Human Resource Planning & Audit by Arun Sekhri

The whole book is very illustrative with a lot of case examples and SIMPLY SPEAKING.... tips given everywhere drawing your focus to the core concepts.

Mission Statements:

Microsoft: We work to help people and businesses throughout the world realise their full potential.

Ford Motors: We are a global family with a proud heritage passionately committed to providing personal mobility for people around the world.

Infosys: To make a difference to the way people live.

ITC Limited: To enhance the wealth generating capability of the enterprise in a globalizing environment, delivering superior and sustainable stakeholder value.

Mahindra and Mahindra: We don't have a group-wide mission statement. Our core purpose is what makes all of us get up and come to work in the morning.

ADIDAS : All Day I Dream About Sports

Unique Elements:

Siemens - Where Technology touches lives
Dupont: Better Things for Better Living though Chemistry
Hyundai: Building a better world through innovative technology
Nokia: Connecting People
Xerox: The Document Company
IBM: Solutions for a small planet
Philips: Let's make things better
BPL: Believe in the Best
FORD: Built for the road ahead.
EXXON MOBIL: Taking on the world's toughest energy challenges
CHEVRON: Finding newer, cleaner ways to power the world
AT & T : Your world delivered. Connecting you to your world, everywhere you live and work
Marriott International: "REVIVE"
AVON Products: Ding-Dong, AVON Calling
FEDEX: Relax, It's FedEx
Walt Disney: I am going to Disney World
3M : 'Innovation'
NIKE: If you have a body, you are an athlete
ABBOT Labouratories: A Promise for Life
BOEING: For-ever new Frontiers

1857- Revisited A timeless journey: Myth and Reality

Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi rose as an epic figure out of the national insurrection. She was only 22 years old in martyrdom and death on the battlefield which added to her popular image of herosim, reistance, boldness and insurgency. There is a telling song in folklore on how she raised her revolutionary army from the common people and made soldiers out of them

'From clay and stones
She moulded her army
From mere wood
She made swords
And the mountain she transformed
into a steed
Thus she marched to Gwalior!


The genius of Rani in countering the mass terror of the British is also depicted in folk poetry.

'Fell the trees
Commanded the Rani of Jhansi
Lest the Firanghis hang
our soldiers on them
So that the coward British
may not be able to shout
"Hang! Hand them in the trees!"
so that, in the hot sun
they may have no shade!'


Rani's leadership and level of self-confidence is reflected in this folk song:


'Amidst tears from his eyes 
Proud Hugh Rose spoke
I beg you for one pot of water
To quench my thirst
with the first potful 
and ask for more'
Replied Rani:
'To get that coveted pot
Hand over the guns,
and ammunition
and also your sword'


Mirza Ghalib on the loss of lives in the 1857 Mutiny:

"Sab kahan kuchh lala-o-gul mein numayaan ho gaye"
Some have turned into tulips and roses, where are the rest?


"Khaak mein kya sooratein hongi ke pinhaan ho gayein"
What beauteous shapes lie concealed beneath the shroud of dust!


"Yaad thi humko bhi ranga rang bazm aaraeaan"
I too revelled  in colourful sessions in days of yore,


"Lekin ab naqsh-o-nigaar-e-taaq-e-nisiaan ho gayein"
But now they only serve to deck the oblivion's gloomy chest. 


The spirit of the masses to sacrifice willingly their lives for the cause is amazing. Here the menfolk are being exhorted to go and bravely fight the British and be ready to have their heads smashed or sacrifice their lives. The womenfolk were ready to wipe their sindoor, symbolizing widowhood, but not willing their men to refuse to pick up the gauntlet. "The object of the mutineers were to wipe out all traces of Europeans, and of everything connected with foreign rule.

ba jan ganwai ke nevta
Churl forwai ke nevta
Sindoor pochwai ke nevta
Jai ho hamar te math del
Jai ho hamar te sath del

The Power of Managing Time by J D Tripathi

There has been a lot written about Time Management. But, when I read the reviews of Javed Akhter and Shobhaa De on this book, I knew this has to be special. I started reading and I could not put the book down. The treatise is succint and clear.

The Beginning: Voltaire's question: "What of all things in the world, is the longest and shortest, the swiftest and slowest, the most divisible and most extended, the most neglected and most regretted, without which nothing can be done, which devours all that is little, and enlivens All that is Great?" The answer is TIME


He has formulated a Time spectrum which focuses on Reducing -Unnecessary/ non-productive work/ Procrastination, Interference interruptions and Utilization of Thinking Time for planning/ meditation, productive work, recreation to recoup oneself. Idle time, waiting time and travel time needs to be managed with as much positive approach to make your day worthwhile.

