Conversations that matter

The knowledge cafe as a format for knowledge sharing, originally propounded by consultants Juanita Brown and David Isaacs as The World Cafe is evolving as a KM tool worldwide as knowledge cafe and other cafe formats.

Individuals, groups and organisations are starting to use and apply it in a structured manner and, I remember telling Simon at KM ASIA 05 about the concept as it seemed very related to his work in creating knowledge enabling spaces.

Childhood in Mumbai meant a visit to the Madras Cafe - an olfactory delight- the aroma of freshly brewed filter Kapi or coffee, south Indian delicacies and snacks, the tightly wound betel leaf at the cashiers counter.

The Irani Cafes were a visual or design delight. The round marble top tables, distinctive wooden chairs and checked table cloth. The manner in which food was displayed, cooked, served. Sometimes even a favorite, domestic cat wandering about with an air that only felines possess. When a landmark, Bastani shut down, it was truly a slice of Mumbai's past that faded away.

The cafe whether in college,at prithvi,at jahangir, or even at work, are favorite hangouts where the REAL conversations (and decisions and romances and learning and networking and arguing and everything else) happens.

I don't get the same feeling about the new coffee shops. They seem more individual or at most business and couple oriented. People meeting up, making deals, having meetings- not the original cafe stuff. Style has replaced substance, which makes up for it most times! They seem more "goal-oriented" and less of the free flowing conversations of artists and writers and intellectual debate; or the sheer community of the cafes above; or even of those that dot the roadside and highways, where travellers and long distance drivers swap stuff and stories. Quote:

"The key to creating a successful World Café conversation is employing the seven guiding principles, which when used in combination fosters courageous conversations and collective intelligence".

Food for thought?

Have money, will spend - II

Power just got more expensive in Mumbai.

Housing complexes in Mumbai are having small get-togethers to share how to save and conserve power and water. My housing complex is not doing any such thing -which is true of most who live in insular complexes where the private builder is responsible for most amenities. In fact as my maid informs, madam, only you tell me save water, save power, no one else does. She positively smirks as she enlightens me how my careful segregation of garbage into wet and dry all gets de-segreted when it reaches the main bin.

While some of us common folks try and do our bit , who monitors the commercial guzzlers?

Drive down S V Road a busy,bustling boulevard and on both sides of the road, huge showrooms are brightly lit with energy guzzling lights and air conditioning systems. While resident users are advised to keep it at 26 degrees, I stepped in to an ATM on S V Road, it had the aircondition on at full blast. A kiosk that normally is the ground floor of a residential building.

The energy that is used by ground floors of the residential buildings that have rented it out for shops and banks- do they get the residential tarriff or the commercial one?

Almost every newspaper and magazine has been publishing handy tips and the government has taken many steps to ensure that adequate knowledge interventions in training and information is available to consumers and citizens.

Some things that I do and I can assure are very useful in keeping the energy bill low are some simple practical things;

1. Yes the energy efficient bulbs by now everyone knows, but I suggest that put a 10 watt (what is normally known as zero watt) bulb in every room including the passage and the washrooms/bathrooms. For those who normally do not like the house to be in dark and have the habit of leaving the room lights on even when no one is in the rooms, ensuring one lightbulb of minimum wattage, meets both requirements.

2. Ask the car washer to wash the car only on alternate days or two-three times a week. Believe me it is more than enough.

3. Use the washing machine only with a full load.

4. Keep fridge on medium

5. Really, do you need the lights, fans, a/c, radio, music system, gaming systems etc on for all the time it is actually on? Switching it off will not only save that precious energy but also usher in an oasis of calm in your surroundings. Try it and see for yourself.

6. Monitor your bill regularly and report/check any discrepencies and variations to the utility service provider. You'll be surprised.

7. Water plants and gardens only in the evening. If you can use recycled water-great!

8. The idiot box- kya karen? Read more, meet friends, cook, throw a party. Whether you live alone or in a large family,less TV is more savings, better health and peace of mind. I love my TV shows but....

Or what one of my relative has done in this era of LCD and flat screens. The only TV in their relatively large, recently re-furbished in a stylish, modern home is a small 18' one on a counter in the open kitchen. It is a culture shock for visiting
relatives.

