Vivekananda A Born Leader By Asim Chaudhuri

 Vivekananda A Born Leader By Asim Chaudhuri was 70 of 2020.

This came as a new thought to me, and why not?

Jack welch the highly acclaimed ex CEO of General Electric defines a leader as:

"someone who can develop a vision of what he or she wants their business, the unit, their activity to do and be somebody who is able to articulate the entire unit what the unit is and gained through a sharing of the discussion -listening and talking - an acceptance of that vision and then relentlessly drive implementation of that vision to a successful conclusion."

Did Vivekananda not do that?

4 criterias of the followers behaviour that defines leadership as per Daniels and Daniels is :

 1 followers deliver discretionary behaviour directed toward the leaders goal 

 2 followers make sacrifices for the leaders cause 

3 followers tend to reinforce the correct others so they also confirm to the leaders teachings and examples and

 4 followers set guidelines for their own personal behaviour based on the perceived estimate of that which the leader would approve or disapprove.

The leadership traits and managerial skills of Vivekanand are having a vision,  bias for action, capacity for empathy, capacity for empowerment, organising power, aligning goals and objectives, developing people , integrity , self confidence,  fairness , propensity for hard work , ability to transform others, communication skill ,wisdom, magnanimity, being impersonal, patience, building loyalty, interpersonal skills, unselfishness, process focus, root cause emphasis, constancy of purpose, sense of humour and foresight. He amazingly managed paradoxes. He could treat commoners and Elite alike he could manage internal conflict and had a good grip over money.  Promptitude was his skill as well. The leader manager who laid down strict rules and at Korum for the Ramakrishna organisation he founded Vivekananda that did not always follow rules in his personal b being a perspective person he had definitely recognised that punctuality order and allegiance were Cardinal virtues.

According to him along with political and social Independence   if one is a slave to his passion and desires one cannot feel pure Joy of real freedom. Also according to him no one was ever taught by another. Each of us has to teach himself. The external teacher office only the suggestion which houses the internal teacher to work to understand things.

To appreciate him fully we have to go beyond the specific traits or skills and look at some of his major thoughts and utterances that are at the core of leadership development and organizational strategy. These are listed below with short summary comments:

1.  Man-making education: education difined;  infinite knowledge in human mind can be access by developing power of concentration 

2. Influence of nature's  three forces how Sattva, Rajas and Tamas influence personality and character.

3. Human capital:  workers are the only real asset in an organisation especially in the present knowledge based economy

4. Personal mastery: how it leads to creating a learning organisation 

5 core competency: blending spiritual and human services in a unique way

Finally in chapter 5 on measuring leaders accomplishment it begins with the quote by Vivekananda:

Take up one Idea. Make that one Idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that Idea and just leave every  other idea alone This is the way to success.

Enter appropriately titled book 'measure of a leader' Daniels and Daniels suggest three dimensions of this measurementme:

 1. Did the leader grow the Enterprise ?

2.  Did the leaders enterprise achieve some level of prominence?

3. Did the leader leave a positive legacy?

Success in leadership is not measured in numbers alone. Being a leader brings with it a responsibility to do something of significant that makes families, communities, work organisations, Nations ,the environment and the world a better place than they are today. Not all of these things can be quantified.

Good Motives, sincerity and infinite love can conquer the world. One single soul possessed of these virtues can destroy the dark designs of millions of hypocrites and routes so said Vivekananda.

The Gift - Kochouseph Chittilappilly

 The Gift by  Kochouseph Chittilappilly was 69 of 2020. 

This book was with me since quite some time. Having worked at Veegaland, was fortunate to see how he used to write the editorial for the in-house magazine v and we and later as per suggestion from Ravikumar sir compiled it into a book called Practical Wisdom.  Having known the story of the gift  delayed reading it but for some reason I just took it and read through it in half a day.

 The gift is a book on humanity.

It is a book that restores faith in the power of good at a time when indiscriminate greed and violence both in thought and deed has overtaken people and few have the time to pause and reflect.  The gift is also a book on what business leadership should be all about in a country like India. Business leaders are also social leaders as well and they must see the purpose of Business and the power of wealth as turners of the wheel of wellbeing for all people KC is a shining example of that

In life we do not know how it will all end we can only hope for the best. Little thought can sometimes end up changing our entire lives. One thought could make us or break us. It could raise us or raze us down. That's the power of thought. Some say thoughts become tangible ,   they earn a power on their own to grow within us. Decisions come from ideas. Actions follow.

We all come with varying capacities be it physically and mentally . Yet we try to draw the best out of ourselves so we can be at par with everyone.  For some, their body organs might be weak or non functional. For others, disorders of body functions might trouble them, for some it could be learning disability of various degree but life arranges us.

In life isn't it true that we don't get answer to a lot of questions ? Why we are born in  the shape, size and colour ? why do we have the parents we have? Location we chose we will never know for sure we might know more on the what's and how's of life but not many of those why's will be answered.

Life is a matter of picking and choosing what you want.

Bhagavad Gita

A book which I have been reading since my childhood;  not sure  how many number of times and how many variations, but this is 68 of 2020 and it continues to be a Treasure house of wisdom.

Some facts about Bhagavad Gita:

 1 It is popularly known as the Gita, the Sanskrit word Geeta means a song. Since this song is sung by Shri Krishna The God incarnate this is called Bhagavad Gita or the song of God 

2. The Geeta has 700 versus which are divided into 18 chapters it forms a part of the Epic Mahabharata in the Bhishma Parva chapters 25 to 42 

3 Every chapter of the Gita is regarded as a yoga that is a way to self perfection and has a separate name such as Jnana yoga,Karma Yoga, ,Bhakti yoga and so on. These names are mentioned at the end of each chapter 

4 the book is in the form of a dialogue between Arjuna who is seriously addressed as Partha, Pandav , Bharat, Mahabhao and so on and Shri Krishna.  Arjuna was one of the five Pandava brothers who have been deprived of their Right To Rule The Kingdom and were much persecuted by the rival Kauravas  cousins. After all negotiations and alternatives filled the Pandavas were forced to wage a war against Kauravas.

 5 Shri Krishna The God incarnate councils Arjuna,  he uses the personal pronoun me throughout the dialogue I or me in the Gita refers to God or ultimate reality 

 6. the term self refers to body or mind or  ego the terms Self or Atma refers to the deepest code for divinity of one of our being

7. Shri Krishna draws Arjun's attention to is inherent strength and wisdom that originate from his divine core within called Atma

 8 The war is supposed to have been fought in Kurukshetra a small town in the state of Haryana some 120 km from the modern day Cosmopolitan city of New Delhi

 9 Kurukshetra however can also be symbolically understood as the battlefield of life with pandavas representing forces of good and the Kauravas the evil forces of wickedness born of an impure, undisciplined and indiscriminate mind

 10 Gita deals with various issues such as the result of selfish and unselfish works the process of meditation, devotion to God methods to control ones passion and temper and how to be spiritually and morally free and strong.