The only reason for time is so, that everything doesn't happen at once". - Albert Einstein


"Of calculators, I am Time, the imperishable, world-destroying, grown mature, engaged here in subduing the world". - Dr. S Radhakrishnan quoting the Bhagawad Gita.


You cannot kill time without injuring eternity - Thoreau

Conclusion:
Story of Time: Somewhere in the far East, there lived a King who wanted to gift the most precious thing to his subjects. In one of this trips, he came across a Sundial which he brought home and installed it at the City Centre.


His subjects started to differentiate the parts of the day, they became time-conscious, produced more and prospered. 


Eventually, the King died. The subjects wanted to pay tribute to the King and so they built a temple around the sundial andornated it with gold and jewels. It was a fitting tribute to the King who brought the Sundial.


The rays no longer reached the sundial: the shadow that was the source of prosperity was not longer in time/ they lost their orientation. The kingdom collapsed. (Source: I J T D, ISTD, New Delhi)


Now, give it a thought!!

Philosophy - Do you Believe in GOD?

When I thought the best part of Understanding Philosophy was when the question paper carried a single question : WHY? The perfect answer to the question was: WHY NOT? and the student got full 100 marks 

Now, read on....

When Emma Darwin wrote to Darwin in her letters,  "while you are acting conscientiously & sincerely wishing, & trying to learn the truth, you cannot be wrong," but please dont base all your opinions to the "habit in scientific pursuits of believing nothing till it is proved", in matters of love and faith. On it her husband had added a short note of his own: ‘When I am dead, know that many times, I have kissed and cryed over this.’ A professor of Philosophy speaks to his class on the problem Science has with God - The Almighty.... He asks one of his new students to stand and..... Prof: ‘So you believe in God?’ Student: ‘Absolutely, sir. ‘ Prof: Is God good? Student: Sure. Prof: Is God all-powerful? Student: Yes. Prof: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't. How is this God good then? Hmm? (Student is silent.) Prof: You can't answer, can you? Let's start again, young fella. Is God good? Student: Yes. Prof: Is Satan good? Student: No. Prof: Where does Satan come from? Student: From...God... Prof: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world? Student: Yes. Prof: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything. Correct? Student: Yes. Prof: So who created evil? (Student does not answer.) Prof: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don't they? Student: Yes, sir. Prof: So, who created them?  (Student has no answer.) Prof: Science says you have 5 senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son...Have you ever seen God? Student: No, sir. Prof: Tell us if you have ever heard your God? Student: No, sir. Prof: Have you ever felt your God, tasted your God, smelt your God? Have you ever had any sensory perception of God for that matter? Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't. Prof: Yet you still believe in Him? Student: Yes. Prof: According to empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your GOD doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son? Student: Nothing. I only have my faith. Prof: Yes. Faith. And that is the problem science has. Student: Professor, is there such a thing as heat? Prof: Yes. Student: And is there such a thing as cold? Prof: Yes. Student: No sir. There isn't. (The lecture theatre becomes very quiet with this turn of events.) Student: Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don't have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it . (There is pin-drop silence in the lecture theatre.) Student: What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness? Prof: Yes. What is night if there isn't darkness? Student: You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light....But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? In reality, darkness isn't. If it were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you? Prof: So what is the point you are making, young man? Student: Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed. Prof: Flawed? Can you explain how? Student: Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one.To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor.Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey? Prof: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do. Student: Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir? (The Professor shakes his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument is going.) Student: Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor, are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher? (The class is in uproar.) Student: Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor's brain? (The class breaks out into laughter.) Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established rules of empirical, stable, demonstrable protocol, science says that you have no brain,sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir? (The room is silent. The professor stares at the student, his face unfathomable.) Prof: I guess you'll have to take them on faith, son. Student: That is it sir... The link between man & god is FAITH . That is all that keeps things moving & alive. .... this is a true story, and the student was none other than......... APJ Abdul Kalam , the former President of India

MACROECONOMICS by Suman Kalyan Chakraborty

Here's an honest effort with a lot of research that has gone into the making of this book and my kudos to the author. I provide the excerpt on the treatment of 'National Income, Capital Formation, Government Expenditure, Tax & Transfer Multiplier' which will entice you further on the remark made above.

