Thursday, 19 June 2014
Monday, 2 June 2014
Kalyanasundaram – Man of Millennium
Money is not everything in life. For some people, happiness
and serving society is the only concern. No one around us can donate his entire
life earning to a NGO or for some other social cause but one man,
Palam Kalyanasundaram did it.
Born at Melakarivelamkulam in Thirunelveli district of
Tamilnadu, Kalyanasundaram lost his father at an early age and after that it
was his mother who inspired him to serve poor people. One can serve poor people
by donating money in charity programs or by helping poor people but no one can
donate his entire life earnings. This needs a lot of courage and strength.
Palam Kalyanasundaram is a bachelor and a gold medalist in
the library science. He also holds a masters degree in literature and history.
During his 35-year long career at Kumarkurupara Arts College at Srivaikuntam,
he diligently and willingly donated his salary month after month towards
charity and did odd jobs to meet his daily needs. Even after retirement, he
works as a waiter in a hotel in exchange of two meals a day and a salary so
that he could continue to donate to orphanages and to children’s educational
fund.
He was awarded for his service to humanity. The union
government honored him as the best librarian in India. The International
Biographical Centre, Cambridge, has honored him as one of the ‘noblest of the
world’ and the United Nations adjudged him as one of the most outstanding
people of the 20th century. He also received Man of the Millennium
award and LifeTime of Service Award from Rotary Club of India in 2011.
For him life is not just about earning money, it is serving
people and help children so that they can get proper education. He always says
that, there are three ways of earnings. First is through earnings, second are
through parents earnings and third is through donating money for charity. He
also received many awards and donated 30 crore of prize money he got for these
honors. Many superstars and businessperson in India do same kind of social work.
South Indian actor Rajnikanth also does social work, but he is also inspired by
Kalyanasundaram Life works and adopted him as his father.
He lives a very simple life in Chennai, works in office at
Adyar regularly, and does whatever he can for the uplift of the unprivileged
people. His life story is very motivating and inspiring. Friends we do not know
that such people exist around us but such people are there in India who wants
to do something for society and country. One must learn from his story that money
is not everything in life if one has decided that he will do something for his
country then he can do it, no power or situation will stop him to do.
Saturday, 24 May 2014
Make Less Waste and Save Environment
“Our land is our mother” – it is a very old quote. Land gives
us whatever we need. It gives us food, fruits, survival, money, and shelter.
However, are we giving anything good to land except waste and dirt? Based on
statistics, around 8000 metric tonne waste is produce on a regular basis and it
is dump outside cities. People living in outside skirts areas are the most
affected. For poor people it is a medium of earning money. Daily rag pickers
search for materials to earning money.
Last week while travelling, I was shocked to see Delhi
landfills near the by-pass area. It was like a huge mountain and poor people
were searching and filling rags. It was very difficult to breathe in that area.
It not only affects environment but also the health of peoples living in that
area. Every people living on this planet produce this waste. The day is not far
when we will see negative impacts of this waste on our planet. Increase in
global warming is the common example of this. One cannot burn this waste
because the gases, which will be there after burning, will kill million of
people. The impacts of this waste are on surface water contamination. Water
bodies are being polluted and this affects all ecosystems existing in water.
Another impact is increase in pollution and Delhi is termed as most polluted
city in year 2014. Hazardous chemicals that get into soil harm plants and
trees. Animals are also affected by this waste produced by us because they also
feed themselves in the waste.
Waste and dust also have an economic impact. Everyone wants
to visit clean, healthy environment places but because of increase in waste,
there are no such places around us. A city with poor sanitation, smelly and
with waste matter all over the place does not attract good people, investors,
and tourists. Such cities tend to have poor living standards.
The only solution of this problem is to make less waste and
utilize more of the waste material. This is possible only when each one of us
joins hands and takes regular measures to make less waste. This, not only will
save our environment but also will have healthy living standard. Another
solution is recycling of this waste. Government need to invest in recycling and
proper waste control. This will also increase job opportunities for people and
we can live in a healthy environment. Adopting sustainability is also an
important measure to save environment.
There is a famous quote said by Mahatma Gandhi – “Earth provides enough to satisfy every
man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
Saturday, 17 May 2014
Child Labour
During the Industrial Revolution, children as young as five years
of age were forced to work in production factories with dangerous and fatal
conditions. The same understanding of children working as labour is now
considered as Child Labour.
