Effective Team-building Strategies

It is said that what one person cannot do, two can; what one person can do- two can do still better. Paul Allen and Bill gates together found Microsoft, Our company was established in London as Wertheimer Lea ; John Henry Williams bought partnership and Williams Lea was created in 1883.

Team work is the backbone or basis of any family, society or a corporate world. We have evolving team leaders within our team and most of us have family. So I thought this topic would be apt for all.

The course in English is for 4 hours; Useful overall, some points appeared to be a little obvious but enriching; need to dedicate time, there were some really good team-building exercises as well.



Objective:

In this course, you'll learn tools, techniques, and tips to help you--the team member--help your team (which includes your family as well) develop a "one for all, all for one" mentality. In particular, you'll explore some motivational techniques to apply from the get-go so that potential problems are averted. You'll also learn how to promote and maintain a creative and productive atmosphere. Finally, you'll practice a couple of team building exercises.

Lessons overview:

Being Proactive : helps us to Build Trust; Understand Expectations; Become Effective; Acquire Motivation.

This is done by allocating responsibility logically, Clarifying expectation and Establishing team goals.

When we say Allocating responsibilities logically – It would mean this should play to the team members strength) –.

In a team we may need people to Lead the team i.e.(provide guidance and direction);to address technical issues;for heading up creative tasks, for facilitating meetings, for managing projects. In corporate world the people who do this are often called (Team Leader, Technical advisor, Creative lead, meeting facilitator, project manager

How do we allocate responsibility logically? Ask Team members if they agree and want to go ahead with a particular role. A person can assume two or more responsibility; but it is not fair and feasible for one person to do everything; it will lead to disaster. Team mates background and personality make them ideal candidate for certain task. Ask the people who will be effected by the decision on what their thoughts are.

· Team lead – motivated, team oriented, assertive

· Technical – Knows software programme, can set up computers

· Creative – innovative, artisy, good natured,

· Facilitate meetings – detail oriented, organised, foucsed

· Project Management – planning skill, supervisory, organized.

Clarifying expectation – (Life is largely a matter of expectation). One needs to fulfil ones Mission (what we are responsible for), need to be Interdependent (how it fits with the responsibility of others, how it completes the big picture) (This needs to be done at the early stage; ) Your are responsible for your fellow team members as well. You need to understand how all responsibilities, will lead to the successful completion of team goal. (Be Assertive to do this)

Establishing team goals – Decide what you really want. (team, each, value, build trust – good culture like sharing knowledge, being open to new ideas, working collobratively with others) {Be specific, clear, measurable)

Maximising Creativity (Don’t allow negative criticisim)

This lesson covers Two steps of creativity and how to apply them effectively.

It says Left part of our brain is Logical and Right part is Creative.

Maximising creativity helps Cross pollination of ideas. Of the two steps of creativity first is

Generating creativity ideas –This should happen in an open, non judgemental atmosphere.

For creativity to work the atmosphere needs to be that of – Playfulness, flexibility, brainstorming (you get quantity of idea – first thought comes first – so it may not be quality ideas), analogies (when you look at mutually exclusive things, new ideas may come up and potential solutions.. )

(Pringles Potato chips conceived? – P&G – Pack dry potato best when wet and dry them after packing – thought from dry leaves)

Evaluating creative ideas – This should be done only after all ideas are generated – sort, refine and eliminate if not required.

Two step process –

· Discuss pro and cons

· Combine better ideas and refine

Facilitating Synergy

Lessons overview – Reap benefits from synergestic team environment.

· Together

· Everyone

· Achieves

· More

Benefits:

· Working with one another

· Being foucsed and confident

· Counting on one another

· Having energy takes on a life of its own

The tighter the team, greater chance of team cohesiveness. It helps in Creating a sense of identity

Ask Each person in the team (Team exercise):

· To give atleast one reason why the team is unique (Attributes that make your team unique) (Formalise thoughts about team identity, go around the room)

· One example of a time when each identifying characteristic was demonstrated

· Agreement on teams idenfitying characteristic (Ask do you agree?)

how do we Increasing team cohesiveness?

· Collaborate don’t compete

· Assume – positive intent – Assume that team mates motives are positive

· Put the team first – ‘ V before I’ Team is not about I and me; but all about we and us.

To Sum up: ‘In the I alone world; let us have a we culture’.

Enjoyed this My Learning World exercise @ Williamslea

Inferno - Dan Brown

Revolving around Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy - covering Inferno, Purgatoria and Paradiso; Dan Brown has yet another novel to his credit that is captivating; though there are some similarites at places with some of his earlier writings. That is obvious because it is again our dear Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon going around Florence, Venice and Istanbul, with a threat to his life that propels him into a breakneck chase across the city. Only Langdon's knowledge of the hidden passageways and ancient secrets that lie behind its historic facade can save them from the clutches of their unknown pursuers - People from The Consortium and WHO Director Dr. Elizabeth Sinskey and her team.

With only a few lines from Dante's Inferno to guide them, Robert Langdon and a young doctor, Sienna Brooks, (with unique intellect including a rather startling capacity for recall), must deciphere a sequence of codes buried deep within some of the Renissance's most celebrated artworks to find the answer to a puzzle which may, or may not, help them save the world from a terrifying threat....


The great pariah in the medical community Bertrand Zobrist had pointed hypotetical question - If you can throw a switch and randomly kill half the population on earth, would you do it?' Obviously may not. 'But what if you were told that if you didn't throw the switch right now, the human race would be extinct in the next hundred years?' Immediate reaction when asked the question would that be of 'Denial'.

What genetic horror Zobrist dreamed up? How he would thin the human heard? Why did he do it? He was not herd, considered mad, felt all alone...The worst kind of loneliness in the world is the isolation that comes from being misunderstood. It can make people lose their grasp on reality. And if you have enormus energy and knowledge; you end up doing what you feel is right....Who is Dr. Sienna Brooks?

The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in time of moral crises. i.e In dangerous time, there is no sin greater than inaction.

Just Last Year...But wish we had more of it...

Ah! Enjoy the pics...this is where we had been for the meeting; as I sit idle and the bubbly host there is busy taking a tour of Germany I am reminded of this.....

http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&gs_rn=5&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=7&gs_id=q&xhr=t&q=schliersee&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.43287494,d.Yms&biw=1255&bih=827&wrapid=tljp136268811278606&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=dfg4Uf6qKcSLswbohoCACw

Ekant

We did meet again...Though she wanted us to meet near a river and play in the water...we just remembered

The morning slides up upon the pane,
Fresh air through an open vane
The chill across the body warm,
No harm.
The sea it splashes hard and strong,
Beyond a point, there is no wrong
We stand and stare and stare and stare,
Nature so beauteous, can never be fair.
Take up the walk, take up the shore
Take up upon never ending and more.
A way side Inn, in sun and glare
Little seats about the pavement bare.
Much later then another walk
Vast bodies of rock, silent, no talk.
There is a silence about and above
This is not game for treasure trove.


Though....the poet gets into writers block...it was a good get together.

We need someone from Dubai to come home for the people around to meet.

Frozen Thought...

Thank you Smitha for sharing the wonderful magazines with us....