National income is total amount paid to factors of production. In other words, it is net national product minus indirect taxes.
J R Hicks thinks national income as a collection of goods and services reduced to a common basis measures in terms of money.
GDP is money value of all goods and services produced in domestic territory of a country in a year's time and GNP is money value of national producton for any specific period of time.
NNP at factor cost is volume of goods and services turned out during an accounting year. N.I at factor cost is total of entire incomes earned by owner of factors of production.
Hence, National Income at factor cost = N.N.P - Indirect Taxes + subsidies
Product method issued to finding out market value of all goods and services manufactured during a year.
Income method refers to gross national income obtained by addition of wages, profit, etc. and also income earned by governmnet either from property or through work.
In case of expenditure method expenditure of consumption and investment on finished products by community are considered.
Problems in estimation of National Income may be conceptual (lack of notion), statistical (lack of statistics), practical (ignorance).
National Income Statistics are useful for policy makers for planning purpose.

Ecnomic welfare is that part of social welfare that can be brought directly or indirectly in relation with the measuring rod of money.
Development of a country is a collective effort because of existance of selfish opportunism and power takes.
In case economic development of entire masses is our objective the greater effort is to be emphasized on material development so that it strengthen major determinant of economic progress.
Due to slow growth rate of manufacturing sector, growth rate fo commodity sector is much low as compared to non-commodity sector.
Agriculture is parking lot for poor and share whatever they may grow there. Thus, growth rate of agricultural sector smaller than non-agricultural sector.
Agriculture is the amin support of our economy. About 60 percent of our polulation deriving their sustenance from it.
Declining share of rural population out of total population to some extent responsible for reverse trend in ratio of rural-urban incomes.
Unorganised sector claims to contribute two-third of NDP as it is found not only in unincorporated but also individually owned and operated except public administration and defence.

We should centralise our attention so that rising proportion of employee compensation can be restricted to some extent to avoid adverse effect of inflation and in instignation of cost-push factors to accelerate inflation.
Equitable distribution of national income is indispensable for all round development of an economy. Otherwise fruits of growth will be distributed among few privileged class only.
Unequal distribution of land is only a partial although fundamental index of inequality. Apart from that aset holding and command over other economic resources also leave their impact in spreading inequlity in an economy.
Policies of Government behind redistribution of income is to attain balanced growth, improvemen t of nutirtional levels among poor masses as well as stimulating productive investment.
Estimation of capital formation can be estimated by way of deducting net exports and consumption from domestic product.In analysing trends of saving - it is studied as how dometic saving become enough to finance developmental needs of the economy.
According to our Planning Commission our rate of saving is comparable to rate in middle income and even some high income as in industrialised countries.

Financial Management by P V Kulkarni & B G Sathyaprasad

B G Sathyaprasad was my mentor and professor and he has this flair for deliverence. His lectures were a treat in the sense, he would meticulously present the concepts which came so easily to him and he would transform the blackboard into the free flow of ideologies/facts from the 'Financial world'. As David Francis observes:  "Overnight, Finance changed from a primarily descriptive study to one that encompassed rigorous analysis and normative theory; finance today is best characterised as ever-changing with new ideas and techniques". This applies to the whole book.

His book is a thoroughly good read with a lot of illustrations and the treatise is very refreshing.

For e.g. 'Responsibility Centres'
This is a relatively 'new concept' well dealt in this book. It  says 'Reports prepared by managers pertaining to only those costs or revenues over which he/she is expected to have control' in small groups and applied to the whole enterprise. In a responsibility centre, costs are charged to the person who has the authority over the acquisition as well as the use of service. Hence, it is a 'personalised concept' and are of three types viz., cost centre (which measures the ability to control cost, tracing procedures used for product costing cutting each activity as a cost centre), profit centre (controlling the bulk of income and the bulk of expenditure on an operation taking into account both inputs and outputs)  and investment centre (on the basis of returns on the capital employed)

CEO Speak

Angela F. Braly, CEO, WellPoint
A government-run health plan would not address the underlying issues of cost and quality.

Michael S. Dell
We're concerned that one word that seems to be missing from a lot of discussions is "competitiveness". It's a word that should be used more often

Robert Griefield, CEO, Nasdaq
Withing the leadership of the Business Community, there is a concern. The attitude is not so much wait-and-see but wary. They are wary with respect to the tax policy and obviously are also concerned with the burden of helath-care costs.

Jeffrey B. Kindler, CEO, Pfizer
We have to accept the reality that the vast majority of the people in this country(USA) get their insurance from employers and if we create a system that provides an incentive for employers to not provide their employees with insurance, then under certain scenarios huge numbers of people under public option would move out of the employer system into the public system. That would not be a good outcome because it would impose a tremendous burden on the taxpayers.

W. James McNeny Jr. CEO, Boeing
A level playing field for American companies and workers in international markets is more important than ever.

Duncan L. Niedarauer CEO NYSE Euronext
On tax policy: The US-headquartered companies are forced to cut jobs to reduce costs to make up for the increased tax burden. It would encourage a lot of American Companies to be incorporated elsewhere and potentially moving jobs out of USA  and moving headquarters and operations abroad.