In India, According to census 2001 figures there are 1.26
crore working children in the age group of 5-14 as compared to the total
population of 25.2 crore. However, there are 12 lac children working in
hazardous conditions. This problem of child labour continues to be a woe for
Indian Government. Government has taken various pro-active measures to tackle
this problem but it seems that the efforts of government have borne the desired
fruits and it requires much more effort.
Poverty and lack of education are the main cause of Child
Labour in India. Parents force their child to work in factories, hotels,
restaurants to earn money. Most of the children start working just after they
know how to walk which affects their whole life. This has become a tradition for
poor people. They feel that this is their work and only medium of earning
money.
I was travelling to Dehradun and suddenly I looked at a ‘dhaba’ where around 15 children between
5-15 years of age were working as a waiter. Few of them were washing glasses
and plates and the others cleaning tables and serving food. Owner of that
restaurant was proudly seated on counter and charging money from the people.
Then I thought what could be the reason for these kids to work here? May be the
owner find it a very cheap and dedicated labour or there might be the family
conditions of these kids. However, whatever was the reason this issue is what
makes a child life hell.
Many of us visit restaurants or barber shop, saying loudly ‘Oe chotu idhar aa’ and giving them work
as they are not human beings. No, friends this is not humanity. We should join
hands together to stop this problem in our country. One should not depend on
government measures or actions. ‘We the citizens of this country’ have
every right to stop this. Many government committees in India like Gurupadswamy
Committee is working on the issue of Child Labour and suggesting measures to
tackle it.
It is not about other kids, it is about a nation and future
of millions. One should not think, why should I care about others I am happy in
my life. Friends there is a famous saying ‘One
man can change the entire nation’. Now a day’s every man is saying only one
man name i.e. Narendra Modi and once a time in his life he was a tea vendor and
now the PM of a country. So one should not underestimate a child and let them
force to work before they know what life is all about.
There is a famous slogan – “Children are surprise gift from given by god, open, and bring them
forward for all good things.”
Friday, 9 May 2014
PERSONALITY
The word
“Personality” comes from a Greek word “Persona” which means, “mask.” “Persona”
was used in play by Greek Stage Players to present them, as they wanted to be.
Hence, here we come to know that whatever is presented by us is only our personality.
According to
the Cambridge International Dictionary of English your personality is the type
of person you are, which is shown by the way you behaved, feed, and think.
“Personality,”
according to the Longman Dictionary of contemporary English, is the whole
nature or character of a person.
How a person
behaves, feels, and thinks, how he conducts himself in a given set of
circumstances is largely determined by the state of his mind. When we sit for a
few minutes trying to pray or think of a divine name or form, our mind start
wondering, thinking about some past event or some plans.
Swami
Vivekananda once said: Free! We who cannot for a moment
govern our own mind, cannot hold our minds on a subject, and focus it on a
point to the exclusion of everything else for a moment! Yet we call over selves
free. According to the Bhagawad Gita, the indiscipline mind acts as our enemy, whereas
a trained main acts as our friend too. Therefore, we need to have a clear idea
of the mechanism of our mind, as it will contribute to the under-development
our personality.
The following
famous quotation of Swami Vivekananda can be our mantra for Personality
development. “Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest his
divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal” and
“Strengthening of will power is the essence of Personality development.” Faith
in oneself, positive thoughts, attributes towards failure and mistakes,
self-reliance, Ruination, and service are some essential qualities for
Personality development. Therefore, if want to develop our Personality. We must
furnish our behaviour first and should have above-mentioned qualities.
Thursday, 1 May 2014
A Poor Man Labour of Love
Dashrath Manjhi, a poor man from Bihar (India) made history
when he chisels down a mountain in two decades. He uses his tools to create
path for his community members. He is also known as Mountain Man. Everyday
villagers from his town had to travel to other village to earn money, which was
70 kms away. One day his wife died due to an accident on mountain and he could
not reach hospital because it was 70 kms away in the other town. This loss made
the ambitious man to focus on his task.
If you are looking for an inspirational and motivational
story then do not go far. Being an illiterate there was no option for him
except to work in fields but the spark in him set out to carve a 1mk-long path
through a rocky hillside, in order to make easier for his fellow villagers to
access schools, markets, hospitals, and neighboring villages. People started
taunting him in the beginning and called him mad for such a task but it was not
possible for anyone to stop him. Now people in Bihar had nothing to say except “Mountain
Man”.
With his chisel, hammer, and shovel this legendary man turned
what was once a precarious one-foot wide passage into a 360 ft-long, 30 ft-wide
road accessible by bicycles. Children had to walk eight kilometers to reach
schools but that this brave man reduced distance to three kilometers.