There was this wise old man who answers to all life-related questions. He was an enlightened person. A boy, in his adolescent years, wanted to test the wise old man. He caught hold of a little bird. Holding it in the palm of his hands, and with his hands hidden inside his coat, he asked the wise old man, “ I have a bird with me. Is it alive or dead?” The old man smiled and said, “If I tell you, the bird is alive, you will crush the bird and show me a dead one. If I tell you, the bird is dead, you will release the bird and show me it’s alive.


Embarrassed, the boy dropped his head and began to walk away. He would have hardly walked a few steps. He heard the voice of the old man, “ Mind you my son, in fact, this is the philosophy of life – your life and your death are in your own hands.”


In spite of the canvas, despite the paints and the brushes involved, the quality of a painting is the responsibility of a painter. Similarly, the quality of a sculpture is the responsibility of a sculptor. If so, then the quality of your life is your responsibility, and yours alone. Your life and your death are in your own hands. No blame is allowed.


If I ask you to carry a 12-Kg single granite stone and walk a kilometre, you would struggle with it. Now, I ask you to carry your child who is 12-Kgs for the same one kilometre and you will happily do it. Anything in life that is perceived as Kashtam Kashtam will only appear to be even more difficult. Do the same thing perceiving it as Ishtam Ishtam, the most complex of tasks can be done with effortless ease. Stop viewing responsibilities as a burden and start seeing them as opportunities. Stop saying Kashtam Kashtam to responsibilities and step forward to take responsibilities saying Ishtam Ishtam.

I will assume....don’t wait for others to offer your responsibilities. You take the initiative. You Volunteer. You step forward. Announce your presence.



I will assume unconditional...what is not unconditional never gets done. There is no point in keeping the ‘exit’ door open all the time. Burn the bridges. Conditions are required only to pass on the blame, in case there is a failure. Don’t even consider failure as an option. Where conditions succeed, responsibilities fail. Where responsibilities succeed, conditions are redundant. Just take it and do it.



I will assume unconditional responsibility. The Lord may have borne the corss of your sins, but even he will not bear the cross of your growth. The cross of your growth is your responsibility, and yours alone. You alone must carry it.

Only when you feel responsible for your life, you can respond with ability. Else, it will be responding with disability. Put your hands up and be counted.


It is the eternal law of life- the law of impermanence – anything that begins will end. If it had a beginning, then it will have an end.


Did the day begin? Yes! Then the day will end. Did the year begin? Yes! Then the year will end. Did your relationship begin? Yes! Then it will end – either by parting with each other when life is still on, or through the death of one. We all have come into this planet with confirmed return ticket. The date is the only unknown factor to us.


Success is failure delayed. Failure is success delayed. Good times will be followed by recession and recession will be followed by great times. Every beginning will end and every end will result in a new beginning.

This isn’t a pessimistic view of life. It is the other way around. Because we know there is death, let us make the most of life. Because we know the day will end, let us make the day count. Because we know the year will end, let us do something significant to do it memorable. Because we know our tough times too will end, let us endure it with strength and courage. Because we know the best of times too will end, let us be humble even in our success. Because we know every relationship will eventually end, let us give ourselves completely and unconditionally to our loved ones.



Above all, because we know even we will end, let us live such a life that we leave a legacy.

Talk The Walk!

In management as in marriage, the ‘C’ word is crucial. Like Hilton’s essentials for a hotel’s success, ‘Location, Location, Location’, here the winsome threesome is –‘Communication, communication, communication’.




Yet, people emerge from even the most elite educational powerhouses, with tongues tied up in knots.


What use your ideas if you can’t convey them convincingly? What use your leadership if you find it awkward to express yourself? What use yearning to be a sought-after guy if you mumble a speech and stumble so badly over a punc-line that the joke falls flat on its face?


Public Speaking Skills make all the difference to how you come across.


Tips abound to get over your fright in addressing a roomful of people. ‘Imagine them naked’ is among the most absurd – it could result in the most embarrassing consequences. ‘Avoid eye contact’ is as stupid because using your eyes is among the best ways to win ‘ayes’.

Here’s my maxim: bring about a ‘C’ Change.
The 6 C’s are – Content, Conviction, Confidence, Contact, Conflict (on occasion) and Cool (always).


In our eagerness of ‘how’ to say, we can’t overlook the primary importance of ‘what’ to say. Work on ideas first. You’re never going to win over anyone to views in which you yourself don’t believe.

Once you have content and conviction, the third ‘C’ is a shoo-in, with a little rehearsing.

Personalising your message is the surest way of getting it across – and the best messenger is eye-contact.

Conflict, via controversial remarks, is a great way to wake up your audience - but use this judiciously.

Finally, keep your cool – lose your temper and you lose the battle.

Book Buddy - Working Women and communication

Some times before in 2012 my book buddy told me:

Building a new structure and foundation is going to be very important for you. It may feel as if the very foundation for your life has been shattered but beneath is something stable, strong and everflowing. I encourage you to find an outlet that draws out this strength and enables you to share what you know with others - here you will find purpose for your being and build a future foundation for others to walk. Be open to discovering what this is - it is already there waiting for your permission.

Your personal freedom can be found through communication - it does not need to be verbal or physical. Sometimes silence is far powerful than the spoken word. There is a perfect way waiting for you - if you are open to being the answer.

Affirm:
I am open to ways in which I can serve the world with who I am today
What I know can change the world
I am free in every way that is necessary for me to fulfil my purpose

Ask:
How can I be of service as a free and open channel? Your mind does not need to know the answer. Just asking the question will direct you to living the answer.

And she was:
Louise Gilbert | Author | I met my Soul in a Coffee Shop
Your Purpose Consulting Ltd
E: louise@imetmysoul.com | T: 0800 369 363 | M: 021 464 122

Soon I lost in touch with her...

But is grateful to find one in office....who is there to bring me out of my personal emotions and thoughts and help me enjoy my work..like a Santa Claus who takes a ride through the night and leaves presents for all children in the chimney; she has been our constant motivator ..Thank you Dunja...She has send me books beyond my count and recommended so many readings viz:



http://www.us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/memory_keeper.html

http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Castle-Memoir-Jeannette-Walls/dp/074324754X

http://www.amazon.com/Angelas-Ashes-Memoir-Frank-McCourt/dp/068484267X/ref=pd_sim_b_7

Alice Munro - Short stories:
http://www.amazon.de/Alice-Munros-Best-Selected-Stories/dp/0771065205/ref=sr_1_13?s=books-intl-de&ie=UTF8&qid=1386577946&sr=1-13&keywords=alice+munro+short+stories

A Perfectly Good Family: A Novel: Lionel Shriver:http://www.amazon.com/Perfectly-Good-Family-Novel/dp/0061239496/ref=la_B001HD3UCY_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389818919&sr=1-5

Book =Buch, title = Titel : Ein ganzes halbes Jahr - a whole half year ....(One of her many gifts to me)




Not just books but she also shares thoughts and inspirations:

http://www.npr.org/2014/03/11/289018821/for-working-moms-key-to-balance-may-lie-in-elusive-leisure-time?utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=20140316&utm_source=mostemailed

"The women who has given the interview is American. Culturally it is a bit different from Germany but the issues working women are sharing are worldwide the same. France is very advanced in childcare but still it is very difficult. But all women are facing similar issues.

The key message I got is that you have to ensure right from the beginning to involve your partner in everything. Otherwise we as women end up in a role being the father (going to work fulltime) like our father did and a mother as we try to organize everything and have a tendency trying to make everything a 100%.


