How Specific Spiritual Vocabulary has chained mankind?

Last updated on: September 3, 2007 at 2:22 am By Desh Kapoor

"Ok, suppose that A wants to see data from say, a table X, then we need to access the..." Girish started off. Glen was quick to stop him "Can you be specific? In our system which is that table "X", and what role with which authorization will access that table?". He wanted specifics. Have you ever been part of that conversation? If you have studied in India or are from India, the chances are that YOU might have been in Girish's shoes many times! In fact since my childhood, I have been convinced that we, Indians can think of the most complex problems ONLY in generalities. Once the general context is clear. The specific come easier. So goes the wisdom. Read more

You are that…

Last updated on: September 3, 2007 at 2:18 am By Desh Kapoor

Said Uddalaka to Shvetaketu:"In the beginning was only Being,One without a second.Out of himself he brought forth the cosmosAnd entered into everything in it.There is nothing that does not come from him.Of everything he is the inmost Self.He is the truth; he is the Self supreme.You are that, Shvetaketu; you are that."-Chandogya Upanishad Read more

A Tragic Death at IIT Kanpur

Last updated on: September 1, 2007 at 8:48 pm By Desh Kapoor

I got this mail from a fellow-IRMAn. It again shows the extreme lack of humanity in us Indians. There are times when we feel bad - but then there are times when we feel utterly shameful of our identity. This is one of that moment after I read through this mail. When can we understand that the value of an individual is FAR more than the systems and bureaucracy we have built around us! I wonder how the people who were involved in this incident could sleep peacefully at night? Students of IIT Kanpur were shocked to receive a mail on Mondayforwarded by the President of the Students' Gymkhana. The mail isattached below and a brief description of the later developments aregiven after the mail.This is to share an incident which reflects the state of affairs for thedisenfranchised in our Institute of excellence. I suspect this incidentcould not be reported by anybody in authority in the Institute and hencewould not reach most of us. In this case too we got to know of it justby chance, as would be evident from the account, which makes us believethat occurrence of such incidents may not be a rarity after all, butthat is just not shared with the community. A similar incident happeneda month ago and the sequence of events are much similar. This account isto inform the community of this incident, acknowledge a feeling ofcollective shame that this could occur in an Institute which claims tobe the best, and hopefully to evoke some collective action to preventsuch occurrences in future. I am sure of the facts, as I got to know ofit from a first person account and yet would not name anybody to avoidunnecessary personal vilification. This is the system and not theindividuals involved. Read more

America's new sex fetish: Sex in Toilet!

Last updated on: August 30, 2007 at 6:49 pm By Desh Kapoor

The harmless toilet seems to be emerging as the number one spot for celebrities for sex in the US! First it was Larry "I am not Gay" Craig senator of Ohio, who was soliciting sex from a guy in the adjoining cubicle through deft and subtle maneuvers, but got busted. Worse, he pleaded guilty when arrested and then never told anyone - his friends, family or his constituency! Then he comes out and gives arguably the worst press conference in history of scandalous politicians! Then, Lindsay Lohan, the Hollywood star - who had checked into a rehab after crashing a car while drugged high on cocaine, was caught having sex with a man IN THE REHAB in toilet!! Well, she was drugged as well! In a rehab. She is said to have been caught having sex in a toilet cubicle with a male patient, and is reportedly frequently late to meetings and refuses to do any chores or menial tasks such as washing up. Read more

Sania Mirza and golden moments of India Tennis.

Last updated on: August 30, 2007 at 11:29 am By Desh Kapoor

Today is the day to talk Indian sports. So, lets congratulate the rare women's tennis player from India - Sania Mirza. She is not just a tennis player but a youth icon. She just moved into the second round of US open beating Kaia Kanepi of Estonia 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 6-1. She is trying to better her 2005 fourth round performance in US open. Well, she is now World number 26 - the highest she has been ever! She better make the most of it! Indian tennis has had some good moments: Vijay Amritraj: He reached Quarter Finals in two Grand Slams in 1973. At Wimbeldon, he lost to Jan Kodes to eventual champion. IN US open, he beat Rod Laver but lost to Ken Rosewall in the last Eights. In second round, he came close to defeating Bjorn Borg - when he was two sets up and leading 4-1, only to be beaten! Vijay played his best tennis in Davis Cup and helped India reach the Finals in 1974 and 1989! Ramanathan Krishnan: He was probably the greatest Indian singles player! He reached the Wimbledon semi finals in 1960 (lost to Neale Fraser) and 1961 (lost to Rod Laver). He was the 4th seed in 1961 - the highest any Indian tennis player has ever gotten to! Ramesh Krishnan: He reached a career high ranking of 23. He reached Quarter Finals three times in Grand Slams - 1981 (US Open); 1986 (Wimbledon); and 1987 (US Open). In 1987, he partnered Vijay for taking India to the finals. He won the final match against Australia to take India to the finals against Sweden! Read more