Friends we always say “akela insaan kya pahad tod dega.” However,
here is the answer of this old saying. Out of 1.2 billion population of our country,
no one would dare to do such a task in today’s time but the man did it for his
villagers and wife. This is such a motivational and inspirational story that no
one would ever forget. He never received any compliments from Indian government
except the path was named as “Dashrath Manjhi Road” in Gaya, Bihar.
In July 2010, director Manish Jha announced a film, Manjhi,
based on the life of Dashrath Manjhi. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been cast in the
lead role in the film Mountain Man. Dashrath Manjhi story was also shown in
Aamir Khan’s show Satyamev Jayate Season 1. I was so inspired by this story that it made me feel what am I doing for my country? One should take inspiration from this movie that if a person can carve out mountain alone then one can do anything in his life.
Source: Satyamev Jayate.
Monday, 21 April 2014
Mother's Love
She was
suffering the most painful torment,
TEARS OF HAPPINESS….
Now a new
cry would be heard, a delightful music for her.
TEARS OF HAPPINESS….
She adored
the baby sapling
TEARS OF HAPPINESS….
She
supported the tiny foot’s walking.
TEARS OF HAPPINESS….
She made him
sincere and dedicated,
TEARS OF HAPPINESS….
But this
tuned to be a nightmare,
NOW TEARS OF PAIN….
She began to
lose her health,
TEARS OF PAIN….
Her eyes starved to see her son,
TEARS OF PAIN….
Bit’s of
memories was what she had,
Happy Mother's Day..
Thursday, 10 April 2014
Lessons From Sachin Tendulkar
“Perseverance and hard work leads to success” - Sachin
Tendulkar proved it. He was more than just his name. He started his journey
when he was 16 years old and became inspiration for many of the people. He
taught us many lessons from his game.
For a professional Manager there are many things, which one
should learn from Sachin Tendulkar.
First and foremost is focus and work ethic. There are no
shortcuts in life and for a manager a good work ethic and discipline are the
key ingredients for long-term success.
Second is the innate ability to handle success, which is very
difficult. It requires tremendous level-headedness and humility to handle fame
and money at an early age. For a manager early success should not lead to bad
attitude towards colleagues and customers.
Longevity and staying power on the job is also, what Sachin
taught us. It is very important to manage the high and low. Staying fit and
focused is critical for long-term success. Successful managers are the ones
with the ability to survive and grow out of rough patches and keep motoring on.
Sachin never argued on field. He always kept his focus on his
game and answered with his bat. The lesson here is never to use words on your
competitor. The only thing one should do to impress others is by perform and
give one’s best, because it is the only way to become successful and prove
skeptics wrong.
Sachin Tendulkar was not a good leader. His captaincy record
was very poor. The lesson here is, never to accept those options in which you
cannot do well. Sachin realized that captaincy is not his cup of tea so he
never accepted it. He contributed as a bowler and batsman. He knew that his
contribution was good as a player not as a leader so he stepped down and
allowed someone else to take that role, the true sign of a thought leader.
In a corporate scenario, individuals may be talented in many
areas but one should work in a role, which works best for an organization. It
is very important to reinvent and renew oneself with fresh challenges to keep
the momentum. Play to your own strengths and the world is at your feet.
Sunday, 30 March 2014
For The First Time
Most of us are afraid of doing new things in our life.
Sometimes even I afraid or scared of doing new things in my life. Then a
question comes in my mind that- “How one feels when one does something for the
first time?”
The First is when I
think about Entrepreneurs. In my opinion, Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle. There
are many risks associated when one starts something new in the market for the
first time and on his own. Their vision, goals, and plan are clearly defined in
their mind. One really needs to be fearless to become an Entrepreneur.
The Second is living abroad alone. According to me one feel
excited with many questions in his mind.
The third is to meet someone for the first time in a business
meeting or in a party. Many questions strike in mind when one meet someone for
the first time.
There are certain situations where one feels tense. Going for
an interview for the first time, the first day in office, the first time on stage, teaching in a class
for the first time, winning an award for the first time and thinking of a life
partner for the first time.
Before writing my first Blog I was afraid of many things.
There were many questions in my mind. Keeping momentum, what topics to choose
were the big ones. However, now after a period of 8 months I feel confident
about writing and share my thoughts and views publicly. The feeling of
appreciation and comments from people motivate me and make me write more.