Interstingly as I voice type today lying on my bed a little unwell, as I say Kauravas, the phone listens and types it as Coronavirus.

Indira Gandhi - H.Y. Sharara Prasad

Indira Gandhi Prime Minister of India for over 16 years was a brave freedom fighter and a passionate patriot deeply committed to the Honour and integrity of India.  She was also a devoted mother and grandmother who was great fun to be with she loved books, nature, arts, sports and puzzles. Indira Gandhi by H.Y. Sharara Prasad was 67th of 2020

Born into the illustrious Nehru family in Allahabad Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi was educated at Shantiniketan,  Geneva and Oxford and was determined since childhood to serve the people of India. This biography with the forward by Rajiv Gandhi and illustrated with photographs portrays very simply the Life Of 'The Iron Lady of India' from her birth on 19th November 1917 to her assassination on 31st October 1984.

One of her favourite statements was that "a person who was interested become interesting".

She identified herself with the Joan of Arc because she too was a girl who had stood against British domination.  Though she was still very young she took the pleasure of Independence which declared "the British government in India has not only deprived the Indian people of the freedom but has based itself on the exploitation of the masses and has ruined India economically, politically, culturally and spiritually. We believe  therefore  that India must Sever the British connection.

The advice Jawaharlal Nehru gave her on 13th birthday was " it is no easy matter to decide what is right and what is not. One little test I shall ask you to apply whenever you are in doubt never do anything in secret or anything that you would wish to hide for the desire to hide anything means that you are afraid and fear is a bad thing and unworthy of you. Be brave and all the rest follows.

Indira and Feroze were married on 26 March 1942 at Anand Bhavan the old Hindu wedding ritual of going round the sacred fire 7 times although Firoz was not a Hindu. On 20th August 1944 their first son Rajiv was born. On Motherhood she said "to bring a new being into this world to see its tiny perfection and to dream of its future greatness is the most moving of all experiences."

In September 1960 heroes died of heart attack within four years Jawaharlal Nehru was also did he had been Prime Minister of India for 17 years. Indira hoped that she could now retire to the high mountains. Shastri had taken over as the Prime Minister of India but his stay in office was shot as he died unexpectedly in January 1966 soon after Indira became the Prime Minister of India. In 1975 she placed the country under a state of emergency arresting a large number of opposition leaders and workers and introduced censorship of the press.  21 months later in March 1977 Indira Gandhi called for an election but she lost but soon the sympathy of the people of India brought her to power.  In the January 1980 polls for the Lok Sabha Indira Gandhi was swept back to power within 6 months tragedy struck her Sanjay was killed while flying an aircraft. Indira board the blow with great come despite her popularity Indira Gandhi like all political leaders had Harshad of enemies on the morning of 31st October 1984 as Indira came out onto the launch of a house she was shot dead just 19 days short of her 67th birthday.

Indira Gandhi died as she would have wanted to active until the last minute.  She a fond of saying that the was a watch store of within everyone but people fail to recognise and develop it. The evening before her death she said:

"I am here today but I may not be here tomorrow. Nobody knows how many attempts have been made to shoot me. I do not care whether I live or die I have enjoyed a long life and I am proud that I spend the whole of it in the service of my people I shall continue to serve till my last breath and when I die I can say that every drop of my blood will invigorate India and strengthen it"

1992: The Harshad Mehta Story

Scam 1992: another show on OTT platform, the 10 part series has managed to collectively capture the imagination of the audiences because it's a well-made, fast-paced story that stays true to the book; and is based on the real life story of a rags. The post-economic liberalisation era witnessed one of the biggest scams exposing Mumbai-based stock broker Harshad Mehta and throwing the banking system and stock markets into turmoil. Fast forward to 2020, for the first time, the country saw a visual representation of the ingenious machination of the stock market bull, who changed the face of the Dalal Street. 

The Book:

Journalists Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu, had been unearthing India's biggest scam in 1992 in their  book 'The scam: Who Won, Who Lost, Who Got Away' . Debashis and Sucheta Dalal, were both covering the scam in great details and writing for The Times of India everyday. They where gathering information beyond the hard news that got covered everyday, so they decided to go ahead to write a book on it, as there were requests pouring in. The book covers all personalities, banks and institutions that were part of the complete lawlessness that prevailed in the late 1980's. The unravelling happened on two fronts - the finance minister and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) related investigation by a multi-disciplinary committee and the fact that banks and financial institutions rushed to reconcile their books and cover their track. 

The Show:

In 2020 the pandemic saw entertainment move indoors, with television and OTT platforms taking centre stage. Scam 1992 - The Harshad Mehta story, directed by Hansal Mehta and produced by Applause Entertainment in association with studio next, has audiences hooked.  The 10 part series has managed to collectively capture the imagination of the audiences because it's a well-made, fast-paced story that stays true to the book. It took three years to make Scam 1992. Hansal Mehta started work on the project with Deepak Segal (producer) and Priya Jhavar (executive producer) and the creative team. Pratik Gandhi who played Harshad Mehta had to undergo a body transformation to gain 18 Kgs to fit into the character with double-chin and big belly. 

The Fact:

More than three decades ago, Harshad Mehta (HM) was a familiar name on the Dalal Street. In 1992, the infamous Bombay-based stock broker's scam was exposed, bringing an end to his bull run and revealing gaping loopholes in India's financial banking sector. The Post-economic liberalisation era witnessed one of the biggest scams exposing HM and throwing Banking system and stock market into turmoil. 

Harshad Shantilal Mehta was born in a Gujarati Jain family of modest means. His early childhood was spent in Mumbai where his father was a small-time businessman; he started working as a dispatch clerk in a public sector general insurance company. Over the years his interest piqued in the stock markets. With brother Ashwin, who by then had left his job with a financial services company, he started investing heavily in stock market. As they learned the ropes of the trade, they went from boom to bust a couple of times and survived. Mehta gradually rose to become a stock broker in BSE who did very well for himself. At his peak, he lived like a moive star in a 15,000 square feet house, which had a swimming pook and golf patch. He had taste for flashy cars. He had 27 criminal charges brought against him, and was convicted of four, before his death at the age of 47 in 2001 due to cardiac arrest.  