Ratan Tata, TATA
We do a lot of homework to make sure the acquired company fits into our culture and value system. If we find that a company follows practices that we are not in agreement with, we would not go into it.

Richard  Branson, Virgin Atlantic
My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.... from the perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it.

'SEX' debacles in A D V E R T I S I N G - A critique by Chunawalla

'In International affairs, it isn't always the virgin who gets deflowered' This ad appeared in the magazine 'New Yorker'.
It is too difficult to associate the economic affairs with the loss of virginity. The typography is white against the bold red background. It is highly suggestive. Perhaps the ad intended the treading of the familiar and unfamiliar territory. Perhaps it blended the sexual and financial fantasies. But it is not in the best taste.

Sex is a great help in attracting attention in the midst of the advertising clutter. It also helps in holding interest for recall value. e.g. Calvin Klein uses it to promote undewear but promotes cologne showing fully clothed people. Over-use of sex diminishes its attention arresting value as in the following e.g.

MR Coffee commercial (Malaika Arora-Khan) on TV: The Storyline:

We see a young upwardly mobile lawyer entering the house
We see a woman in shirt perched on a stool.
There is a cut to lid of coffee
The woman gets unbalanced to lock her legs around the man's hips.
They twirl around; and move to bed'
There are shots of gas burner, coffee beans and the rest as cutouts.
The action accentuates. The woman pulls off the men's specs, loosens his tie and begins to pull off his shirt
A few steamy shots as the coffee brews. They do too.
They enjoy a cup of coffee post-coital
The VO: Real pleasure can't come in an instant. MR Filter Coffee.
Longer to brew, but unforgettable.

Alayque Padamsee called this the tastiest campaign in bad taste. Perhaps the brand has not assessed the impact of outraging the prudish the middle-class modesty. Going too far by being extra-libeal in the present cultural milieu of India is as bad as being too much dictated and controlled, crippling creativity in the process. We have to choose our checks-and-balances judiciously.

Understanding Language as Communication (Intercultural Context) by Trilochan Pande

Have you ever wondered on all the immigrants from India who have made homes far from home in the Mauritius, Trinidad and Tobago long ago and made 'Unaccustomed Earth' their motherland but, still, carry the roots from India and our cultural heritage gets metamorphosed into the cultures of the land they have adopted.

This book is a very interesting analogy of the 'Indian Professor' deputed to living 3 years in Trinidad to teach the Hindi language to the locals. There are a lot of new musings like 'lyming' means idle chit-chat; The pappy show means 'making fun of'; honky - unskilled labour (whites); Pecker-lazy, ignorant & rustic person (whites).

There is a lot of character and message spread wider being the vox populi, like the following quotes immortalised by the poets with an ironical tones used against the British empire. "London Bridges falling down" which is popular even today.

The sysem won't change, Unless we the people change.
Between the Black and White man, we want freedom
My people's demand, I quote - Is simply, one man, one vote
Yuh foolin yuhself, and yuh think yuh foolin me
Girl - yuh face hard like a steel band pan. - (To the British girl)
Black man don't get nothing easy
In the West Indies, Cricket is played according to colour
Ah - want me grand father's back pay
Yankees gone, and the Sparrow takes over now
I like bananas, because they have no bones
You ill never find a lover like me
Honey, I m bound to go

They quoted projecting the personality of the singer or the poet as an impetus to performance:

'What I've done for all mankind, Must be remembered, as I'm getting Blind - Lord Executor (whatever he had done was not for personal benefit)

Never mind whatever measures are employed. Kaiso is art, and cannot be destroyed - Attila the Hun (any art form has to face severe opposition anywhere)

But if it is blood, sweat and misery, We going to fight, till we get our Liberty - King Radio (the Nation's spirit speaking in such a way that cannot be suppressed)

Between Capitalists, Union and Government, You can't tell, who guilty or who innocent - Mighty Unknown (there is a sense of reality and no one is to be blamed fully in a situation)

It is an editorial in a song, of the live we undergo, That and only that I know, is true Calypso - Iron Duke       (The definition of 'Calypso' the most appropriate in two simple words "editorial" and "song")

Wearing Dashiki all that may be fine. But changing yuh clothes, doesn't change yuh mind - Black Stalin (the superiority of the mind has been asserted which is in line with their tradition)

Come! experience the music as language is being used both as an action and as a motion moving effortlessly from verbal into the non verbal channel and skillfully presented in the "medium" of Intercultural Exchange.....

Basic Electronics by D C Tayal

I started reading this book and was reminiscing my college days when we had a great time at 'Electronics' Lectures which were fun. I recollect this very quote that had to be memorized for remembering the color codes of Resistors and Capacitors.

