C2C - Rishiji.....

Thank you, Good Bye, RIP ----The Journey continue, with followers.....Covid with mass illness and deaths on one side and on the other side another set of daily nightmares - One tragedy after another. Not fair Universe. Let this pass away soon. Can we have a better 2020? Life is highly unpredictable, We're not promised a tomorrow .

First seen in a song in the film Sree 420, as a child, followed by Mera Nam Joker, and then as a lead actor, in Bobby Oh my goodness gracious. The Bobby hero, Rishi Kapoor, goes.He died on 30 April 2020 from complications of bone marrow cancer (Some mention as leukemia) , aged 67. After being diagnosed with cancer in 2018, he underwent treatment in New York for almost a year. In September 2019, he returned to India but was rarely seen in public since.

Born Rishi Raj Kapoor, in Chembur, Bombay, in a Punjabi family, he was the second son of actor-director Raj Kapoor and grandson of actor Prithviraj Kapoor. He appeared opposite his wife Neetu Singh (married 1980) in twelve films between 1973 and 1981, they got married on 22 January 1980. "I had a horrible first meeting with Rishi Kapoor. He had a habit of bullying, so he would comment on my make-up and clothes, and I'd feel so angry. He was actually a brat who would bully everyone and I was very young at that time. I used to be furious with him," said Neetu.

The couple had two children—actor Ranbir Kapoor, born 28 September 1982, and designer Riddhima Kapoor Sahani, born 15 September 1980. Rishi Kapoor's autobiography Khullam Khulla: Rishi Kapoor Uncensored, was released on 15 January 2017. Kapoor wrote the book along with Meena Iyer, the same year he won number of award as Best Actor in a Comic Role for Kapoor & Sons; though there were few more movies, enacted even after that - a notable one being 102 not out.

"People often ask me what institute have I been to. And I always tell them that I've graduated from the University of the Kapoors. I've learnt everything in this school. It is here that I learnt to overcome failure, hurt, pain. My experiences have taught me a lot," Rishi had said. "I'm sincere to my work and to my family because I've experienced a lot from the lifestyles of my grandfather, my father, my uncles, my brothers. I've deliberately stayed away from things that could possibly affect my family life. The only thing that I haven't been able to stay away from is alcohol. I don't know how that has happened. Maybe because my father too was a big drinker, I guess," he said. I am reminded of Raj Kapoor's funeral - what a crowd it was! Rishi's family was by his side when he breathed his last and his funeral will take place at Marine Lines Chandanwadi near the hospital. Rishi Kapoor was hospitalised in Mumbai's Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital after this condition deteriorated. His brother Randhir Kapoor had shared the news that the actor had been kept in ICU as his cancer has relapsed. His children would miss the funeral, 20 people who got permission to attend are:

Some of his last tweets were:

An appeal Folded hands to all brothers and sisters from all social status and faiths. Please don’t resort to violence,stone throwing or lynching. Doctors,Nurses,Medics, Policemen etc..are endangering their lives to save you. We have to win this Coronavirus war together. Please. Jai Hind!

He remained jovial and determined to live to the fullest right through two years of treatment across two continents. Family, friends, food and films remained his focus and everyone who met him during this time was amazed at how he did not let his illness get the better of him.

It was actor Amitabh Bachchan who has shared the news of his friend and co-star Rishi's passing away. In his tweet, he wrote, "T 3517 - He's GONE .. ! Rishi Kapoor .. gone .. just passed away .. I am destroyed !"

Both deaths - unfortunate, a big loss for film industry. From Cancer to Corona to Cancer. One at 54, another at 67 - Sridevi also passed away at 54. Hope they have met in heaven, and Rishi and Sridevi are dancing to the tunes of Chandini.

Writing Tips

Was wondering, what it takes to write a book and how to get it published; and here was the response from Pattabhi Ram Sir - "Love, Laziness, and Long hours. As in love for writing, laziness (As defined by corporate guys who think the office revolves around them), and ability to put long hours on the writing effort. You try out with main stream publishers or go to independent publishers"

Eric Karl Anderson the lonesomereader, with his blog, you tube and Instagram, has been an inspiration and great recommendation. – My Bibliotherapist. The Novel cure. The fact is, one cannot read all the books that exist. And the more you read, the more your are tempted to write. Just like breathing is complete only when you inhale and exhale.

In his essay Why Write?, Sartre explores how a writer uses literature in order to “manage his escapes and conquests.” He describes how each writer “has his reasons: for one, art is a flight; for another, a means of conquering.” Such motivation as based partially in the writer’s belief that they are “essential in relationship to the world.” Giving permanence to an experience of our world through writing is a consequence of the writer imposing unity between their mind and the things they depict. “The operation of writing,” Sartre proposes, involves “an implicit quasi-reading which makes real reading.” An author does not see the words he writes as a reader sees them, as the words existed to him before he wrote them, while the reader’s perception of these words is unique.

Margaret Atwood's Top 5 Writing Tips; she says don’t know where ideas come from – but when it comes, working out of it, structure, pacing is important. Something has to happen, and it has to be a surprise. Some of it will be draining, as you cannot go from one happy scene to the other. Show how the character is dealing with it. Mere act of writing is an act of optimism – it will be finished, publish, will have readers. And the tips –

1) Have note book – write down
2) Read Critically – decide what you like and what you don’t; how languages are handled.
3) Pay attention to your posture – it will catch up to you as you get older – exercise.
4) When you get into a block – go for a walk or go to sleep.
5) Don’t be afraid to throw things out – when you are writing, no one else is seeing. Put out, and then decide what needs to go to the waste basket

Create, Analyse , Forecast

How to Write a Book: 13 Steps From a Bestselling Author: Jerry B. Jenkins
Have you ever had a book idea so captivating you just knew it would finally push you across the finish line?
1. Establish your writing space.
2. Assemble your writing tools.
3. Break the project into small pieces.
4. Settle on your big idea.
5. Construct your outline.
6. Set a firm writing schedule. (Firm Deadline).
7. Conduct your research.
8. Write a compelling, reader-first, opener.
9. Fill your story with conflict and tension.
10. Turn off your internal editor. (While writing).
11. Don't quit during the Marathon of the Middle.
12. Write a resounding ending.
13. Become a ferocious (aggressive) self-editor.

If you have several ideas, pick the one that is the most emotional because readers remember what moves them. Excellent advice. If it seems boring to you, your reader is asleep . “You Can edit a Bad page, but you can’t edit a Blank page”

So how do writers really write? Shorn of all technical details, here is what Revathi Krishna think happens when a writer sets out to write ( https://revathikrishna.com/how-do-writers-write-the-journey-of-an-idea-from-conception-to-completion/ ).
Phase 1: Germinating:
Phase 2: Solidifying:
Phase 3: Thinking:
Phase 4: Outpouring:
Phase 5: Editing

Finding joy | Life In Lockdown - The R's of Me

As the saying goes, "After every storm, there is a rainbow"; with most of us locked inside our walls, without a chance to step into the outside world, it was a moment to take sometime out of our busy life, be Thankful, explore our interest and bring out the passion. It deffered from people to people - from gardening/horticulture, painting/drawing, photography/videography, reading books/watching movies and so on. Has God really answered the prayers of the people who grumbled having no time to do certain things in life and wanted to? Novelists, critics, artists, and journalists have put words to the feelings many are experiencing. The result is a first draft of how we’ll someday remember this time, filled with uncertainty and pain and fear as well as small moments of hope and humanity.