Golden past and the Crappy present of Indian Football (Soccer)

Last updated on: August 30, 2007 at 10:44 am By Desh Kapoor

Today Jeshi had written about the victory of the Indian Football (Soccer) team in Nehru Cup 2007. Well it has been ages since the Indian team won anything in football! But it wasn't always like this! In 1956 - Melbourne Olympics, where the hockey team won the then regular gold medal, the football team stood 4th! In fact India won two Gold medals at the Asian Games - 1951 in New Delhi and 1962 in Jakarta. India were also runners up in Merdeka Cup (a prestigious tournament then) in Kuala Lumpur in 1959 and 1964. Also, in the Asia Cup in 1964, India finished as runner ups! In the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, Neville D'Souza scored a hat trick as Indian defeated Australia by 4-2! In the semi-finals, Indians played Yugoslavia and again took a lead in the second half as D'Souza scored the first goal. The Europeans came back and scored 4 consecutive goals to win and move to the finals. In the finals, the Soviets defeated the Yugoslavs. Bulgaria was 3rd, and India 4th! Read more

100 years of Chinese population

Last updated on: August 29, 2007 at 7:31 pm By Desh Kapoor

This is a nice animation of how China's population has and will change between 1950 and 2050 (a 100 yr period). As you can see in the coming years the old majority of the population will be in 50+ area.... basically a drag on the economy... Read more

Why Cant Americans find US on World Map?

Last updated on: August 28, 2007 at 8:01 pm By Desh Kapoor

Are you surprised why?? 😉 What an answer! No wonder Indian beauties have a slam dunk chance in such pageants! Read more

The Agency of the Future

Last updated on: August 28, 2007 at 7:08 pm By Desh Kapoor

Another useful and interesting guest article on the history of Advertising! <p. By Mark Tungate; Author of Adland The big, traditional advertising agency networks are all grappling with a new universe. In 2006, French group Publicis launched a unit called Denuo that brought together a group of marketing futurists to analyze the possibilities of video games, viral marketing and all the other new advertising avenues opening up to clients. Then in 2007 Publicis paid $1.3 billion for online marketer Digitas. Group boss Maurice Levy said the purchase reflected the fact that online advertising would soon represent 10 percent of total spend. Rival French group Havas has also been gazing into the crystal ball, putting media at the heart of the creative process. “Strategic planners, media planners, creative and production people literally work side by side,” says creative director Remi Babinet. “Today the vital questions for brands in terms of reaching consumers are: ‘where, when and how?’ And these are media questions. Content in the wrong context is stripped of meaning. If you write a magnificent love poem and recite it aloud below the wrong person’s window at five in the morning, you won’t get the desired response.” Read more

Brains, Guts, and the Capacity to Act

Last updated on: August 28, 2007 at 6:58 pm By Desh Kapoor

This article is being published with consent of the publisher. Enjoy the Guest article. By Stephen H. Baum What allows a leader to take the steps needed to solve a problem or master a difficult situation? What keeps the desire to act from being impetuous and uninformed, as in "ready, fire, aim" behavior? The answer is that the capacity to act effectively and decisively is a complex mixture of brain and gut, a combination I call threads in thinking. It includes these qualities: An ability to distill a situation to its simplest dynamics; to understand the issues and the consequences of doing nothing; and to formulate a specific plan. Being extro-spective: seeing the business in the larger context of the industry and in the marketplace; seeing a situation from a high-altitude view and making sense of it on the ground. For opportunities, an ability to see the true benefits and risks, which are not always obvious. Possession of a mental library of truly relevant analogies and other mental models that can be applied to characterize the situation in a way helpful for making a choice. An ability to identify valuable sources of advice, experience, and wisdom (inside the company and out); to elicit information and know when to do so.An instinct for calibrating the value of and motive for facts and information people are giving you, the subtext of real agendas. An ability to discern both financial and nonfinancial impacts and include them in the calculus (company reputation, morale, future business options), then weigh the risks. An ability to anticipate issues and define a point of view so you don't have to do it for the first time under crisis. Being able to think a couple of moves ahead, as in chess, or as Steve Kaufman put it: "the ability to look around the corner and see what's coming." This ability and most of the others can be tested and developed. Read more