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.

"Hope there is a library in heaven, life otherwise sounds extremely dull out there! Sleep eat & relax without much else to do. How boring :("

The power of Honesty and Open Communication

The shocking revelation by David letterman about his illicit affairs, on his very own show was more than just good PR. While not a great letterman fan, I do appreciate his communication skills and that slapstick variety of humour. I am impressed by the way in which he completely altered the news from an absolute scandal to a story about personal tragedy. What is impressive is that his rendition of the story in full media killed all the hype about it. David is a celebrity in his own right. The news about his affairs with his co-workers (if released otherwise) would have perhaps shocked a large audience.

While I attribute a great deal of credit to David's communication skills, there is perhaps one other question that needs to be answered. Is the public really coming of age? Have we finally accepted that humans are not infallible and all of our idols are human after all? Have we finally realized that there is no shame in failure? Several such related questions cross my mind as I am sure it does yours. I am hoping that the answers are an affirmative, for that would mean a more tolerant world. A world with a lot less people making value judgments than before.

Hanging on to that ray of hope.

From my english dictionary

Invincible = Vincible from within

Incapable = Capable from the inside

Insurmountable = _ _ _ _....

The HAM said, "In my next life, I would like to be on top of the ham-burger or be called a ham-in-the-burger."

Copywriting my Coloured Wisecracks, literally!

Some days I can barely string words into coherently thought ideas. Some days they overflow like a toothpaste tube under pressure. I like to delude myself by calling it a writers block. "But you are no writer!", the logical part of my brain tells me. I still go with the self delusion as there is no other explanation.

Some days my dry wit , saucy quips along with my self branded humour, makes even the most pickled veteran exclaim after me, "What a jolly good girl :)." And there are days, when for the life of me, I cannot recognize fun and wit :(. My conscious recognizes both. Such is the complexity of the human mind.

Have been pining away to glory about my loss of sense of humour lately. Citing it the sense-of-humour-ectomy stage. Today however, all of a sudden, my fingers twitched all over the keyboard to make jumbled noises that seemed funny (at least to me). Since my fixation with fb and twitter isn't over yet, I decided to transfer those thoughts here as well.

Oh and btw (by-the-way) if you just notice all the I(s) and me(s) there are above, you'll understand that I am seriously in a very 'I, me, myself', stage right now.

And here are some of those thoughts -

I understand tough English very well but fail to understand the point of it.

In the spirit of "World Peace"! ... and the dove flies away to oblivion

Righteous morality is death of the free spirit and true happiness.

Critics the world over (today), have dark souls - literally. From criminality, bloodshed, tears, poverty to pain, hunger and everything in between, is appreciated. But be sure to give them some fun, humour, laughter or light along with some anti-allergic(s) too.

Being 'Infamous' is infinitely better than being 'Posthumously Famous'

'Creative Inspirations' some times have diabolic timing! If only we could punch it in the face and say, 'SIT'.

I wish to travel around the world and visit every little place there is to see in a lot more than 80 days! Gotta start saving, so no more wasteful shopping! Tough!

I prefer to say 'Tough' more than 'Alas' as it conveys more feeling.

Infamous is glamorous! I however, simply don't fit the bill ...glamorous that is... ;)

Jerk Reaction

A don's greeting - Break a leg...or two :P

A self imposed hiatus

Facebook and twitter have quite literally robbed me of my desire to blog. The compulsion to express an idea in not more than 140 characters in twitter teaches you to think simple and keep it simple too. That however, does not take away the joy of blogging, where the free flow of unlimited thought still beckons a complex mind. I am for the moment a little tied up with personal deadlines and hope to get back soon. Until then, so long.

Hindsight = Depressingly Ineffective Acuity

Ok somethings do touch me too....

http://www.tacmovie.com/land.php

Originals galore

1. "I believe in tradition but I am not superstitious."


2. "Originality is the creative brainchild of informed convictions."


3. "Ask me not questions whose answers you dislike for I am duty bound to call a spade, a spade."


