What we eat is what we are!

May 16, 2012 at 4:35 PM · Filed under Health is wealth ·Tagged , ,

What we eat is what we are!

Food! the most important part of our life. Many of you will agree that most of the people on this earth live to eat. If you are a foody, It is a boon to be born in India. This is the place where you will get to taste more than four thousand various cuisines across the country with many combinations of gravy and spices. Because of the climate, our life style and right food habits we never had to worry about the weight or any related diseases. The modern lifestyle invited many such problems hence we need to rethink about the food we eat.

Let’s find out what kind of food you should eat and what to avoid to have a complete balance of mental peace, health and strength.

A must have,

Fruits, dry fruits and salads:

It is not a secret that one should eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. But very few know the science behind how and how much we should eat. Breakfast is the best time to eat fruits as the stomach is empty and the essence of fruits directly goes into your blood cells. Follow our original trend of eating only seasonal fruit as they work best on your body keeping the outside climate in mind.

Dry fruits are loosing its ground in today’s modern life style. But they are the best and the shortest way of achieving a great health. IF you want to improve the vitality and strength, eat black dry grapes, walnuts and nuts.

Why be a vegetarian?

The human race exists since millions of years. As we evolved we invented variety of cuisines to satisfy our taste-bud. But originally, our body was designed to have fruits and vegetables only. They get digested faster comparatively and have absolutely no side effects to the body.

The non-vegetarian food is high in cholesterol, fat and many unwanted properties which are damaging to the human body. Our body was never designed to digest such food as it takes almost three days to digest one piece of meat; hence takes a toll on the digestive capacity of our inner organs. I know that the half of the world population lives on meat products but then they are the ones who are suffering with all sorts of diseases. The cancer patients ratio is much higher in western world due to meat eaters compare to India which is largely vegetarian.

So think twice before eating such things as your body is not the graveyard of dead animals.

What to avoid!

Alcohol, soft drinks and processed juices

As everyone knows that alcohol is responsible for lever problems, memory loss, loss of appetite, loss of physical strength and stamina and the most important thing is you tend to invite unnecessary disputes with people which you could have avoided otherwise.

Soft drinks

Everyone knows the adverse effect of soft drinks but nobody knows how to avoid them and control the craving for it. Most of the soft drinks are as strong as toilet cleaners. Many scientists have proved that if you put human bone in any cola drinks it will melt in seventy-two hours.

It also reduces your stamina, extremely high in sugar and highly acidic for your digestive system. It is the most common replacement to water while we are on the move but it actually dehydrates your body leaving you even more thirsty.

Processed juices

We tend to get carried away by many advertisements of juices which claim to be natural. But the actual life of any fruit juice is thirty seconds after it is extracted. The manufacturers of the juices have to use highly concentrated salt based preservatives to keep the juices fresh which are certainly not healthyWe mostly drink juices in flights, house parties, evening snacks, serve the guests and drink after workouts. Replace it with fresh juices, coconut water, Barley water, milk shakes, greet tea, herbal tea etc.

 

Processed and fast food

As many scientists have proved that the major reason of various types of cancer is the western lifestyle and food which is mostly processed with many chemical ingredients, Just like juices, the life of the cooked food is only two- three hours and not meant for any kind of machine treatment or acidic preservatives. The moment it gets processed, it creates cancerous bacteria which are harmful for the body.

 

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Indian methods of managing business!

August 29, 2010 at 3:39 PM · Filed under Bug of Entrepreneurship

Being a management graduate, I was always familiar with the theories of various aspects of management, but always wondered if they are actually making sense in our professional life or it is just one of the theories & curriculum developed by so-called management gurus to impart knowledge to the world and make money out of it.

Trust me, ever since I have started my business again, I realized that for being a successful entrepreneur our own traditional methods have a lot to teach. We don’t need to go to any management school to learn the basic principle of establishing any business, serving clients, creating wealth, developing goodwill and enjoying long-term fruits of business.

I have observed that the new management mantra for the control of the company is management team centric and we looked down upon family controlled businesses. It is perceived as if the family owned companies wouldn’t take care of the interest of the people. But in real world, most of the successful companies have been started and run by family lineage and managed also very well.

I just thought to pen down the differences between a hired CEO and the owner of the company.

CEO

  • He will always have pressure to make the company profitable, many times at the cost of people’s interest and at times company’s long term interest to prove his caliber
  • He will be more interested in fulfilling short-term goals compare to long-term interest of the company as this will prove his success but not necessarily company’s success
  • He lacks the long-term vision of the company and hence it is likely that he overlooks many points
  • He enjoys all the respects and positions of the owner of the company but still may lack the commitments and attachment to make the company successful at the cost of his life
  • He knows that even the company is not going through a good patch, he will get paid for that time hence the sense of responsibility towards the funds of money is less
  • He will not be reluctant in spend the funds of the money  and will not control cost

Owner

  • He has the same amount of pressure to make company profitable like CEO but he will take an extra mile to make it happen as it is going to be his success fully
  • He has a long-term and a complete vision of the company hence he knows ways to take it forward
  • He fulfills short-term as well as long-term goals of the company without compromising with the quality and returns
  • His commitments and attachment towards company is much stronger than the CEO
  • He would forget his own share of the company if there is any problems with the company
  • The cost of the company will always be controlled by the owner

These are the basic things I have observed and I will continue writing more about what I find good in both the ways of managing business.