His era witnessed many first.  It was the first billion dollar scam in India with the loss to banks stepping up to 5,000 crore rupees.  He was the first stock broker to feature on the cover of Business Magazine. It was the first time that a sitting PM was accused of personally accepting a bribe of Rupees 10000000 with Mehta alleging he paid the amount to secure his release. It was the first time lawyers in India started charging rupees 100000 for appearence.  It was the first time the stock market lost a trillion rupees i.e. rupees 1 lakh crore when it crashed in the scams aftermath. For the first time share prices of individual stocks touched the 5 figure mark ACC touched and all time high of rupees 10000 while SBI reached rupees 21000

Harshad Mehta, the key protagonist, has been painted by many as a hero, corruption and loot, especially of the banking system, has only gotten worse. So, there are obviously people who think he should have had his fun and been allowed to keep manipulating stocks without interference. Indian's still have a high level of tolerance to corruption and wrongdoing -  only the loyalty keep shifting from who or which party is doing it. 

Karthika Masa - Significance

Karthika Masa is considered auspicious. It starts after the new moon night of Deepawali. This month is apt to do Sadhana for people of all sect. Moon is seen against the background of Krithika nakshatra, a cluster of six stars. The six stars are considered as six celestial nymphs , from them was born Karthikeya son of Siva.  There are various possibilities on these full moon night and this month. Each single day people light lamp and chant slogas. 

This day seems to be the birthday of Matsya, God Vishnu's fish-incarnation or avatara. It is believed that Krishna and Radha danced rasas and Krishna worshipped Radha this day. Any Philanthropic act on this day is supposed to bring benefits and blessings equal to the performance of ten yajnas. 

This day is also known as Karthika Deepam, Thrikarthika or Karthikai Vilakku. In Kerala Goddess Katyayani Bhaghavathi or Shakti is worshipped on this day.

The rows of vilaku in front of each house is the image of this day.

Ujwala Karthika Deepam!

My Journey - A.P.J Abdul Kalam

 Wondering what would have been his thoughts and reactions if was around today. Was reminded of his other books and Vision 2020 as I read his 'My Journey' as 66th of 2020.

India's one of the most respected scientists, ex-president (11th), thinker and statesman, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was born in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu which was often hit by cyclone. He started working at the age of eight. Hardwork and piety, study and learning, compassion and forgiveness have been cornerstone of his life. 

When his friend Professor Arun Tiwari asked him to sum up his life in one sentence he said:

"Love poured to the child...sstruggle....more struggle...bitter tears....then sweet tears...and finally a life as beautiful and fulfilling as seeing the birth of full moon"

He loved books and poetry:

His views on reading where:

His mentor was Dr. Vikram Sarabhai and he mentions how he was able to convence Bishop Reverend Father Dr. Peter Bernard Pereira to convert and dedicate St. Mary MangdaMag church and bishops house nearby to India's national goal of establishing ISRO.

His was a life in science, full of events with support and blessings of almighty, family and we'll wishers and in turn he tried to inspire and influence many minds.

Banking Saga Continue - LVB to DBS

Another  bank has failed, the third collapse of a major deposit-taking institution in 15 months; 5th since last 30 months and the first since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. But instead of allowing a zombie lender to linger after a half-baked rescue, the central bank has wisely decided to put Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd. out of its misery. Better still, it’s called upon a foreign institution to take over the assets and liabilities. That should stoke interest of other global banks.

https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/banks/news/lakshmi-vilas-bank-is-the-fifth-financial-firm-after-ilfs-dhfl-yes-bank-and-pmc-bank-to-collapse-in-india/slidelist/79286096.cms#slideid=79286133

The single largest promoter of Lakshmi Vilas Bank Limited K.R. Pradeep has said that Singapore’s DBS group was keen to acquire 50% stake in LVB for a high valuation in 2018 but the Reserve Bank did not allow the deal to go through.

He was Vijay Mallyas Ca; does in and out transactions with lots of  Cooperative Banks in remote places in Andhra

https://www.deccanherald.com/.../31-bengaluru-investors...

31 Bengaluru investors figure in Panama Papers list

One last thing on the entire LVB, Govt needs to order an fair investigation on All Directors involved on decisions of major Transactions.. lots irregularities is open for everyone to see.. who is stopping it, only god knows.. wish it happens in the in the interest of genuine investor. 

As per the of amalgamation of LVB with DBS India,

•𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘥-𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘩𝘢r𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧𝘧

•The shareholders of LVB will also not 𝘩ave any say in the amalgamation decision in the general body meeting

Sad part is those responsible for it have easy way out to get out of this and now news is Big Corporate Business Houses will be allowed in Banking space. Who will answer significant questions like:

•How to stop corporates running under huge debt from dipping into their own "bank" for funds? 

•Have we learnt anything from the DHFL, Yes Bank, LVB, PMC episodes? 

It's happening in front of our eyes.. but we are unable to do much.. Greed the root of all of this? PSB's down to 12. Employees worried about the future.  Customers worried about their funds.        

India will have to reform its banking sector the arduous way by addressing structural problems and not through “shortcuts” like opening up the sectors for corporates, former Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan has said. “The problem sometimes lies in thinking that there are shortcuts to the longer-run issue of how do I improve credit growth, credit information, and credit recovery,”  According to him, unless we improve the overall governance, handing the banks to large industrial houses and privatizing them would be playing with fire. 

Given the number of accidents in the past couple of years, anything done to the banking industry, without strengthening RBI's supervisory and enforcement capability, would be dangerous. 

Letter from  Subramanian Swami on fraudulent merger

    

Me Before You - Trilogy Series By Jojo Moyes i.e. After You and Still Me

Pauline Sara Jo Moyes, known as Jojo Moyes, is an English journalist and, since 2002, a romance novelist and screenwriter.

Having loved 'Me Before You', it generated a curiosity to find what happened with Lou after the first book and Lo and Behold , now its a trilogy; 

I looked for the review on Me Before You and see, it's not written. So had to glimpse through the book once again, making these 63rd to 65th of 2020.

1) Me Before you (2012):

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

"What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?"

Louisa and Will's relationship starts out rocky due to his bitterness and resentment over being disabled. Things worsen after Will's ex-girlfriend, Alicia, and best friend Rupert reveal that they are getting married. Under Louisa's care, Will gradually becomes more communicative and open-minded as they share experiences together. Louisa notices Will's scarred wrists and later overhears his mother and father discussing how he attempted suicide shortly after Camilla refused his request to end his life through Dignitas, a Swiss-based assisted suicide organisation. Horrified by his attempt, Camilla promised to honour her son's wish, but only if he agreed to live six more months. Camilla intends to prove that, in time, he will believe his life's worth living.

Louisa conceals knowing about Will and Camilla's agreement. However, she tells Treena, and together they devise ways that will help convince Will to abandon his death wish. Over the next few weeks, Will loosens up and Louisa begins taking him on outings and the two grow closer.

Through their frequent talks, Louisa learns that Will has travelled extensively; his favourite place is a café in Paris. Noticing how limited her life is and that she has few ambitions, Will tries to motivate Louisa to change.