4. "Feel what you cannot see and you will see enough to believe."


5. "Funny how the non-believers ask to prove the existence of something whose non-existence they have not been able to prove."


6. "Why do we believe the existence of wind, heat, cold etc? Has anyone 'seen' these phenomena and not just 'felt' them? Yet, we are willing to call them wind, heat or cold....why.... coz "science" calls them so. Way to go non-believers....way to go."

Haven't been able to sort this through yet...

Aren't we all perpetual victims of our own nature? From genetics to God and everything in between, people find it easier to blame their actions or reactions on something other than their own nature.

For years we have tried to understand human nature and its various intricacies. We barely have some answers. Cures?......Perhaps! But the answers......No, I do not believe we have any.

Yoga, some say, helps change people. It does help control certain natural behaviour. By 'natural' I mean physiological, psychological, biological et all. We can control fear, anxiety, depression so on and so forth....but can we erase it? Really erase it?

Do old habits really 'DIE'?

I once read a story of a saint called 'Vishwamitra'. Of the four castes in the Hindu societal system, Vishwamitra was born into the second highest or the 'Kshatriya' caste. He determined to ascend to the highest caste of the 'Brahmins'. He performed penance in its most severe and austere form. The magnitude of his penance scared the Gods. They sent a celestial concubine 'Menaka' to test his determination. Menaka of course did not have to try very hard to charm 'Vishvamitra' over. But eventually, 'Vishvamitra', realised he had been tricked. He 'divorced' from 'Menaka' & then went on to surpass all of his previous efforts attaining 'brahman'. The Supreme Lord 'Vishnu', was impressed enough to grant him sainthood. However, 'Vishwamitra' never qualified to 'brahman'.

As a kid, I found the decision unfair and unjust. As human, I still do. I would hate to be cheated of my goal when I really work hard for it.

Recently, almost on a whim, I determined to read the Gita. I have explained earlier in some of my previous posts, my (strange to many) affiliation to Krishna. Gita is essentially a collection of his words. The actual meaning of the words were not explained by Krishna. He cited examples, yes. He left it for us to figure out the myriad meanings of his simple statements. One of the most famous and well known of these is - "Let your actions determine the result and not vice-versa."

All of a sudden, I understood why 'Vishwamitra' never qualified to be 'Brahman'. He wanted something and worked hard for it. 'Brahman' is that state of mind which is beyond the scope of materialistic attractions/weaknesses. It has to be in your nature. You do not have to work hard for it. This was the basic point that 'Vishwamitra' had perhaps missed.

Our nature is inherent. We are born with it. It is as tangible and unique at birth as it is, after we grow up. Our nature is as unique as we ourselves , hence, no two people in the world can have the exact same nature.

For example: It takes a lot to anger me and equally long to pacify. That's my nature. My sister heats up real fast (almost functioning on a push-button mechanism ;-)) and forgets all about it within minutes. She is never vindictive & I have to consciously curb my Scorpio nature. We have both had similar premises & faculties in life (minus the differences in age) yet we are dissimilar.
No matter how hard we try, we cannot exchange our natures or them leveled.

I am sure a lot has been missed in this analysis. I am definitely no expert and have no answers whatsoever, to my own questions. Yet, I dare to think.

No *Aman for Aman

*Aman = safety or peace in Hindi

As if the constant pressure of studies & peer pressure were not enough, students (some fledgling like) now have to deal with the ragging menace as well. While browsing through a couple of sites that covered the recent news of the death of Aman (a young medical student) due to ragging, I came across some interesting misconceptions.

The Human rights website claims that "Ragging" is a "Western Concept". I vehemently disagree.

If by Eastern you mean India, then please go back to the epic stories of Ramayan and Mahabharat. Didn't the Kauravs rag the Pandavs? Weren't Luv and Kush ragged in Valmiki's ashram? The Mongols were most definitely never a peace loving race either.