Bill Brown Realized Only Yesterday Good Boys Value Good Work (capital letters stand for colors: Black 0 Brown 1 Red 2 Orange 3 Yellow 4 Green 5 Blue 6 Violet 7 Grey 8 and White 9)

Some Definitions for the layman:
Microphone - A microphone is an electro-acoustic transducer. It converts acoustic energy (sound vibrations) into electrical energy (audio frequency electrical vibrations)
Radio Transmitter - produces radio frequency energy that is controlled by the intelligence to be transmitted.
Transmission Lines- is a device to transmit high frequency electromagnetic energy from a given source(generator) to the load(antenna)
Antenna is a device composed of a system of one or more linear conductors, the dimensions of which vary from a fraction to several wavelengths. The higher the frequency, the shorter is the required length of the antenna conductor
Multimeter - is an electronic instrument to measure voltages (ac and dc), currents (ac and dc) and resistances.
Television - is the art of transmission and reproduction of moving figures at a distance. The light intensities from the illuminated object are converted into the electrical fluctuations. These vibrations are called video signals after amplitude modulation are transmitted by the antenna. At the receiver, the signal after demodulation is applied to a device which reproduces the transmitted picture. The first part is known as iconoscope and the latter kinescope.
RADAR - is the abbreviation for Radio Detection and Ranging It is not a single instrument but includes various techniques. A short burst or pulse of electromagnetic radiation is transmitted from a highly directional antenna, when this transmitted radiation hits a distant target, a part of the radiation is reflected back and an echo pulse is picked by a receiver. The time interval  between transmitted and echo pulses provides an accurate measure of the target distance. The function of the radar system is very precise, rapid and unaffected by darkness, clouds, fog, etc.
Electron Microscope - is a device to magnify minute objects similar to optical microscopes. A beam of electrons is employed instead if light rays because, i) Electrons have a wave nature, similar to light rays but of much shorter wavelength and ii) Electrons can be focused by electric and magnetic fields, very like rays which are focussed by glass lenses. The resolving power of the electron microscope can be greatly increased without decreasing perceptibility.
LASER - 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation' - Applications:
1. A controlled laser beam is used in medical surgery e.g., photo-coagulator (treatment of detached retinas), dentistry (treatment of teeth), controlled dosages, destroying cancerous cells, tumours and skin scars)
2. The laser is used in Industry. e.g., in machining, welding and cutting operations
3. The laser beam is used in chemical applications, e.g., to hasten or initiate chemical reactions.
4. The laser beam has been widely used in communications between earth and satellites on account of narrow bandwidth, high intensity and high frequency
5. The laser beam is being developed in military to serve as a war weapon and as blind vision detectors for directing planes and missiles.
6. The monochromaticity of a laser is important in spectroscopy and photography
7. Laser Raman Spectroscopy has grown rapidly as some special effects such as resonance Raman effect, stimulated Raman effect, inverse Raman effect, hyper Raman scattering can be studied with the help of laser beams only.
8. Laser beams are used in holography, the three dimensional photographic process.

International Business by P Subba Rao

P Subba Rao is a mentor and his aptitude for knowledge is outstanding and it is this quest for gaining competence clearly seen in his works. During the first edition of this book, I had the special privilege and opportunity to work closely with him and it was then, that we started accumulating facts and events from various sources which was thoroughly researched and incorporated. Today, all I see is only "PASSION" for excellence.

There is a meticulous approach to depiction of concepts as put in the famous quote by Benajmin Mays at the start of the chapter 'Tradeblocks and Business Centres'  which says,
'Nobody is wise enough, nobody is good enough and nobody cares enough for you to turn over to them your future and your destiny'

Let me quote the success story of JAPAN from the book:

Japan rose from the ashes of the World War II to become the second largest economy of the world. Ministry of International Trade and Investment (MITI) maintained close links with Japanese corporate sector and directed its strategies. This factor helped for attaining rapid growth of Japan during the last fifty years. MITI encouraged the Japanese Industry to concentrate on the basic industries like steel and shipbuilding immediately after World War II. Later, MITI and Japanese industry shifted their concentration to automobiles, consumer electronics and machinery.

Japan's concentrated Industrial structure helped MITI. Large families of interrelated companies, called "KEIRETSU" control the Japanese Industry. This Industry is centred around a major Japanese bank which meets financial needs of this Industry.

Consumer Behaviour in Indian perspective by Suja R. Nair

Suja R. Nair, Consultant - Educe Micro Research Bengaluru has been a force to reckon with, whose foresight and analysis is clearly depicted in her book with a wide range of spectrum dealing on each aspect of consumer relations and behavioral concepts which has made it a classic.