When I listen to male colleagues in India I have the feeling that the young generation in India is changing much faster than in Europe. Praseed e.g. really cares about his daughters and is very much into family life. I think it is so great to see male colleges who take over responsibility rather than going to work and come home with the expectation that everything is done. I do really wonder how the society in India will change over the next 30 years…

The reason why I send you this interview is that you –like all working mothers in the world – need to take time out for yourself. You are in the beginning of your thirties but as we say in German – your batteries will be flat if you don’t do that. You work in a company with a young boss who has three children, I have kids and I am female and I think non of us will become upset if you take a day off every other month. You should do this Lavanya – only to take care about yourself – it is a gift what you can give to you and finally your family can take advantage from it too.

Don’t do the same mistakes as other women and think that you have to do everything a 100%. 85% is the 100% of a working mother ;-)"

Some of her most amazing advices have been 'Nothing happens for Nothing'; 'Don't forget - ME is nothing life threatening'. 'Don't go into your shell - don't close down, when someone is asking too much - Take the chance to send an email, SMS or call just to say "A,B,C are really getting on my nerves'; sometimes it helps. Not to speak about it does not mean you are week."

Count Your Blessings

From the book, The Magic

"When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around."
Willie Nelson (b. 1933)
singer-songwriter

You will have heard people say to count your blessings, and when you think about the things you're grateful for, that's exactly what you're doing. But what you may not have realized is that counting your blessings is one of the most powerful practices you can ever do, and it will magically turn your whole life around!

When you're grateful for the things you have, no matter how small they may be, you will see those things instantly increase. If you're grateful for the money you have, however little, you will see your money magically grow. If you're grateful for a relationship, even if it's not perfect, you will see it miraculously get even better. If you're grateful for the job that you have, even if it's not your dream job, things will begin to change so that you enjoy your job more, and all kinds of opportunities for your work will suddenly appear.

The flipside is that when we're not counting our blessings, we can fall into the trap of unintentionally counting negative things. We count negative things when we talk about the things we don't have. We count negative things when we criticize or find fault with other people, when we complain about traffic, waiting in lines, delays, the government, not enough money, or the weather. When we count negative things they increase too, but on top of that, with every negative thing we count, we cancel out blessings that were on their way. I have tried both - counting my blessings and counting negative things - and I can assure you that counting your blessings is the only way to have abundance in your life.

"Better to lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your
blessings to counting your troubles."
Maltbie D. Babcock (1858-1901)
writer and clergyman

First thing in the morning, or as early in the day as you can, Count Your Blessings. You can write out your list by hand, type it on a computer, or use a special book or journal and keep all of your gratitude in one place. Today, you are going to make a simple list of ten blessings in your life you are grateful for.

When Einstein gave thanks, he thought about why he was grateful. When you think about the reason why you're grateful for a particular thing, person, or situation, you will feel gratitude more deeply. Remember that the magic of gratitude happens according to the degree of your feeling! So with each item on your list write the reason why you're grateful for it.

Here are some ideas for writing your list:

* I am truly blessed to have what? ,
because why? .
* I am so happy and grateful for what? ,
because why? .
* I am truly grateful for what? ,
because why? .
* With all my heart, thank you for what? ,
because why? .

After you've finished making your list of ten blessings, go back and read each one, either in your mind or out loud. When you get to the end of each blessing, say the magic words three times, thank you, thank you, thank you, and feel the gratitude for that blessing as much as you possibly can.

To help you feel more gratitude, you can be grateful to the Universe, God, Spirit, goodness, life, your greater self, or any other concept you are drawn to. When you direct gratitude toward something or someone, you will feel it even more, and your gratitude will have even more power, and create even more magic! It's the reason why indigenous and ancient cultures chose symbols like the sun to direct their gratitude toward. They were simply using physical symbols to represent the universal source of all goodness, and in focusing on that symbol they felt more gratitude.

The practice of counting your blessings is so simple and so powerful in altering your life, that I want you to continue to add ten more blessings to your list every day for the next 27 days. You might think it could be difficult to find ten things you're grateful for every day, but the more you think about it, the more you will realize how much you have to be grateful for. Look closely at your life; you have received, and are continuing to receive so much each and every day. There is really so much to give thanks for!

You could be grateful for your home, your family, your friends, your work, and your pets. You could be thankful for the sun, the water that you drink, the food that you eat, and the air that you breathe; without any of them you wouldn't be alive. You could be grateful for the trees, the animals, the oceans, the birds, the flowers, the plants, blue skies, rain, the stars, the moon, and our beautiful planet Earth.

You could be grateful for your senses: your eyes that see, your ears that hear, your mouth that tastes, your nose that smells, and your skin that enables you to feel. You could be grateful for the legs you walk on, your hands that you use to do almost everything, your voice that enables you to express yourself and communicate with others. You could give thanks for your amazing immune system that keeps you well, and all of your organs that maintain your body so that you can live. And what about the magnificence of your human mind, which no computer technology in the world can duplicate?

Here is a list of subjects that will remind you of the major areas you can look for blessings to be grateful for. You can also add any subject you want depending on what is important to you at any time.

* Magic Gratitude Subjects:
* Health and body
* Work and success
* Money
* Relationships
* Passions
* Happiness
* Love
* Life
* Nature: planet Earth, air, water, and the sun
* Material goods and services
* Any subject of your choosing

You should feel significantly better and happier after each time you Count Your Blessings, and how good you feel is your measure of how much gratitude you felt. The more gratitude you felt, the happier you will feel, and the faster your life will change. Some days you will feel happy really quickly, and other days it may take a little longer. But as you continue to Count Your Blessings every day, you will notice a bigger and bigger difference in the way you feel each time, and you will see your blessings magically multiply!


Magic Practice Number 1

Count Your Blessings

1. First thing in the morning, make a list of ten blessings in your life you are grateful for.
2. Write why you're grateful for each blessing.
3. Go back and read your list, either in your mind or out loud. When you get to the end of each one, say the magic words, thank you, thank you, thank you, and feel the gratitude for that blessing as much as you possibly can.
4. Repeat the first three steps of this magical practice every morning for the next 27 days.

Incredible India

Finally it was a dream come true, discovering Incredible India; the best of it with Panicker’s Travel India Pvt. Ltd.; Saro & Family and Jisha. Three long days moving from Delhi, to Jaipur to Mathura to Agra and then back to Delhi from Kerala....So varied and entertaining. It all started with Karol Bagh at New Delhi shopping and tasting variety foods viz. chats like Bhalla Papri, Aloo Chat, Pav Bhaji, Mathura Rabadi, varies North Indian Thali meals and Biryani. The journey all began from the much talked about New Delhi Airport.

On 17th April we could cover
Indira Gandhi Memorial,

Birla Mandir,

Qutab Minar,

Lotus Temple,













Stadiums, Teen Murti, Parliament House, Rashtrapati Bhawan, House of PM, Sonia Gandhi etc., India Gate, Red Fort and Raj Ghat.




On 18th April morning we left for Jaipur from Delhi which was around 266 kms. First to Amber Fort,

Here we could see Sheesh Mahal and enroute saw Jal Mahal,Maharaja Palace and Hawa Mahal.

