time to live

Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down, don't dance so fast.

Time is short, the music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?

When you ask “ How are you? Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed

with the next hundred chores running through your head?

You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast.

Time is short, the music won't last.

Ever told your child, we’ll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch and let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time to call and say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast.

Time is short, the music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

you miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift....thrown away.

Life is not a race; do take it slower

Hear the music before the song is over.
                                      
                                        "Slow Dance" - David L Weatherford (1991)

Noteworthy facts about Lord Padmanabha swamy temple

As Sree Padmanbha Swamy temple's glittering gems are valued and tagged, it's not just the diamonds that shine but also the royal family of the erstwhile princely state of Travancore.
It's an ode to the family's unflinching devotion and integrity that not a penny has gone missing from the billions stored in the cellars of the centuries-old shrine administered by the royals.
Uthradam Thirunal Marthanda Varma, current head of the royal family, refuses to comment on the stock-taking exercise till the last paisa is counted. "Till then, only my eyes would speak," he insists.
What makes the family's story vis-a-vis the temple all the more compelling is that the rulers always knew of the riches, yet never touched them. "The riches are mentioned in the book "Pradhanapetta Mathilakom Records" (Important Mathilakom Records) compiled by acclaimed Malayalam poet Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer and published in 1941. They also figure in the "Kottaram" (Palace) manual which runs into 12 volumes," says noted historian M G Sasibhushan. "These records refer to the sacred cellars from which treasure is being dug out."
Observers talk of the symbolic significance of the practice of royal family members dusting sand off their feet when they emerge from the shrine. "It was meant to convey that the family members would not take home or misappropriate even a speck of sand belonging to Padmanabha," they say. In fact, the present head, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma, religiously follows the rule of paying of Rs 151 and 55 paise to the temple if he fails to make it to the shrine on any day.
Unlike other royals, the Travancore family has stayed away from opulence with descendants more inclined towards art and culture.
"There was also a rule that the affairs of the palace should be run from the proceeds of its spice business and not with money from the state treasury," says Sasibhushan. This is followed even now. The present ruler's nephew Moolam Thirunal Rama Varma, next in line to head the family, runs the Aspinwall Company, which to this day supplies pepper to Buckingham Palace and many more European royals," Sasibhushan says.
Though the kingdom of Travancore lapsed in 1949 following the Instrument of Accession with the Union of India, the management of the temple remained with the royal family by virtue of a covenant.
Travancore extended from Kanyakumari (now in Tamil Nadu) in the south to Aluva (Ernakulam district) in the north. Padmanabhapuram (now in TN) was its first capital, but this was shifted to Thiruvananthapuram by Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma, better known as Dharma Raja, so called because he refused to let go of refugees who had fled Malabar following Tipu Sultan's onslaught. He succeeded Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma, first ruler of Travancore, and is credited with formation of the state.
The family, which ruled over erstwhile Travancore, has had a long lineage of visionary rulers. In fact, it was a bold move by the first Marthanda Varma in 1750 that inextricably bonded the temple and the palace. The king donated the wealth of the kingdom to the deity Padmanabha (Lord Vishnu) and ruled the state as "Padmanabha Dasa" (servant of
Padmanabha).
Some important names in the family are Swathi Thirunal (1813-1846), legendary Carnatic musician, who promoted English education and the last king Chithira Thirunal Bala Rama Varma (1912-1991), who abolished the death sentence making Travancore the first territory in India to do so. The last king issued the landmark Temple Entry Proclamation in 1936 doing away with the ban on "untouchables" entering temples. C P Ramaswami Iyer, then Diwan influenced the king's decisions.

Out of the Comfort Zone

R Gopalakrishnan, former Vice Chairman of Hindustan Unilever and currently Executive Director of Tata Sons in his book, The Case of the Bonsai Manager which shows how important it is for each one of us to get out of the comfort zone . . .

This story is about fish in Japan. And the message is relevant for individuals and corporate around the world.

It’s a classic problem-solution saga that the Japanese love to relate. As is well known, the Japanese love fresh fish. Such has been Japan’s fascination with eating fresh fish that, for many years now, there’s hardly any fish to be found in the waters off Japanese shores. So fishermen came up with a solution. They built bigger boats and went farther from the shore to catch fish. Unfortunately, this created another problem. The farther they went to fish, the longer it took them to get back to the shore. By the time they got back, the fish was stale. And the Japanese, well, they like their fish fresh.

To solve this problem, the fishermen came up with another solution. They installed refrigeration units on the boats. But the Japanese were clearly clever, discerning folks. They could tell the difference between frozen fish and fresh fish. And they wanted their fresh fish. Besides, frozen fish commanded lower prices, threatening the viability of the entire fishing business.