Though thought this would be the time, I can finish off the pending books on my shelf, time even here had other plans; so ended up: Remote connection with team, reconnect with nature, reminisce the past, rejuvenating self.

Working from home, brought with it benefits as well as the unique issues not only for self, but for the team as well - resolving it became a priority. Extended family and friend with social distancing and unable to meet own friend and family - Nature, birds and animals took over their space. The vacation was a sneak peak into past. It helped update and clean up the blog a bit as well. Finally with all these, the little time I used to spend on myself was also lost. Reading did happen, but at a slower pace; with the heat, exercising was next to impossible, but did give a little brush up to cooking. Cleaning by default had to be done, realizing smaller the house the better.

Lessons of Life : and it took a virus that threatens our existence to remind us. That beauty lies in simplicity .

When someone says we can accomplish something but we must pay a price, do not rush to applaud. One day you may become the price that is paid. "When the stick hits my own head, I finally understand the pain — and why some others once cried out of pain."

"We human beings are all unique bound by a common thread of humanity. Irrespective of whoever, where ever, whatever we are. We do design for high-value housing and provide in the slums the residue. We should be ashamed because we have the image we want to project of ourselves and there’s a part we want to hide. We are offended when people criticise it, but we have social responsibilities as architects and builders. The corona issue is a wake-up call of what beholds us. What our concern is that it turns around and bites us,” - Ratan Tata

Irrfan Khan - Amma has come to take me

Today morning, a sudden tweet by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar left everyone shocked.

"My dear friend Irfaan. You fought and fought and fought. I will always be proud of you.. we shall meet again.. condolences to Sutapa and Babil.. you too fought, Sutapa you gave everything possible in this fight. Peace and Om shanti. Irfaan Khan salute. "

Born in 1967, though wanted to be a cricketer, he could not make it due to financial difficulties, took up acting classes in 1984, joined Television, slowly moved into Hindi films, side roles, and then became a lead actor, his first Bollywood lead role came in 2005 with film Rog; then there was no looking back. . Not only in Bollywood but joined the world film industry, acting in not just one but a fair number of good films. Was he in a hurry or was he trying to make up for the delayed recognition?

In February 1995, Khan married writer and fellow NSD graduate Sutapa Sikdar. They had two sons. In 2011 he received Padma Sri under the category of arts. In 2012, he changed his name from Irfan to Irrfan; he said he liked the sound of the extra r in his name. He later dropped Khan from his name because—according to a 2016 interview—he wanted his work to define him, not his lineage.

Wo aye the #PaanSinghTomar bankar jo behtar #Jazbaa k dhani th,

#MumbaiMeriJaan thi. #Haider dili s #Hassil kiya tha uncha mukam. Looks m wo #TheKiller the.

Jinke abhinay ke kya #HindiMedium, #EnglishMedium wale bh diwane the. Apni zindagi ke #LunchBox mai #ApnaAsmaan lekar chalte the.

No doubt he was #TheWarrior & became a #SlumDogMillionair of millions of #AMightyHeart who were #QaribQaribSingle in his love.
He lived a #Chocolate, #LifeInAMetro,

#MagarYeSaliZindigi, #Madari ki trh unk saath khrl r thi #Talvar Lliye humare #BilluBarber ko #BlackMail krri thi.
There was #NoBedOfRoses from past 2 years in the #Karwan of his life.

Ye kesa #Rog laga unko jo ab uko #Qissa bna gaya or #KamalKiMaut dekar hum sab ko #Puzzle kar gaya. Shayd uparwale ko bh wo #Maqbool the.

Par wo itni jld chale gaye k na unko #SalamBombay kah pai naa duniya unko #ThankYou

& this was the #LIFEOFPI

Your Fan
Bhumika Bhagyashaly
#KRAZZY4 U

Indeed he was gone, when he had so much more to give!

An actor that every director wanted to work with. A human being that gave his best in every role. Indian film’s most succesful export to Hollywood. A man loved by all. Sad to see him leave us, after what we thought was successful fight against cancer.The official statement confirming Irrfan's death reads, "I trust, I have surrendered”; These were the some of the many words that Irrfan expressed in a heartfelt note he wrote in 2018 opening up about his fight with cancer. A man of few words and an actor of silent expressions with his deep eyes and his memorable actions on screen, Irrfan Khan passed away.

Goodbyes hurt the most when the story is not yet finished. Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, but love leaves a memory no one can steal. Finding reasons in the death will never give us any answers. I look at his passing as a door to eternity and a beginning of new life for him.

He wrote a letter in 2018, which is his own obituary.

I reproduce excerpts from that;

“It’s been quite some time now since I have been diagnosed with a high-grade neuroendocrine cancer. This new name in my vocabulary, I got to know, was rare, and due to fewer study cases, and less information comparatively, the unpredictability of the treatment was more. I was part of a trial-and-error game.”

“I had been in a different game, I was travelling on a speedy train ride, had dreams, plans, aspirations, goals, was fully engaged in them. And suddenly someone taps on my shoulder and I turn to see. It’s the TC: “Your destination is about to come. Please get down.” I am confused: “No, no. My destination hasn’t come.” “No, this is it. This is how it is sometimes.

The suddenness made me realise how you are just a cork floating in the ocean with unpredictable currents! And you are desperately trying to control it.”

"In this chaos, shocked, afraid and in panic, while on one of the terrifying hospital visits, I blabber to my son, 'The only thing I expect from ME is not to face this crisis in this present state. I desperately need my feet. Fear and panic should not overrule me and make me miserable'.

“That was my intention. And then the pain hit. As if all this while, you were just getting to know pain, and now you know his nature and his intensity. Nothing was working; no consolation, no motivation.”

"As I was entering the hospital, drained, exhausted, listless, I hardly realised my hospital was on the opposite side of Lord’s, the stadium. The Mecca of my childhood dream. Amidst the pain, I saw a poster of a smiling Vivian Richards. Nothing happened, as if that world didn’t ever belong to me.

This hospital also had a coma ward right above me. Once, while standing on the balcony of my hospital room, the peculiarity jolted me. Between the game of life and the game of death, there is just a road. On one side, a hospital, on the other, a stadium. As if one isn’t part of anything which might claim certainty – neither the hospital, nor the stadium. That hit me hard.

I was left with this immense effect of the enormous power and intelligence of the cosmos. The peculiarity of MY hospital’s location – it HIT me. The only thing certain was the uncertainty. All I could do was to realise my strength and play my game better.”

“This realisation made me submit, surrender and trust, irrespective of the outcome, irrespective of where this takes me, eight months from now, or four months from now, or two years. The concerns took a back seat and started to fade and kind of went out of my mind space.

For the first time, I felt what 'freedom' truly means. It felt like an accomplishment. As if I was tasting life for the first time, the magical side of it. My confidence in the intelligence of the cosmos became absolute. I feel as if it has entered every cell of mine.
Time will tell if it stays, but that is how I feel as of now.”

“Throughout my journey, people have been wishing me well, praying for me, from all over the world. People I know, people I don’t even know. They were praying from different places, different time zones, and I feel all their prayers become ONE. One big force, like a force of current, which got inside me through the end of my spine and has germinated through the crown of my head.