I recall my brief meeting with her a little over a decade ago, when she said that, she advised the entrepreneur who had come up with the idea of setting sachets for the local shikakai powder which the Indian consumer at large is used to applying for haircare, before the advent of shampoos  that overpowered the market. She simply refuted the idea and said, it wont work. Always, original ideas work and if we try to imitate and follow an already existing phenomenon, it would be futile. So, the much ambitious project, 'Raaga' which was launched subsequently failed miserably.

Cut back to the current book, which is extensively researched from a very Indian Perspective and it gives a very refreshing feel as I quote this excerpt from the book on the 'Nescafe 3-in-1 ad'

'The advertisement on Nescafe 3-in-1 is based on a brilliant consumer and category truth. Coffee is said to be a mood uplifting magic brew which restores our equilibrium, sets our world right, puts us back in step with life around us. And its power is most noticed in its absence. in the ad we get to see people (young IT/ ITES/ BPO  professionals) with real life depictions (shared digs, housekeeping helplessness in the absence of family support) all suitable for the product which indicates a convenience cuppa for the bachelor pad. In fact, the ad even has a vanished PYT (pretty young thing) neighbour reappearing and flashing a smile at the protagonist.'
Products such as Nescafe or Barista can be said to be brands, which have a truly intimate relationship with the consumer. Such brands appeal to the inner self of the individual and inspire them to live their life with joy

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

A Newbie's Guide to Publishing

E V O L U T I O N

Not so long ago, when Charles Darwin tried to infuse some sense to the Human Race to use the reasoning of the mind through his dedicated lifetime of experiments going on to show us the Origin of Species, he had to take on the wrath of the then society which called him unchristian that, he is trying to mislead the general public away from God. Now, that the 'Theory of Evolution' has been granted sanction and we accept the mystical myriad processes that led a single celled organism to progressively evolve into the present day mammals, there has always been one constant throughout, which is characterized by CHANGE. The world as we know today was very much unlike today a long time ago and will never be the same as we see it today.

Now, cut back to today's economic world and what do we get to see. It is the same story. The whole process is guided by 'The Natural Theory of Selection'. We thrive on chaos. Wherever you see, there is madness. But, there is a method to it. We adapt and we reasonably alter our ways of life to the newer challenges of tomorrow.

What happens when there is a irrepressible drive that sets an impulse to distort the giant mechanism in the hope of speeding up things? There runs a parallel stream that strives on its own, seemingly detached from the mainstream with focus on New Target yet stuck with older paradigms which will not let go. It is like being given the task of assimilating a Jigsaw Puzzle without knowing what the BIG PICTURE will turn out to be. It is the curiosity that will take us there.

As Ayn Rand says, 'From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man - the function of his reasoning mind'.

So, keep exercising those Grey cells and let there be e v o l u t i o n.

Again, cut back to 'Origin of Species' What matters most is the struggle for 'SURVIVAL' and it is more important than anything else,....... be it Love, Faith, Religion, Integrity, Honor, Power, Politics, Culture, .....Anything....

To SURVIVE, that is all there is, that has always been, and will forever keep us moving. Else, there is the morbid tragedy of EXTINCTION.

'SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST' is the only rule for the modern Economy. It's the Jungle out there. The climate is going to change. There are challenges aplenty. Only the STRONG  will survive. There is no mercy for weaklings from NATURE. So, be prepared. ADAPT!! ........  S U R V I V E!!

Law & Literature

Shakuntala indru Bharvani, a fullbright scholar from the City of New York University and Head, Department of English, Government Law College, Churchgate, Mumbai, INDIA through extensive research has made references on the intertwined features of Law with Literature from Plato to Gandhi, Shakespeare to George Eliot, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conal Doyle, Mark Twain, John Galsworthy, E M Forster, Lord Macaulay on 'Warren Hastings', N A Palkhiwala,..... with excerpts and critical notes making it a treatise on CRIME & LAW

See the opening phrase: "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers" - Shakespeare King Henry VI, part 2 act IV, Scene 2

Crime has provided criminal lawyers, policemen, detectives, journalists and WRITERS with wholesome work and a full-time profession. In a country where there are so many scams and so much unemployment, can we ignore an area that keeps such a large workforce gainfully employed? she asks in her Introduction.

Suicide, Murder, Execution, Interpretation of Wills & other Unilateral Documents, Emergency, Apology(greek word 'apologia' means an explanation or a defence), circumstantial evidence, Justice, sorrow, have all been dissected and analysed with reference to the Literary excerpt dealt upon which is intellectually stimulating and educative.