Jantar Mantar (which is also at Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain, and Banaras) – it hand a blend of astrology and astronomy;

Birla Mandir and loads of shopping.

The stay at Hotel Red Fox was also amazing and it was Saros In-Law’s wedding anniversary.


On 19th April we started at 4 am in the morning from Jaipur to Fatehpur Sikri

which was around 200 kms away.Could not spend much time there as it started raining and we wanted to see so much more with so little time! Went to Mathura Birth Place of Lord Krishna at Bharatpur, and then via new Express Highway of Agra finally had the enchanting view of Wah Taj!

Telegrahph, Travell to Thoughts…..

In India State owned BSNL discontinued on 15th July 2013, all Telegraph services; while On Monday, 12 July 1999, a final telegram was sent from the National Liberty Ship Memorial, in San Francisco Bay to President Bill Clinton. the sign-off message was a repeat of Samuel F. B. Morse's message 155 years earlier, "What hath God wrought?



The long-distance transmission of textual (as opposed to verbal or audio) messages without the physical exchange of an object bearing the message; started in 1792 by way of semaphore lines; and the electrical recording telegraph came into being in 1846. This then lead to telegram, cablegram and fax. In the mid 1960s Email came into existance; first only between different account of the same user.

Prior to the electrical telegraph, nearly all information was limited to traveling at the speed of a human or animal. The telegraph freed communication from the constraints of space and time and truly affected how people lived their lives.



Telegraphy facilitated the growth of organizations "in the railroads, consolidated financial and commodity markets, and reduced information costs within and between firms." This immense growth in the business sectors influenced society to embrace the use of telegrams.


More numerous than grass is the thought that raise in the minds of men.


The part of the world that we dwell in, America meant the US and that was somewhere on the other side of the world, Artic and Antartcia was the top and bottom of a globe in the geography class, Australia was a the biggest continent and country, Africa was dark and scary, but now travell across the globe is possible for comman men here, and we know and can be to all these place not in eighty days but in eighty hours.

And what more, whereever we go, we can communicate to who-ever we want, not knowing the receipent of the information, where we are communicating from...

Telephone, Trains, Airoplanes, Jets, Internet, Computer, Mobile, Washing machines,OMG...

Hats off too the time......for all the magic with the Technology....It is upto us on how we use it. Indeed the world is at our finger tips today, is it 'Kalikalam' or 'Kaliyugam'!

When time has made our life easy, it has also increased tension, terrorism and lack of time! What an irony!

If ethical principles deny our right from doing evil that good may come; are we justified in doing good that the forseeable consequence is evil?

OMG

Oh My God: for ‘God’s sake’ you can’t miss this film!



OMG is a moral science lesson that doesn't sound preachy. This is a film that not only entertains and inspires but also enlightens.

A film like OMG Oh My God, that fearlessly and unwaveringly raises fingers at the commonplace commercialization of religious customs, is certainly an audacious attempt. Oh My God shouldn't be mistaken to be a film that endorses atheism. Rather it questions blind faith.


OMG is a 2012 Bollywood courtroom film. It is directed by Umesh Shukla. It is a remake of the 2001 Australian Film "The Man Who Sued God" and adapted from a highly acclaimed Gujrati play named Kanji Virrudh Kanji, 'OMG Oh My God!' is An Entertaining, Well-Intentioned & Superbly Acted Film!

Kanji Lalji Mehta (Paresh Rawal), a middle-class atheist-Hindu owns a shop of Hindu idols and antiques in Chor Bazaar, Mumbai. He is cursed by Siddheshwar Maharaj, while his son was playing dahi handi. One day, a low-frequency earthquake hits the city, and Kanji's shop is the only shop that is destroyed.

Next day at the insurance office, Kanji and his neighbor Mahadev learn that the disaster claim does not cover any damage caused by natural calamities classified under "Act of God". Running out of options, Kanji decides to file a lawsuit against God but fails to find a lawyer for such a lawsuit. Finally, he meets Hanif Qureshi (Om Puri), a poor Muslim lawyer. Qureshi, a disabled man, helps filing the case as Kanji decides to fight on his own. Legal notices are sent to the insurance company, as well as to religious priests, Siddheshwar Maharaj (Govind Namdeo), Gopi Maiyya (Poonam Jhawer) and their group's founder, Leeladhar Swamy (Mithun Chakraborthy) summoning them to the court as representatives of God on earth.

The Judge agrees and the court accepts the case. However, Kanji soon finds himself trapped amongst armed fundamentalists, his mortgage bank occupying the house, and his wife leaving him. In all instances, Kanji is rescued by Krishna Vasudev Yadav (Akshay Kumar), a real estate agent who rides a hot-shot motorbike and is seen flicking a slick key chain around. Krishna buys Kanji's house from the bank; but allows Kanji to stay with him.

The lawsuit causes a public outcry. As Kanji and Krishna watch this on TV, Krishna advises him to go to the media and put his view in public. Kanji's interview receives wide coverage and public opinion swings in his favour. Meanwhile, hundreds of people, whose insurance claims were rejected due to "Act Of God" show up at Hanif Qureshi's house and join lawsuit. Kanji agrees to fight on behalf of them. In the next court session, Catholic priests and Muslim Mullahs are also summoned to the court as defendants. However, lawyer Sardesai (Mahesh Manjrekar) points that Kanji has no document that can prove the disaster was "Act of God". The judge orders Kanji to present a written proof that will stand by his claim.

Kanji loses hope, when Krishna rescues the day by telling Kanji to read the Bhagavad Gita, and all holy books, such as The Quran and The Bible to find answer of all his questions. Kanji studies the books intensively for a month. In the next session, Kanji points out a passage in the holy books which says that "This world is a creation of god, and it is his will to allow it to grow or destroy", which strengthens his case. Suddenly, he loses consciousness. He is rushed to the hospital, where doctors unsuccessfully try to revive him, leaving him comatose, and announcing to the media that Kanji has been paralyzed, and only God can now save him. The next day, Kanji suddenly opens his eyes to find Krishna in front of him. Krishna wipes his key chain over Kanji's body curing Kanji.

As confused Kanji is, Krishna reveals that he himself is Lord Krishna, and he has purposely saved Kanji to show him that God does exist. Kanji, then learns he has been in coma for a month and things happened during the period. The lawsuit's verdict was in his favor and religious organizations were ordered by court to pay the compensation to all the plaintiffs; people have started calling Kanji a "God". Meanwhile, Leeladhar, Gopi Maiyya, and Siddheshwar have opened temple dedicated to Kanji & accumulated millions in donations. And today, as per Kanji's "will", he is about to be removed from the ventilator, and thousands have gathered for his funeral procession. On Krishna's hot-shot motorbike, he takes Kanji to stop the procession. Kanji arrives at the right time, and addresses the crowd, destroys his own statue and tells them to tear down the temple.

After successfully completing the job, he goes back to Krishna to thank him, however Krishna & his motorcycle have disappeared. Kanji's family arrive and they are reunited. On their way home, Kanji sees Krishna's key chain on the floor. When he is about to secure it inside his jacket, he hears Krishna's voice, telling him to get rid of the key chain as idol worship was what he fought against all this time. Kanji smiles and throws it away.

OMG; don’t be blind, but know your signs….

Mahabharata Revisited.....Jaya & The palace of Illusion

Thanks to Greeshma for provoking me to revisit Mahabharata.