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What freedom means!

August 24, 2010 at 5:42 PM · Filed under Picture perfect!

This is one of the things which I feel represents our freedom!The birds are looking for things instinctively without making an extra efforts, just going by their own will..

Frames of Freedom – competition on www.blogadda.com

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Bharat! a lost land but omnipresent!

August 7, 2010 at 2:26 AM · Filed under Explore Bharat (India)

Bharat! The moment you think of this country, you know you are talking about a country having the history of more than 20,000 years. This land is considered the land of Gods as there have been innumerable reincarnations of God time and again. There must be something in this place which attracts  that supreme entity to come back again and again. So what is it? Let’s explore what has been tin Bharat for millions of years and where we have reached in today’s time.

Unity in diversity

This land has more than 100 million people – second largest population in the world, 22 official languages and more than 1,652 languages, Sanskrut the oldest language on this earth, more than 4000 castes and sub castes, 28 states and 7 union territories,  36 millions Gods whom people pray, has the oldest religion on the earth,  appx. 3500 variety of cuisine and dishes from different states, more than 1000 style of cloths men and women wear from different parts of Bharat (India), maximum number of variety in colors invented, nth number of traditions and customs people follow, every emotion and beliefs explained, more than 1000 epics, books, scriptures and treatises written by various rishis, maintain farthest possible relations in the family, extensive ceremonies for various occasions and the deepest love for our parents.

The country has many scholars in the field of Maths (ARYABHATT -476 CE-Astronomer and  Mathematician), genius in Algebra (BHASKARACHARYA II -1114-1183 CE), Atomic Theory (ACHARYA KANAD 600 BCE), Wizard of chemical science (NAGARJUNA 100 CE), Father of medicine (ACHARYA CHARAK 600 BCE), Father of Plastic Surgery (ACHARYA SUSHRUT (600 BCE), Pioneer of Aviation Technology (ACHARYA BHARADWAJ 800 BCE), and Father of Cosmology (ACHARYA KAPIL 3000 BCE).

The number of Gods in India is 36 million times more than entire world’s faiths and Gods BUT this country has never seen a single war on the name of religion in last zillion years. Every village or province you cross, you find diversity in language, culture, beliefs, God, eating habits, variety in food, rituals, dressings, colors, life style and many more. We respect everyone’s belief, eating habits, tradition and easily get along with others in no time.

Current issues

The conversion from Bharat to India

The freedom has come at a very high price or we can say that we have yet to get our actual freedom from English culture, language and thoughts. Nothing is wrong in being that way if you are born elsewhere. BUT being an Indian, it leads to cut off from our own mother tongue, culture, people, knowledge and wisdom. Everything we do is incomplete as we are trying to understand Indian emotions through an English eye. Our communication is incomplete as the language is the barrier, our relationships are shallow as we are trying to maintain it in western style, our hunger is unsatisfied as our tongue is used to having Indian style of variety of food and importantly we are crawling in innovations & businesses as our education system is designed to make us think that whatever Bharat (India) has to offer is mediocre and the USA is the only God of new talents & innovations.

This conversion of Bharat to India is going to create a huge gap between two segments of the country, the followers of Bharat and another one is India. The globalization has changed our taste, desire, thinking and shaken our strong fundamentals so that corporate can sell whatever they want to. The followers of Bharat are struggling to maintain the original culture, belief, wisdom and tradition which was a full proof system and has stood the tide of time for millions of years with healthy body, mind and soul, against the followers of India who bring innovative products, new cult, so-called facilities, infrastructure, compromised relationships, processed food, illusion in the name of progress and growth in GDP, modern thoughts, high level of stress and short span of life. I was truly shaken by this revelation and  thought  to start changing things in my life.

Certain changes I have introduced in my life in last two years:

  • Stay close to family and relatives
  • Know our traditions and customs with open mind and try to follow them
  • Speak my mother tongue and save Sanskrut by learning it myself

Education system

Are we so hopeless that our passing marks are merely 35% in school? Why? Where did it come from? How long we are going to send our kids to schools which are run by missionaries who are there to teach that the USA & Europe are the only country worth living in. This education system was originally designed to create professionals who could run East India Company before freedom; hence there was no room for Indian wisdom, no sense for Indian brotherhood, no sense of Indian entrepreneurship and complete lack of sensible and meaningful knowledge. Now, this system creates professionals like a factory to run MNCs and MNC culture, creating frustration among students and leading to sue sides as the economy can’t provide jobs to same kind of professionals, no wisdom, art or skills to develop something on their own, no connection with our native wisdom and roots, creating unnecessary jobs for women, and high level of insecurity in current jobs and businesses.