Louisa continues seeing her longtime boyfriend of 7 years, Patrick, though they eventually break up due to her relationship with Will. Meanwhile, Louisa's father loses his job, causing more financial difficulties. Steven Traynor offers Mr. Clark a position. Louisa realises that Will is trying to help her secure her freedom from her family. The two attend Alicia and Rupert's wedding where they dance and flirt. Will tells Louisa that she is the only reason he wakes in the morning.

Louisa convinces Will to go on a holiday with her, but before they can leave, Will contracts near-fatal pneumonia. Louisa cancels the plans for a whirlwind trip. Instead, she takes Will to the island of Mauritius. The night before returning home, Louisa tells Will that she loves him. Will says he wants to confide something, but she admits that she already knows about his plans with Dignitas. Will says their time together has been special, but he cannot bear to live in a wheelchair. He will be following through with his plans. Angry and hurt, Louisa storms off and does not speak to him for the remainder of the trip. When they return home, Will's parents are pleasantly surprised by his good physical condition. Louisa, however, resigns as his caretaker, and they understand that Will intends to end his life.

On the night of Will's flight to Switzerland, Louisa visits him one last time. They agree that the past six months have been the best in their lives. He dies shortly after in the clinic, and it is revealed that he left Louisa a considerable inheritance, meant to continue her education and to fully experience life. The novel ends with Louisa at a café in Paris, reading Will's last words to her in a letter, that tell her to 'live well'.

2)  After You (2015):

There’s also a beautiful thing that Lily tells Lou – 

“Moving on doesn’t mean you love the person any less.”

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

'''' You don't have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you"  

 How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started. After Will's death Louisa is trying to move on. She was convinced by his motivation to change, so she moved to London and gets a job in an airport bar. One night, she decides to go up the roof of her building to sit alone when someone from behind her talks to her. She panics and falls off the roof. She breaks many bones and takes a lot of time to heal.

 Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .She  lies to everyone and tells them Will's name was Bill. Lily, Will's daughter gets in contact with her and she wants to know everything about her deceased father, whom she didn't know existed until he died. Lily wants to get to know her grandparents, so she moves in with Louisa. She hates living with her mother, stepfather, and her half-brothers. 

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. Louisa gets to know Sam, the uncle of one of the boys in her moving on circle one of the ambulance drivers that helped save her life. As she gets to know him, a new love story begins to grow in her life. Nathan who was wills nurse, caretaker and friend, gets in contact with her and offers her a job in the USA. She interviews for this job and gets accepted. It is such a hard decision for Lou as she had just started to fall for Sam.

 But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

3)           Still Me (2018):

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

The snippets of Will throughout—letters written to his mother from his own time in New York and his anecdotes about life that pop up when Lou needs them most—acted as a salve of sorts. 

WE will get to know several places around the city that never sleeps, becoming another resident there as well as Lou. Jojo’s narrative which turn into the very voice and thoughts of Louisa, take us to New York in a way that you can watch each building, you can feel each street, you can taste each weather. We learn about the Clark family and the Traynors too. 

The book teaches empathy. 

Still Me follows Lou as she discovers who she is reassuring that everything and everyone will be okay.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards

 

Set in the backdrops from 1964 to 1989;  fictionalized from a similar real life story of impoverished farmer  from 1934, The Memory Keeper's Daughter  by Kim Edwards was my 62nd of 2020.                                          

A doctor David Henry is forced to deliver his wife's child in the middle of a raging snowstorm. Twins - the first, a healthy beautiful baby boy; the second, a Downs Syndrome baby girl. The year is 1964, when such children are regularly institutionalized - cause, babies like this rarely survive long anyway, and even if they do, their quality of life is marginal at best. As a doctor, David Henry knows his daughters prognosis full well, and rather than force his young wife Norah to deal with such a tragedy, he makes a snap decision to try and protect her from a lifetime of unspeakable grief. His solution: hand the "defective" daughter to his nurse to deliver to an institution, while he informs his wife of the tragedy - "I am sorry. Our little daughter died as she was born". This was unplanned, the words he had rehearsed carefully had gone.  With that simple little secret, the future is inescapably changed, his doom is sealed - unbeknownst to anyone.

The nurse Caroline Gill, could not bring herself to hand over the child. She was unhappy with the place, and then she thought this was what she was meant to do. She did have a crush of David Henry once. So she flees into hiding to raise the child as her own after discussion with the doctor annoyed to see and obituary in newspaper. Caroline raising "Phoebe" on her own  sets the stage for the terrible secret David must live with and the consequences it has on his family.

Caroline sends letters and pictures of Phoebe to David. David sends money to Caroline and makes a half-hearted attempt to find out where Caroline and Phoebe live. Meanwhile, Al, the truck driver who assisted Caroline on the night of Phoebe's birth, discovers her whereabouts. He and Caroline begin regular visits, and romance begins to bloom between them.

David is now an aspiring photographer with his own darkroom, where he keeps Phoebe's pictures and Caroline's letters locked away. He immerses himself in his work and basically leaves the family, only coming back into their lives to complain about Paul. Norah drinks secretly and becomes overprotective of Paul. Paul is becoming an accomplished guitarist and dreams of attending Juilliard. David and Norah live almost completely separate lives and differ on what Paul should do when he's older. Norah simply wants her son to be happy, while David pushes Paul to follow a career path that will guarantee stability, money, and success. By the time Paul and Phoebe  twenty-five. Norah and David are divorced and Paul is traveling and studying music in France with his own girlfriend. Phoebe is in love with Robert, who also has Down syndrome, and wants to get married and live in a group home, but Caroline is scared to let Phoebe live an independent life. Bree, Norha's sister has been a constant companion to her. It was only David's mother and sister in their family who know about Phoebe but they too passed away soon.

David considers making a confession to Norah about Phoebe but can't bear to go through with it. Soon afterward, he dies from a heart attack  (And this is mentioned in the middle of a paragraph as a passing away reference - may be symbolic of how death could be?) Later, when Norah sorts through David's collection of photographs, she begins to understand him in a way she never did when they were married. Caroline comes to visit Norah and explains that Phoebe never died at all and is living with her. Norah and Paul later visit Pittsburgh and meet Phoebe for the first time. Paul drives Phoebe to their late father's grave. Paul thinks of what his twin sister might have been like if she had not been born with Down syndrome. Norah gets married to a man named Frederic. They plan to move to France, where Phoebe and Paul will visit them for a little while. 

On David's death, church was filled with people, that people had to be standing, when the service was going on. "People seemed to think he was a saint,"  "They weren't married to him," Norah said to Bree. Paul and Norah knew he loved them, but there was a wall between him and them. " That distance. That reserve. That sense of a wall too high to get over. After a while I gave up trying, and after a longer while I gave up waiting for a door to appear in it. But behind that wall, he loved us both. I don't know how I  know that, but I do."  Norah said to Paul when he came days after the funeral and was shocked to know about it.