The Mahabharata is an ancient Hindu epic where:

A son renounces sex so that his old father can remarrry
A daughter is a prize in an archery contest
A teacher demands half a kingdom as his tuition fee
A student is turned away because of his caste
A mother asks her sons to share a wife
A father curses his son-in-law to be old and impotent
A husband lets another man make his wife pregnant
A wife blindfolds herself to share her husband’s blindness
A forest is destroyed for a new city
A family is divided over inheritance
A king gambles away his kingdon
A queen is forced to serve as a maid
A man is stripped of his manhood for a year
A woman is publicly disrobed
A war is fought where all rules are broken
A shift in sexuality secures victory
The vanquished go to paradise
The victors lose their children
The earth is bathed in blood
God is cursed
Until wisdom prevails.

Devdutt Pattanaik have beautifullly retoled Mahabharata in a simple and lucid style; for all to understand in his 'Jaya'.

It is said that Vyasa knew it, before it happened chanted it to Ganesha, who penned it down. The longest epic poems in the world; and lucky enough to watch BR Chopra's version on TV in between 1988-1990; was engrossed in reading both the versions of the book back to back.


At the same time, happen to read 'The Palace of Illusions'; Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni gives us Panchaali's Mahabharata.

Both Interesting; Divakaruni says, Vysa had foretold that there would be three dangerous moments and at that time you need to hold back;
1. Just before wedding hold back your question.
2. When husbands are at the height off their power, hold back your laughter.
3. When you are ashamed; hold back your curse.

The thought of 'mine' and 'theirs' is the cause of trouble, if the King could see all as his, and love all alike, the war would never have occurred.

“Your childhood hunger is the one that never leaves you. No matter how famous or powerful they became, my husbands would always long to be cherished. They would always yearn to feel worthy. If a person could make them feel that way, they’d bind themselves to him—or her—forever.” 

The art of kingship is: A ruler should know how to conceal his own weaknesses. He should choose his servants carefully. He must cause dissensions among the noblemen in his enemy's kingdom. He should be forgiving, but not excessively so, for the men of evil heart would take advantage of him. His innermost thoughts must be concealed even from his nearest ones.

But what had to happen; had to and Panchali could not hold back.

The power of a man is like a bulls charge, while the power of a women moves aslant, like a serpant seeking its prey. Know the particular properties of your power and use it wisely.

Aren't we all Pawns in the hands of time, the greatest player of all? But even a Pawn has a choice.

Father is equal to heaven, but mother is even greater and so Pandavas decide to share their wife.

Expectations are like hidden rocks in your path - all they do is trip you up. For one person to gain desire, others have to give up theirs. Distance is a great promoter of harmony. God gives you what you want with one hand and takes away something more valuable with the other.

A situation in itself is neither happy nor unhappy. It's only your response to it that causes your sorrow. Be Calm. The life we live today is only a bubble in the cosmic stream, sharpened by the karma of other lifetimes (of the same life or another); one whom you hate may have been your beloved and vice versa. Why weep for any of them then?

Then there are two great teachings:

1. Yudhisthirs answer to Yaksha's questions:

-More numerous than grass is: Thoughts that rise in the mind of man.
-Truely wealthy is: That man to whom the agreeable and disagreeable, wealth and woe, past and future are the same.
-Most wonderous thing on earth is: Each day countless humans enter the Temple of Death, yet the ones left behind continue to live as though they were immortal.

2. The Song or the Geeta: Krishna's word motivating Arjuna:

The pleasure that arise from sense objects are bound to end, and thus they are only sources of pain. Don't get attached to them. When a man reaches a state where honour and dishonor are alike to him, then he is considered supreme. Strive to gain such a state. Weapons cannot harm it, fire cannot burn it; it is eternal, still and blissful. Man drives to wrongdoing in spite of good intention because of anger and desire, our two direst enemies and their offspring revenge...

Important to have victory against the six inner enemies that plague us all: lust, anger, greed, ignorance, arrogance and envy.

After the war, who was the real winner and who the loser?

Karna......The ..(failing to get words): Thought of giving him a special mention as it is friendship day today, and was there and will there ever be such a great friend?

A friend, stays a friend untill the end
Though Forgiveness eluded; forgives,
And gives away what could have saved his life,
A life paralyzed because of a promise kept?

Moreover (t)his is the main difference in both the books.

At the moment when Karna died, the sun plunged behind a cloud so dark that people feared it would not return. Despite the brutality of his death, his face held an enigmatic smile. A divine glow left his body and circled the battlefield as though searching for something before discarding this world.

Forgiveness: It is a virtue that eludes even the great! Is the desire for vengence stronger than the longing to be loved?

The purpose of life is to love, how well you live comes down to how much you love. The heart is wiser than the head. Honor it. Turst it. Follow it.

We cannot force ourselves to love - or to withhold it. At best we can curb our actions. The heart itself is beyond control. That is its power and its weakness.

Krishna's love was a balm, moonlight over a parched landscape. We came out of fire, and return to it; we are all instruments in his hands and he is the doer...

“Your childhood hunger is the one that never leaves you. No matter how famous or powerful they became, my husbands would always long to be cherished. They would always yearn to feel worthy. If a person could make them feel that way, they’d bind themselves to him—or her—forever.”

More of Paulo Coelho

Three books concerned with a week in the life of ordinary people, all of who find themselves suddenly confronted by love, death and power. Profoundest change in life can happen within a very reduced time frame. When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change. We need to decide and accept our destiny.

By the River Piedra I sat down and wept (1994)

Pilar encounters her childhood sweetheart after 11 years now a mesmerizing and handsome spiritual teacher-and a rumoured miralce worker- who leads her on a journey through the French Pyrenees, a magical landscape that has been home to holy visions and miracles through the ages.

Dreams mean work.

Veronika Decides to Die (1998)

Veronika seems to have everything she wished for; yet is unhappy. So On 11th Nov. 1997; she takes an overdose of sleeping pills, only to wake up sometimes later in Villete, the local mental) hospital. There she is told that although she is alive her heart is damaged and she has only a few days to live...Zedka, Maria, Dr. Igor, and Eduard.

The Devil and Miss Prym (2000)

A stranger arrives in the small mountain village of Viscos. He carries with him a backpack containing a notebook and eleven gold bars. He comes searching for the answer to a question that torments him: are human beings, in essence, good or evil? In welcoming the mysterious foreigner, the whole village becomes an accomplice to his sophisticated plot, which will forever mark their lives. This book illuminates the reality of good and evil within us all, and our uniquely human capacity to choose between them.

"One man with courage makes a majority." - Andrew Jackson


All the three books  (Trilogy) also makes one ponder on what is good (Ormuzd) and what is evil (Ahriman) as in the Persian legend or in the story of the garden of Eden.

When there is God, why is there so much of suffering in this world?

--------
Aleph:

The book not much liked; but few things were indeed wonderful:

Our life is a constant journey, from birth to death. The landscape changes, the people change, our needs change, but the train keeps moving.....and we change from one compartment to the other......????

Each end gives us the opportunity for a rebirth.