Shanghai and Singapore

That the red buses are back on road after the strike is a relief for the millions of passengers who travel everyday by it.

For me too. I love conspiracy theories and I cannot say how relieved I am that it was not some sinister devious plan by the construction and building industry to hog the BEST depot land space too.

After all, after the ponds, lakes, the public gardens, the mangroves, the hill and hillock blasted out in and around Mumbai, only suspended air space is left for the builders to take over.

I really don't understand why we are interested in shanghaing Mumbai when we have the choice of Singaporing. What a little island nation city of Singapore has acheived solely by becoming a Knowledge economy!

Gardens, parks, aquariums, public transport all co-exist with modern malls and housing. Modern art with Heritage preservation; canals and water spaces with hills and highways.

If at all we need any aspirational examples, the best cities are those that have learnt the art and science of how to preserve their unique identity and are constantly innovating as knowledge cities.

Is leadership complex or simple?

The FIVE temptations of a CEO by Patrick M Lencioni is a business fiction book in a fable format on leadership. The fable is based on character Andrew O'Brien who happens on an unlikely ( fictional?) guide in his quest for a silver bullet to success. The book, on why executives fail, is of about 134 pages out of which almost 100 pages constitute the fable and then a summary.

According to Lencioni, most executives make the same basic mistakes and the pitfalls they face are the five temptations, such as:

Temptation 1 : Once they "arrive", many focus on primarily preserving their status. This causes leaders/CEOs to make decisions that protect their ego or reputation or worst, avoid making decisions that might damage them. They reward people who contribute to their ego. Hence the writer advises to embrace a desire to produce results.

Temptation 2 : Succumbing to a desire to be popular and hence not holding direct reportees accountable. The desire to be liked & accepted by peers often of similar age and background results in decisions that may not be healthy for long term respect of reportees. The book suggests that do not view reportees as support group but as key employees who have to deliver on their commitments. The author comments, remember your people are not likely to like you anyway if they ultimately fail !

Temptation 3. Choosing accuracy over clarity-Even leaders who don't succumb to the above two pitfalls sometimes fail because they have not provided clear directions-what their direct reportees are accountable for doing.i.e. choosing certainty over clarity.

Temptation 4: Choosing harmony over productive conflict- Do you prefer your meetings to be pleasant & enjoyable? Do you get uncomfortable at meetings if your direct reports argue? Do you often make peace or try to reconcile direct reports who are at odds with one another? Then you have succumbed to this pitfall.

Temptation 5- Choosing invulnerability over trust. The author argues this is not about being touchy feely but all the above depend on having a trustworthy team. As against a complacent one.

It'd be well worth the while to examine the leadership guidelines in the book. The temptations obviously become critical in proportion to the role/influence one exerts and it is crucial to be aware, avoid and manage them.

He says that people who trust one another aren't worried about holding back their opinions or their passions. ( I guess that'd be true out of the corporate world too?)

I liked the book because of it's format. Management fables such as this some times provide an easy to read format and to give to staff, young managers or busy managers-ceo's in making- who may not have the time or enjoy reading, in-depth, intensely researched material.

BEST of Bombay ko bachao

The BEST red bus service is the lifeline and lifeblood of Mumbai life.

Striking employees means holding an entire city, citizens and adminsitration to ransom. But serving dismissal notices to more than 35,000 employees who are trying to only protect their source of income is scary in the sense that it reminds me of the harsh, uncompromising and "we will not bargain" stance of the textile strike many decades ago. It left a city bleeding, with wounds that have not healed to this day.

Employees are not terrorists so sound bytes of "we will not/do not bargain" needs to be considered carefully. As I learnt from one of my wonderful boss and mentor many years ago- Remember it is not enought to be fair. It must also appear to be fair.

Labour policies that are just, fair and more than anything else compassionate need to be balanced with a non-compromising stance on other aspects such as discipline, productivity and work ethics. But I do know that when all of Bombay goes on strikes, the BEST employees always save the day. We have taken this service for granted for far too long.

The employees of BEST (like their other counterparts in public or govt sector)compare poorly with their counterparts in private sector in terms of pay, housing, health, security benefits. Ever spared a thought for the postal worker in Mumbai. Any post office is a frightening display of poor working conditions and yet the postal employees work! The BEST drivers and conductors work long hours in harsh conditions and to my knowledge are corruption free. Yes, the red bus driver does behave like the king of the jungle that is the Mumbai roads, but for today I am willing to set aside this resentment.