Our life tests us in many situations but we keep moving in
our life, handling all situations properly on our own. If in nervousness of
doing something for first time one does not want to take initiative or steps
back from doing what he wants to do then he himself is bringing an obstacle in
his way. One should learn from each moment in one’s life and keep moving
bravely and positively whatever may be the situation.
There is a Famous quote by Robert F. Kennedy:-
“Only those
who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.”
Sunday, 23 March 2014
What goes around, comes around!
A
son and his father were walking on the mountains. Suddenly the father falls,
hurts himself and screams, AAAHHHHHH!!!!! .
To the son’s surprise he hears a voice repeating, somewhere in the
mountains AAAHHHHH!!!!! . Curious, he yells” who are you?” He receives an answer “who are you?” and then
he screams to the mountains “I admire you!”
The
voice answers “i admire you!”
Angered
at the response he screams “coward” he receives the answer “coward”. The son looks
to his father and asks what’s going on?
The father smiles and says “my son, pay
attention “again the man screams “you are a champion” the voice answers “you
are a champion”. The surprised boy is still curious to know what’s going on.
The father explains,” people call this ECHO but really this is LIFE. It gives
you back your actions. If you want more love in the world, create more love in
your heart, if you want more competence in your team, improve your competence.
This
relationship applies to everything in all aspects of your life. Life will give
you back everything you have given to it.
“YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE IT’S
A REFLECTION OF YOU”
Monday, 10 March 2014
Empty And Full
A very true story for a successful Life.
An old king wanted to choose his successor,
but he had three sons. Everything about them was so similar that even their father
and mother got confused among the three brothers. They were all handsome,
intelligent and courageous and the king was getting older and could not figure
out what to do.
So he went to an old wise man and
asked, “How do I find my successor?” The man said, “It is not a difficult
thing. Give all some money, the same amount and tell them, “You have to fill
your houses with something this money can buy.”
All the three had their own big
houses and the money just did not seem to be big enough for filling the whole
house with flowers or any good things. Now what to do? So the first hit upon
the idea to go to the municipal corporation of the city and ask for all the
rubbish would fetch some price. The job was done.
The second was in trouble because the
first had already filled his house well before time. He had to hurry. He too thought
and could find nothing ‘good’ to fill his house with. It was rainy season and
mud was all over the place. He thought he had just to bring trucks and carry
the mud to fill his house. That should not cost much. He too completed the job.
Both were happy and looking at the
third as to what he was doing, because he was doing nothing at all.
When the evening of the appointed day
came, the king came to visit them. The first house stank “Come and see”, said
the first son, “the house is full”, “Agreed”, said the king, but enter the
house? No, no such a foul smell!
Visiting the second house, he saw the
entire marble house filled with mud! And it looked really dirty. Now the king
started getting worried. He thought if the third son too had done something
like this, then how was he going to decide whom to choose?
Anyway, both the sons and the king
went to the third son and they were surprised to see the house completely empty
and even the furniture had been removed. The king said, “The house is empty and
you were given money to fill it completely.” The son said, “Look a little harder,”
they saw and said, “But it is empty”.
“But father, didn’t you see those
candles which are filling the house with light? It is empty but full of light
and I thought, there can be no better way than to fill it with light. And here
is the money I wanted to return to you, because the candles were cheap and
there was no need for so much money”.
The king exclaimed, “Oh! I didn’t
realize how beautiful your house looked, how very beautiful indeed!
If we too could learn “To fill our
own house of ignorance with the bright light of knowledge”.
Monday, 17 February 2014
Life Without Apple
Few days ago, I was using an Apple iPod and suddenly a
question struck my mind. How many people’s life is linked to Apple and what
would happen if there were no sudden incidents because of Apple?
I find three stories related to Apple.
The forbidden Apple that Adam and Eve ate. This term
basically comes from the legend that when Adam and Eve ate the “apple”, the
piece got stuck in Adam’s throat and made a lump. It was the Fruit from the Tree
of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, which God had asked them not to eat.
The Second story is that of Sir Isaac Newton and the Apple.
Sir Isaac Newton was a deep thinker. If that Ripe Apple would not have fallen on
him then it might have taken a few more years to find the Universal Law of Gravitation,
or even worse, the law may never have been discovered.
He also said that, “The Earth is many millions of times
heavier than any other object near to or upon its surface; so it draws every
such object toward it. This is why things fall, as we say, toward the earth”.
Without this Law, Scientists would be unable to launch satellites or send man
on moon and so many inventions would not have materialized.