The doctor’s daughter was a symbolism for happiness. The nurse wasn’t happy with her life, but when she started raising the child as her own, she found her true love and lived happily - there were challenges but mostly she was happy. As for the doctor, he gave happiness away and his relationship with his wife... his family... it started to break apart and he starts to drown in his own regret and guilt. David died and there was no chance of making amends. The ending just seemed to fall flat and nothing redeeming happened. 

It's a tragic book  but the one ray of hope comes unexpectedly, as David Henry confesses everything - no more secrets - to a young woman with child. In the silence David started talking again, trying to explain at first about the snow and the shock and the scalpel flashing in the harsh light. How he has stood outside himself and watched himself moving in the world. How he had woken up every morning of his life for eighteen years thinking maybe today, maybe this was the day he would put things right. She cut paper and listened. Her silence made him free. He talked like a river, like a storm, words rushing through the old house with a force and life he could not stop. At some point he began to weep again, and he could not stop that either. Rosemary made no comment whatsoever. He talked until the words slowed, ebbed, finally ceased. But Phoebe was gone and he couldn't find her, so how could he possibly tell Norah? "All right," she said [at last]. "You're free." And this single act of honesty produces the deepest intimacy he has ever experienced - it's not sexual, but relational - with a human being who knows the very worst about him and yet who does not reject him for it. Finally he fixes the faucets in his bathroom. 

Despite basing an entire story around the mistake of giving up a child because of a mental disability, it gave absolutely no credit to the young girl who has downs syndrome! She's more of a prop than a person, no part of the story is told from her perspective, aside from the desire to marry her boyfriend, never gets the chance to show the world what she wants and feels.  The title gave an expectation that the book was from her angle; but no, though she was the driving force of the novel  yet we really never know her other than glimpses through the eyes of Caroline. Paul, her twin brother, is given thoughts but Phoebe’s mind remains a mystery. One sentence keep echoing : Paul saying "My sister doesn't know how good she's got it"; and the effect it has on his parents, in course of an argument. 

David takes up photography and becomes obsessed with the process. Diving into his hobby, which ultimately brings notoriety to him, he is able to take his mind off his secret, and yet at the same time, focus on the life his lost daughter leads away from him. Photography/snapshots/captured moments are the metaphor for this family and this beautifully written story about one seemingly right decision affecting dozens of lives. 

Islam & God

The discovery of the power of gravity on earth and on other bodies, or of radiation in the universe with the help of sophisticated instruments, is an achievement of an academic nature with no overtones of religious compulsion. But the discovery of God is an entirely different phenomenon. It is the direct apprehension of a being who is all-seeing and all-hearing, and who is the repository of all wisdom and might. That a magnificent universe should stand mute, without its true significance ever being understood and appreciated, is inconceivable when its Creator and sustainer is an all-knowing God for the belivers.

Have been fascinated about this, and therefore followed, Jehovah's witness; The Holy See - Vatican.va; Divine Retreat Centers, Centre for Peace and Spirituality (CPSGlobal), Ramakrishna Mission, Art of Living, and of Late Isha foundation; and had been writing about them as well.

Acceptance of God as one's Lord is like making a covenant to place Him at the central point in one's life, so that he may become the pivot of one's thoughts and emotions. It means entrusting oneself to Him entirely, and focusing upon Him all one's hopes and aspirations, fears and entreaties. Then, instead of living for worldly things, one will live for one's sustainer. 

A truly worthy life is that which is lived for one's lord, with no support other than him. A true believer in God is like a diver in the divine ocean. Every plunge that he makes serves to unite him in his experience more and more inextricably with his maker. 

Like earth orbits around the sun, happy the man whose life revolve around God. It begins with the discovery of God. The vastness of space tells man that God, its Creator is boundless. The observation of the sun and the stars shows us hat God is all light. The height of the mountains show us the greatness of God. The wavers of the sea and the flow of the river tell us that God is a storehouse of boundless blessing. We see God's bounties in the greenery of the trees. Man's existence become a proof of God's existence. In the waft of air man experience a Divine touch. In the chirping of the birds, he hears God's songs. 

For one who discovers God, the entire universe becomes an open book of God for him. God oriented life for man starts by his remembering God. He begins to feel the presence of God. The concept of God provides man with an ideology in which loss is turned to gain and in which adversity brings with it good tidings. It is therefore submission to God and living a God-oriented life that is the only way of life for both man and the universe.

All men and women are born with the concept of God. It seems that all the religions revealed before the 7th century A.D. enshrined the concept of one God but, as time went on, it was not possible for their original scriptures to be preserved by their followers. In every religion the concept of God became subject to human interpolations. Hence the original teaching on the concept of God was no longer to be found in its pristine form. 

As I look back, I see not much has been written about Islam in this blog. There are Five Pillars of Islam. The Prophet Muhammed has said, " Islam has been built on five pillars: testifying that there is no god but God, and that Muhammed is the Messenger of God; saying prayers; paying the prescribed charity (zakat); making the pilgrimage to the House of God in Makkah and fasting in the month of Ramadan". 

Although a building is composed of many parts, what really holds up the entire structure is its pillars. If they are strong, the whole structure will be sound, if weak, the entire edifice will crumble. Thos which support the edifice of Islam are of immense strength, but they must first of all be raised up by its adherents if they are to support its structure.

Man's life is like a piece of land on which he must build a house to God's liking. His first step must be to set up these five sturdy pillars, without which Islam cannot raise itself up either at the individual or community level. These five pillars - faith, prayers, fasting, charity and pilgrimage - are meant to engender in man a lifelong piety and devotion to God. 

Faith(imam) means belief in divine truth. Prayer, in essence, means bowing before the glories of God, so that any sense of superiority a man may have will be dispelled. Fasting (sawm), with its emphasis on abstinence, builds up patience and fortitude. Charity (zakat) entails the recognition of others needs, so that what has been given to mankind by God may be equitably shared. Pilgrimage (hajj) is a great rallying of God's servants around him. A person who can cultivate them, shall be deemed to possess the divine characteristics so cherished by Islam. Thus it is true to say that faith, humility, fortitude, recognition of the rights of others and unity are the pillars on which rests the entire edifice of Islam.

But unfortunately - many of them do not understand this in the real sense. 

It was in the 7th century AD that Islam came to the world. (World existed before that too). But its original texts have been fully preserved due to the availability of papyrus (paper) in its crude form them. And to them the greatest and the only source of knowledge to grasp the true concept of God, of the right concept of God, in its pristine form, is Quran. 

Per Quran, God is one, he alone is the creator and Lord of man and the univers. He is moreover, the sustainer of the entire universe. God is living being. He sees and hears. At all times and in every place, it is possible for man to contact God directly, without any intermediary. God Almighty can compensate for all shortcomings in man. God in all matters provides guidance to man through his prophets. 

