmir, albeit with an Assembly, but with limited powers. Law and order remains with Centre, and all bills have to get the Central nod before being implemented. With delimitation likely to add another 7 seats to J&K, and most of it coming from Jammu Region, it is likely that the new UT will have a Hindu CM. That will be the icing on the cake.

And the special status that made Kashmiris think they are some special people is gone forever, and the doors are open for any Indian to buy land in Kashmir now, as it should be. This could see industrialist opening new factories there leading to overall development. 

Congress was reduced to a sorry state of being alone with Kashmir Parties, as all the opposition parties stood by BJP. Only JDU objected. Even AAP was forced to support, as otherwise it would have been suicidal for them with Delhi Elections looming large.

And it is the beginning of the end of the two dynasties in J&K, who are corrupt to the boot. Less said about the Hurriyat the better. They are all on the run or behind the bars for money laundering and terrorist funding. And our Brilliant Army has almost neutralized the Pakistan sponsored terrorists. 

Kashmir Parties and Congress always held that Kashmir will burn if Article 370 or 35 A is abrogated. Well 12 hours have passed and nothing has happened. Nothing will. Bullies are Cowards!

History has been made today. And we all lived to see this. 

Nehruvian blunder which cost us billions and thousands of lives, and atrocities on Kashmiri Pundits over the years, loss of our Jawans, has been corrected.

Now let us build that temple in Ayodhya!

What happens when Karma Dharmam is not followed

The suicide of V G Siddhartha, The Cafe Coffee Day founder has been, unfortunately, used as a stick to beat the Central Government, who has been ruthlessly hunting down tax evaders.

The murky dealings that led to VGS's suicide clearly indicates that, though he was an entrepreneur with vision, his Business Model was akin to a Ponzi scheme. Borrow to fund unsustainable growth, borrow more to manage the debt, and borrow yet more at high interest rates to service the previous debts. Throw in shady money from Politicians and Private Investors, the picture is complete.

VGS owned assets worth thousands of crores. His share in MINDTREE, a software company, was sold recently to L&T for Rs 3200 crores, and  his CCD franchisee model of Business can never lose money. In fact Cafe Coffee Day balance sheet indicate it has been making profits.

So how did he pile up the Rs 7,000 crore debt?

Did he borrow money (or laundered money) from Indian Politicians (Black Money) and Private Investors to fund his hundreds of Hectares of Farm Land in South America? Did it not generate enough revenues to pay off his debt?

Where the Private Investors or Politicians involved tighten the noose around his neck to do a hostile take over?

The Tax Raids were in 2017 and unearthed massive tax evasion.

If you evade taxes, you have to face the consequences. 

I hear many businessmen crying hoarse that it was Tax Terrorism that led to VGS' suicide and want Government to go easy on the errant Businessmen, giving the laughable reason that Economy needs a revival and hence Tax Evading, Crooked Businessmen should be allowed to operate freely, violating the law, so that they will pump in more Black Money into the Economy. This was the model followed by UPA under Chidambaram, as FM. And we know where it took the Country to.

Long and short of it is that VGS was a visionary entrepreneur, created jobs to thousands, but he had very poor Business Ethics, had shady characters as Business Partners, and borrowed heavily violating basic Debt:Equity laws, got himself neck deep in debt, evaded taxes, indulged in money laundering and took his own life.

Let us not cry crocodile tears over his death, and use it as a stick to beat the Government that is trying to bring the Jungle Raj of Business World to follow the law.

VGS did not follow his  karma dharmam, and paid for it when it bit back. 

England and New Zealand Should have been declared Joint Winners

The 50 over Final of World Cup is Tied

The Super Over is Tied

England declared winner because they scored more Boundaries than New Zealand?

As if Singles, Twos, Threes don't matter in Cricket?

It would have been appropriate and fair if both the Teams were declared as Joint Winners