Not being sensitive to their needs, demands and conditions gives a whole new slant to save the BEST for the last.

Conversations with God

"Don't tell God how big your problems are.Tell your problems how big your God is".

The title of my post or the comment is not from book of this name by Donald Walsh ( I haven't read any of them though, so I cannot say for sure). Just heard this line on a local radio station.

Kya sahi bola nah.... yeh to poora ulta ho gaya.

The picture here is one I took last year, just in the neighbourhood and I thought I'd add it here. Don't miss the paw prints on the stone!

Art for Arts sake

Normally I blog about books I have read, but this is one about one that I hope to read and that is one by James Whistler, The Gentle Art of Making Enemies - A collection of the artist's thoughts, essays and writings on Art.

During a time when in England, art and paintings were characterised with colour, intricate details, sentiment, realism and compositions of mother,child,animals, english drawing rooms and countryside,dogs and horses and upholstery, flowers etc, Whistlers "Arrangements in Grey and White", better known as Whistlers Mother created a furore among the establishment and the critics alike. It was stark (evocative of Japanese art) and completely in anti-thesis of the prevalent norms.

His painting, Nocturne in black and gold evoked sharp criticism from art critic John Ruskin whom he sued for libel and won, went bankrupt in the process, but he bounced back. In 1885, Whistler delivered the "Ten 'Clock, " his famous lecture summing up his theories of aesthetics in beautifully polished prose and which spoke of both poetry and painting.

I am not an art historian or art critic. But in Whistler's art, life and writings he emerges as one with immense integrity -to his own self and his muse. A person who loved himself, loved his art,loved work, friends, food, relationships, his mother, an argument, discussions and standing up for what he believed in, and who lived a long, fruitful life and died of natural causes. Compare this to the sentimental; intellectual; angst-ridden; rebellious,sometimes suicidal; with no commercial knowledge (or over commercial-playing to the gallery types) portrait that is normally drawn of an artist both in old and modern times. I hope to learn more once I get my hands on the book.

There is art history, art aesthetics & theories, schools, forms, genres of paintings, artists and masters.

Then there has been Whistler who said, “Art happens”.

Have money, will spend

Globally people are being urged to consume less, conserve more and everything from food to clothes to commute to weddings, the mantra is, Go Green! In Mumbai consumers both individual and business have been asked to cut down consumption by 20% in 20 days or pay a fine for power.

Will there be a real effort to be more prudent? Or will the materialistic approach which rules say, " I cannot sleep without my aircon at night, I don't care about the bill or fine. Have money will pay".

An old Indian saying says, When the elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. This is how the power shortage and crisis in the city and state appears to be. It has less to do with global warming and climate change as one would think and more to do with power sharing, pricing, acts and bills and spats between the biggies. Leading to certain people enjoying their comforts while other households, small business, and professionals including doctors suffer in other parts of the city.

For quite a long time now, the power situation in the state and country has been under intense debate and study and many policy debates and decisions.

There was a news item some time ago about activists who stormed a lobby and demanded lights be taken off in a posh prestigious five star hotel. No one likes activism but the hotel authorities were quoted as saying that the lights are what create the ambience, which our customers expect and pay for, so we need them. Read - to get and retain customers, the cost incurred is a business cost, which we make up as profits later. Or take the example of employers who require employees to stay late,work weekends for business pressure and work demands when on the other hand as an individual he is urged to cut down commute. Not to mention power and water requirements of running the business establishment.

Hotels, automobiles, travel, airlines specifically etc are some of the industries which have little incentive to conserve or champion environmental causes. The public spat between Ryan Air Chief and Gordon Brown of the UK is now well -known.

In this babel, The Orchid Ecotel in Mumbai is an example of an hotel that from the very start has invested in environment friendly practices. Now if only that was the rule rather than the exception!

Content as king

It puzzles me why our small screen programmes are not breaking out in a bigger way out of established patterns and innovating more. TV watching is not healthy. But bad tv makes no one healthy, wealthy nor wise.

Considering that we have so many channels, software house, content developers and technology experts who supply to the world, especially in the area of animation, special effects and programming.