Sometimes, a man feels that there exists a far greater power than himself and that, without the cooperation of this power, he cannot carry his plans into effect. The nature of every human being constantly urges him or her to recognize the need for God. God is the captain of life. There is a story, where a ship when far out in the deep sea , a severe storm broke out.  A girl was calm, as her father was captain of the ship and she was confident that he would not let the ship sink. When catastrophe threatens, one can say with much stronger conviction that God almighty is the captain of the ship of his life. 

The truth is that what is unknown is not man, but rather his destination. Man is a creation; he is not the creator. Just as a machine is made by an engineer, it is not its own maker. We must exercise our freedom in accordance with our will of Creator.

Peace is always desirable for its own sake. And everything else comes after, not along with peace. Japan after great violence, became a great economic power of the world, by following 'reverse course' i.e. adopting a peaceful course.  When an individual or a nation is able to maintain peace in every situation, infinite possibilities open up. Violence closes the doors to positive activities, while peace open the door to them. Peace is essential for a better way of living - peace of mind, peace in the family and peace in nature.  This beautiful world of nature created by God is well on its way to being ruined by man.  The formula or way to attain peace is simple. Take your share without usurping that of others. Fulfill your needs without depriving others of theirs. 

Human creation cannot be without a purpose. Man has to acknowledge the truth of One God, and surrender to him not by compulsion but by his own choice. Difficulty and sadness are integral part of the creation plan of the creator. Unpleasantness has been put into this world for man to learn the right lesson from it. Successful is one who has realized the eternal world in this temporary world. 

A Woman Is No Man - Etaf Rum

 "A women is no man"; an often heard line, since childhood, women are also no equal to men in that they are responsible for so many things — maintaining family relationships, making sure that they are enlightening their children and instilling them with values — and so, they are actually more resilient and stronger than men. And so I wanted to take that title and make sure that it's seen in both ways: In the oppressive, limiting way that we use, but also in the ways to make sure that women understand their resiliency and their strength." So say Etaf Rum in her interview.                   

The family saga in Etaf Rum‘s 'A Woman is No Man ', my 61st of 2020, takes us from Palestine, in 1990 to Brooklyn in 2008; and how though times have changed, few things remain the same. 

How even today, for many women, the only way to secure a worthy future is through marriage to the right man - so do many still believe. 

But fate has a will of its own. 

Seventeen year old Isra from Palestine, love reading books, but her family is keen in getting her married and she moves to Brooklyn, with her husband Adam and oppressive mother-in-law Fardeen, who wants her to bear a son, but she begins to have four daughters instead. Eighteen years after, her daughter Deya, too was forced to get married, though her only desire was to go to college.  The story follows the lives of 3 generations of Palestinian women and captures the complexity of generational trauma and family, the violence of occupation and diaspora, and of course, the incomprehensible strength and resilience of women.  For Isra her only solace was her sister in law Sara, who is forced to conform to the tradition, but she breaks free. Like her aunt Deya, too is born and brought up in Arab Brooklyn, and is forced to conform, and is waiting to break free. There is interesting mention of various books like ‘Thousand and One Nights,’ ‘A Tree Grows in Brooklyn,’ ‘Anna Karenina,’ 'Lord of the flies', 'To kill a Mockingbird", ‘Bell Jar,’ ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’  ‘Dr.Seuss,’ which give Isra, Sara and then Deya joy, solace, and escape from reality. 

"I was born without a voice, one cold, overcast day in Brooklyn, New York. No one ever spoke of my condition. I did not know I was mute until years later, when I’d opened my mouth to ask for what I wanted and realized no one could hear me."  So begin the book.  Isn't it the situation of many in our society and the world around? Thankfully, few like me were fortunate to have supportive parents. 

A few reputations here and there, but then so is life and it adds to the reality, its a very brave book, where Rum criticizes about her culture.  There could be imaginations and lessons from around, so it's a fiction and not a biography/autobiography; but indeed it open's readers to realities rarely seen on page.

 Few Conversations which are facts in most country and society with just few tweaks per the culture and tradition with Islam women going through it: 

“Isra cleared her throat. “But Mama, what about love?”

Mama glared at her through the steam. “What about it?”

“I’ve always wanted to fall in love.”

“Fall in love? What are you saying? Did I raise a sharmouta?”

“No . . . no . . .” Isra hesitated. “But what if the suitor and I don’t love each other?”

“Love each other? What does love have to do with marriage? You think your father and I love each other?”

Isra’s eyes shifted to the ground. “I thought you must, a little.”

 “Mama sighed. “Soon you’ll learn that there’s no room for love in a woman’s life. There’s only one thing you’ll need, and that’s sabr, patience.”

And then: Deya's relation with her sisters Nora, Layla and Amal; and especially her discussion with Nora after seeing Nasser; akin to conversations between me and my sis:

"Did you mean what you told Naseer? That nothing can make you happy? .....Why do you think that? It worries me?"

Deya's response intermittently : Sometimes I thin maybe happiness isn't real, at least not for me. I know it sounds dramatic, but....Maybe if I keep everyone at arm's length, if I don't expect anything from the world, I won't be disappointed."

"But you know it's not healthy, leaving with that mindset......I don't understand, when did you become so negative," Nora said.

Discussion between Naseer and Deya:

"A real choice doesn't have conditions. A real choice is free."   

"Maybe," Nasser said. " But sometimes you have to make the best of  things. Take life as it comes, accept things as they are."                                                                                  

Deya exhaled, a wave of self-doubt washing over her. She didn't want to accept things as they were. She wanted to be in control of her own life, decide her own future for a change. 

Four Ladies, the choice was theirs to make and each of them do it in their own way.

 In Islamic class brother Hakeem paced in front of the chalkboard. He recited a verse, in Arabic, "Heaven lies under a mother's feet".    

"Its a metaphor , to remind us of the importance of our women. When we accept that heaven lies underneath the feet of a woman, we are more respectful of women everywhere"

Deya wanted to scream. No one she'd every met actually lived according to the doctrine of Islam. They were all hypocrites and liars! But she was tired of fighting.               

May be someday, we will have the courage, and the world will be a better place to live in.                                                  

 

     

The Midnight Library - Matt Haig

 

“Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

~ Matt Haig, ‘The Midnight Library’

What a way to start a day; a beautiful book review and insight on books! There were two parts to it:

Part I:

Posting from an ex-manager in FB about this and questions: "Tell me my friends, what would you do differently, given a chance, a choice?"

She being brilliant with words had bowled me with the response, was fascinated with the below:

"And loved. A lot more, without a care in the world, as free as the wind, as wild as an ocean, with all the passion of monsoon at its peak...."