So the fishermen came up with another solution. They installed fish tanks on the boat ! they would catch fish from the sea and put them into the tank. So they could now take back fresh fish !

But that was not to be either. As the tank got stuffed with fish, the fish would flap around a bit, then get lazy and lie resigned to their fate. Motionless. Inactive. Dull. And the Japanese could tell the difference. They wanted fresh fish, not sluggish fish !

Even as a seemingly insurmountable crisis loomed over the Japanese fishing industry, the wise fisher folk came up with yet another innovative solution. They still had to sail out a long distance. And they still had the same boats and the same fish tanks. But there was one difference. In each tank, the fishermen put in a small shark. The shark kept the fish active, running around, busy. Sure, the shark ate a few fish but the threat of the shark kept the other fish active and healthy. The challenge ensured that none of them could afford to lie still. As a result, what eventually reached the shore was fresh, active fish. And the Japanese loved it !

Come to think of it, we are all like the fish too. We need that shark to stay sharp. To keep us out of the Comfort Zone . . .  In case any of us or our organization is slowly slipping into the comfort zone, it might be a good idea to bring in a shark.

If you are Coke, invent a Pepsi. Do what Steve Waugh, the former Australian Cricket Caption did constantly to himself and his team – get outta the comfort zone ! (in fact his autobiography is also called “Out of the Comfort Zone”)

Remember, the shark may eat some fish but that’s a small price to pay for keeping the rest of them active. Go get your shark – today !!!

Get out of the comfort zone – if there’s no enemy, create one.

Reaction vs. Response

This is an observation made by my senior and i wish to replicate it in toto.

Suddenly, a cockroach flew from somewhere and sat on a lady. I wondered if this was the cockroaches response to all the glory that was spoken about it!

She started screaming out of fear. With panic stricken face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach. Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group got cranky to what was happening. The lady finally managed to push the cockroach to another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the drama. The waiter rushed forward to their rescue. In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter. The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behaviour of the cockroach on his shirt. When he was confident enough, he grabbed and threw it out with his fingers.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach responsible for their histrionic behaviour? If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed? He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.


 It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realised even in my case then, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss that disturbs me, but its my inability to handle the disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me. Its not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that disturbs me. More than the problem, its my reaction to the problem that hurts me.

The Take-Away : The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

We should not react in life, we should always respond. Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always intellectual

Tata Sky and Kalp

I am a subscriber to the Tata Sky DTH. I have recently changed over to Supreme pack. Then came to ICC fever (fervour to some). I was desperate to get the best out of the service. So, when the promotional call came from the Tata sky marketing personnel, i was about to nod my head for everything and punch-in the numbers that the pre-recorded message urged me to !

However, my friends prevented me from being the impulsive purchaser. So, discussed with them, convinced them that i would watch the entire series with them and not simply waste the money... blah.. blah. So, i called the Tata sky helpline and asked them to add the sports 3-pack to my list of subscribed channels. The person listened to me very patiently and then told me.- " Sir we shall do what you ask. However, there is a small benefit you might lose if we do this. You are already in the supreme pack. If you wish, we can add five sports channels at a cost of 20/- (instead of the 3 pack which would cost me 65/-) and upgrade you to Supreme sports pack. These 5 channels cover the 3 sports channels that you have requested for adding".

Needless to say, i went with his choice. Service DOES exist in the service sector.

In a film (Geetanjali) the heroin states in an off the cuff fashion- "This plant will die, this cot will die these stars will die.. so, what is the big deal in me dying?" Sant kabir's words reflect in a more profound way.

Dying is the ONLY certainty. Yet we do not plan for it. In a more mundane fashion, When retirement is a certainty, we all begin to plan for our "after retirement" days. Now-a-days, i keep getting requests about what to do and where to invest etc... and also to calculate and tell them as to how much they would be getting and how and what they should do to enhance the same.

In the beginning i used to wonder how we are digressing. Then i realised that my thinking was on a different line and that it should be more on the lines that would lead me to within. For example, there are innumerable facets / emotions / feelings in the Universe. However, we get to experience ONLY some emotions / feelings / situations at a given point in time. The reason being, all that happens to us is because of some element in us that draws only those elements to us from out of so many elements in the universe. In that light when i began to view, realised that i have not been planning for what i have come here for!

So, it is time that i began to work for what i have set out to do in this place. GOD works in 'mysterious' ways that we may traverse the 'right path' to HIM.

Personal Opinion

These are two words that are complementary to each other. If you wish to give weightage to one, other would diminish in its weightage.

If you value a person, you will alter your opinion to suit his taste.

If you value your opinion, you will compromise your relation to that person.

This is my personal opinion. :)