Love is like a river.   The Aleph is an encounter with our fears and our shortcommings - a search for love and forgiveness, and the courage to confront the inevitable challenges of life. Each end gives us the opportunity for a rebirth. On his journey through Trans-Siberia covering 9,288 kms, he meet Hilal- the women he loved 500 years before - and there is a mystical voyage within this journey on train, through time and space, through past and present.....  

 -----------

Captivating Talks

Isabel Allende: Tales of Passion


Sheryl Sandberg: Why we have too few women leaders

Oliver Sacks: What hallucination reveals about our minds

Aimee Mullins: It’s not fair having 12 pairs of legs

Chimamanda Adichie: The danger of a single story

Thandie Newton: Embracing otherness, embracing myself

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Steve Jobs: How to live before you die

Experience your Good Now! : Learning to Use Affirmation

Experience your Good Now! : Learning to Use Affirmation is an incredible Audio book, narrated by Louise L. Hay of Hay House Publishing.

Affirmation is a solution that will solve every problem, say All is well and I am safe.

It is our Thoughts and beliefs that shape our life. Be aware and do something to change. Do not share your affirmation with others, but keep it to yourself. et others say, wow what a change, how did you bring this?

Every word and every thought are your affirmations.

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php

Think happy thoughts; no matter what others are doing.

Feel good right now.

Don’t waste time on blame, sad, grumpy, greed, jealous, anger; Don’t waste your thoughts on negative thinking that sucks.  Blame is just another negative affirmation.

Your cells are aware of all your thoughts, can feel.

Say I have or I am; think in positive, present affirmations.

Love fills my life; I am discovering talents that I was not aware of.

I can do it, I can make positive change,

Good health comes from Love. The more you learn, the easier it becomes to create good health. Body is the mirror of inner thoughts and belief. Let Water be your favorite beverage.

Forgiveness: Thoughts of bitterness can never create joy. Forgive self and others, and release from the prison of the past. Consciously choose rather than react.

Forgiveness is not same as acceptance. It has nothing to do with other person. It is simply an act of releasing oneself from negative energy, by letting go. It is the most loving thing you can do.

The door to my heart open inwards, the past is over, the thought of this movement creates my future, there is no use of being a victim. I give myself freedom from past, and move into the joy of present. I forgive them with Love.

Prosperity, do not dwell on poverty or negative thoughts on money.

Be Honest, whatever you give you will get back, you steal when you take things from office, robs others time and respect. Affirming, allowing,  I prosper whatever I do, I have been constantly increasing my income. I am a magnet of money. I live in an abundand universe. I trust life, and it provides all that I need.

Say: I am open and receptive to all the abundance in life.

Creativity: We all create our life every day. You need not be an artist to be creative. From choosing your attitude of your self, being a cook, being kind, are all creativity. Continue doing new everytime, there are a million and one projects that you can do.

 Be a Happy Person, they are attractive, no criticisim, no choosing to be feeling lonely, no complain. Feel Love. Love what you see, rejoice in love that is encountered daily.

Job Success: Love your job, co-worker, location, boss, and everything else. Acknowledge, Encourage, Appreciate. Don’t have or give faith or fear. Whatever I give out comes back. There aren’t problems without solutions, be willing to release anything that is in your part, that has contributed to the problem. Express gratitude to what you have.

• Before you go to work, give time to breath.
• Write: My Job is a peaceful heaven, I put love in every corner, I am at peace.
• I only give out what I am to receive.

No person, place or thing will have power over you. Feel good, Be Joyful and bring more joy.

I am centered and focused. Stress is only fear, I release all fear, and make positive change in all area.

Self Esteem, is merely feeling good of your self, which develops confidence.

Release your affirmations to the Universe; Believe, have so much of positive believe, that you deserve to prosper/achieve your affirmations.

Positive Affirmations are the beginning point of Change

Moors of York here I come......

The moors of the York, had always been calling me, but in the wildest of my dreams, I had never imagined, I would be there.

I have often thought of going around Austria and the home of 'The Sound of Music', but never thought that I would visit the Bronte Museum. Do not know why?

Ah finally I could be into York and have a real view of were the Bronties lived as well! Thanks a Ton to Sharyn, without whom this would not have been possible.

If it was Dunja waiting for us in Germany, it was Sharyn waiting for us in York, with her Lilly, ready to carry all our luggages at night, far away from her home, around the castle and through two rivers, we followed the beautiful full moon, into a world of art, music, books a museum by itself that was her home!

The castle of the York would have attracted many to her, but it was Vanessa living there and the moors that attracted me to her. It was indeed another dream come true, to see how Vanessa and her little Nicholson just 3 months old, were waiting to welcome us in the traditional Indian dress, and the gift was shocking to me.....It was nice to see her house and know how Nicholson had his own room, and slept all by himself, from such a small age.

And from there, off we went to the moors.

For those who do not know; it was 'Wuthering Height's; which introduced me to the moors of York. It is a novel by Emily Brontë, written between October 1845 and June 1846, and published in 1847 under the pseudonym "Ellis Bell." It was her first and only published novel: she died aged 30 the following year. The novel is about Cathy and Heathcliff - a tale of love and revenge on the Yorkshire moors.

It is interesting to know how the three Brontes sisters and one brother, Children of a Pastor neither born great, nor having greatness thrust upon them, could nitch a name for themselves, and attact so many foreigners to them, even after they are no more.

It was also great to meet Sharyn's family; her mother and daughter, three generations and Ginnie; wish we could have a picture of all three together, but the meeting was at different time and place.

Thanks to those who made this possible!!

Hypothermia Vs hyperthermia

All in a day's time, from Hypothermia to hyperthermia from the state of being Frozen to the state of evoprating

Though it is spring in the west, still it is snowing and freezing cold, while in the East especially in India, it is exceptionally hot in the south, as it would be in the deserts!!! It was burning hot as I got out of the airport, Goshh.....

As we were walking from Hotel to office at Bonn, Veba said it was warmer in Germany when compared to Moscow, while for us it was very Cold (Though the temparature was higher than in London, we did not feel it to be severe as there was no Wind, like in London).

Also was wondering and had even asked Farida, why the water in Thames would not Freeze?

Indeed it is because of the deeds of human being!

Normal human body temperature in adults is 34.4–37.8 °C (94–100 °F).[8] Sometimes a narrower range is stated, such as 36.5–37.5 °C (98–100 °F).[9] Hypothermia is defined as any body temperature below 35.0 °C (95.0 °F).

 It is subdivided into four different degrees,
mild 32–35 °C (90–95 °F);
moderate, 28–32 °C (82–90 °F);
severe, 20–28 °C (68–82 °F); and
 profound at less than 20 °C (68 °F).[10]
This is in contrast to hyperthermia and fever which are defined as a temperature of greater than 37.5 °C (99.5 °F)-38.3 °C (100.9 °F).
The difference between fever and hyperthermia is the mechanism
Why so much of extremity in the climatic condition?

Ocean Temperature & Sun


•Virtually all the ocean heat comes from the sun. A minute amount comes from the earth's interior through gas vents at the ocean bottom.

•Because the equatorial areas are more faced toward the sun, the amount of heat absorbed per unit area is larger than at the poles. This causes the temperature to be higher at the equator than at the poles.

•The area of higher temperature shifts southward and northward with the season.

•The change from warmer equatorial areas to colder polar areas occurs largely in the form of fronts (=large transitions).

•The maximum mean monthly temperature is approximately 30 degrees, while the lowest temperature is less than 0 degrees.