Part II:

The book reminded me of "The Traveler's Gift - Andy Andrews";  not very similar, but there was something about. it. May be how the story begin; and never thought this is going to be my 60 of 2020; like The Traveler's Gift which was 50th. 

Nora and Mrs. Elm. 

Nora Seed has hit an all-time low. After losing her cat, her job, and is full of regret, she takes her own life. However, she suddenly finds herself in the Midnight Library – a point between life and death – and learns that she has an opportunity to live as if she had done things differently. She had felt like she had let everyone down, including herself. But things are about to change.

“Because, Nora, sometimes the only way to learn is to live.”

In Haig’s book, the mechanism through which transmigration takes place is the Midnight Library of the title. This structure occupies a magical space between life and death. Its facade replicates an ordinary library, shelves with books, but on an infinite scale. The librarian is very wise, as librarians tend to be. She explains to Nora that every book on the shelves is a doorway into a different life. Only one book is an exception to this, “The Book of Regrets,” a volume so heavy and toxic it’s dangerous for Nora to read more than a few lines.But the repercussions of eliminating each regret often surprise Nora. Choices are not the same as outcomes, the librarian warns her.

The librarian encourages Nora to sample a variety of texts, promising that as soon as Nora feels dissatisfied with a new life, she’ll find herself back in the library, ready to have another go. This may happen after only a few moments or months might pass. All this while, time in the library is at a standstill. An infinite number of other lives beckon.Nora is initially reluctant — life is just what she didn’t want more of — but the librarian is firm. Why else would you be here? she asks. So Nora opens her first book.

By the end, she’ll have opened a great many more. Haig describes some of Nora’s provisional lives in detail. Others last only as long as a sentence: “In one life she only ate toast.” Suspense comes from the fact that Nora is dropped in midstream, with no preparation. She always remembers her original life — her root life — so she always has that point of comparison. But she knows nothing of the life she’s just entered. Often she must look for herself online, read her social media accounts, in order to know who she is. More than once she finds herself performing before large crowds, speaking on a subject in which she has no background or expected to sing a song some other Nora recorded, but this one has never heard before. More than once, she’s in a sexual relationship with a man she doesn’t know or mother to children she’s never met. The universe is full of infinite possibility, but the story here remains tightly focused on the internal life of a single woman and all her might-have-beens.

The book is all the richer, as any book would be, for the inclusion of several of his quotes: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams” and “I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude.”

This message in the book - especially the bit where the perfect version of her life just wasn’t hers and hadn’t been earned by her and therefore couldn’t be properly enjoyed by her - resonated so powerfully. (I cried like a baby at the end of that life)

I often find myself wondering WTAF happened to my life - the life I thought I was going to have (the one I worked towards for years) - and it stops me from seeing my actual life for what it is; mine. An infinite number of alternatives, but this one is mine.

The concept of ‘The Midnight Library’ is wonderful, and Haig executes it brilliantly. How different could life be if we made another choice? How could one decision change the lives of the people around us? And, is there any such thing as a perfect life? In one life Nora is an internationally famous rock star. In another, she works as a scientist in sub-zero temperatures in the Norwegian archipelago. She is an Olympic athlete, a vegan powerlifter, rich, poor: the possibilities are infinite. Throughout it all, Haig seamlessly interjects magic into the most prosaic of details.  

In ‘The Midnight Library’, Matt Haig is  unflinching in his depiction of depression. He seamlessly articulates how debilitating it can be, how it can feel like you’re stuck in a black hole. There’s so much more to unpack in this book. From ideas around climate change and the connection between ourselves and the world to familial relationships, fame, and the nature of happiness. Matt Haig tackles so many themes with such grace: a reminder to live life to the fullest and appreciate every moment, even the hard ones. As Nora tries on the many shoes of her infinite lives, we see how making space for regrets is one step towards softening their hold over us. We can have regrets without being their prisoner.

Overall, ‘The Midnight Library’ is a truly inspiring story that, yes, is full of hurt and despair, but also love and transformation. Haig eloquently articulates the consuming nature of depression for those who find that words escape them. His earlier book was ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’ and vouch that everyone should read it. 

Every library is a liminal space; the Midnight Library is different in scale, but not kind. And a vision of limitless possibility, of new roads taken, of new lives lived, of a whole different world available to us somehow, somewhere, might be exactly what’s wanted in these troubled and troubling times. Because The only way to learn is to live. 

Light from the Orient - Swami Tathagatananda

 59th of 2020 was a collection of Essays an amazing one on the impact of India's sacred literature in the West; "Light from the Orient".

Asia was destined by the Providence to become the cradle of human civilization. Among the known old civilizations like the Egyptian, Mesapotamian, Incan, Mayan, Greek, Roman and others the one that bloomed on the banks of the Indus is today undisputedly acknowledged as the oldest. In it's chequered journey through the past several millennia, it's invaluable literary treasures were wafted to all directions, paving the way for the cultural growth in distant lands. Archeological, Historical and Indological probing has shed enough light on the contributions of Oriental thought on humankind in general. Will Durant the great historian, begins The Story of Civilization saying: 'Our story begins eith the Orient, not merely because Asia was the scene of the oldest civilizations known to us but because those civilizations formed the background and basis of that Greek and Roman culture, which Henry Maine mistakenly supposed to be the whole source of the modern mind. We shall be surprised to learn how much of our most indispensable inventions, our economic and political organization our science and our literature, our philosophy and our religion, goes back to Egypt and the Orient.'

This book is an illuminating sequel to the author's earlier well-researched Journey of the Upanishads' to the world at large.

The Bhagavad Gita: A world scripture:

This magnificent poem, with its dramatic background, its psychologically convincing arguments, its universality and rationality, has been appreciated by the enlightened minds of the west. It is regarded by westerners as a " World Scripture". Mascaro, a Spanish scholar and admirer of the Upanishads, said " If Beethoven could give us in music the spirit of the Bhagavad Gita, what a wonderful symphony we should here". 

The greatest impact on Europe came through The Bhagavad Gita. Sir Charles Wilkins (1750-1836) loved the Bhagavad Gita wholeheartedly - he compared it to the Gospel of St. John

Swami Vivekananda, speaking of India's spiritual breadth and her divine gift of gathering the world towards the spiritual treasure to be found in the Upanishads and her sacred scriptures, referred to the common origin of Classical India and Classical Greece and their individual roles in the world

Book throws light on the Nalanda and Taxila university. It says how Indias's suprement knowledge is more ancient than her revealed sacred literature. The Sruthi and the Sutras, which was gathered together in great collections of Samhitas, namely the Rigveda, The Yajurveda, The Samaveda and The Atharva Veda. He calls Sanskrit as the living language of the eternal, and how for more than two thousand years, it has ceased to be a spoken language. Language is the vehicle of ideas. It is the ideas that are of prime imporatnace, language comes after. How Hinduism embraces all and never atempts to make converts.