It is time to teach our kids the real wisdom from our roots, society, old tradition and develop meaningful skills; simultaneously creating the society with sensitiveness towards environment, people and animals in the eco system.

Be Indian buy Indian

As the world is moving towards consumerism, we consume more than we actually need. Everything we buy has the brand value attached to it and the actual purpose and meaning is lost in the crowded thoughts which are bombarded by advertisements and marketing tactics. The so-called western world is in cut-throat competition to sell their un-required products to us as their own market in saturated and also facing recession.

In this scenario, it is very important to promote Indian products with the sense of responsibility towards nature, society and people; encouraging people to save the scarce resources like electricity, water, not polluting air, not consuming plastics, not wasting food and buying what is actually required. Let’s start using maximum number of India-made products and encourage new talents to be innovative in various domains. This will also encourage entrepreneurship in all the domains and we probably can get rid of this phobia of thinking that anything imported is the best in the world.

Price rising and inflation

Do you really think that we don’t produce enough so that we can feed our own country people? I don’t think so! After knowing the number of kilos of wheat getting rotten in warehouses in many states and waiting for  so-called clearances from the respective ministry. It is difficult to trust this government any more with number of scams and issues in every possible departments.

In this process, we launched a website called www.indianscriptures.com to let people know how our traditions actually represent the complete life-cycle and take care of so many things in eco-system. It is truly an eye opener when I started reading the logic and rationale behind every ritual we follow and how deeply we were thoughtful about every soul and things in the world.

Let’s come together and take a pledge to bring following changes in our lives as it will naturally make others to follow the suit;

  • Follow our culture and celebrate every possible festival and understand the significance
  • Use Indian products as much as possible
  • Think about environment and other animals in eco system the way our grand parents used to do it
  • Raise the voice against the price rise and corruptions
  • Teach our kids more about our country and show them the rural Bharat (India) and make them feel proud

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My painting! seriously & sincerely mad

July 31, 2010 at 5:03 PM · Filed under Journey within

I can’t go on with my life without exploring something new, doing something unthinkable and trying my hand on things which are not done by many people. I got into similar mood while I was working for a mobile content company in 2007.  I came across many designers, illustrators and quality painters there who would play with millions of colors every day and just create unimaginable figures on their PCs. I used to get so amazed I  started collecting a lot of information about paintings and how they work, what they think while creating any figures and paintings.

After spending a lot of time around them, I became obsessed with the idea of being immortalized in a portrait. The desire became so strong that I contacted a renowned painter from Kolhapur through my colleagues. I didn’t know a lot about the artist, but when I reached my destination, I realised that it was once the home of two of Maharashtra’s biggest artists, Baburao Painter and his son Ravindra Mistry.

This was where innumerable celebrities and politicians had got made their paintings done by the duo in the last century. Sanjay Shelar, my painter, was a student of the same lineage and to this day works out of the home that has become a shrine to art. I felt so proud that I shared the same seat with those who are the change-makers and trend-setters of the society inspiring me to be different from the herd and be someone who can bring about constructive, positive and progressive change in the lives of millions.

Though my obsession received a mixed response from my family, I am really thrilled to have a painting which to this day makes me feel like a lost soul captured in a timeless moment whenever I gaze at it. I am all set to get another painting done in the near future which depicts me as a queen in a palace and reflects the entire attitude I would like to project.

My sister commented that I look like a lady from the era of palaces with horses and elephants waiting for the lost love for last hundred years.

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Beyonce and Scorpions

July 15, 2010 at 4:52 PM · Filed under Musicfreak

Beyonce

From aggressive music to graceful loveliness, Beyonce Knowles came to Mumbai like a breath of fresh air. Beyonce was in the city in October 2007. I just adore her for her feminism, her all-woman band, the way she carries herself and the way she thinks about music! I think Beyonce is a true woman of substance. For all her style and poise, there was one moment when she cried while singing a song that was close to her heart. I thought that was really sweet. And oh yes! I also saw Aishwarya Rai, accompanied by Shweta Bachchan in the audience.

Scorpions

There is a song that I listen to almost everyday, called  Still loving you , by the Scorpions. So when I heard that the band would be in India last year, I was stunned. On the day of the concert, I was actually standing first in queue at 5 pm. When the gates were thrown open, I ran in to get as close to the band as possible and was actually shouting  still loving you even throughout the break! It didn’ t bother me at all that I was alone, especially since I met an interesting girl who was as crazy about rock music as I am, and who also had come to the concert alone, just like me!

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My Rendezvous with Mr. Amitabh Bachchan

July 13, 2010 at 10:00 AM · Filed under Musicfreak

We are fortunate to be born in the Amitabh Era.