I took a liking to the particular excerpt of 'Bernard Shaw's - St. Joan' Joan's trial lasted from Feb 21st until May 23rd 1431. She was finally burnt at the stake in the market square at Rouen  on May 30th

25 years later, the trial was re-opened by her family members. The earlier judgement was overturned and declared null and void. In 1920, the Church of Rome officially declared Joan to be a saint.

This is the story of a young and a courageous girl, who though she was alone and defenceless, had the courage to hold on to her convictions and beliefs to the very end.

A sincere effort by a University teacher portraying the essence of 'Law and Literature' giving you a treatise on 'Wisdom' versus 'Cunning' as in the example of odysseus and Sisiphus in Plato's Apology.

Sabrina Bryan as Sandy in "If It Ain't Broke, Break It"

IF IT AIN'T BROKE BREAK IT Trailer Cast : Sabrina Bryan,Steve Guttenberg...

Vue 7 Video Presentation

'Business Quotations' by Kishore C. Padhy & Madhuchhanda

No great man ever complains of want of opportunity - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Opinion is ultimately determined by feelings and not by intellect - Herbert Spencer
Love is the noblest frailty of mind - John Dryden
The world's great men have not commonly been great scholars, nor great scholars great men - Oliver Wendell Holmes
Experience is not what happens to a man but what man does with what happens to him - Aldous Huxley
The first step to solving a problem is to begin - Anon
All human activity is prompted by Desire - Bertrand Russell
In this world, everything perishes and will perish but ideas, ideals and dreams do not - Subash Bose
Criticism is as often a 'trade as a science'; requiring more 'health than wit', 'more labour than capacity', 'more practice than genius'. - Jeande deLa Bruyere

There is a treasure trove of timeless wisdom in those words above. Look at this quote from Annie Besant:

"India lived before their (Christianity and Islam) coming; India could live after their passing. But let HINDUISM go - 'Hinduism that was India's cradle; and in Hinduism would be India's grave".

Celestial Flame and Terrestrial Fire

Descartes turns to fire and he knows only two sources: the stars in the heaven and the terrestrial fire on earth below. Since the stars are out of reach, he suggests, we look at the fire below, say, at a piece of burning wood.  If you are expecting him to carry out a rigorously experimental and quantitative analysis of the modes of combustion, he is drawing us to what lies below the threshold of vision inferring Nature. When the wood burns, he says;

we see at a glance, that it moves small particles of this wood... Someone else, if he pleases, may imagine in this wood the form of fire, the quality of heat, and the action that burns it as different things. As for me, who am afraid of deceiving myself if I suppose anything more to be there than what I see must necessarily be present, I am content with conceiving the movement of its parts.

In other words, motion is not only a necessary, but a necessary and sufficient condition for fire.

But if motion is all that is required to make a body fluid and to cause the sensation of fire, why aren't we scorched by the breeze ? To this, Descartes replies:


We must consider not only the speed but the size of the moving parts. The smaller ones produce the more fluid bodies, but the larger ones have more power to burn and, generally speaking, to act upon other bodies.

Until Lavoiser at the end of 18th century said - fire was a genuine physical substance like water or air. Where we see a process of oxidation, namely the combination of oxygen with another substance, and the concomitant release of light and heat, they saw a manifestation of properties of fire.

Want to learn more?.... Read 'Science in the West and India' - Some Historical Aspects' by B V Subbarayappa (Indian Institute of World Culture, Bangalore) and N Mukunda (IISc, Bangalore)

Marketing

'There will always one can assume be need for some selling. But the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself. Ideally, marketing should result in a customer who is ready to buy. All that needed then is to make the product or service available' - Peter F. Drucker

'Marketing is a social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering and freely exchanging products and services of value with others' - Philip Kotler

Marketing is a system of integrated business activities designed to develop strategies and plans (marketing mixes) to the satisfaction of customer wants of selected market segments or targets - S A Sherlekar

'Foundations of Managerial Work' Contributions from Indian Thought by S K Chakraborty

Here's an excerpt from the diary of a second year PG student of IIM-Kolkata who completed the term on Managerial Effectiveness based on this book.

Day 1
As I evaluate my past experience I have discovered that the main reason for lack of SENSE OF PURPOSE, COMPOSURE is that I have allowed my mind to wander freely, and have finally been totally capsized by the mind and got confused. MINDFUL BREATHING is giving me some ray of hope

Day2
Two sessions of mindful breathing in the class.
First systematic pranayama practice after many years. Previously, I had tried the same but very irregularly by consulting books on Yoga.
Difficulties faced:
1. in maintaining uniform rate of inhaling
2. in maintaining slower rate of exhaling
3. tended to gasp after 5-6 cycles.