Ragging is an age old concept. It is not a brain child of the west but as old as human nature. I cannot lay blame where it is not due, nor unjustly absolve the guilty. There is no harm in accepting our failures.

As children or even grown-ups don't siblings rag each other? We choose to call it 'leg-pulling'. How altruistic!

So how does one define ragging? If I am a couch potato and some friends force me to go out with them, I call it ragging. If my brother pushes me around to get his work done, I call it ragging. If my seniors in college ask me to address them as 'Sir' or 'Mam', I call it ragging.

"Any activity done by and to an individual per force by others (known or unknown) that lacks their express will or wish is ragging."

There is nothing healthy about it. No ragging activity can ever be called friendly. Any one who does not agree, should be flogged in public. Lets see if they come back and say, 'Thank you FRIEND for flogging me. let's have lunch together tomorrow.'

As a senior, if I want to make friends with my juniors, nothing stops me from holding my hand out and saying a simple, 'Hi, My name is Maitreyee. What's yours?'
If my junior gives a friendly response....I have a new friend...If not...I do not want such a friend! Why can't youngsters understand this simple logic? How can they presume to understand another human being by scaring or bulling them. How can you possibly expect their friendship?

Ragging in under-graduate colleges is not a new concept. What is surprising, is the lack of action around it. The anti-ragging bill has been pending since forever. Why?

I keep close contacts will young students to understand their ideals and motivations. I love their uninterrupted, sometime under-developed but always refreshing take on life.

In the convent I went to, we never encountered ragging. I recall on our first day, some 20 odd seniors got into a class of 120 juniors, closed the doors and went around asking for introductions. It perhaps took them an hour to finish all the introductions. In the end, neither party remembered much yet, we were welcomed into our sorority and that was that.

We were the freshers. The seniors worked hard to arrange our 'Freshers Party'. We were screened, groomed, & assisted to handle the pressure of a 'Miss Fresher' contest. We got sneak previews of the hep dance numbers being performed. We watched out for the exciting theater performances planned by the arts group. We had fun helping them plan our fresher party.

WE NEVER DID NOR WERE EVER ASKED TO SHELL OUT A SINGLE PENNY FOR OUR OWN FRESHER PARTY!

The actual party a month later, was an absolute blast! If you haven't been to a 'Girls Convent' "Freshers Party", you have no idea what you have missed. I never knew girls could scream and whistle so loud. Never thought girl rogues were possible :-P Hell, I never realized, I could scream so loud myself!!! If you thought contest questions on TV are tough, check out the questions we were asked. The food was not 'five star', but who cared. We were figure conscious 18 somethings & dressed in our finery on top of that. Food was most definitely not a priority. Even so, the burgers, cakes, chips and soft drinks, tasted amazing. Its was a different life. I wish I could show kids these days, what they have missed.

We still did not know all the names of our seniors. But one thing we did know, was that we wouldn't hesitate to arrange a grand 'Farewell Party' for them. That was true comradeship...without expectations.

- Today I hear, the juniors are asked to provide seniors mobile recharge coupons.
- They are forced to share lunch.
- They are not allowed to carry mobile phones.
- Even the canteen is deemed out of limits for the juniors!!! So what does a junior do when a senior has finished their lunch?

Are we still dealing with kids here? How can a human being (barely an adult at that), live with such a conscience? And these are called harmless ragging activities.

If all kids go through the same torture in their first years, how does their conscience permit them to inflict the same on their successors? How do they expect to cultivate an individuality when they perpetually follow the crowd?

- What trust can I invest in an 18-19 year old boy, who asks his junior girls, questions like "Which of the guys here would you like to sleep with?", during a Miss Fresher contest?
- What character can I attribute an 18-19 year old girl who asks from a junior boy 'tricks to kiss a girl on the lips on a first date'!

Such immaturity, narrow-mindedness, desperation and frustration is shocking. Can we do something about it? Is there a solution? Do these kids have an answer? The teachers definitely have none.