These words were spoken in the praise of Mr. Amitabh Bachchan by a senior executive of Reliance India Mobile. It was the 10th of March 2004 and the Big B was attending a conference with the winners of an R-world and Web World contest. He was in a white polo neck tee and was sporting his famous white beard. The dried colours on his neck were left over from a recent Holi celebration. But I have to say that the man is every bit the legend people say he is. His proximity was enough to give all those present a real high. Everyone in the crowd was craning their necks to get one more glimpse of the millennium’s biggest superstar. The star, however, brushed off the executive’ s compliment with his trademark modesty.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Bachchan apologize to people for running late just by 10 minutes. The audience didn’ t mind. But to me, that was a lesson in humility and appreciating the value of others’ time. Bachchan and Tusshar Kapoor, the other star of Khakee, chatted amiably with the winners of the competition as if they were old friends. They also fielded a lot of questions from the audience. Grabbing the chance, I asked Big B how techno savvy he was as a person. He replied he had a laptop, which he uses quite frequently. That was the second lesson he taught us – to always stay ahead of the times if you don’ t want to get redundant.

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Mark Knopfler & 50 Cents

July 8, 2010 at 4:43 PM · Filed under Musicfreak

Mark Knopfler

Almost a year later, I had the privilege of listening to a man who many consider the God of the guitar  Mark Knopfler. Down to earth and shy, he struck me as not being a very media-savvy celebrity. As the press conference proceeded, it also became obvious that the man was obsessed with his own music. But with hits such as Sultans of swing and Romeo and Juliet, many would say he has every right to be!

50 Cents

If Knopfler came across as a bit low-key, Curtis James Jackson a.k.a 50 Cent and his band G-Unit were loud as can be! The strangest thing about the American hip hop band was their interest in Indian clothes. On the day of the concert, I met some of the band members shopping for Indian clothes in Bandra. It was an amusing sight. The concert itself was interesting and packed with several celebrities in the audience, but I found it difficult to understand the song lyrics. And what I did understand sounded very derogatory to women, but I guess that was only expected from a  gangster’ band like 50 Cent!

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Musicfreak Maniac!

July 4, 2010 at 4:38 PM · Filed under Musicfreak

If you listen closely, the whole universe has a certain rhythm to it. I wonder if you’ ve ever noticed the music of birds returning home in the evening or a fast-moving train clacking over rail tracks or crickets chirping in the lonely night. It is a sign that God is in His heaven and all is right with the world. I am never too far away from my music. Whether I’ m at home, in my car or at work, I ensure that I’ m able to turn to music any time I seek pure, unadulterated bliss.

The music I like transcends genres, from the mellifluous sound of Asha Bhosle to the sensuous crooning of Justin Timberlake. Some of my other favourite singers are Beyonce Knowles, Metallica, Bryan Adams, George Michael, Aerosmith, Madonna, Guns N- Roses, Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

Though I don’ t understand the language, I have also developed a liking for Spanish music. The tunes are light and happy and the vocals are quite unique. I also enjoy listening to Santana.

I have recently started listening to our old classical music; it is just pure bliss. I have no words to explain what it makes me feel as it is tripping, it moves my soul, it makes me feel I am a women, it connects me with God, it connects my intellect to my heart and the list is endless.

If you get a chance, tune to Ratan Mohan Sharma’s various Haveli music albums.

My experiences of live concerts

The energy at a live music concert is so palpable the air literally hums with it. The lights, the fake smoke, thousands of waving hands, the sweaty bodies and the pulsing music, all add up to one crackin’ time! I remember the first concert I attended – Bryan Adams was performing in India and I listened in rapturous ecstasy as he belted out all my favourite numbers. Since then, I have made it a point to attend music concerts whenever I can.

Enrique Iglesias

It was April 11 2004 and the temperature was soaring. Not entirely because of the Indian summer; Enrique was in India and was scheduled to sizzle Mumbai with his live concert. After he landed, there was a press conference and I was able to interact with him (I can already hear the girls swooning!). However, my question was a little different from the usual – How do you like India? or  Have you seen any Hindi movies  ones. I wanted to know what he thought about his father Julio Iglesias, since not many people in India know about his (Julio’ s) music. But Enrique seemed a little bit reluctant to talk about his dad,  Yes I like him and his work ethic, he replied, without elaborating further. However, his performance later was electric and openly flirtatious, as he walked up and down, making eye contact with all the women in the front row seats.

I will keep adding my various experiences of last few years.. I am sure it will add value to those music lovers….

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Editing a book!

July 4, 2010 at 4:30 PM · Filed under Bookworm ·Tagged , , ,

I always wondered why I love books so much. Because, I think, I am a sucker of knowledge; I don’t leave even a sign board or a movie ticket or a restaurant menu from reading. An over-doze of reading has a direct side effect called writing.

I happened to come across one of my friend’s some unprinted material which he had written a long back and those words were jumping to get out of the computer and make home in a book. I went to rescue those words from dying a computer death and make them alive by pushing my friend to go for printing. It gave me a hand-on experience of how to plan a book, printing the layout, content planning, process of registering with ISBN, actual printing process and marketing a book.