The Third is Steve Job’s and Steve Wozniak’s creation of the
Apple Corporation. Founded in 1977, Apple changed the world by technology.
Apple is well known for Innovations and creativity. They began with a PC and
restructured their gadgets to an iPhone. Apple was the first Organization that
replaced walkman with iPod, by providing the ease of storing 1000 songs in our
pocket.
There are certain stories related to Apple. But these three
are ones which remind me when I think about Apple and the genesis emerges from the
humble Apple. In my view, life without Apple would be very different as of now.
Saturday, 1 February 2014
What if a day has only 12 hours?
Last night I had a dream, what if a day has only 12 hours. We
make our day productive when we have 24 hours what if we only have 12 hours.
How do we manage our time for education, job, sleep, friends, Facebook, emails,
parties, movies and vacations? Just imagine the size of clock a bit small.
Instead of 12 numbers in a watch we only have 6 numbers and half day is of 3
hours.
Isn’t it interesting to imagine, just like a fantasy. Earth
revolution is faster. So just for the sake of discussion, what will happen if a
day has only 12 hours?
We will have less school hours, say just 1-2 hours and six
subjects.
How many days will it take for a test match to end?
How many days will it take for a person to travel from
Kashmir to Kanyakumari or from India to USA?
An aspect which is particularly interesting is office
timings. We will have to work only for 4-5 hours. It is very less time to prove
ourselves in an organization.
We would have worked only for 7-8 hours in a day. If in reality
we have this situation then one can easily accept and answer the famous problem
“How to Manage Our Time?”
Even after there are 24 hours in a day, people say “I don’t
have time”. After carefully evaluating, the problem is not because of lesser
hours. The problem is time management and the solution is also time management.
If we are able to manage our time well then we can do all we need to do in a
day’s time whether there are 12 hours in day or 24 hours or 36 hours.
If our time is really hectic and not enough to cover all our
activities, the key is to spend time wisely and spend it well. Truly God puts
equilibrium in everything he created. As for me, I now see the 24 hours of my
day must be spent so that the thought or dream of 12 hours in a day will not
enter my mind again.
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Sisters
Beautiful lines By Someone,
There's no better friend than a sister
There's no one more loyal and true
And even when sisters are different
Their likeness comes shining through!
Perhaps it's a family resemblance
That strengthens the bond they share
Or maybe it's just that sister’s live life with a similar
flair!
A sister is one of the nicest things that can happen to
anyone. She is someone to laugh with and share with, to work with and join in
the fun. She is someone who helps in the rough times and knows when you need a
warm smile. She is someone who will quietly listen when you just want to talk
for a while. Her love is no less than a mother. She is a true friend and
mentor. After a long search I found this poem and I Want to dedicate it to my
Sister.
When I sit in the shade,
And look up at a sky of blue….
I thank god for giving me
A Sister like you.
When I walk down the street in a crowd,
So Heartless and Cruel….
I thank god for giving me
A Sister like you.
When I’m tired and sore,
And I just want to sleep,
When I’m sickened with sadness
And my heart’s in a heap.
When I just want to move away
And say it’s all through….
At last, I really thank god
for a sister like you.
One song that I want to dedicate to my sister and which I
always had:-
We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome, someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1pHRZXK3T0
Thursday, 16 January 2014
Networking- Some hands go for a period of time
We network every day, everywhere. Every time one goes to school, college, office, parties, one is networking. Every time one establishes a relationship, one is networking.
Networking is very
important. Some may think it is a dirty word, selfish and awkward but the truth
is, networking is the number one way to get a job and build your career. It
helps in building personal relationships, Job search and community impact.
In a survey it is said
that the biggest reasons that college students don’t network are that they
don’t know the benefits of networking or consider themselves too shy to
network.
One example for
Networking is:-
“Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, network together to
change the world.”
Most Networking begins
with a casual conversation. One never knows who may have a brother, uncle or
colleague in your field. One thing that one must remember in networking is that
be respectful. One can do networking anywhere. It can be in Office, Marriages,
Alumni Sessions, Seminars and Fests etc.
There are certain
things to remember when one meets someone for the first time. Introducing
yourself and asking questions is most important. Establish rapport. Keep focus
on gathering information and advice. Don’t make it a one sided conversation.
Wrap up conversations with a promise to keep in touch and follow them /connect on
facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter.
There is a quote by
Michele Jennae:-
“Networking is not about just connecting people.
It’s about connecting people with people, people with ideas, and people with
opportunities”.
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