It’s germinating – sometimes a bud, a leaf, a twig, a shoot. I keep relishing and looking at it. Each flower, each twig, each leaf which has come from the cumulative prayers, each fills me with wonder, happiness and curiousity. A realisation that the cork doesn’t need to control the current. That you are being gently rocked in the cradle of nature.”

Irrfan Khans letter. 2018.

He wrote his obituary himself. Says it all.

Though people spoke of or preferred one of the three Mega start Khan's and the large audience was divided among, the three; most had a common silent liking to this Khan who was less spoken with words, but more spoken with deeds.

Having acted in Bollywood, Hollywood, may be he was eager to act in Heavenwood.

Just a few days back, Irrfan's mother Saeeda Begum passed away and the actor was not able to attend her funeral due to the lockdown. Before Irrfan passed away, these were his last word... "Amma has come to take me." This and his fight is what prompted me to update this blog. Is it true that when you are about to die, you see your dead loved ones?

A brilliant actor, a fighter, a prolific contributor to the World of Cinema .. left us too soon .. creating a huge vacuum ..... You will be missed Irrfan Khan 🙏😔💕💐

Sweet Delicacies

Kalakand
3 pack milk boil till become half ...Keep stirring till milk become thick. Add one lemon juice keep n sugar
Put ghee n nuts in a plate n add this milk mixture..keep to cool in room temperature..then some time in fridge..nice to hv cold one. Milk, lemon and sugar Sugar 200 gm. Dont add water at all in milk.


Sukhadi
https://veggiefoodrecipes.com/sukhdi-recipe-gud-papdi-recipe/

Only three ingredients looks interesting but of all jagery is tricky. How jaggery was added to ghee flour mixture? How do they mix well. Need to keep stirring..that's trick...switch off d gas then add jaggery..



https://youtu.be/hcCt0R8Dq_0
Cake with no maida and with water...

Instead of cocoon you can add coffee powder also. No need instead add coffee powder
Instant coffee powder will do.....chicory is just a blend used. Filter coffee cNt be used as it needs to be brewed. My thought, incase u want to used the coffee decoction then reduce the water measure

Diamond Cuts

One bowl ghee, one bowl sugar, one bowl water n pinch of salt.... get it to boil
Once cool... mix required flour to make the batter..... it should b soft... roll to make balls 🎾... make chapatis ... not too thin or too thick.. heat oil... from the chapatis cut to diamond shaped or square shaped cuts n deep fry in oil.Tip is to make it immediately after making the batterAs ghee in it shud dey n get cold

Curious Pursuits by Margaret Atwood

A grab-bag of occasional pieces; priceless collection of essays, reviews, speeches and some obituaries by Margaret Atwood, divided into three parts; was 24 of 2020. We might have had no clue about the people , books and incidents that the author is writing about, nevertheless we will enjoy it to the core. Her writing style is easy flowing; at times we feel she is talking to us, or writing this as a letter to us. “Why is this book called Curious Pursuits? ‘Curious’ describes both my habitual state of mind – a less kind word would be ‘nosy’ – as well as the subject matter of some of these writings…….’Passionate’ might have been more accurate; however, it would have given a wrong impression, and disappointed a few men in raincoats. As for 'pursuits', it's a noun that contains a verb. What can you ever do with reality but chase it around? You can't expect to capture it in any final way, because the thing keeps moving. ” Part One covers 1970-1989; part two covers 1990-1999 and part three covers 2000-2005 and includes politics.

“I don’t review books I don’t like, although to do so would doubtless be amusing for the Ms Hyde side of me and entertaining for the more malicious class of reader. But either the book is really bad, in which case no one should review it, or it’s good but not my cup of tea, in which case someone else should review it.” Well this is just the beginning,

Some inspiring thoughts are -
1) How wrong we were about the brave new world, we were about to enter. (Introduction) "I don't review books I don't like, although to do so would doubtless be amusing for the Ms Hyde side of me and entertaining for the more maicious class of reader. But either the book is really bad, in which case no one should review it, or it's good but not my cup of tea, in which case someone else should review it."
2) Judgement and connections comes from inside and that's pretty much writing, an exploration of where I live. Exploiting resources and developing potentials are two different things, one is done from without may be with money; the other from withing, by something we called love. (Travels Back)
3) Words are purpose, words are map.(Review of Diving into the Wreck by Adrienne Rich)
4) Men and women to take turns and be human, Women are neither angel nor evils. (The curse of Eve)
5) Two qualities needed to be a writer are cloak of invisibility to follow people and listen to what they are saying and ability to teleport to somebody else's mind. (Writing the Male Character - This is a chapter to be re read when you feel life is too much)
6) Utopia, a book I had been trying to get hold of since quite some time but was unable to - but loved reading about it here, which increased my quest to read Sir Thomas More's original. She also describes about Dystopia full of tyranny, while the actual world is neither of these but somewhere in between - so her novel .
7) Writing should have economic force, public events, personal details, geology, cultural refrence. It is out of such individual particulars that fiction is constructed, so is autobiography. (In search of Alias Grace: On writing Canadian Historical Fiction). 17th Century revolved around faith, 18th century around knowledge, 19th century memory. Nostalgia for what once was, guilt for what you once did, revenge for what someon else once did to you, regret for what you once might have done, but did'nt do - how certain they are of the previous century, and how depended, each of of them is on the idea of memory.
8) "But no one succumbs to a temptation they find unattractive. What is it, this compulsion to scrawl things on blank pages? Why this boundless outflowing of words? What drives us to it? Is writing some sort of disease, or - being speech in visual form - is it simply a manifestation of being human! (Introduction 2000-2005)"
9) Reverberating silences - Pinteresque.
10) Curiosity is their driving force, vengeance is their goal (Introduction to she)
11) Some books have to wait until you're ready for them. So much, in reading, is a matter of luck. And what luck I'd just had! (Or so I muttered to myself, putting on my floppy old hat, going out to fool around in my unfathomable garden.....)
12) Who knows, if there is going to be an endemic, alongside or at the end of the present Pandamic, it's important that people realise the importance of victory gardens. Was reading about how victory gardens were promoted during 2nd world war and situation now is no different. This is aikin to a third world war. Some mortifications are after all self-inflicted. Tomorrow is another mortification. Life has become so unpredictable, all we have to do is just be nice.

To Quote Poet George Meredith:
.....In tragic life, God with,
No Villain need be! Passion spin the plot;
We are betrayed by what is false within.

13)Gardens are educational, teaching as they do many lessons. Food grow in the ground, not in supermarkets: air, soil, sun and water are the four necessary ingredients, today's children need this skill.
14) God is'nt finished with us yet, because these things are sent to try us. Where there is blushing, there is life! - Mortification (great embarrassment and shame.- "they mistook my mortification for an admission of guilt")
15) What if we continue down the road we're already on? How slippery is the slope? What are our saving graces? Who's got the will to stop us?
16) Favorite books are 1984 by Goerge Orwell and Wuthering Heights.
17)The toursit is part of the landscape of our times, as the pilgrim was in the Middle Age.
18) There are those who despise us for writing the news before it happens....Quite a few things happen only because we'we written them up first. I am because I narrate.
19)Ten ways of looking at 'The Island of Doctor Moreau' by H.G, Wells- Elios and Morlocks, signs of the times, scientific, Romance, The Enchanted Island, The unholy trinity, The new woman as catwoman, The whiteness of Moreau, the blackness of M'ling, The modern ancient mariner, Fear and Trembling.
20)
He prayeth well, who loveth well
Both man and bird and beast.
He prayeth best who loveth best
All things both great and samll;
For the dear God who loveth us,
He made and loveth all.