The subject seems to be difficult – learning Vedic mathematics with the help of finger tips! Can you beat that? I have never come across such simplest, humblest and the smartest techniques to arrive to any mathematical answers in a fraction of a second. When I started reading the material I actually lost the interest in eating, sleeping and reading (I mean anything else). I just had to ensure that I learned those techniques of Maths with the help of fingers and few other techniques of calculations.

Here is the Brief of the book:

Writer: Devang Shah

Subject: Vedic Maths and Fast Calculation Techniques

ISBN Number: ISBN 978-81-910119-0-6

The book Human Calculators completely shatters your belief system about mathematics. Mathematics is considered a boring subject for many students. But after reading this book they might become math lovers.

The book comprises 72 Fast and Fantastic calculation techniques including the ancient Vedic method and its secret techniques which are so simple and practical that any kid can perform big calculations in seconds after learning these calculation techniques.

Will it astonish you?

If one Multiplies 4456244488734654 × 9999999999999999 =

44562444887346535543755511265346 in less than 10 seconds;

If one Divides 1/19 = 0.0526315789473684210 in less than 20 seconds;

If one Squares (99991) ² = 9998200081 in less than 15 seconds;

If one Square Roots = 837 in less than 10 seconds;

If one Cube Roots = 78 in less than 5 seconds;

Then stop getting amazed and amaze your friends instead!

Here is one of the most fascinating and authentic works ever produced on Speed Math which enables you to perform mental computations at a lightning speed.

Content of the Book:

Chapter 1 – ADDITION
Chapter 2 – SUBTRACTION
Chapter 3 – MULTIPLICATION
Chapter 4 – Multiplication at your Finger Tips
Chapter 5 – SQUARES
Chapter 6 – SQUARE ROOTS
Chapter 7 – CUBES
Chapter 8 – CUBE ROOTS
Chapter 9 – DIVISION
Chapter 10 – SIMULTANEOUS EQUATIONS
Chapter 11 – Equation of Single Line
Chapter 12 – Least Common Multiple / Highest Common Factor
Chapter 13 – PERCENTAGE
Chapter 14 – PARTIAL FRACTIONS

If you get interested in this kind of a book, just write to the author on

Email: humancalculators@yahoo.com and find out how you can order the book.

Human calculators! Vedic mathematics!

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My country! My people! Marvellous places!

July 1, 2010 at 9:51 PM · Filed under Explore Bharat (India) ·Tagged , ,

Dwarka- Rukmani mandirI am proud to be a Bhartiya (Indian) even though it is not fashionable to claim and not acceptable in the world of techies as we all breath the USA product called Internet and we refrain from saying anything good about our country. I still want to defy the world when it comes to the power of this soil, love of people, food of the Indian kitchen, depth of relationships, respect for our parents, love for spouses, respect for customs and last but not the least- our search for God in anything and everything.

I have a strong desire to explore every part of India and find out what makes us different from the rest of the world. Hence I consciously plan my trip to a new location every time I get those jinks in my feet to move. I have extensively travel within Gujarat, Maharashra, Himachal Pradesh, part of Karnataka, Punjab, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan and will keep adding to the list.

Here are my experiences of the places I have visited and how I was elevated by the mystic power of the people.

Dwarka

Dwarka, the place which people think that it was submerged in Gujarat water after Krushn (popularly written as Krishna – I strongly condemn this English version of spelling which is killing the meaning of Krushn) left this world and never existed in today’s world. But the fact is, his grand children built this town again and built a temple to remember him and worship him. Though it is the seventh time the city is built after that as it got affected by fiery water many times.

The town is located at the extreme end of Gujarat near Okha harbor; the nearest airport is Jamnagar and it also has a train station. The main temple – Dwarkadhish is the main attraction of the place; other places around are Rukmani temple, Bet dwarka (the house of the God Krushn), Nageshwar- shiv temple, Bhadkeshwar temple and many other small temples.  This is one of the chardham ( four places) which we should visit in our life time. Others are Jagganath Puri in eastern India, Rameshwar in southern parts of India and Kashi in northern parts of India.

The most enchanting thing about this place is the vibration of the town, it has an amazing energy which attracts souls to the temple and gives a serene and extremely calm feeling after visiting it. It is very difficult to explain how I feel when I am inside the temple as I just can’t stop looking at the dwarkadhish’s murti(statue). Once, I happened to have Prasad which was offered to Krushn; it is the tastiest food I have ever eaten in my life time and I still crave for it every day.

Other place one should visit is Light house;  you can see Pakistan border clearly from the top of it and can experience the strong wind coming from the sea.

This place has changed my life completely as it inspired me to start by business, changed my food habits to a very healthy and positive diet, makes me meet important people everytime I go there, I could find the purpose of my life and have created my vision for which I will dedicate this life.

Please go through www.pndwarka.com for more details.