I did hear some of my contemporaries in engineering colleges suffered such ragging. They have barely any fun recollections of their freshers day. I feel sorry for them.

There are always anti-social elements in colleges. They are however, always the minority. So what is the majority doing? How is it that the youth, that talks of failure of their elders, society, POLITICIANS etc, has not been able to uproot its own demonic tendencies? And they are the future. Are you sure you want to share that future?

Some facts about marriage

The credit goes to my little sister who was browsing through some old photos today. I found one of her simple childlike observations absolutely hilarious & decided to immediately pen it down.

The BEFORE & AFTER of marriage or The Marriage Progression

Marriage Progression for MEN - SOMEBODY to NOBODY
Marriage Progression for WOMEN - NOBODY to SOMEBODY


Have any doubts...check some of your own family photos :-)

Audacious Sour Grapes

There are some people I know who are brilliant quizzers. They are also the heartthrobs of many. I am a great admirer but have successfully been able to safeguard my heart from the throbbing syndrome. It is a very tough job but consciously undertaken. When I hear others drooling over them, I wish I could be that carefree. I am brave but not a masochist.

After a lot of thought, I realized that certain genetic disorders run in the paternal side of my family and affects the women only.

- The women are as egotistical (if not more) than the men in the family.
- They are as accomplished in their chosen field (if not more) than their counterparts (not necessarily male).
- They are far too practical for their own good.
- They are far less emotional than is normal for any woman to be.

With no sense of pride, I accept inheritance of all the above disorders. I am as scared of giving up my independence as if I were a male. I cannot trust easily and the prospect of sharing my life with someone seems scarier by the day. Hence, despite the fact that the men (I spoke of in the first sentence), come very close to my own definition of the 'perfect man', I cannot drool :( Such is the bane of my life.

Getting back to the topic now. A friend of mine called this weekend and asked me to attend a quiz show, where these prime male specimens would be present. I decided to play sour grapes in front of her than accept the lame truth.

The lame truth was - I had oiled my hair, had no plans of going out and therefore no means either of traveling to the venue which was quite a distance away :-( That's the truth and nothing but the truth and its sheer lameness is evidence.

Now comes the interesting part. I started thinking on my feet to give her some audacious excuse for not wanting to go, yet not accept my serious case of 'sour grapes'. Here is what I came up with.

I asked her, "What's the point of attending? There's nothing much for us to do."

And she said, "Well for starters, xxxxx is going to be there :-)."

I discounted that as a very 'silly girly' observation. So I said to her, "Listen don't waste your time on dreaming. Such people do not bother about our presence or the lack of it. I know your xxxxx is super cool and super nice and super everything....but he will also want someone as superior. However, if you want to go, feel free, but I am not coming to waste my energy."

So she says, "You are so mean. Aren't you my friend? If I do not go that xxxxx will make sure she gets all his attention. As it is I am not that great a quizzer. You know I have a bad memory."

My friend is a really sweet girl and she is crazy about this guy. I wish he would notice, but I know him to be otherwise engaged. I tried telling her that, but she is hopeful and has a lot of excuses for being so. As a friend, I keep my mouth shut but I shall not aid in breaking her heart over someone so clearly different from the likes of us. Of course if fate intervenes, I shall be the happiest for my friend.

So I tried a different line of reasoning, because the normal truth has never worked. Here is what I said, "Listen, don't sell yourself short. Who says you aren't good enough? Infact, you are smarter. These guys might come on TV, have a huge fan following and intelligent and blah blah...but what is the point?"

She says "Huh!? I am confused. What are you saying? Do you know xxxxx and xxxxx are every woman's dream come true?"

Of course I know that! Had I been normal, I might very well be in love with one of them myself, but it was not the time to accept it in front of her. Especially now that I had started on a new thought process!!!!

So again in the best imitation of a wise-man voice, I could manage, I said, "Do you know what is GK? It is just 'Good to Know' knowledge. Basically it is about remembering a lot of history and that is such a waste! Yeah maybe to an extent to have to be aware of things going on around you...but it is all so mundane and boring!!! Now, what is interesting is the future. That is what you and I work for. We are the ones who do interesting stuff. We build futuristic fraud protection infrastructure!!!"