Parallel Life

This title - Parallel Life has kept echoing me - I wanted to write something about it - Had come up with one as well. But then, something happened, which reverberate the title. One thing is certain in life. Just when things are going well, soon after they are certain to go wrong. We had life with it's routine, going on; and suddenly the world has come to a stand still, or do I call it topsy-turvy?

It take years, efforts and lot of people, to nurture and grow something - and each one of us are unique in who we are, how we do things, and what we expect. If this is true for an individual, an organisation, how vast and cumbersome it would be for a nation like India? Our country has come a long way, freed or relaxed from the clutches of slavery, poverty, unemployment, with the efforts of lot many people. With a mix of people, from various ethnic group - we find unity in diversity, all around. It was indeed an uphill task, to have such a country managed, not that we are the best but neither are we the worst; we have significantly worked very hard and have come a long way.

How pity it is that when whole world is fighting against corona threat we Indians are fighting over Arnab Goswami Sonu Nigam Islamophobia hinduphobia.Everyday something communal is trending.We talk so much of Ramayana and this's what we learn #ArrestAntiIndiaArnab #ISupportArnab



Goswami's communal rant on Republic Hindi on the Palgarh lynching was hurting. I think he needs to see a shrink. No sensible person will approve the lynching just as no sensible person will endorse his filthy abuses. Was so agitated when I saw him blaming Sonia, and before going off to sleep had mentioned to a friend, if he is gone insane, to shout like that; morning she sends a petition for me to sign saying, sign this petition - investigate the attack on Arnab Goswami to save freedom of press and freedom of speech. Mr. Goswami was maliciously attacked by two miscreants on a two wheeler in the night of 22nd April 2020, when Mr. Goswami was returning from his studio in Mumbai in his private vehicle, just a few hours after his live show where he spoke freely against the Indian Congress Party and their alleged role in the recent killings of Hindu saints in a nearby region of Palghar, just 75 Miles north of Mumbai. About 500 meters before their residence, Arnab’s car was allegedly overtaken by bikers, and hit. He and his wife Samia was in the car. When ink was thrown on Arvind Kejriwal, Arnab Goswami ran hashtags “Ink Drama”. So it’s funny to see him hopping mad like he has faced deadly terror attack when ink was thrown at his car For a man who fought VVIP racism including security cover from 'tax payer' money, and out of turn midnight hearings by courts, it's amazing that he enjoys Y security and his case is being heard by the highest court within 24 hours. Good some press is respected, when we had the like of Gauri Lankesh killed and no action taken. Arnab Goswami Moves Supreme Court Seeking Quashing Of FIRs Over His Comments Criticising Sonia Gandhi by Swarajya Staff. Sonia is not innocent. If yes, she would not have survived in Politics this long. But when some incident occur, how can you call names on an individual, and ask that person a question, when that person is neither the PM or HM?? At least two FIRs (First Information Report) have been filed against the Republic TV head Arnab Goswami for his alleged derogatory remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and for deliberate inflammatory statements.gical fact is, if somebody is insecure or speaking something which is false and claiming it to be true, tend to over act and be loud to camaflogue their faults and simply accuse others.Not just that. He has a tendency of being uncivil, keeps saying "shut, shut." These are not what people are taught to behave. If we begin to like that type of conversation, we are slipping up as a human race. Simi Garewal was a marvellous anchor in her time. It's really inspiring for a new generation. Can we have the likes of her ever again?


We all are childhood friends, we are mature enough, we respect each others point of view,and we should ,this attitude brings us close to each other .....Ruthna manana hota hai ,hamara hakh bhi hai but itna bhi nahi ke hum ek ache khase dost ko kho de ....lets again all cheer up ,dance ,enjoy ...because these days will not come again ...again hamara group hasta khilkhilata rahe ...hum sab sath hai ....sath mein rahenge ,kisiko piche nahi chodege ..; ..in fact all are wonderful in their own aspects ..but humare dost humse khafa ho ye nai ho sakta ...We had created a school group, and it was agreed that since there would be unknown people - a check of the people admitting to the group had to be done. Since one person could not do it, more admin's were added to the group - to check the validity of people in the group. Suddenly one day - one person come and say - we have decided that we would remove people who are not active - Fair enough. Some people thought it to be cool, as it's unfair, to be just there and not write, or wish people, many people were removed. Was their consent taken before removing as a matter of courtesy; or were only they removed who were never active? Soon after people started asking to be added in the group, which were done. Was there a sense of respect towards them? A couple of days later, when inquired about another person at around mid-night, as I could not recollect, I said so, and suggested that we could call and check the next morning, as it was too late then. A couple of minutes after this, the girl messaged saying, someone removed her from the group, and asked that she be added back. On telling the person to add her back, she said - she would add her later, it was a shake up exit! Now what does that mean? Some people just like to shake up everything. We need to check peoples validity, people might be busy, we have work from home, not all will be able to participate in group activities, it looks rude deleting people. Just because they don't participate don't mean they are not schoolies. Every one is part, you cant pressurise and make decision, if person is not active, call them find the issue. I feel it's getting into bullying and bossing, am sure many who are not in group would want to be part of it. Hope all understand! For this the response was, firstly it's not about activities, it's about overall participation in the group. Not even a singel Hi or atleast an emoji. Secondly I am not working from home, I go to office with all the household work also. You might find it rude but there are also many people in the group who agree with us. So please think before accusing people of bullying.. presurrizing, we as friends were trying to wake up schoolies. I could have responded saying - unnecessary chat is unnecessary emission of carbon black, causing environmental hazard, working for home, working from home, going to office, all have its own pros and cons. I did not accuse anyone. I just said "I feel it's getting into bullying and bossing" ; every word has it's own meaning, and how it is interpreted vary. Well who is this we, who have made the decision? A separate decision making body? A secretive sub group created within the main group, who took upon themselves the entire admin rights without even consulting the whole members of Admin team? And ha if the desire is to shake up the group, and waking them up, that was not the purpose of creating the group, it was to bring all together. When the purpose no more exist, there was no question in my remaining, and I quit with message to her saying, if anyone ask why I left the group, say if non active members can be removed without verification, active members can quit without intimation. Please don't add me. Got a response saying Sorry, she would not say anything in the group. It seems as desired, Sunday there was hungama in the group - as per the desire of those who wanted to shake up the group. And for me, it was a blessing in disguise, as I had always been for peace and resilience. Also it helped me to have some me time, social distancing, the task PM asked us to do, and also to know who really cared and were true friends. There were messages and call, and to every one I just said, need a break. This helped me know, understand and ponder on how people differ, what priorities are and who real friends are.