Amarnath

In 2006, I had the privilege of visiting the 5000-year old Amarnath shrine, which is also dedicated to Shiva. Accompanying me was the same group of people with whom I go to Bhimashankar every year. We called ourselves the Bhimashankar trekkers during our journey. The group consists of around fifty people from different parts of Mumbai who made the trip to the caves, situated 13,000 feet off the ground. In the main cave you see – depending on how you look at it – a remarkable work of nature or a divine symbol. I saw an ice stalagmite resembling the Shiva Linga; though the size of the lingam was smaller than it had ever been in previous years. I also remember being moved to tears on seeing the beauty of the Sheshnag on the first day, after walking around 16 kms from Pahelgaon. The second halt was at Punchtarni and on the third day, we reached the holy shrine. The faith of the devotees and the dedication of the organisers who serve the yatris during the journey were amazing. It must be mentioned that the organisers of the pundals stay in such difficult weather for more than two months to serve the multitudes of visitors. They provide food and shelter free of cost to all the yatris. I also noted the efforts taken by the Jammu Kashmir Police, the Indian military forces and the BSF to maintain the peace and take care of travelers throughout the journey. When we reached Baltal after visiting the shrine, I actually felt like I was in some military camp. I got the chance to talk to a few soldiers who had been posted there for a very long time. It made me feel proud to meet the dedicated souls who protect our sacred soil. I must mention here that though we have an ongoing tiff between Muslims and Hindus in India, the journey to Amarnath is not possible without local Muslim Kashmiris, as they take care of the luggage, prepare the morning drink called kawa for all the travelers, lift you if you are not able to walk, take care of the horses which travelers use and provide temporary shelters. They are part of the Amarnath journey from start to end. It may be just an occupation for them, but they certainly do it happily and with full sincerity.

You can collect other information from the various government sites.

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An art of Internet Product Development..

June 27, 2010 at 11:40 PM · Filed under Wide world of web

The world is moving to a new planet called Internet; the shift to this world is enjoyable for some, troublesome for others, humongous task for many, boon for techies and pain in the a… for governments.

I feel that product development is more of an art then a science or a logic; though it has all other ingredients to derive to a complete solution to create an online entity which will be a platform to communicate, connect, serve and entertain people. A successful product is something that is beyond good layout and technical structure; it should have a purpose and a goal of reaching a specific target audience. It should create its own market and lead the category and make a constructive difference in the lives of users.

One needs to have few things in mind while developing a good website or web products so that the efforts of many team members bring a fruitful result.

Purpose of the site

The purpose/ focus / goal of the site needs to be predefined to derive desired results in a short span of time with minimum efforts. It will help to occupy a space in the minds of readers for a longer time.

Content planning

Content is the most important part of any website as it will be an important mode  which will communicate with readers. After defining the purpose, the tone of the content should be set and maintained throughout the site. Its nonetheless to say that the right information with accurate data will be the primary step for any content blocks appearing anywhere in the site.

In case of text content, correct grammar and spellings are must to create a classy and a professional look of the site.

UI design

Even if you have created the best of the content and defined the best online solution, if your User Interface (UI) is not simple and intuitive; you are more likely to fail miserably in your venture. This is the art which is difficult to cultivate and acquire and cannot be learned in any computer institute. It is a terrific mixture of design sense, understanding of web technology, readers’ mindset and the logical aspects. Hence it is difficult to find many good UI design specialists in the market to realize the internet dream.

Road-map

Here comes the stage wherein the technical manager will create a road-map of the production and the launch of the site or product. The important element of the road-map planning is the time-line; there has to be enough data collected for every step of the development to arrive to the nearest time-line of completion. This will also help to identify the steps which can be squeezed or shortened in case of any emergency.

Q & A

This is the stage wherein most of the bugs are identified and the logic is tested. It will be great if you get a chance to get it tested by an outsider or an actual user. This will fasten the process of reaching to the completion of the project.

The development process can be defined in few words as given below;

  • Conceptualisation and building an idea
  • Purpose of the product
  • Content planning
  • Content development
  • UI design
  • Navigational flow design
  • Production roadmap
  • Technical roadmap
  • Q & A testing
  • Product launch

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Exploring the inner world!

June 27, 2010 at 9:45 PM · Filed under Journey within

Spirituality is our only hope of finding peace in today’s hectic life. It helps one get into a mental and emotional state of balance. I never had to learn the importance of spirituality from anyone around me. I was born with this realisation. Though it is a very personal matter, I’ d still like to share my experiences here, because I want people to know that Indian spirituality has the answer to all of life’ s questions. It teaches you to live with yourself and gives you immense pleasure out of doing NOTHING. Spirituality helps you attain whatever you want in life, it improves your communication and relationships, helps you grow as an individual and makes you so powerful that your enemies will never find a chink in your armour.

I was lucky to get a taste of spirituality very early in life. I used to have long conversations about life and spirituality with my teachers during my school days. These conversations influenced me to take a deep interest in various scriptures and the Veds and Purans. I also began to understand the importance of connecting with one’ s own soul through these books.