In the era of government controlled programming and Doordarshan, Surabhi the cultural programme by Siddharth Kak, for instance was a show that stood out and was a novel attempt. Even Amchi Mati Amchi Manse, a marathi programme for farmers seems educational and useful now in retrospect. Today with greater freedom, flexibility and access to resources, there seems to be stagnation. Every channel and segment sounds and looks like the next one. Surf between Indian channels, specially travel and cookery shows all follow the same format and one looks, sounds and dishes out content pretty much like another even on various regional language channels. If not for the clothes and sets, they may as well have been dubbed, like advertisements. For a while, among travel shows, Deepti Bhatnagar's Yatra was something a little different.

Compared to their counterparts on international channels, the travel and cookery segments are dull and dreary. News and talk shows don't set any new benchmarks either. In humour- it is as if we are still testing the waters and shooting in the dark. Some hits, Some misses. The saas-bahu serials are losing their novelty sheen and global counterparts at best inspire Nach Baliye, KBC and other top rated segments. I have no issue with that - without violating copyright issues and with proper credits, it is better to have a good copy than a bad original! But new formats, novel approaches and creating superior quality of content is required. For instance we have no show that caters to the decorating and home improvement segment; children and teenager themes (remember how big a hit REMIX on star one was?); women oriented themes; no good crime programme. Zilch. Or in drama, say something like Judging Amy.

I miss Judging Amy - with it’s threads of social work, justice system,three generations of women and mother-daughter relationship which is what actually got me thinking on this topic. If only we are willing to experiment and take the plunge. With a little effort, there is so much inspiration around here in India to create new and novel small screen program software for Indian audiences. Both radio, which is making a huge comeback and TV, which has tremendous hold, is such a powerful medium of change, especially in a country where literacy is not high. Community radios are also emerging as a knowledge sharing tool for development.

What better way to make the journey to a new India more enjoyable?

Cricket's loss, comedy's gain

There is one segment that has vastly benefitted from the Indian teams's world cup debacle. Every possible show on the small screen, print,cartoons, magazines, hoardings, even the radio have all turned it to a great comedy advantage. From daily soaps of the K stable to Vir Das on CNBC to Comedy Show on Star one where there is a spoof on almost every personality, even unrelated programmes, no one is sparing an opportunity to take a dig. Appy Fizz- a drink also has come up with a ballad on the theme.

For the sponsor companies who have lost in terms of advertising revenues and endorsements, to the aam aadmi of India who has lost in terms of betting and dreams of a world cup, it appears that Laughter is the best medicine.

My story, by Anupam Kher

I understand that blogs in Hindi,Chinese, Tamil languages are very popular and I understand why. The current total is 19 languages that google offers. On some days like today I wish I was also blogging in hindi or regional languages too along with English. Truly there are some thoughts, words and phrases that are best expressed in vernacular or very difficult to transalate from the local idiom.

For instance there is the line "Is mitti mein jaan hain" from the Birla White cement ad. What does that transalate to? This mud has life? This soil has soul? This earth is live? All technically correct maybe, but does it capture the emotion..uh..huh..

Last week I heard Anupam Kher narrating "My story" on a local radio station. Anupam Kher of course is known for his performance in Saaraansh as an old man struggling to get the ashes of his dead son and later in a range and variety of roles, including humour/comedy.

In Meri Kahani Meri Zubaan, he traced select vignettes of his life from childhood to the present, interspersed with a selection of songs. Anupam Kher has a voice that has timbre and training so it was easy on the ear and very interesting to listen. At one stage I almost said a- wah wah irshad. This was when he narrated the incident of his first experience on a shoot with Amitabh Bachchan. In Anupams own words, that was a phase when he was on a "high" with his success and throwing his weight around on the set.

As the weather was hot and he did not have an airconditioner, he was making a hullabaloo and telling everyone who was within ear shot about how he was a NSD trained actor etc. etc. He then chanced to see Mr. Bachchan sitting quietly in a corner, whom he had not noticed earlier. For the role he was dressed fully in clothes which included full trousers, shirt, shoes, jacket, muffler etc etc and Anupam was a little taken aback. Is this person sitting calmly waiting for the shoot call, the same Bachchan whose dialogue delivery has the entire country enthralled? For whom the country as a whole including him raised their hands and hearts in prayer when he was struggling for his life after a fatal accident.