The verdicts are still pending. Groupism, nagging, blaming are all bad. We need to stay united, especially during these trying times. .All are gone nuts. Even during these trying times, people fail to realise priorities, and get involved in petty Politics, religion without realising we are all one. God Bless Mankind. Wishing for safety, joy, happiness and peace, Always - Everytime, everywhere, every one. It feels good to know that at least a few of them can understand. Life has become so unpredictable, all we have to do is just be nice. Some mortifications are after all self-inflicted

To Quote Poet George Meredith:
.....In tragic life, God with,
No Villain need be! Passion spin the plot;
We are betrayed by what is false within.

Mental Health Awareness

Good mental health is where, every individual realize his or own potential, cope with what life throws at you, play a full part in your family, workplace, community and among friends.

Mental illness includes :
Stress
Depression
Anxiety disorder
Post traumatic stress disorder
Obsessive compulsive disorder
Bipolar
Schizophrenia
Addiction
Eating Disorder

Signs of stress and depression:
Performance falls off
Take unexplained sick days
Timekeeping degrades
They become moody and unpredictable
They lose energy and enthusiasm,
They start to make poor decisions

3 WAYS TO LOOK AFTER YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

Personal effectiveness skills – Time management, positive attitude, Assertive communication
Building resiliene – Emotional control, Solutions focus, Flexibility
Work/Life Balance – Purpose, Wellbeing, Networks

Supporting colleagues – Reach out, encourage conversation, Keep an open mind, professional help, keep the door open, look after yourself.

Be Patient, keep your door open.

Show your support. This is even more needed during these days of being indoor.

Th The Equality Act prevents discrimination in the workplace based on a disability. If someone's mental health issues are classified as a disability, they will be protected under the Act.
The Health and Safety Legislation protects employees from the risk of stress associated with their work by ensuring employers assess that risk and take steps to control it.
e Equality Act prevents discrimination in the workplace based on a disability. If someone's mental health issues are classified as a disability, they will be protected under the Act.


SRI BHAGAVAN: "You should not live with emotions of depression, anxiety, sadness, and irritability that are interfering with your natural capacity to enjoy life. Most emotional imbalances have been found to be the result of unmet nutritional needs, malfunctions in our brain/body chemistry and unquestioned perceptions.

Science has shown today that every emotion has a corresponding chemical reaction happening in the brain. When you experience emotions like fear or stress, the hypothalamus releases chemicals and complex amino acids called neuropeptides, which thereafter are pumped into the bloodstream.

These neuropeptides reach the various organs through the blood. They reach the cells and get locked up in the cell receptors. Once this happens, these cells become immune to any form of nutrition and nourishment. These cells further multiply to create similar unhealthy cells.

That is why people with prolonged, rundown emotions often prove their doctor’s failures. No medication or treatment works for them.
The body, by nature, has been designed for experiences such as ecstasy, love and bliss. And it also knows fear and the struggle for survival. Going into these challenges we are only triggering that chemistry of the brain that deals with emotions such as fear, loneliness and frustration.

The result is that your brain is exhausted and brings forth an imbalance of transmitters and hormones in the limbic system. Hence, you become emotionally reactant.

However, it is possible to activate those parts of the brain that deal with love, skill and solutions. Research on deeksha is now revealing that deeksha is activating certain areas of the brain that would not other-wise get effected even after years of meditation.

Deeksha is proving to be a very powerful tool in returning the body to a complete state of health, and the mind to a state of relaxation and rest."

Friends and Family

Though not a cat person, now, we are surrounded with Cats. Guess the number of kindle around us? Today we were congratulate for new ones. This could be the fourth generation moving around? Last August blacky was almost about to die, and my mother-in-law wanted her indoors. The day before she passed away, on the evening of 14th August, she was just lying on her bed as human do. Soon after she passed away, she gave birth to 4 kindle - Silli, Mily, Baboos and Junie. Their father Hitloo too would linger around. It's been just six months now, and Blacky has had her next set of Kindle. Yet to get confirmation of how many they are.



And this Covid lockdown period, Blacky has given birth to another set of kindle; increasing the feline headcount to 10.

CAT's

Villa where we stay for rent has a new president, and she don't like pets. It seems earlier dogs were not allowed here. Before few days her son and another neighbours son was walking around with the placard saying no pets allowed here. We thought they had the problem with us feeding cats, the kids started throwing stones at the cats. One day Rajesh said this cannot be done, if something happens to the car, we will come and throw stones at your car, would that be okay. He even contemplated of the Idea of putting a board no kids allowed here. Then secretary came and spoke to Rajesh. And they have asked not only to let go the cats ASAP and share with them the plan but also stop feeding the pigeons. Since when did pigeons become pets?



PIGEON's

Mother-In- Law would feed them twice a day; at around 6.30 am and 4.30 pm; but now we feed them only in the mornings. Old habits die hard. We could not stop it just like that, and they are now fed in our terrace. First day, they did hesitate comming, but now they are fine.

At this rate what is the guarantee they will not ask us to stop keeping food for crow? We do that as ritual on a daily basis. The one legged crow, has always been there.

When there are many, the rule is; when food is kept out, the crows, once they see the food, will start crowing. First the big, fat, dark black will come and have; just a little, then a couple in the next round, and so it would go for 2-3 rounds, no overcrowding, or overeating.



CROW's

We also did have sparrows, squirells, who had build her nest, outside our kitchen, and once a snake came in search of the egg.



Our owner said neighbors might be worried if pets bring Corona virus. I think I heard in a video that pets cant give us corona...it will be the opposite. But difficult to convince everyone and now that people are so scared of this virus issue. No amount of logic is going to work sadly. Nature appears to be at it's best, and here are a few click from our neighbor of animals around us:



All said and done, they indeed are our Friends and Family, without them our life would be incomplete, they give meaning and purpose to our living, and take life forward.

Migrant's Saga

Heart Yearns for Love & Understanding - Praying for Peace - During these trying times - Part 5

A hard hitting truth. It has always been the poorest people who pay the highest price. Before shut down, the well to do migrants were brought back, and there are discussions to bring back the rest; but what about the poor? What are they to do, living in a place where social distancing is next to impossible, and they are robbed of their daily lively hood? Instead of blaming them, what could have been done are as Pattabhi Ram Sir said: " Planned evacuation could have been one option. These were done in some cases. Assurance could be a second. This is where leadership comes, in terms of telling what would be done and doing it. Three, if this was handiwork of propagandists, find them and penalize." Between, where are the intelligence?

There are three types of migrant - and their issues; which are dealt with three different ways:
1) The rich - who have all means, to reach wherever they want; by hook, crook or influences. Even emergency air transport is made available in the name of export/import for them.
2) The middle class - who move out of state/country for jobs - among them some came back home, before the shut down, making calculative judgement, some decided to stay back wherever they are and go with the law of the land and yet others, wanted to come back; but with last minute preparations, and immediate announcement got stuck with where they are - of these some are alone, some with families and yet others with friends. A few of them do not have cooking provision where they stay, and find it difficult to manage; therefore would want to come back ASAP.
3) The poor, who live a hand to mouth existence, who had no clue of what was coming; and was worried only of their next bread. That becoming an issue, the the means of livelihood having come to a standstill, they prefer going back to their hometowns as soon as possible.

Courtesy Darshan Mondker. Well articulated.

"The migrant issue was like a ticking timebomb waiting to explode in our faces, from the moment Modi announced the first lockdown with a 4 hr warning and then conveniently cut off all means of long distance commute.

