After a long time, I had the opportunity to do something I have wanted to for a really long time...to attend a herpetology workshop. No, it has nothing to do with herpes and no, it is not the study of your girlfriend's pets either. It is the study of snakes(actually reptiles and amphibians) and being interested in them from my childhood, I signed up, I also signed my will you know..just in case. It was a three day workshop held by Gerry Martin (if you watch National Geographic, you probably recall that he had his own show for sometime). It was at a farm near Hunsur, in a place called Ratnapuri. The farm abuts a lake and this was an ideal habitat for snakes.
Some of you probably have that look on your face which says how can he even like those slimy, disgusting crawling creatures. Hey, I don't like politicians too but we are talking about snakes here, people. Please stay focused.
I was also secretly hoping that one of these snakes would turn into a beautiful damsel. Hindi movies have shown that this is possible and I see no reason to disbelieve them. I know you are thinking "What a dope, he really thinks a snake is going to turn into Sridevi !!!...what if the snake is male ?". I admit, you have a very valid point there but that's a risk I was willing to take.
The three day workshop dealt with the introductory aspects of snake handling. The first day, we had the opportunity to listen to 'snake shyam' (who was also featured on National Geographic). He drives an auto for a living but rescues snakes for a life. He is quite a character, rings on all his fingers, trinkets and chains around his neck and wrists, long locks of hair and a beard and mustache giving his signature looks. He mentioned an amusing incident, apparently in a fancy dress competition one of the kids who had dressed up like him got the first place while the Jawaharlal Nehru costume came in second. Anyway, it was fun listening to his talk.
Over the next couple of days, we got to handle rat snakes, green vine snakes, checkered keelbacks and of course, the cobras. We learnt how to pick up a cobra using a snake hook and then bag it safely. The Russel's Viper though was out of bounds for us. Gerry demonstrated how to bag one but we were not allowed to try. I got to try picking up a rat snake and I did so many mistakes that if it were a cobra and if you were mentioned in my will, you would be rich by now. Later, I also tried bagging a cobra and it was a pretty exhilarating experience for a first timer.
Finally, the three days were over and it was time to head back home. Back to the city, back to traffic and now back to work. It was a great weekend and worth every moment of it.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Culture and Change
Given enough time, any system of practices tends to degrade and lose the essence for which it was created in the first place. And no where else has it manifested itself so apparently as in India. A country where rituals abound and sheer force of habit overcomes reason.
I still remember from school, one stanza from Tagore’s Gitanjali that went something like ‘Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit’. It makes as much sense now as it did when Tagore wrote those lines.
A change in thinking can come about either organically (from within the society, but without explicit effort this would be a pretty slow process since it takes someone to question existing norms and also be influential enough to change them) or the change can come inorganically (if the society comes to interact with another society with a different set of ideas). To quote Swami Vivekananda "There is not one single instance of any civilisation being spontaneous. There was not a race in the world which became civilised unless another civilised race came and mingled with that race." (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume 2 - 'Hints on Practical Spirituality’).
It is probably an exaggeration but nonetheless holds truth. Though, he was speaking about this in a spiritual context, it holds just as true when applied to the social context as well.
The United States would probably serve as a very good example in how they have been able to attract talent from different cultures and have been able to forge ahead of most countries.
The British rule of India was one such interaction where we were exposed to a new culture. To their credit, the British were the first to outlaw the barbaric act of sati and among other things introduce English education in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s exposure to western ideas came in handy in shaping his outlook and his reform movement. I would assume the British too had a lot to learn (eastern spirituality, yoga etc).
Today, the Internet is emerging as the virtual civilisation which is constantly evolving and presenting new vistas of thought that can influence and mould behavior of individuals. The beauty of the internet is that people do not actually have to mingle with each other to influence one another. The Internet is probably the most conducive environment (albeit limited in its reach currently) for the creation of new ‘memes’ or for the diffusion of existing ones. Meme mutation is best accomplished by exposure to newer meme sets and the Internet is playing a small but increasingly significant part in this memetic evolution.
A more powerful and effective agency of meme evaluation is the education system. I believe that an atmosphere that allows questioning of preexisting notions should bring about more objective thinking among the participants. This culture of open discussions and objective debates can be nurtured best by incorporating such an approach in our education system wherein our students are encouraged to debate and discuss on issues in an objective way rather than simply accept the things as they are taught. Thus giving an opportunity for examining existing meme sets and either accept or reject them.
This helps create a progressive environment where it becomes possible to scrutinize and hopefully eliminate defective practices and belief sets, thereby evolving popular culture.
I still remember from school, one stanza from Tagore’s Gitanjali that went something like ‘Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit’. It makes as much sense now as it did when Tagore wrote those lines.
A change in thinking can come about either organically (from within the society, but without explicit effort this would be a pretty slow process since it takes someone to question existing norms and also be influential enough to change them) or the change can come inorganically (if the society comes to interact with another society with a different set of ideas). To quote Swami Vivekananda "There is not one single instance of any civilisation being spontaneous. There was not a race in the world which became civilised unless another civilised race came and mingled with that race." (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda - Volume 2 - 'Hints on Practical Spirituality’).