“If I were to look over the whole world to find out the country most richly endowed with all the wealth, power and beauty that nature can bestow……………… I should point to India.” Said Max Muller

 

Developing a curious mindset

 A Tag ignite event, help us understand the importance of asking questions. 

How asking the ‘why, how, when and where’ can help solve client’s problems and open doors to new opportunities. Discover some approaches you can take plus some simple tips and tricks to help you build curiosity into your everyday way of working.

Understand how to solve problems, behind the problems. i.e. the root cause. Curiosity helps us to deliver. 

1) Keeping your mind active, trying to wonder is important. It keeps mind observant. It makes work life more exciting. 

2) Makes your mind observant to new ideas. Without curiosity, ideas will pass by and you will fail to recognise it. Ask questions. There are 4 stages of curiosity.

3) Opens you up to new ideas and possibilities.  - Steve Jobs and now Elen Musk.

4) Makes 'Work Life' more exciting. They are never bored. 

5) How do you develop curiosity? Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas. Dont be afraid to play with your ideas.

6) Keep and Open Mind: Alvin Toffler - Illiterates of 21st century are those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. 

7) Dont take things for granted, Dig deeper. 

8) Ask lot of questions. What, why , when, who, where how? - They are the best friends of curious people. Example 5 whys. 

9) Don't label something as pointless or boring. If you cant explore then, they will revisit it later. 

10) See learning as something fun. Don't overwhelm or overload . Don't see learning as a burden. 

11) Read diverse material. Try new things. what people call intelligence boils down to curiosity. Be aware if what is out there. 

12) Finding diverse material. Google is your friend, familiar, free, and far reaching. LinkedIn is a fantastic source of finding.

Never lose the holly curiosity. 

Curiosity will lead to opportunity. 

Hercule Poirots Christmas - Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirotis a fictional Belgian detective created by Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, 2 plays (Black Coffee and Alibi), and more than 50 short stories published between 1920 and 1975. Agatha Christie was an English writer known for her sixty-six detective novels and fourteen short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. She also wrote the world's longest-running play, The Mousetrap, which was performed in the West End from 1952 to 2020, as well as six novels under the pseudonym Mary Westmacott. In 1971, she was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for her contributions to literature. Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling fiction writer of all time, her novels having sold more than two billion copies. According to Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author. Christie has been called the "Duchess of Death", the "Mistress of Mystery", and the "Queen of Crime".  Hercule Poirots Christmas was my 58th of 2020, wish I had the count of how many Agatha Christie novels I have read. 

In this Multi-millionaire Simeon Lee, frail in his old age, unexpectedly invites his family to gather at his home for Christmas. The gesture is met with suspicion by the guests. Simeon is not given to warm family sentiment, and the family are not on good terms, in particular, with the black sheep of the family, Harry. Simeon also searched out his orphaned, Spanish-born granddaughter, Pilar Estravados, to live in his house. None have met their late sister Jennifer's daughter before; she proves to be delightful. Simeon is intent on playing a cruel game with his family's emotions. Stephen Farr, a surprise guest, arrives on Christmas Eve. He is the son of Simeon's former partner in the diamond mines, welcomed warmly by Simeon. Simeon calls his family together that afternoon, to hear him on the telephone with his attorney, saying he wants to update his will after Christmas. This incomplete information stirs up negative feelings among his sons and their wives. Alfred Lee, Simeon's son, who lives with his father, Lydia Lee, Alfred's wife, George Lee, Simeon's son and an MP, Magdalene Lee, George's wife, David Lee, Simeon's son, the artist, Hilda Lee, David's wife, Harry Lee, Simeon's son, called the prodigal son, Pilar Estravados, Simeon's only granddaughter, aka Conchita Lopez where at home, in addition to Horbury, Simeon's valet, Tressilian, the butler, Walter, the footman.

After dinner on Christmas Eve, the sounds of crashing of furniture and a hideous scream are heard by several, who rush to Simeon's room. When they get to his door, they find it locked and have to break it down. The sight revealed includes heavy furniture overturned, crockery smashed, and Simeon dead, his throat slit, in a great pool of blood, a grisly and shocking sight. The local police superintendent is already at the front door, before anyone could call the police. Superintendent Sugden notices Pilar pick up something from the floor. He insists that she give the small bit of rubber and a small object made of wood to him.

Sugden explains that he is at the house by prior arrangement with the victim, who confided to him the theft of a substantial quantity of uncut diamonds from his safe. Poirot accompanies Colonel Johnson to investigate this murder. The murder generates many questions. How was the victim killed inside a locked room? Was the murder connected to the theft of the diamonds? And what is the significance of the small triangle of rubber and the peg first noticed by Pilar?

Poirot's investigation explores the victim's methodical and vengeful nature and the way these characteristics come out in his sons, and observes physical traits as well. Each son, and perhaps one of the wives, appears as a suspect to the investigators. When the butler mentions his confusion about the identities of the house guests, Poirot realises that the four sons of Simeon's marriage may not be Simeon's only sons present in the home. Poirot finds the uncut diamonds mixed in with the stones of a decorative outdoor garden, which takes theft away as a motive. The family lawyer reads Simeon's will, which leaves half to son Alfred, who runs the business, and the other half to be split among his other children. This leaves Pilar with nothing, as her mother died a year earlier, and his granddaughter is not specifically named. Alfred, David and Harry agree to pool their inheritances and make a share for Pilar. This warm gesture, based on what is just, as Lydia tells her, upsets Pilar, and she refuses it. The final major clue comes from Pilar. She and Stephen are playing with balloons and one bursts; she mentions that the pieces are like what she found on the floor after Simeon Lee was killed. Poirot warns her to be "on her guard", as she knows more than she realises. Soon she is almost killed in another murder attempt, of a stone cannonball perched above her bedroom door.

A cable comes from South Africa reporting that the son of Simeon’s partner was dead; Stephen Farr admits his name is Stephen Grant, and he is in England to meet his father, from Simeon's last trip to South Africa, five years after his marriage in England. After that, Pilar reveals the story of the death of the real Pilar as the two crossed Spain during its civil war, and her own plan to arrive in England in her stead. With this knowledge, Sugden tries to blame the murder on Pilar. Then Poirot takes over and explains the crime. Poirot reveals that Sugden was another illegitimate child of Simeon, from an affair with a local girl. Sugden hated the man who abandoned his mother, paying her off. Sugden planned his revenge carefully and murdered his father hours before he set off the noisy sound effects.

David is relieved of his years of anger toward his father for mistreating his mother. Stephen takes Pilar, now Conchita Lopez, to South Africa, to marry her. Lydia will invite them to a proper English Christmas.

This is such a classic Agatha Christie!