I am sharing my experience of exploring various form of spirituality taught in our society by renowned spiritual gurus.

Vipassana

I heard about  ‘Vipassana’ from a friend during early days of my professional life. This word comes from Pali, the language of the Buddha, and it means  ‘SEE IT AS IT IS’ , i.e. without any alteration or denial of the truth. Vipassana is a 6000-year old practice of achieving inner liberation that was revived by the Buddha about 2500 years ago. Sadly, it disappeared from India about 500 years after he attained nirvana. However, Vipassana remained preserved in Burma in its purest form of ‘guru-shishya parampara’ . It was brought to India again by Mr. S. N. Goenka.

When I went for my fist Vipassana camp, I remember being completely clueless. The code of conduct for participants strictly forbids killing, stealing, sexual activity, lying, intoxicants, bodily decorations and even high beds! Even the diet is strictly controlled. The aim is to wash away all the pain and stress accumulated inside the body and mind. I remember crying frequently for the first 3-4 days.

Siddha Samadhi Yoga (SSY)

SSY was founded by Shri Rishi Prabhakarji about three decades ago. I was aware of the techniques involved in Siddha Samadhi Yoga, but I actually experienced the magic of it only when I was deeply hurt and needed to resolve certain issues within myself. My friends figured this out during my trip to Amarnath and recommended me to take up my first SSY class in mid-2006.

Eventually, I went through many camps such as Retreat, Silence Camp, Bhav Samadhi Training, Care for Life, etc. in the last two years at an ashram at Dehri – near Murbad on the Nasik road in Maharashtra. Gradually, these camps opened my mind to my emotional self and boosted my emotional quotient. The sessions calmed my temper to a great extent (I was really short tempered and hyper active earlier). I developed a better understanding of people and their thoughts and feelings and also became more comfortable about interacting with all sorts of people. SSY helped me understand that I am responsible for my life, the things happening around me, people’ s attitudes towards me, the events happening in the society and also this world. Our value system is the main component of our karma and our karma builds our future. Unfortunately, we accept it as our destiny. But if we understand this simple MATRIX, we can write our own destiny. SSY also teaches one the power of silence and building a strong vision which can then be manifested in any way we want.

Certain basic values like switching off the lights when not required, throwing garbage in dustbins, managing a personal diary of work, maintaining a daily diary, keeping your wardrobe in order, etc. help simplify your life and keep your mind clutter-free.

SSY has a great course on parenting which is influencing thousands of parents. These enlightened parents prefer to bring up their children in the SSY way, in their own school at Banda- Mumbai  in MET campus in Mumbai. This is a practice that is one of its kind and truly representative of our forgotten culture of guru-shishya parampara. I strongly recommend this camp to every soul on this earth as it will truly bind us together in the cult called Humanity.

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I love to read.. Period.

June 27, 2010 at 8:56 PM · Filed under Bookworm

An old Chinese proverb goes  ‘A book is like a garden carried in the pocket’ . I couldn’t agree more. Books unlock secret, faraway places for your mind to explore and play. Regular reading throws open the windows of your mind and enables you to live several lives in a short span of time. Some of the most influential books I have read happen to be about personal development and fulfillment. Here are some of them; I sincerely hope you will derive as much pleasure out of them as I did.

More Time, Less Stress – Martin Scott

This book taught me to employ my time far more effectively. As I read it, I realised how we constantly forget how limited our time on this planet is and how we pretend that we are the masters of our own time. The truth is quite the opposite. There are two sections in the book that help you sum up your whole life and realise what you want to do with it. It also describes some common time-wasting activities we all could do away with in order to get the best out of our lives.

Speaking Globally – Elizabeth Urech

This wonderful book is a great communication guide for travelers, executives, leaders and public speakers- in fact, anyone who travels overseas frequently. Apart from explaining the nuances of communicating in an unfamiliar country, it also includes several pointers on handling unexpected situations and addressing foreign audiences.

Executive EQ – Robert Cooper & Ayman Sawaf

The most influential book I have ever read. Cooper and Sawaf talk about emotional intelligence and how it is linked to success at home and work. Several lessons have been explained via the authors -Tibetan travels and the lessons learned therein. The book has some pretty instructive case studies from multinational corporations and their experiences with emotional intelligence.

The magic of dialogue – Daniel Yankelovitch

Yankelovitch, a businessman, author and educationist, explains different strategies of dialogue and how conflicts all over the world can be resolved with, as he puts it, ‘the magic of dialogue’. It also helped me on a personal level, to better handle the conflicts and disagreements in my life.

Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus – John Gray

A runaway global hit. I recommend it to couples, both married and unmarried. As the title suggests, the book is a practical guide for improving communication with your better half and getting what you want in your relationships. Gray has some pretty interesting and unconventional theories that are well worth the time spent.