•Antarctic ice is in white through out but the change in ice cover from summer to winter.

•Note how the warm water off the east coast of southern Africa in summer penetrates southward, while off the west coast colder water bulges northward. This causes significant temperature differences between the east and west coasts (at the same latitude). The same is seen off South America.

•Similar east-west temperature differences are seen off North America in the northern summer.

How does temperature change vertically?

•Because of the heat input (from the sun) at the surface, the surface layers of the sea are warmest (> 20 degrees), and the temperature decreases with depth (to < 5 degrees). This is especially the case in the equatorial and temperate latitudes. In the polar regions the heat input at the surface is low, so that there is not a large change in temperature with depth.

•The minimum temperature (at the sea bottom) is between -1 and -2 degrees. Shouldn’t sea water be frozen at such temperatures?

•Typical profiles of temperature show that the decrease in temperature with depth is not linear, but that the temperature undergoes a significant “jump” at a depth of a few hundred meters. This sharp decline is known as the thermocline.

•Between the surface and the start of the thermocline the water is very isothermal. This is referred to as the mixed layer, where the surface waves continuously churn the water. The higher the wind speed, the larger the waves, the deeper the mixed layer.

•Maximum temperature at the surface can be as high as 36° C (e.g. Persian Gulf).

•Normal sea-water freezes at -1.9° C because of the presence of salinity.

•The average temperature of the sea (over all depths) is (only) 3.8°C. This means that a thin layer (a few 100m thick) of warm water (say, > 15° C) overlays a deep, cold layer several kilometres thick.

Divine Magic: The Seven Sacred Secrets of Manifestation

A New Interpretation of the Classic Hermetic Manual The Kybalion by Doreen Virtue. (www.AngelThearapy.com)


The original teacher of this Divine magic was an Egyptian sage named Hermes Trismegistus. His teachings, called “Hermetics”, were only taught verbally or in very cryptic writings. In 1908, three Hermetic students wrothe this down in a book called The Kybalion. Yet, this work, was still difficult to understand because of its archaic and confusing language.

Here is an overview of the Seven Sacred Principles that the Hermes gave us.

1. Mentalism: “The All is Mind; The Universe is Mental”

Mind means infinite and unerring intelligence, wisdom and creativity. Since The All is everywhere, Mind is everywhere. You live inside this omnipresent Mind of The All. Your true Mind (Your higher self) is an extension and a creation of the Divine Mind.



2. Correspondence: “As above, so below; as below, so above.”

The Hermetists divide the world into three planes: physical, mental and spiritual. Each plane operates by the same spiritual laws. So if you understand the laws governing one plane, you’ll understand how the other planes operate. By applying this understanding, you can elevate your consciousness and life to higher planes of existence.



3. Vibration: “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates”

Even inanimate objects vibrate. The difference between the varying planes of existence is merely in their vibrational rate of movement. Hermetists apply this principle by accelerating or decelerating the vibrational rate of objects or situations that they wish to attract, change or banish.



4. Polarity: “Everything is dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites, like and unlike are the same; opposite are identical in nature, but different in degree; extremes meet; all truths are but half-truths; all paradoxes may be reconciled.”

This principle says that every experience and choice is the same in truth. What appears to be opposite is actually the same, but with different degrees of the same ingredients. Prosperity and poverty are not opposites. They are merely ends of the same pole, vibrating at different rates. Each situation in your life has such a pole, with extremes at either end and vibrational increments in between.

Hermetists use this principle to transmute unwanted situations and emotions into something more desirable, merely by changing their vibration to the highest end of each pole.

5. Rhythm: “Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides, all things rise and fall; the pendulum-swing manifests in everything; the measure of the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm compensates.”

Universe operates in precise and predictable rhythms. If you allow these rhythms to master you, then your moods and life will fluctuate up and down. However, by mastering the rhythms, you become immune to downward turns in emotions or life experiences.

6. Cause and Effect: “Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause; everything happens according to Law; Chance is but a name for Law not recognized; there are many planes of causation, but nothing escapes the Law”

This is a perfectly ordered universe, and nothing happens by chance or accident. There’s always cause behind every Effect. Life mastery occurs when you become a conscious cause of the effects you desire, instead of being carried along by the wills or desires of others. You can use this principle to effect healings and manifestations.

7. Gender: “ Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.”

Not just human body, but energy in each person. Everyone has both these energies within them. These energies are equally powerful and interdependent upon each other to form creation. Female energy is magnetic and attracting. Male energy is electric and creating. Banishing (releasing) and attracting are the basis of Divine magic. To manifest, you much either attract your desire or create it. To enjoy a steady flow of abundance, understand and work with the steady flow of giving and receiving, as this principle teaches.

As long as we live on the material Earth plane, matter is real to us. Matter isn’t less real to us just because we understand the scientific truth about atoms, or the Hermetic teachings about the mental nature of the Universe.


We can control matter by applying higher forces. This is better than pretending that matter doesn’t exist. The laws of nature are constant, and we can’t escape them. We can, however , overcome the laws by applying higher ones.

The universe and its laws and phenomena are real, so far as humans are concerned. The Universe is also ever-changing and transitory, so it’s unreal in the Absolute sense. However, we must live and act as if the fleeting Universe and matter were real. In the material world, Mentalism, the power of your thought, is the greatest natural force.

The London Bridge is not falling down....

Thanks to Jude, Cynthia’s cousin for dropping us at Elstree & Borehamwood station; we did not have to trouble ourselves in finding our way to Farida’s house, from where on Ali guided us through London. Was so tired, did not know when and how I went off to sleep the night we reached London. From Heathrow, the roads looks as though on fire...Fire moving around.


www.tfl.gov.uk helped us find places.

There was a mix of snow and rain, the next day morning, but we three managed to get out of the house, and sorry that Ferzana had too...Thanks to the underground, that we could see places and move around.

Day Two:

And it was all in this order

1. Bukingham Palace – Green Park: where queen Elizabeth 11 lives. Official home of British Kings and Queens since 1837. There was the statue like foot guard, wearing old fashioned red jacket and tall furry hats called bearskins.

Could see around The Plane trees without leaves and The Daffodils.

2. Big Ben – Is the huge bell inside the clock tower of the Place of Westminister.

Parliament-The Palace of Westminister, where laws are made and kings and queens are crowned in the Abbey is the home of the British Government.

London Eye-The largest ferris wheel in Europe. It turns slowly to give passengers time to take in a spectacular view of London spread out below them. Because of the mist and rain, did not get onto it.

3. Borough Market- is a wholesale and retail food market in Southwark, Central London, England. It is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, and sells a large variety of foods from all over the world; did buy and have something form there....Enroute saw the The Shard-Tallest Building in London or is it the Dockland tower of Canary Wharf?

4. HMS Belfast – A cruiser used in the second world war is a huge Warship near Tower Bridge.

Globe Theatre – This is a replica of the building where Shakespeare’s plays were first performed. The plays are still put on each summer, and there’s a tour of the theatre all year round.

Tower Bridge- Bridge that opens in the middle to let ships through. The road across is often shut several times a day so the bridge can be raised. It took 8 years to build and was completed in 1894. Ferzana’s friend got married on top of the bridge.

We walked through the tower Bridge through a beautiful garden and castle.

