What one needs to become a.....

I have always believed in the power of effective communication. Even when bpo jobs seemed demeaning, I held true to that thought. Needless to say, after two years in GE, no one ever got away by belittling a call-centre job, before me. In the past year, the excellent course and faculty from MICA, also helped strengthen my belief.

So what do I mean by effective communication? Well, I have no dictionary definition or flowchart diagrams to show you. All I can say is this – The degree of effectiveness of communication is proportional to the degree of its honesty. Does that perhaps sound a tad mathematical to you? Ah, fiddlesticks!

I had a unique opportunity this summer to visit the ‘Sabarmati Ashram’ in Ahmedabad and photograph some letters. These were letters written to as well as by the Mahatma. Several letters were from other leaders of note. It was merely a curiosity experiment and not due to any personal affiliations. I have read speeches and talks of several other well-known leaders from time to time. My conclusion is this - The truly venerated leaders were not just those who were charismatic, but all who were completely and painfully honest. They seldom coloured the truth. Of course, when you were writing to ‘Hitler’ some degree of sanity was called for, I suppose.

There is also a new form of communication. I call it “The diplomatically honest speech” and happened to learn it the painful way – which is, by doing it. Obviously, because I did it, I now realize its necessity and of course it is sour grapes, but that’s beside the point! Jokes apart, the truth can sometimes harm more than help. The decision to present it is definitely always a judgment call. The degree of honesty in your speech is also dependant on your personal ambitions. Letters to your children are meant to have pearls of wisdom and oodles of truth and honesty. They are easy. Public speeches however, are a different ballgame.

How big a leader you can be, depends entirely on how much you can put everything personal, on the back-burner and focus on everything else that remains. You can be a Vajpayee or an Advani. The choice is entirely yours.

Spicing the variety quotient

In my blog you will find a lot of things. From videos with a message to commercials that I enjoy as well as email stories that touch some chord deep within me (like I was some tightly strung string instrument, which perhaps we all can sometimes identify with).

This blog is not just a collection of my thoughts but of others as well that have a resonance with mine. Sometimes others can express better what we feel and due credit should be given to them as well. I don’t write very often. Preferring instead, to read other’s thoughts. Quite often certain links direct my perceptions to a completely different world of thought. It is quite difficult sometimes to entertain certain notions without personal prejudices colouring them. But I try.

Recently I came across this article about an old lady and her lifetime accomplishments. It was a thoroughly touching one. It is immaterial for me, to have the facts verified. First, because of her recent demise. Second, because the story is about humanity. The holocaust was an extremely painful and macabre act of human viciousness. We do not need to be reminded of it by trying to dig up more skeletons. It shouldn’t have happened period. If the story below does not bring tears to yours eyes, then perhaps you are better equipped to deal with insanity than the rest of us. If it does, then welcome to the club where humanity still exists.

There is no shame in tears. Nor, is there any shame if your goals are delayed by a couple of years. If indeed, the Nobel went to Al Gore (who has many more years to live), instead of this lady then all I have to say is ‘peace to you.’

Irena Sendler

There recently was a death of a 98 year-old lady named Irena. During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the WarsawGhetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an 'ulterior motive' ... She KNEW what the Nazi's plans were for the Jews, (being German.) Irena smuggled infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried and she carried in the back of her truck a burlap sack, (for larger kids....) She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers of course wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.. During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids/infants. She was caught, and the Nazi's broke both her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and kept them in a glass jar, buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived it and reunited the family. Most had been gassed.. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

Last year Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize ... She was not selected.

Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.