Err.. Bachchan ji.. I don't have an a.c and it is really hot. Kya Aapko taklif nahin hoti? he enquired of him.

"Woh kya hain na Anupam, sochu to hoti hai. Nahi sochu, to nahin hota hain" was the wry reply he got from the Big B himself.

Anupam Kher shared this learning and also how he is an incurable optimist- as even a clock that has stopped is right twice a day! And, never mind what anyone says about it, being good or goodness, is always "in".

One of the song he selected was the "Ande ka Funda" from Jodi No.1 There is something very bollywoody, Indian, Mumbaiya flavour about this song with its goan folk song rhythm and pop philosophy (funda is such a colloquial term). I used to wonder why it was so popular but it is a catchy number and grows on you and seemed very appropriate on the show. To understand the difficulty I mentioned earlier, this song is a great example.

If there is a way to link the audio file of Meri Kahani here, do write in to me.

Brown nahin dadi, chocolate.

As you can see I have added google news feed and You Tube here. For the You Tube I have currently selected Indian ads as a keyword . Advertising and marketing fascinate me. They provide so much learning especially on culture and trends.Whether print, jingles or video, Indian or international - Ads are power packed capsules that provide fascinating insights, entertain and educate, irritate and inform and some times, even persuade me to try or buy.

For instance, lately the asian paints advert where the two little kids express how they do not want to eat old fashioned Amle ka Murabba (not happenning) but prefer chocolate wonderfully captures this agony with their polite upbringing that makes them devise a roundabout creative way of communicating to their granny who has come visiting. Or the supremely amusing, orbit white with the cow and the dentist of classic maharashtrian mannerisms. I laugh every time it I see it.

I don't see both of them here, but maybe the others will be good.

The path & the light

I would have thought it is highly unlikely that I'd say I liked an episode of Devils advocate. I do not find Karan Thapar's show or style engaging, though I must admit I haven't seen much of it lately (for the same reason). But I am glad I did not miss the one with Dalai Lama.

A trip to Dharamshala is pending (with any other travel related wishes) but I had the good fortune of very briefly being in the presence of the Dalai Lama when he was invited to a function as a chief guest in Mumbai. Words fail me to describe the experience of merely being near his aura, but there are many who have described their experience of meeting the Dalai Lama so I will let it pass.

During the course of the chat on the show, he was candid and spoke with a clarity and conviction that only a monk can possess. At one stage when his age came up, I was struck by how amazingly young- actually the correct word is "ageless"- clear, healthy and alert he seemed for a seventy one year old.

A week ago on TV I saw a similar socialite who did not show her age, but the phrase that came to mind was "well -preserved" - like an egyptian mummy or pickled fruit.

The Dalai Lama had the glow of polished patina that shines with age and he spoke of his expectations, experiences and the cause of Tibet. It was an enriching and elevating experience. I have just a small request or wish of Karan Thapar and Shekhar Gupta, who had him earlier on his show, Walk the Talk . The Dalai Lama is a spiritual leader and it is also more in sync with Indian tradition, if the session ended with a namaste instead of shaking of hands. Rather than the camaraderie and bonhomie displayed when you shake hands and thank him for being a guest on the show. He plays along even as there is a twinkle in his eye.

Talking of The Dalai Lama, a few words here summarised from Commentaries on The Dhammapada by The Mother come to mind from the chapter, the awakened one (1958);

The best of all paths is the eight-fold path; the best of all truths is the four-fold truth. The four truths are: First,ordinarily life is linked to suffering, it is full of pain. Second, the cause of suffering is ignorance. The third truth is that- there is a way out; and fourth, the way out is the eight-fold path, that consists of training in the eight stages as follows;

1. Correct Vision - This too shall pass.
2. Correct Aspiration - Free from attachments. Kindness always.
3. Correct Speech - Don't speak uselessly. Avoid malovent speech
4. Correct Behaviour - Peaceful, honest.
5. Correct ways of living - Loving kindness to everything that lives in the universe.
6. Correct Effort - Don't make useless efforts for useless things. Conserve your efforts to counquer ignorance and falsehood
7. Correct Vigilance - Cultivate the discipline of awareness
8. Correct Contemplation - Have a few free minutes? Use it to contemplate the meaning of life.