Could see Swiss Re Building or also called ‘The Gherkin’ because of its shape.

5. Covent Garden – Ah! So many things to shop. Ferzana brought for us Fudge from there. We were. We did hear a lady singing sweet song there; but was wearing different colour socks in each leg. Also we could see the Big Egg Hunt. The colourful and imaginatively decorated eggs around covent Garden which was on show from 22nd March to 1st April. Ferzana took us to McDonalds for a cup of coffee; introduced us to M&M, Harrods etc.

Lenchster Square: Red Carpet

Picadelly circus: View was amazing, the roads of London.



We could find around:

• The Union Jack: The British Flag

• The Royal Mail Red letter Box.

• Pubs

• Double decker buses

• Metropolitan policeman

• Red Phone Box

• Traditional black taxi cab, with sign on top lighting up, when driver is looking for a passenger.

• Ofcourse, the ‘Underground’ station signs; there are around 270 stations, of which look out for another section.

Day Three:

6. We have walked from under the Thames in Island Garden

The Thames is more than a highway between Greenwich and London. It has shaped Greenwich more than any human hand. Greenwich or Grenevic means ‘greenfield next to the river’. Greenwich is on the south banks of river. In 1884 an international agreement put Greenwich on the map as the world standard for 0 degree longitude. In 1997; Greenwich became a world heritage site. Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live with today and what we pass on to the future generations.

7. Saw the Cutty Sark built in 1869 and one of the three surviving clippers (fast sailing ship); used to carry tea from China.

8. Greenwich Garden: The 24 hour clock, the Meridian line zero degree longitude.

9. From Greenwich we could see the loss making Millennium Dome exhibition venue in South East London which is now converted into the profitable music venue The O2

10. Canary Warf: The place where modern buildings and offices are located. Did some Shopping from Tesco supermarket here.

We did give up the below places:

Missed Trafalgar Square station : Pigeons and the often seen place in movies lke Nelson’s column, surrounded by 4 Lions, National Gallery, 2 Fountains, Church called Saint Martin-in-the field.

Museums: British Museum

South Kengsington: National History, Science museum, Victorian museum

Regents Park and Canal: Which is amazing and beautiful in summer.

Madam Tussauds London @ Marylebone Road, near Baker Street; which is also the place often mention in Sherlock Holmes. It has 14 exciting interactive zones featuring over 300 wax figures, of stars, Warhol, premiere night, sports, royal persons, cultural personalities who have changed the way we think, music megastars, world leaders, the murdering madmen in sceam, Behind the scene on our history and how the figures are made, spirit of London taxi ride through London’s amazing past, marvel super heroes, the interactive movie experience; shop and cafe .

Mohamed Alfaid’s: Harrods.

On a day before return, when we were going from York to Colchester, we did get down at St. Pauls Cathedral. Its dome is a national landmark. Inside is a huge gallery where the faintest whisper can be heard all around its curved walls.

A statue of the Duke of Wellington stands in the nave (main hall). He’s riding on Copenhagen, his horse.

Parts of the ceilings are decorated with mosaics, which are pictures made from tiny pieces of glass.

The ball and cross on top of the dome weigh the same as seven cars. A huge brick cone hidden inside the dome stops them plummeting through the hollow roof.

Two bell towers stand proud at the front of the cathedral. The right tower houses the biggest bell in England, called Great Paul.

We brought some gifts from the shop below the Cathedral, and then went to the Oxford street to do some shopping before meeting Radhi again at Liverpool street station, who took us to Colchester, enroute the Olympic stadium @ Stratford.

Thanks to Radhi & Rakesh, for driving us back to the airport, with a wonderful B'day surprise, how funny, to be introduced to Rakesh in UK, when he had been to Potta & Kakkanad as well...and it was lovely to see Ishaan always in action....

There were so many London Bridges, and London would not mind, if a bridge would fall down, but I had been falling down, with the weight of the luggages that I had been carrying through out, oopsss Travel light.....

Team Away Day....

Finally all flights were booked and we could be @ www.schliersbergalm.de for the Team Away day from 18th March 2013 to 20th March 2013. Hurray!!!


Having landed at Bavaria on 17th March 2013, Dunja was waiting with her arms open, and her shoulders to lean on. How caring and concerned. She had with her, her son Juri; and off we went to her home and her new eco-house under construction. She had so much to do, with kids school day, cousins visiting home, new house under construction; yet wanted to take me around too.


Next day morning she took me out for a café and cake (Mohn Kuchen – Poppy seed cake; Apfelkuchln-Apple Cake); and then off we went by cable car on top of the mountain in casuals being a mountain area / outdoor / weather being cloudy, approx. temperature night -1 / day 5 C).
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Ah! Was it a dream? Were those three days, just a long dream?



With so many different people of different colors; Yellow, Red, Blue and Green. We had

• The helping, young and energetic by heart Horse MH

• Tadpole and cat loving, strong but with a heart BF

• Bubbly, energetic, MIL of all, owl

• The Traveller dog, looking for red

• Petrified Panther, the fashion lover

• The twins; Blue Dog & Fox

• Lead by the Eagle


We indeed missed so many of them, but especially the lion-ess.



Day 1 (18th March 2013); We had the Mashmallow Challenge and a typical traditional German – Mountaineers Dinner Fondue (Kase/Fleisch) Mit Salat Mud Brot- Meat pieces in broad or cheese to dip.


Day 2 (19th March 2013) was the Insight Day : Take away being;

• Our personality depends on which colour we are

• Difficult to change others,

• How we look at thing is based on our perception

• We can deal with people knowing how they are

• Here is what Dunja had to say about the snowman

“ The snowman will not be able to get a girlfriend or wife, because by the time he has made his decision he is probably part of the ocean”


He is for all human being in the world a symbol of winter, and he is very peaceful. Also he is very international, as everybody would create him similar. Basically a snowman consist of three balls of snow, a carrot and some piece of coal.

The snowman is also to me a sign of change. When I was about eight years old you saw them everwhere, while in these times you don’t see them often.

The snowman is a species, which might not exist in 50 years from now, anymore.”




Day 3 (20th March 2013) we had further discussion on Generations and how they differ

• Traditionalist: 67+ (1928-1945)

• Boomers: 47-66 (1946-1964)

• GenXer (Generation X): 31-46 (1965 -1980)

• Millemnials: 18-31 (1980-2000)



And then finally the video on the TED Talk: Choose to be happy.



From there we went into Munich office after the event but why was the meeting with Eva again too short? We had to fly to Bonn; stayed at Maritime hotel and walked to office the next day.



21st March 2013: Visited DPDHL office; the 40 storied building, with a view to the whole of Bonn/Koln; on the banks of river Rhein. This was the erstwhile capital of West Germany. Indeed Beautiful!



On 22nd March 2013; flew to London; bidding good bye to Germany.

Had typical German lunch on both the days; not sure what they are called. One was potato and onion mixed cooked/fried; with apple. Next day fish and French fries.

Do not know, why there was not a bit of excitement, to be flying to London, instead, was sad. Was it ‘Night’ by Elie Wiesel - Dunja that made me sad, or was it just a state of mind?

Trees without leaves, snow, I would see in London too, and I should have been excited to be going to London, but not a bit?


Veba Garetson gave me a Russian coin, which would help one to decide when required.

I had to remind myself to be happy.