....
.....
Day 10
Before taking up this course I did not know a proper method for controlling the mind and its activities. Now, through the process of concentration and breathing, I can overcome the restlessness of the mind. The employment interview season is coming near. I intend to use this as an aid during the placement to overcome frustration, fear and haste.

....
......
Day 21
Today I have an outlook on Indian psycho-philosophy. We are taught to respect elders from childhood and we touch their feet in obeisance and get blessings. We stand up while an elderly or a teacher is in front of us to show respect. In temples all over India while taking a round of the sanctum-sanctorum we have to bend our head and back as we are taught to approach the Deity or the Supreme, the Divine with humility.
If perchance in a bus, in the home, or in the office, someone's feet touches the other person, the former is expected to seek pardon for that by the gesture of a namaskar i.e, raising the joined palms to one's forehead...
small examples like these are a legion. Are we really empathic to the very social norms and many more innocuous yet organic rites and symbols of a living civilization? Even fifty years ago, India has produced human material of much better all-round qualities than found today.

Revisit the Indian ethos, the work-culture, the sociological perspective, trans-empirical psychology, the will-of yoga & meditation, leadership traits, Creativity: Brain storming or Brain stilling?
Attitude changes: Indian dilemma and Perspectives explored with classical approach quoting from the Indian Mythology yet very relevant emphasis laid on modern work-culture with MBO,Vintage Insights, Change Agents, Social vs Physical Scientists, Guna Dynamics and Transactional analysis, and so on .....

Let's rediscover the strength of our roots, our Motherland, the magnificent India: Her values.....
INDIA: MY HEART BELONGS TO YOU.....

'How Innovators CONNECT' by Rohit Agarwal with Patricia Brown

Drawing from a string of Interviews conducted with the Key personnel viz., Eric Billingsley (eBay)_, Marc Benioff (Salesforce.com), Stuart Evans (Cambridge University), Mark Hanny (IBM), Brad Horowitz (Yahoo), Subhash Iyer (Webex), Kiran Karnick (NASSCOM), Guy Kawasaki (Apple), Ram Mynampati (Satyam), Mark Lewis (EMC), Vishal Sikka (SAP), Ram Shriram (Google), and many more, 'How Innovators Connect' is an attempt to showcase Innovation through the experiences of about 40 successful Innovators in Silicon Valley and India. The result of the various conversations provides you insights on Connecting with:
 Self; an Idea; the Environment; the timing; the team; Partners; Money; Customers; Humility; Failure; Spirituality; in the respective chapters
Also, includes the biographies of all the Innovators mentioned. It is an invaluable resource for any aspiring entrepreneur who wants to gain from the enriching real-time experiences of the successful Innovators of the contemporary world. Come! join the roller-coaster ride.....

The Illegitimate Tree and other Poems by Sharada Sunder

What is every woman's ultimate dream? asks Shobhaa De in the Foreword of this book. And replies, that she needs to get happily married and have two wonderful kids.
In this anthology Sharada Sunder writes effortlessly on the various shades of love, pain, funny side, divinity and touch of life that we begin to feel that today's woman has
truly spread her wings and found her sky, a liberated soul when she says,
The blue above, deep & bright
Makes me happy and light
For sacred second I am one
With the earth, sea & sky
or when she says, Stop those Tears;
A tear uncontrollably drops
Perturbing my reflection
Some long moments later
The calm descends
On me and the water
There is a free flow of such moments throughout that you may treasure forever.

Guns & a Butterfly by Kaushik Sircar

They are called 'Black Cats', people in Uniform around the globe who are designated to protect their respective regions from the acts of 'Terror' and protect National Security. They are highly intelligent people on the block with extensive training to counter emergency situations. This is a story of such bravehearts operating in a hijack situation in pristine natural environment amidst the green foliage and the butterflies fluttering around scented flowers, until the voice of the cricket is silenced by the single bullet tearing across the woods. The author takes us to the world of real adventure drawing from his rich experience and sets your adrenaline pumping.

Giri Subramanian's 'Never Ending Success'

Welcome! This is a book on making dreams come true. Hold your passion. Put it down on paper.
A musician must create music. An artist should create a work of Art. A writer should write. Never stop.... painting your dreams bright. I take cue from the excerpt of this book on 'Fyodor Dostoevsky who being an overnight success after the publication of his first book, Poor Folk, does not shun his dreams even after he gets imprisoned for following the socialist and radical groups. He continues to write novels in his head until he finally is permitted to publish his works once again, he tortures himself page after page churning out book after book which became classics. I salute this unconquerable Human Spirit and will try to find expression in writing.... food for thought? anyone...