I picked this slim volume of such talks on a visit many years ago to Pondicherry in South India where, among his other thoughts, Sri Aurobindo opined that the most precious gift India has to offer to the world is spirituality. If we lose it, we have nothing else, or very little left.

Seasons in the sun

Like fashion has "seasons" I have the same when it comes to food.

My food habits follow phases such as for days on end when I like one particular "genre". Sometimes it is chinese, or continental, then it is street food or then south Indian and such. Currently the summer heat dictates much of what I eat, and I am in what I refer to, as a Ghar ka khana phase- where I prefer whatever it is as long as it is home cooked.

The small packet introduced by ITC of ready cooking paste caught my eye on the supermarket shelf-it reminded me of my ITC ready to cook (RTC) meals phase last year. It was when I was too tired to cook, not to well to eat out and everything the maid cooked looked suspicously oily. RTC it was till the phase passed. The paste priced at a reasonable Rs. 10 is a ready- to- add paste for curry. I tried it for a simple veg biryani and it was good value for money.

So ITC masala paste, this season- IN. Foodland Brown Bread- OUT. It contains margarine. No point ingesting margarine in an effort to avoid white flour!

Green computing

Speak about corporate blogs and the one by Sun Microsystems CEO & President Jonathan Schwartz is one of those that emerge at the top of the list.

Earlier,the Sun newsletter I get would have the Chairman & Co-Founder, Scott Mc Neally who would begin with an address as, “Dear Deepa” and then go on to speak about many interesting issues, products and trends. Even though I know it is a simple programme that generates it, it would tickle me pink to have the CEO of Sun mail me a newsletter addressed to me personally :)

I remember an interview last year in which, their executive spoke about how going green will mean going beyond environment-friendly packaging. I was intrigued as it went on to describe more about how Sun is working in these areas and how end –users could drive the way forward. For instance by purchasing products with a rating that indicates it’s energy efficiency.

On the topic of green computing it spoke of how according to Gartner Group, 80 percent of the world’s data centers are constrained by heat, space, and power requirements and sustainable computing can boost the bottom line while simultaneously doing a favor for the planet. It makes a powerful statement when it states that, “Green computing is not about going out and designing biodegradable packaging for products.”

It goes on to add how consumers can push suppliers to develop technologies in this direction. Just as we are all encouraged to use recycled paper products, companies should purchase appropriate products. And that many of the world’s data centers have reached their limit in terms of space whether it is building space or even space within a city. If people don’t start adopting these new designs, they will be forced to either limit their computing capability, thereby failing to satisfy their business needs, or they will start taking more than their share of the resources in their community. Of how when companies turn on their huge x86 computing grids, immediately generate such a power spike that the utility company calls to find out what happened.

When questioned about role of business, to consume less in terms of energy, hardware and power, without affecting the bottom line, it suggested that,” Just as when you buy a new washing machine or refrigerator these days, you probably pay attention to the EPA rating that is posted on the appliance. Energy efficiency is a goal. None of us are interested in buying products that consume the power their older versions did. When people acquire new computing equipment, they should take into consideration the products’ SwaP rating if they want to be environmentally responsible. SwaP stands for space, wattage, and performance and there is a simple equation to calculate an individual index, depending on the application. Computing equipment with the highest, most efficient SwaP ratings are the most environmentally responsible.

Their site has a section devoted to the topic and it has useful tools like an energy calculator etc.

I remembered this when The Economist carried an article in their Mar 1 issue on the damaging effects of computing on the environment. Titled, Computing goes Green? it said,

" The people, places and things inside Second Life, a thriving online world with millions of residents, may be imaginary-but the power consumption of the computers that maintain the illusion is all too real. Nicholas Carr, a business writer and blogger, recently worked out that each of the 15,000 or so residents logged in at any one time consumes electricity as a result of their activities in the virtual world almost as fast as the average inhabitant of Brazil does in real life. Second Life's residents, Mr Carr concluded, don't have bodies, but they do leave footprints."...