Some people are now talking about how the migrants are creating a nuisance for the people by coming out on the streets, breaking the lockdown and wanting to go back home even when they are being provided with food and rations by the respective State Govts.

Some have even suggested that the Army should be called in to control these migrants and keep them under lockdown!!

But the fact is that most of us who are making random comments about the migrant issue come from a privilged position and are doing so from the comforts of our home.

These migrants are 100s 1000s kms away from their homes and families.

They usually live in small rooms of 10X10 with anything between 6 to 8 people living in one room, with a common toilets at the end of the corridor which is used by 20-40 people.

Their rooms are in areas where the sewers line their streets and the streets themselves are not more than 3ft wide. To give you an idea, that's just about the width of your bedroom door.

They have meagre means of survival even on a normal day and earn their bread based on their daily wages.

Their bank balances are zero and most of their savings are sent to their families back home.

Back home, in their villages, they at least have a decent sized house, their families living together and in some cases a small piece of land with a bare minimum agriculture produce which can suffice their family.

At the moment, with the forced lockdown in effect since the last 21 days, they are strapped for cash, tired, fighting a daily battle of survival, with the help from State Govts falling quite short.

They Just Want to Go Home..... So excuse them for being poor, hungry, defeated and thinking that their village is a better place for them to be, at the moment.

They do not understand what's happening around them, most of them are uneducated, don't have the intelligence to check WHO sites or understand the terminologies being thrown at them.

They are not the ones having BBQ parties at home and posting "My New Recipe" videos on their social media profiles while cribbing about the Covid19 statistics as if this is the biggest disaster ever. For them every day that they don't make money is a disaster.

They are confused, agitated and uncertain of their future.

So, it might be a good idea for all of us privilged people to first try and have some empathy towards them.

The sudden lockdown, while entirely necessary was done without any planning.

It was perfectly possible to anticipate the woes of the migrant workers and have a solution ready to send the migrants back home even during the lockdown with proper screening at the exit points, had the States and the Center worked together.

But unfortunately their plight was completely ignored, probably because the ones taking these decisions also came from a similar privilged position and were unable to anticipate their plight.

Now, it is of utmost importance to sort this issue of migrants either by sending them back home or by ensuring their comfort wherever they are and this is our number one priority.

But do stop blaming the migrants for coming out on the streets.

They have as much right to survive as you, me or anyone else does. Their right to survive does not reduce because of them being underprivileged, uneducated or poor.

Disclaimer: The main reason why privileged people are blaming the migrants for coming out on the streets is because they are afraid to die themselves because of the migrants, they don't really care how many of those migrants die in their slums. That's the fact... Face it."

For lighting diya and clapping on the streets modi gives 4 days notice but just 4 hours notice for lockdown. He is a FAST PM - First Action, Second Think.

I wonder what else has been swept under the carpet that is waiting to blow in the face. Wait and watch. When it blows up it could get covered; like the near zero news on Surat.

We had protest in Kerala, Kottayam the day after lock down was announced, and the CM immediately arrested the leader of the migrant worker and quarantined the whole participants, with food provided. They asked that they be given uncooked food and provision for cooking their own, and arrangements were made for that even. Migration issue is a global phenomenon. The rich gets sanctions while the poor pay the highest price, falling prey to petty Politics.

https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/coronavirus/news/kerala-congress-functionary-migrant-worker-arrested-for-spreading-rumours-violating-lockdown-regulations-in-kottayam/articleshow/74885974.cms?fbclid=IwAR1SO1hdWDkjWyQGZOy-4XyHMsFTMKpcZha297w_H8wR0gwkrmxEd0-xIQ4

Migrant workers issues in New Delhi - it was highlighted and Arvind Kejriwal blamed, saying he did not provide water and electricity to only the workers from UP and Bihar!! That was soon after the first lock down announcement.

Now after the second announcement, the same issue has popped up in Mumbai. Why?

Was it the Anti CAA protesters?
Was it the Anti Islamophobia?
Was it Anti BJP?
Was it the act of congress?
Was it out of genuine need?

Why was it in Bandra near the mosque?

Hope and wish these kind of activities do not spur up, and we have the virus under control soon.


‘but why, all of a sudden?’
‘It’s never all of a sudden. Nature bears all, suffers for centuries before attempting such catastrophes. The eternal war between the sea and the land. When men forget to take care of his land, the sea finds its own ways.’
~ Sethu, ‘Marupiravi’

Scams, Scandals, Speculations and Society

History rhymes - events will always repeat . The players differ. New players have no idea of past events, or worse choose to ignore them thinking “this time it is different”. Hence history repeats.

Misuse of common man's hard earned savings is a cardinal sin: Deepak Parekh. ... Amid the crisis at Punjab & Maharashtra Cooperative Bank (PMC), HDFC chairman said it is "brutally unfair" we have regular loan waivers and corporate loan write-offs but no financial system to protect the common man's savings.

The fate of families who had plans for their health care, their daughter’s wedding, children’s education, or family travel get wrecked; the retired are forced to get back to work. People make harsh decision like, never to have children; given the uncertainty around. People lose jobs and the worst affected are those in the age group of 45-55 years as no one would be ready to recruit them for their skill set and pay.
Top Financial Scams during recent past continues to be:

1) Enron where the balance sheets were inflated using mark to market valuations and income statement was inflated using future probable incomes of investment done at present and making huge payoffs to the top management..
2) Worldcom, attempted to falsely inflate the earnings on its profit and loss statement by nearly $4 billion. It was a household name and one of the world's largest telecommunication companies, and also a core dividend-paying stock that many retirees held in their portfolios, This shook the world in 2001
3) Lehman Brothers, came to light on Sept 15, 2008; Lehman's loss resulted from having held onto large positions in subprime and other lower-rated mortgage tranches when securitizing the underlying mortgages. They first got into mortgage-backed securities and CDOs in the early 2000s before acquiring five mortgage lenders. The firm posted multiple, consecutive losses and its share price dropped. CDOs, or collateralized debt obligations, are financial tools that banks use to repackage individual loans into a product sold to investors on the secondary market. These packages consist of auto loans, credit card debt, mortgages or corporate debt. Lehman’s big investment in mortgage securities made it especially vulnerable as the housing market started to crash.