It is probably an exaggeration but nonetheless holds truth. Though, he was speaking about this in a spiritual context, it holds just as true when applied to the social context as well.
The United States would probably serve as a very good example in how they have been able to attract talent from different cultures and have been able to forge ahead of most countries.
The British rule of India was one such interaction where we were exposed to a new culture. To their credit, the British were the first to outlaw the barbaric act of sati and among other things introduce English education in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy’s exposure to western ideas came in handy in shaping his outlook and his reform movement. I would assume the British too had a lot to learn (eastern spirituality, yoga etc).
Today, the Internet is emerging as the virtual civilisation which is constantly evolving and presenting new vistas of thought that can influence and mould behavior of individuals. The beauty of the internet is that people do not actually have to mingle with each other to influence one another. The Internet is probably the most conducive environment (albeit limited in its reach currently) for the creation of new ‘memes’ or for the diffusion of existing ones. Meme mutation is best accomplished by exposure to newer meme sets and the Internet is playing a small but increasingly significant part in this memetic evolution.
A more powerful and effective agency of meme evaluation is the education system. I believe that an atmosphere that allows questioning of preexisting notions should bring about more objective thinking among the participants. This culture of open discussions and objective debates can be nurtured best by incorporating such an approach in our education system wherein our students are encouraged to debate and discuss on issues in an objective way rather than simply accept the things as they are taught. Thus giving an opportunity for examining existing meme sets and either accept or reject them.
This helps create a progressive environment where it becomes possible to scrutinize and hopefully eliminate defective practices and belief sets, thereby evolving popular culture.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
In memory of a legend
59 years ago on this day, three bullets from a 9mm beretta ended the life of one of the greatest men ever to have walked on earth. A man whose power of convictions changed the destiny of a nation.
I am an unabashed admirer of the Mahatma.
From my childhood days, I have held Gandhi in high regard. Initially, it was mostly because of what I was told in school. I must confess for a very brief period in school, I did switch over to the other side - that of Gandhi bashers (you see, talking peace and non violence were for wimps and I did not want to be one).
As I read more about this man, what struck me most was his stubbornness of holding on to a principle no matter what the odds. My respect turned into awe. He was fighting a political cause and yet today one can still find books on him in the 'Philosophy' section. It is common to hear Indians referring to 'Rama, Krishna, Gandhi and Buddha' in the same breath. Remember, the other three are generally regarded as Gods and we have a politician creeping into this list.
Christians believe that Christ died on the cross for our sins. As a non-christian, I have not been able to really comprehend that line of thinking. But when I think of Gandhi and how he was killed by someone with an outlook a lot more limited than his, I can understand what christian thought implies.
Once during a short visit to Sydney, on my way back to the Sydney Airport, I tried chatting up with the cab driver who happened to be Turkish and I mentioned about the Australia India cricket match that was being played that day. His reaction was something I least expected, he got pretty wild at cricket, cursing(using some flowery invectives) that this was a game invented by the British and questioned how as an Indian and having been subjugated by them can I still retain love for their game.
The hatred that this man had towards the British is something that I can never share. Violence always leaves a bitter relationship that persists across a much longer time period than the violence itself. Today, if Indians do not harbour animosity towards the British, it is simply because of the efforts of one man who had the courage to act different.
The India today though, still has it's moods of violence, a lot of mess that existed before continues to exist now. The silver lining is that if in spite of all the rot the Indian society is steeped in, if we can have a Gandhi coming out of it, then we must be doing something right.
In 1948 the Nobel Committee decided not to award the Nobel Peace Prize to anyone on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate". Gandhi not being awarded the Nobel prize is perhaps the best thing that the Nobel committee has done. Awarding him would have been like trying to measure the earth with a foot long scale.
I do believe that Gandhi was not correct in all his stands and he made his set of mistakes as well but what he did achieve and advocate were far greater than his failures.
Strength comes not from the ability to destroy but from the ability to protect and there in lies the greatness of this man.
Come back Bapu, we need you now as much we have ever needed you before...
I am an unabashed admirer of the Mahatma.
From my childhood days, I have held Gandhi in high regard. Initially, it was mostly because of what I was told in school. I must confess for a very brief period in school, I did switch over to the other side - that of Gandhi bashers (you see, talking peace and non violence were for wimps and I did not want to be one).
As I read more about this man, what struck me most was his stubbornness of holding on to a principle no matter what the odds. My respect turned into awe. He was fighting a political cause and yet today one can still find books on him in the 'Philosophy' section. It is common to hear Indians referring to 'Rama, Krishna, Gandhi and Buddha' in the same breath. Remember, the other three are generally regarded as Gods and we have a politician creeping into this list.
Christians believe that Christ died on the cross for our sins. As a non-christian, I have not been able to really comprehend that line of thinking. But when I think of Gandhi and how he was killed by someone with an outlook a lot more limited than his, I can understand what christian thought implies.