It was in their print version so I tried looking up the online version to link it here but got only the above as the full text is for paid subscribers only. In any case, there is a good amount of literature on the topic. Several firms from the industry such as Dell, HP, IBM and others have launched what is referred to as a "Green consortium" to reduce data center power consumption and three technologies in particular are predicted to help in future; the use of multi-core processor chips that have better "performance per watt" indicators; using more efficient power supplies; and more careful use of cooling systems or smart cooling systems to reduce cooling costs for data centers.

It is predicted that by 2010, energy costs will rival annual hardware spending.

Namesake

This is not about about Mira Nair's movie or Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel except a wee bit, for this is about baby names - continuing on my earlier theme of kids.

Last week I met a friend, an investment banker. Our meeting took place over his shiny new Sony VAIO on the table between us, and he kept checking and updating his new,just two day old, latest version of O2 phone. Work over we then chatted about other things. His son who just finished his exams and who was getting a nice new music system for his room as a surprise! As we conversed, I could not fathom if, the pride shining in his face was for the 02 or for his son.

Which brings me to names. If technology is so wonderful how is it that we don't see anyone, and I mean anyone naming their new borns after the same. Why are baby names not given as IPOD, Playstation, Red Hat, Wired, Motorazr, 02. Or Bits if it is a girl and Bytes if it is a boy?

I do know that at least a few kids in North India named Apollo (Apollo Singh) after the space craft and in the south named Lenin and Marx. This was the parents way of either dedicating or demonstrating pride in the leaders, visions, achievements, milestones in history or memories.

But any baby names after technology leaders, achievements or products ? I am really curious.

Elephants & Fleas in a flat world

There is a section here in “About Me” to write about favorite books. That is when I realised I would blog on them rather than note a few titles.So my blog posts on books are just that and not paid reviews!

The World is flat by Thomas Friedman reminds me of a book by Charles Handy that I had read earlier. Both books deal with the changing world but while Friedman describes the “ How” of the changes taking place, Handy spoke of the “What”. What would the changes look like and be in the future.

The Elephant and the Flea, Reflections of a Reluctant Capitalist by Charles Handy has three sections, the Foundations; Capitalism, past, present and future ; and Part 3 which is The Independent Life. He covers the intriguing topic of change in context of work and within the context of old and new economy and how it affects personal life. The trends as they have affected and continue to affect all that we do in our private lives, work, professions and business. The metaphor or analogy of the elephant is to large behemoth, slow moving and bureaucratic organisations that provide a lifetime of security and not much freedom or room for creativity.

The fleas refer to a world in which we are much more independent and flea like, flitting from job to job, latching into "elephants" when we need to, but mostly flying solo with no safe havens. The book is peppered with learned quotes that are used in context and covers a variety of topics such as education, challenges to old and new business organisations including public services, references to "disappearing middles". In this book of global economics there is even a reference to Kerala in our very own India! The part three and last section provides insights from his personal life.

If you haven't read Charles Handy, you have missed his wonderful tone that the jacket blurb describes as " At once learned, genial, witty and wise". Truly so.

Read some rhyme

I haven't lately liked something oh boy, quite so much as Fifty Nifty Years by Nilanjana Roy

Nilanjana writes a column in the Business Standard and this one on Dr. Seuss is simply super.

When Insults still had Class

"He has all the virtues I dislike and none of the vices I admire." -- Winston Churchill

"A modest little person, with much to be modest about."
-- Winston Churchill

"I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure." -- Clarence Darrow

"He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary." -- William Faulkner (about Ernest Hemingway)

"Poor Faulkner. Does he really think big emotions come from big words?" -- Ernest Hemingway (about William Faulkner)

"Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it." -- Moses Hadas

"He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know." -- Abraham Lincoln

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn't it." -- Groucho Marx

"I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it." -- Mark Twain

"He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends."
-- Oscar Wilde

"I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play, bring a friend... if you have one." -- George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill

"Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one." -- Winston Churchill, in response

"I feel so miserable without you, it's almost like having you here." -- Stephen Bishop

"He is a self-made man and worships his creator." -- John Bright

"I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial." -- Irvin S. Cobb

"He is not only dull himself, he is the cause of dullness in others." -- Samuel Johnson

"He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up." -- Paul Keating

"He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them." -- James Reston (about Richard Nixon)

"He loves nature in spite of what it did to him." -- Forrest Tucker

"Why do you sit there looking like an envelope without any address on it?" -- Mark Twain