Some major financial scandals that have taken place in India or in the world in which the ORDINARY MAN lost money are:
1. Sharada Group - Value of scam about USD 2 Billion from about 20 Lakh Depositors. The group collected around ₹20 to 30 billion (US$4–6 billion[5][6]) from over 1.7 million depositors[7] before it collapsed in April 2013. In the aftermath of the scandal, the State Government of West Bengal where the Saradha Group and most of its investors were based instituted an inquiry commission to investigate the collapse.[8] The State government also set up a fund of ₹5 billion (US$70 million) to ensure that low-income investors were not bankrupted. The scam has often been compared to the Sanchayita investment scam, a multi crore rupees scam that occurred in West Bengal in the 1970s, complaints related to which led to the formation of the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act of 1978
2. Heera Gold - USD 1 Billion from about 1.72 lakh Depositors . The Enforcement Directorate pegs the scam to be worth Rs 3,000 crore, and the number of Heera Gold victims to be around 1.72 lakh. The Hyderabad Central Crime Station (CCS) pegs the scam to be over Rs 5,460 crore and called the 15 companies floated by the Heera Gold as shell companies. Halal investments, is a form of non-interest-paying investments conforming to the Islamic Sharia laws. Unlike fixed bank interest rates, which are considered to be anti-Islam, halal schemes sell their plans as a form of partnership business with the promise of high returns. Nowhera Shaikh the chairperson, CEO and founder of Heera Gold; the company director Biju Thomas; and General Manager Mary Thomas were arrested in relation to this case.
3. Quest Net Gold Quest - USD 1.20 Billion 2 Lakh Depositors ; Gold Quest is the previous avatar of QNet, the multi-level marketing (MLM) company. QuestNet and GoldQuest, which all but closed down in 2009, emerged bigger and stronger as QNet. But the hype and hard-sell by this MLM company to ensnare people into enrolling distributors and hawking lifestyle products such as watches, gold coins, bio-discs, herbal products and travel packages was worrying. Such a model can be represented as a binary tree with each node representing a person and the 2 children nodes under it representing the referred friends. It is also called “Pyramid scheme”. Top level would be occupied by promoter and family members. By the 30th level, the entire population of the earth will be in the system and the last 3 billion people who just entered the system into the 30th level have nobody else to refer. If each member is allowed to refer 6 friends, then the entire world population will be covered by the time it reaches 13th level itself . Everybody they try to approach is already a member. The forerunners would have made huge amount of money by now and would go absconding, leading into a fraud. Vihaan, a franchisee of QI Group in India being marketed under the brand name of QNet. According to the police, Vihaan, formerly known as Gold Quest and Quest Net, is a Hong Kong-based direct selling/multi-level marketing (MLM) company owned by the QI Group. They were targeting software employees, unemployed youth and homemakers.
4 The Arbuthnot Bank crash of 1906 where everyone from the Governor downwards lost money..So scams are not a modern day invention, or something that has erupted only in free India. The Arbuthnot Bank crash led to the fall of Arbuthnot & Co, a premier British-owned financial institution in Madras Presidency, British India. In October 1906. The incident is considered to be one of the key events which influenced the Indian independence movement in Tamil Nadu. In the last quarter of 1906, Madras (now Chennai) was hit by the worst financial crisis the city was ever to suffer. Of the three best-known British commercial names in 19th-century Madras, one crashed; a second had to be resurrected by a distress sale; and the third had to be bailed out by a benevolent benefactor. Macfadyen, one of the partners, engaged in speculation, in the process losing huge amounts of the firm's money. Prior to its collapse, Arbuthnots employed between 11,000 and 12,000 people, had 7,000 creditors and £1,000,000 in liabilities. It was ascertained that the liabilities of Macfadyen's were £400,000 and there were 1,000 creditors. It was agreed by the English trustee in bankruptcy and the official assignee in Madras that the assets of the two insolvent firms were to be treated as one and the same business, all creditors were to be entitled to share rateably in the pooled assets.
5. Yes Bank/PMC, - NPA assets being concealed, depositors unable to withdraw their money. In FY16, Yes Bank’s NPAs were at over Rs 4,900 crore, while it had reported an official number of only Rs 749 crore; PMC Bank; by concealing the default on loans to the tune of Rs. 6,500 crore taken by real estate firm Housing Development and Infrastructure Ltd (HDIL).
6. DHFL and related UPPCL/EPF, through layers of shell companies allegedly siphoned off Rs 31,000 crore; UPPCL deposited its EPF money with DHFL
7. IMA Ponzi scheme scandal – compared to others a 4,000 crores scam, but over 76,000 investors not getting back their deposit and interest. Promoter-director Mohammed Mansoor Khan is the brain and beneficiary behind it.

Some other major corporate scams are:
1. KETAN PAREKH SECURITIES SCAM (2001) =_ Parekh was involved in circular trading and stock manipulation through 1999-2001 in a host of companies. Like his mentor Harshad Mehta, Parekh too borrowed from banks like Global Trust Bank and Madhavpura Mercantile Co-operative bank, and manipulated a host of stocks popularly known as K-10 stocks.
2.SATYAM (2009)An accounting scandal where Ramalinga Raju confessed to having cooked up the accounts of Satyam Computers and inflated its bank balances. He has, along with his family members, also been accused of laundering money through a mesh of hundreds of companies.
3. SAHARA (2014) Sahara - SEBI case is the case of the issuance of Optionally Fully Convertible Debentures issued by the two companies of Sahara India Pariwar to which Securities and Exchange Board of India had claimed its jurisdiction and objected on why Sahara has not taken permission from it. Sahara group grew with political support -- the samajwadi party when amar singh was a strongman there. It had its genesis when the yadav patriarch was a central minister.The group's promoter raised a lot of money through political funding (euphemistically called crowdfunding). So long as the group's business enterprise was limited to UP the funds needs were manageable. With the launch of the Sahara airlines and the foray into real estate , the funds need grew by leaps and bounds . The tradition of crowdfunding was tweaked into accepting public deposits and simultaneously the political funding dried up with the waning influence of amarsingh / yadav patriarch in SP , resulting in cash flows of the magnitude that was required to run the conglomerate, drying up.Sebi initiated prosecution and the supreme court came down heavily on the promoter as he failed to encash the real estate assets and pay off the depositors- genuine as well as benamies. The promoter was consequently jailed and the group met its deathbed status.
4. KINGFISHER SCAM After acquiring Air Deccan IN 2008, Kingfisher suffered a loss of over 1,000 crore (US$199.5 million) for three consecutive years. Payment problems(Delayed salary, Fuel Dues, Aircraft lease rental dues, Income Tax,Non-payment of dues to lenders).Ncorporate ethics were compromised in the merger. Allegations of money laundering were first made when it was speculated that Mallya had used loan money received from the banks and diverted them overseas to various tax havens. Mallya laundered the money with the help of shell companies with dummy directors that were controlled by him. The shell companies were located in seven countries, including the United Kingdom , USA, Ireland and France.

Then there are stories like that of Jet airways, ADA'S reliance.

Systems are fragile. We need to be alert where we keep our money. No institution is guaranteed to be safe.

Indian New Year's - One Nation, Many Celebration

Vishu

The Ancient indian subcontinent influence; New year, not only in some states of India, but also for her neighboring states like, Burma, Compodia, Laos, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Tailand. The route of Rajaraja Chola.

Those regions which follow the Solar calendar, the new year falls on Baisakhi in North and Central India,Ugadi in Andhra Pradesh Rongali Bihu in Assam, Tamil Putthandu in Tamil Nadu, Vishu in Kerala, Bishuva Sankranti in Odisha and Poila Boishakh in Bengal in the month of the calendar, i.e., Vaishakha. Generally, this day falls during 14th or 15th of the month of April. Those following Lunar calendar consider the month of Chaitra (corresponding to March-April) as the first month of the year, so the new year is celebrated on the first day of this month. Similarly, few regions in India consider the period between consecutive Sankarantis as one month and few others take the period between consecutive Purnimas as a month. The traditional New Year in many South and Southeast Asian cultures is based on the sun's entry into the constellation Aries. In modern times, it is usually reckoned around the 14th of April.

Have celebrated Vishu since time immemorial, and being a Sun person, No wonder this day is of special significance for me. It's been 8 years, since I was gifted my home this day, which adds to the importance of this day.

Happy New Year dears!