Once during a short visit to Sydney, on my way back to the Sydney Airport, I tried chatting up with the cab driver who happened to be Turkish and I mentioned about the Australia India cricket match that was being played that day. His reaction was something I least expected, he got pretty wild at cricket, cursing(using some flowery invectives) that this was a game invented by the British and questioned how as an Indian and having been subjugated by them can I still retain love for their game.
The hatred that this man had towards the British is something that I can never share. Violence always leaves a bitter relationship that persists across a much longer time period than the violence itself. Today, if Indians do not harbour animosity towards the British, it is simply because of the efforts of one man who had the courage to act different.
The India today though, still has it's moods of violence, a lot of mess that existed before continues to exist now. The silver lining is that if in spite of all the rot the Indian society is steeped in, if we can have a Gandhi coming out of it, then we must be doing something right.
In 1948 the Nobel Committee decided not to award the Nobel Peace Prize to anyone on the grounds that "there was no suitable living candidate". Gandhi not being awarded the Nobel prize is perhaps the best thing that the Nobel committee has done. Awarding him would have been like trying to measure the earth with a foot long scale.
I do believe that Gandhi was not correct in all his stands and he made his set of mistakes as well but what he did achieve and advocate were far greater than his failures.
Strength comes not from the ability to destroy but from the ability to protect and there in lies the greatness of this man.
Come back Bapu, we need you now as much we have ever needed you before...
Tuesday, January 9, 2007
A paradigm shift
In the corporate world of hectic activity and perpetual deadlines, it is always a challenge to keep expectations realistic and ensure that employees have some time for themselves. Work-life balance is an oft heard term to define this line between public and private time. In pursuit of this balance, some limit themselves to merely "doing their job" as defined by their roles.
Individual capability will vary but what is important is that each of us should add value to the system. Every small job well done will add that much more credibility to the system and greatly improves the quality perception about the individual and the establishment as a whole.
Perceptions (like stereotypes) are built at a micro level but are applied at the macro level. When you walk into a restaurant and the waiter at your table is rude, the conclusion that you would draw is that this restaurant is no good. One single incident by one badly behaved waiter is enough to trigger a general conclusion about the whole restaurant. What holds good for an eat-out holds good for a corporate and a country (of course the number of experiences with a corporate or within a country are orders of magnitude greater than an eatery and one single incident may not cause as much harm as it would to a smaller establishment. However the fundamentals are the same).
In effect, each of us has to realize that we do not just do a job, we create an experience for somebody else and the quality of that experience is going to determine the perception about the company that we work for and if, like me, you are in a country where work has been outsourced to, then it creates a perception about the country as well.
Work-life balance is important but keep in mind that just like your personal life, your work too is based on creating positive experiences for the people who have a stake in what you do (be it customers, your team members or anybody else). This will help build credibility about you and about the system that you work in.
We should stop looking at ourselves as defined by the roles of our jobs (say as software developers or project managers or waiters or salesmen and so on) but instead look at the kind of experience that our roles allow us to create for the stake holders. We should see ourselves as 'experience providers' and act accordingly.
This is the paradigm shift that we should bring about in ourselves.
Individual capability will vary but what is important is that each of us should add value to the system. Every small job well done will add that much more credibility to the system and greatly improves the quality perception about the individual and the establishment as a whole.
Perceptions (like stereotypes) are built at a micro level but are applied at the macro level. When you walk into a restaurant and the waiter at your table is rude, the conclusion that you would draw is that this restaurant is no good. One single incident by one badly behaved waiter is enough to trigger a general conclusion about the whole restaurant. What holds good for an eat-out holds good for a corporate and a country (of course the number of experiences with a corporate or within a country are orders of magnitude greater than an eatery and one single incident may not cause as much harm as it would to a smaller establishment. However the fundamentals are the same).
In effect, each of us has to realize that we do not just do a job, we create an experience for somebody else and the quality of that experience is going to determine the perception about the company that we work for and if, like me, you are in a country where work has been outsourced to, then it creates a perception about the country as well.
Work-life balance is important but keep in mind that just like your personal life, your work too is based on creating positive experiences for the people who have a stake in what you do (be it customers, your team members or anybody else). This will help build credibility about you and about the system that you work in.
We should stop looking at ourselves as defined by the roles of our jobs (say as software developers or project managers or waiters or salesmen and so on) but instead look at the kind of experience that our roles allow us to create for the stake holders. We should see ourselves as 'experience providers' and act accordingly.
This is the paradigm shift that we should bring about in ourselves.
Friday, January 5, 2007
Here goes
Finally found time to create a blog for myself. The challenge is to ensure that i post something regularly which of course nobody would care to read. Not that it really matters since I am..hmm..creating content on the Internet (according to the Time magazine is the reason why all of us internet users have been chosen as the 2006 Person of the year, which shows that they are running out of ideas as well).
If you are here because of some aimless surfing, feel free to go browse some actually useful information elsewhere. But if for some bizarre reason, you are interested in this blog, do check back occasionally.
Congrats for getting this far and thanks...
If you are here because of some aimless surfing, feel free to go browse some actually useful information elsewhere. But if for some bizarre reason, you are interested in this blog, do check back occasionally.
Congrats for getting this far and thanks...
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