"His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork." -- Mae West

"Some cause happiness wherever they go; others, whenever they go." -- Oscar Wilde

"He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts... for support rather than illumination." -- Andrew Lang (1844-1912)

"He has Van Gogh's ear for music." -- Billy Wilder

sent by div via email

Dirty but happy

Scientists at Bristol University in UK have discovered that a certain type of bacteria in mud makes humans happy, restores immune functions, alleviates depression etc. Even treats cancer. Hey, they could have just checked with Dennis the Menace or Calvin about the joys of rolling in the mud. Or read Gandhi and Tagore. Here is one of his poems titled;

PLAYTHINGS

CHILD, how happy you are sitting in the dust, playing with a broken twig all the morning.

I smile at your play with that little bit of a broken twig.

I am busy with my accounts, adding up figures by the hour.

Perhaps you glance at me and think, "What a stupid game to spoil your morning with!"

Child, I have forgotten the art of being absorbed in sticks and mud-pies.

I seek out costly playthings, and gather lumps of gold and silver.

With whatever you find you create your glad games, I spend both my time and my strength over things I never can obtain.

In my frail canoe I struggle to cross the sea of desire, and forget that I too am playing a game.

From:The Crescent Moon by Rabindranath Tagore (1913)

Nature poets and other essayists always spoke on the joys of gardening, working with soil and such things. Play in the mud, Mud baths, Mud packs, Mud Poultices...

Of course, Mud is medicinal, Mud is merry.

It's all about money honey

As per a report, Ernst & Young the global accounting & consulting firm conducted a survey of 125 Indian CFO’s and it has emerged that the new Indian CFO loves technology, transparency and strategy.

It is times of change, challenges,competition.

Do they have a choice to hate it or ignore it? I thought so too.

Parents, Children and Society

This is about the recent drive by police in Mumbai to round up youngsters on Bandra Promenade and inform parents that has caught the media attention. The youngsters travel to Bandra to avoid their more conservative local milieu and the police acted on complaints from locals/ senior citizens who reported objectionable behaviour.

There was a time when any little boy or girl we were introduced to in childhood were bhaiya or didi (or it’s counterpart in any local language) Attaching an Anna, Dada, Bhaiya, Di, Tai, etc were not only the done thing, elders would seriously not consider any other alternative. “Namaste or at best, "hello" bolo bhaiya ko” were instructions that were hatefully but obediently agreed.

Cut to my little nephew all of three and his Dad, (no longer "Baba" or such) would say to his toddler when the neighbours little girl sauntered in, “look who’s here! say hi to your girlfriend”. And the parents would smile in indulgence at what was their “modern” and new age approach to parenting. Beaming smiles would pass around the people in the room with maybe an “Aatya" or "Bua” whose smile would be more of a grimace. "Arre we have to be open minded and modern, anyway in a few years he will go to foreign university and marry a foreign girl he will meet on campus". Resigned and learning; you can’t beat them, join them, etc. were the new parenting principles.

More time passed and India globalised some more. But even I did a double take some weeks back when a group of kids on the star tv show, Koffee with Karan were urged to comment on their favorite film star and a tiny bespectacled tot of all 3 or maybe 5 piped up with words such as fantastic, great, beautiful, fabulous but as Karan Johar kept prompting ... and? then the little boy piped up with “SEXY”! It was as if he felt it was expected and it would make the adult happy and just go away. There was laughter all around. Even though it was meant to be cute for some reason it did not match up to Bill Cosby's “Kids say the darndest things” and I did the next best thing- changed channels. I feel I live under a stone and that is where I want to crawl back when I watch Koffee.

Ask anyone in Mumbai and “Friends” is the favorite English serial on TV. Many of the people I see giving this quote in the newspaper are actors who are an integral part of the saas bahu serials that at prime time viewing spout in liberal doses, family values, sindoor, rishte et al. So at some level there is an inconsistency but of course they can always say that acting is just another job and we and the channel laugh our way to the bank while the viewers sob their hearts out.

I don’t know what people are saying but what I am hearing is, clothes, diapers, incomes, relationships - everything has become disposable. Why not values?

Anyway I am convinced our kids will teach us the right ones. One more wonderful reason to have them, love them and support them!