All the while I am thinking to myself, "What crap!" My friend seems lost, and all I get from her is another "Huh!?"

So I try again. I say, "Listen. Imagine you and xxxxx were asked to work on a project. Both of you had your own Google search facility. Now if I asked you both a question, the only difference would be, that xxxxx might answer immediately and it would take you about 15 minutes to find it on Google. 15 minutes! Its no big deal! Why waste valuable time and grey cells over something like that??? Do you see what I mean?"

Somehow, my friend understood all of this audacious crap & liked it too.

"Tell you what," she says, "that is the best reasoning I have heard so far, to not invest time on GK. Its so cool! You are brilliant! Thanks for being my friend. I love you! I am not going either. If he asks me, I shall say what you just said."

I felt euphoric for saving a dear friend some grief. I know xxxxx or xxxxx will never ask any of us why we did not turn up. They couldn't care less. But I still wonder how she understood all that ridiculous nonsense, I came up with. I cannot disown having said all of the above but pray that those men in question never read this... :-(

Talks sans logic

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi died on 30 January 1948. India was independent. Gandhi was Bapu or 'Father of the Nation'.

In his 1940 will he said, “anything which by social convention or in law is considered mine, anything movable or immovable, books, articles etc. I endow to the Navjivan Institution whom I hereby declare as my heirs.”

James Otis - Private US collector

Public statement - "I have other Gandhi belongings. I would like to donate more items to the people of India to raise money for the poor."....Question : Whose poor? America's???

How the heck did Otis get Gandhi's possessions (not all gifts) unless (bloody well) aided by some insider! I leave you to draw your own conclusions, of the profile of someone who could aid the sale of priceless 'National Property'.

Antiquorum Auctioneers - An Auction house in New York

Signed a legal contract with James Otis that prohibited him from an abortive bid to withdraw his collection (of International significance) before the auction!!!

Can you believe this Bullshit!!!


Vijay Mallya - Chairman of the United Breweries Group and Kingfisher Airlines

In 2004, placed the winning bid of £175,000 for 'The sword of Tipu Sultan'in London. Four years later, it still remains in London. Find out why, yourself.

In March 2009, placed the winning bid of US$1.8 million for the Mahatma's belongings.

Good Job! Lets forget your other financial evasions in business for now, shall we?

Though not a Gandhi fan, my anger towards this blatant mockery of India knows no bounds. If all the auction items genuinely belonged to 'bapu', how was 'INDIA' not privy to the fact of their existence?

While I completely trust the 'result' of the Mukherjee Commission (which is 'no result'), I no longer trust any of the crap that was fed us, by some so called statesmen. I have decided not to malign my blog by mentioning names of such tainted individuals or their descendants. Everyone already knows.

For more info, check this - http://www.ivarta.com/columns/OL_060603.htm

The Coke and Blogger controversy

Call it what you want. I say this is one of the most brilliant marketing tactic I have seen in the digital world to date. i9 or no i9...Coke got the mind share it wanted in the first place anyways.

I call this Intelligent advertising. The picture above is not a blaspheme...its COKE

Kudos!!!

Blessing 100^100 and counting....

"Vidya Vinayam Dadati"

An age old Sanskrit verse which simply means "Knowledge invokes humility."

The truly knowledgeable never profess their knowledge. They strive to learn as much possible and have a childlike curiosity about everything despite their expertise. Such people respect not only the equally knowledgeable but also the less enlightened. That is wisdom. Such is the hallmark of wise men.

Knowledge is not a factor of education alone. Education is necessary. It plays an important role but has limitations. True knowledge is a combination of education, curiosity, a zest to learn, real hard work and experience.