Going solo – Merran White

Going solo is the definitive Bible for solo travelers everywhere. Once you begin reading this book, you feel this irresistible motivation to take a trip alone. It is all about raw adventure, with just the sky and earth for company.

Think and grow rich – Napoleon Hill

Though it was written decades ago, this amazing book, like the Bhagwad Geeta, holds true for every age and era. I was deeply affected by the book. It seemed to me that through every word and every line, the legendary Napoleon Hill was speaking directly to me in the context of my current circumstances. Reading it has given me a definite goal in life and helped me take firmer decisions.

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Bhimakshankar – Trekking the beautiful mountains of Saihadri region

June 27, 2010 at 8:50 PM · Filed under Free spirit

I relish my travels. Journeying to an exotic place makes you feel like you have lived a whole new life. The feeling one get when setting out on a trip cannot be realistically described. It is a delicious mix of freedom, delight and wonder & tinged with that slight feeling of nervousness that makes it all the more exciting! A great trip is like a fabulous book – it builds knowledge and acceptance of other people and cultures. The difference is that you experience something first-hand instead of visualising it in your mind. Another lesson I have learnt is that being in the great outdoors introduces you to the person you really are.

Bhimashankar

And though I have been on several memorable sojourns to exotic and religious places, my trips to Bhimashankar every year during Shravan Month (July- Aug) have been unforgettable as it has contributed a lot to building my personality and emotional self.

A lush, natural paradise located about 128 km. from Pune, Bhimashankar is a placid retreat from all the noise and dust of the city. Bhimashankar is known for its Shiva temple, which is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas in the country. It is also close to Malshej ghat, which is known for its bird sanctuary.

On my first trek to Bhimashankar, I met another group of travelers who are today very dear friends and have helped me grow as a person. In fact, every trip has resulted in a renewed resolve to make my life better and get closer to almighty.

Trekking to Bhimashankar is a two-day affair. My friends and I start at 5 am in the morning by catching a train on the central railway line. The train reaches Karjat in about an hour and a half. We then have our breakfast at the station and hop into an auto rickshaw to the base village (called Khandas). From Khandas, we start walking through mountains and jungles, stopping to have fun at a few waterfalls along the way, have lunch at one of the tiny shacks lining the road and reach the temple around 5 pm. After completing the darshan, its time for more fun! We head for our resort by bus and have a games session that runs deep into the night. The next day, we go to the temple early in morning, perform puja, come back to the resort, have breakfast and prepare to return by the same route.

My yearly trek to Bhimashankar will always remain close to my heart. I really want to thanks to all the trekkers for instilling confidence in me, sharing the best moment of life and giving me several opportunities to arrange their trips and teach me the best lessons of  team building and team management.

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An art of Internet Product Development

June 27, 2010 at 8:40 PM · Filed under Wide world of web

The world is moving to a new planet called internet; the shift to this world is enjoyable for some, troublesome for others, humongous task for many, boon for techies and pain in the ass for governments.

I feel that product development is more of an art then a science or a logic; though it has all other ingredients to derive to a complete solution to create an online entity which will be a platform to communicate, connect, serve and entertain people. A successful product is something that is beyond good layout and technical structure; it should have a purpose and a goal of reaching a specific target audience. It should create its own market and lead the category and make a constructive difference in the lives of users.

One needs to have few things in mind while developing a good website or web products so that the efforts of many team members bring a fruitful result.

Purpose of the site

The purpose/ focus / goal of the site need to be predefined to derive desired results in short span of time with minimum efforts. It will help to occupy a space in the minds of readers for longer time.

Content planning

Content is the most important part of any website as it will be the main tool which will communicate with readers. After defining the purpose, the tone of the content should be set and maintained throughout the site. It’s nonetheless to say that the right information with accurate data will be the primary step for any content blocks appearing anywhere in the site.

In case of text content, correct grammar and spellings are must to create a classy and professional look of the site.

UI design

Even if you have created the best of the content and defined the best online solution, if your User Interface (UI) is not simple and intuitive; you are more likely to fail miserably in your venture. This is the art which is difficult to cultivate and acquire and cannot be learned in any computer institute. It is a terrific mixture of design sense, understanding of web technology, readers’ mindset and the logical perspective. Hence it is difficult to find many good UI design specialist in the market to realize the internet dream.

Road-map

Here comes the stage wherein the technical manager will create a road-map of the production and the launch of the site or product. The important element of the road-map planning is the time line; there has to be enough data collected for every step of the development to arrive to the nearest time line of completion. This will also help to identify the steps which can be squeezed or shortened in case of any emergency.

Q & A

This is the stage wherein most of the bugs are identified and the logic is tested. It will be great if you get a chance to get it tested by an outsider or an actual user. This will fasten the process of reaching to the completion of the project.

The development process can be defined in few words as given below;

  • Conceptualization and building an idea
  • Purpose of the product
  • Content planning
  • Content development
  • UI design
  • Navigational flow design
  • Production roadmap
  • Technical roadmap
  • Q & A testing
  • Product launch

Comments (6)

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