God is a Gamer - Ravi Subramanian

Yet another amazing read by Ravi Subramanian. I have started loving his books. A bit of the Jeffrey Archer and John Grisham schools of writing; I keep waiting for his books like that of Dan Brown.

The book opens with a introduction on the U.S. Government’s clampdown on online payments to Wikileaks; an intense discussion between two corporate honchos, Vijay Banga, President of Mastercard International and Joseph Saunders, the CEO of Visa International. A senior U.S. Government official gets bumped off in the next chapter and things are just warming up; Senator Gillian Tan is killed pushing FBI into a vortex of mad chase. Stanford graduates, incompetent high profile bankers turned entrepreneurs, corrupt politicians, stereotypical FBI agents (and their Indian counterparts from the CBI) and a lot of other such people battling each other. This book is rapid. Aditya runs a gaming company that is struggling to break even; Varun his son join him, and turns the fortune of the company. In India, things are taking their own course; a prominent banker dies after slipping from the rooftop of a building in the middle of a party. The finance minister has made some promises that he is finding hard to keep. The LTTE has unleashed terror in America that sends the FBI on a wild goose chase, bringing them to Mumbai. Enter Varun, parttime drug dealer and fulltime genius. He turns around the gaming company before disaster strikes. Meanwhile, the investigators plunge headlong into the shady world of bitcoins and the Dark Net, websites that only exist for illegal transactions—drugs, sex and money. The book takes you from the by-lanes of Mumbai to the beaches of Goa, to the imposing buildings in Washington to the financial capital of New York. God Is a Gamer culminates in a stunning climax where money means nothing, assassination is taught by the ancient Greeks, and nothing is as it seems.

I have always been a fan of Ravi's gripping novels and this is no exception. The book is packed with an adrenaline rush which will not let you sleep till you finish reading it. If some bits and pieces of this book leave you in awe, horrified that such things do happen, rest assured, most of the jaw dropping moments in this book have been inspired by real life events. (23 of 2020)

8 Ways Costco is Providing a Leadership Clinic Through its COVID-19 Response - Michael E. Perry, Ph.D.

8 Ways Costco is Providing a Leadership Clinic Through its COVID-19 Response

This might sound a bit like an advertisement. It is not. I receive no compensation from this corporation (…but would accept it with great joy). If you do not have a Costco membership, you are currently missing out on one of the most compelling demonstrations of corporate responsiveness, responsibility, and leadership you will ever witness. One disclaimer: I am describing the Augusta, Georgia store. If your experience is similar in your location, please comment and let me know. If you have had a different experience, I want to know that too!

At every stage of this COVID-19 crisis, Costco has met and exceeded guidelines instituted by government entities at every level. Choose your favorite store. Whatever they have instituted, Costco is probably better. From the front door, to the checkout and exit, it is clear they are going above and beyond to protect their customers and employees so that people can get what they need and go home safely. I should note here that Costco is not perfect, but I believe that effort does count in this case. I’ve seen no one that matches their level of effort. Read on, and see if you agree…

Let’s start at the front door. The first thing I noticed a couple of weeks ago were hundreds of pallets configured to form a pathway that snaked its way to the entrance. This ensured people were guided into a single file line, with at least six feet between customers from side to side. Wondering how far to stand from the person to your front? No worries. Markings on the pavement help to create a precise 6-foot barrier to your front and rear. Impressive? Just wait.

This pallet-laden path occupies the entirety of what used to be the cart storage area, and then some. I know you are curious about the whereabouts of the carts, right? At the end of the path, a customer service agent greets you (with protective gloves on and with appropriate social distancing, of course), and asks you to wait until the way ahead is clear. When the person to your front enters the store, you are invited to move forward toward the door where another representative and a cart awaits—a freshly sanitized cart. That’s right. They have taken control of every cart on the lot. The carts are all returned to a single point, where they are wiped down and placed in the cue. There is a team of 3 to 4 employees at the front of the store. Their only job is to manage customer flow, clean carts, and distribute them to customers. Am I kidding? No.

I can be a bit of a germophobe on my best day, so as you might imagine, I have my senses set to 100%. Costco was made for people like me in this moment. There is normally a jewelry counter not far from the entrance. It’s gone. No need to have people touching surfaces on non-essential displays. Next, I found myself hesitant to open the freezer. “Do they wipe those handles down?” That was my thought. In a very few minutes, there she was—the employee responsible for wiping down freezer door handles and pretty-much anything else in the store that might be grabbed or touched. They were really talking my language at that point, but they were not done.

As I moved toward the checkout, those wonderful pavement markings appeared again. There was a staging line just as you approach the registers. All avenues of approach were blocked, except one, where the line formed. At that point stood an employee whose job it was to direct customers toward the proper check-out line. If you are a Costco regular, then you know that their registers are not marked with numbers. Minor inconvenience. They created numbers. At each checkout line, there were more markings on the floor, ensuring that we knew what 6 feet of distance looked like at every point where people might cluster.

As I approached the register, one rep took control of my cart, as the other scanned my card with a reader—no exchange required. Only a week earlier, they would have grabbed that card without hesitation. Both employees wore protective gloves, but it didn’t stop there. Costco has installed plexiglass barriers—I would assume to shield cashiers from random sneezes and coughs. After all, they have to assist hundreds of people, at close range, every day. Working at a cash register has become hazardous duty. The last step was to grab my own receipt (which I have ALWAYS wanted to do anyway), and I was on my way. Did I mention that they wipe down the checkout area after EVERY customer?

At the exit, where someone would normally grab your receipt to verify your purchase, they had me hold it up for a quick scan…hands free. If this experience were all there was, then I would be satisfied, but wait…there is more. The gas pumps…

Gas pumps are constantly being grabbed by human hands from sunrise to sunset. Costco is acutely aware of this fact. I have taken to wearing protective gloves at gas stations, but Costco is the only place where I’ve thought I might have nothing to worry about. Why? They spray and wipe down the pumps after EVERY customer. No need to adjust your screen. You are reading that correctly. Every. Single. Customer. There is a team whose sole job is to monitor the pumps in use and ensure that the nozzle, buttons, and touchable surfaces are cleaned immediately. I could probably sleep there.

So, what does all this have to do with leadership? “You shall know a tree by the fruit that it bears.” Leadership is apparent in many things that don’t scream “Look at us…we are leading!” Costco is demonstrating those things in 8 distinct ways: Anticipation. Social responsibility. Care for people. Doing the right things without being forced. Going beyond “just good enough” to possibly overdoing it to create a sense of comfort and safety. Investing what it takes to do things the right way. Responsiveness. Adaptability. Everything I witnessed at Costco suggests that this company is well-led and responsive to the needs of its employees and customers. If you read the news, Costco is not untouched by COVID-19. With such a massive workforce, that’s inevitable. But based on our conversations with employees and our observations onsite, it’s difficult to find any other establishment going to such lengths.

How might Costco’s approach inform your approach to leadership? In what ways are you demonstrating these leadership behaviors—especially during crisis? Review these and consider what they might look like in your day-to-day actions:

• Anticipation
• Social responsibility
• Care for people
• Doing the right things without being forced
• Overdoing it to create a sense of comfort and safety
• Investing what it takes to do things the right way (not always monetary)
• Responsiveness
• Adaptability
If these behaviors describe you or your organization, there will be more good days than bad.

Dr. Mike