Having said that, wisdom is not restricted by age. A combination of all the above factors can sometimes take years and sometimes just a while

Intelligence however, is different. Every living creation on earth is born with intelligence - designed, programmed & conditioned by perhaps some super intelligent system (the magnitude of which is well beyond human comprehension) - to help sustain itself. The degree of intelligence varies depending on basic creature needs. Perhaps better termed as 'Survival Efficiencies' - for the more scientifically inclined. 'Reaction to stimuli' for example, falls in this category.

Intelligence therefore, is not a factor of demographics & is a variable. It is also a relative quantity and need/role based. A homemaker has sufficient intelligence to smoothly run a house. A working woman possesses intelligence of a different kind as she has more complex roles to play. It is unfair to judge who among the two is more intelligent.

Education creates literacy. It exposes us to vast opportunities for learning and growth. It enables easier/faster comprehension processes. But its value ends here. Intelligence and Education come together to create an 'Intellect'.

Intellect is the individual capacity to decipher, assimilate, disintegrate and eventually create something qualitative (at the very least) or quantitative from every learning/observation process. Qualitative process can be as simple as a thought. Quantitative can be an action.
Again we see that Intellect has nothing to do with religion, region, caste, creed, sex or race. While 'formal' education can be limited/controlled by external factors, knowledge and Intellect is one's own.

Education can be had from teachers, parents, nature, schools, colleges and so on. Intellect however, depends on the individual alone. Therefore, if institute 'X' is deemed a premier institute, it does not mean that 'X' can create Intelligence. It does not mean lower intelligence transforms into higher intelligence simply by institutional association/guidance. Premier institutes only choose candidates with higher intelligence and groom them to tackle future challenges better. They only facilitate access to more knowledge & education.

Simply put, this means, Intellect is not a monopoly of a select few. Also, as stated earlier, intellect may develop early or naturally over time. Not even all 'premier' facilities put together, can claim to own every truly intellectual in its entirety.

An institution that equates knowledge or education to monetary equivalent, does not deserve its place in history. Price tagging knowledge is demeaning its entire premise. Google and Wikipedia are perhaps the only institutions till date, that qualify to be deemed an 'Universal University.' They are perhaps the only two modern day inventions that have honored and understood the meaning of true knowledge. They do not attach propriety to knowledge and therefore, are the true disciples of the religion called 'wisdom'.

I am lucky to have associated (from the very onset) with people of extremely high intellect & some really wise as well. Please note, not everyone was termed wise, as I intend to preserve the sanctity of every term I have described above. I assign myself in the category of average-to-moderately-high intelligence with enormous room for development. Therefore, not even all the knowledge I had at my disposal, helped me reach the pinnacle. It perhaps failed to percolate my intellect or more likely, is my personal failure.

During my professional life so far, I have had the opportunity to come in contact with people, whose mental faculties can give a super-computer some serious complex. This is an absolutely honest statement delivered without any sarcasm, humour or attempt at levity. Frankly I cannot thank my lucky stars enough for all of the above. I do however, have reservations against the elves, that foxed me to challenge several thoughts of almost all of these people :(

I wish, all wise and knowledgeable people received a trademark stamp from the heavens above, so people like me had lesser chances of embarrassing ourselves. Again, please note, that the wise will never laugh/ridicule you. You will ridicule yourself on overstepping your mark in front of the wise.

Hopefully I have learnt my lessons. Some of the people I spoke of above, I would love to have as my guide/mentor/teacher....or any role that will help me learn from them. It is perhaps too much to hope for but is a dream nevertheless.

I also know people who need the stamp of a 'premier' institute to prove their intellectual prowess to the world. They live in the shadow of that stamp and are forever relegated to proving their worth to themselves. I pity them and am glad to not suffer such complex. There are definitely some refreshing examples from such institutes who do justice to the word "premier".

To an extent I take pride in the fact that I do not need an institute to prove my worth. I only pray for more opportunities to help better myself.

Something I came up with today

"The Internet has empowered us to choose to make informed mistakes."

***An original. Copyright laws apply !!!