To put this in context: Steve Jobs’s 2005 Stanford commencement speech struck a deep chord with me, like it did with so many individuals. The design of the iPod, Mac, iPhone impressed me, as did the Zen-inspired minimalist essence of Apple products. Jobs, in my mind, was the unique blend of artistic and technical passions concocting in a magical way, rippling with new possibilities. Jobs recently died. So I was all the more curious to learn more about him, how he led teams, how he dealt with people, and who he internally was, as a human.

The book sheds light on all these aspects. If you’re expecting Jobs to come out a hero in all spheres, you’d probably be more than disappointed. Instead, Jobs comes across just as human and prone to mistakes as any of us, perhaps more. He declined paternity to his daughter, did not share stocks with close friend and employee number 12 — Daniel Kottke, underpaid and lied to Steve Wozniak about a bonus he got at Atari for a device that Wozniak created, planned a boardroom coup to oust John Sculley, frequently charmed people with lies for selfish motives. He was not an engineer, but tightly controlled the workings of several.

At the same time, he comes across as someone with an excellent sense of design, a pursuit toward perfection, ability to inspire, and the charisma to extend the spectrum of perceived possibility. He was the CEO of 3 big companies, co-founder of 2 of them, battled cancer, came back from a public ouster to generate unpredictable success.

The question I had on my mind was: how does Jobs fare as a role-model? Is he someone one would like to emulate? Of course, there are parts of him that seem good, and others not-so-good. However, as anyone interested in leadership would ask: were the same quirks and issues that made Jobs a ‘difficult’ person, the ones responsible for all the innovation he was able to inspire or participate in? Isaacson has, on a few interviews, answered this in the affirmative (or so is my perception).

I disagree. I think Steve could have inspired creativity without denying paternity to his daughter. He could have shared his success more fairly with friends, while making great products. Not to say that he made any more or worse mistakes than several of us make in life, but that as far as role models and inspiration go, one has to be careful to identify what would resonate. Steve’s wonderful life can leave one with the impression that innovation is not possible without being a jerk… but it is important to remember that there are several examples around us where innovation and impact has been made without necessarily resorting to be a jerk. Whether it is Gandhi or Luther who inspires you, or Andy Grove or Larry Page, or Neil Armstrong, or Marie Curie, it is important to put things in context. Especially when you’re in the reality-distortion-field that engulfed the life of Steven Paul Jobs.

-”…if a group of citizens says it has an alternative view, we may not eventually accept what they say, we may accept some suggestions of what they say. But how can you take away and snatch their right to say?”

-”Right question is not who frames law, right question is does the government has will to fight corruption?”

- “Mr PM , you don’t need a magic wand to fight corruption , you need a political will.”

- “No PM can say he is helpless, he needs to exercise powers”

-”Sir, power is not immortal. The more it gets into your head, the sooner it disappears.”

-”When is it the regime of the day says I will impose 22 conditions on this protest? The government of the day will decide as to whether people are to have a large protest or a miniscule one?”

-”The condition for holding a proteåst can be that there should be no violence, not that how many people will protest, and for how long they will protest.”

Inspirations from: http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2011/08/17/hazare-helps-bjp-find-its-voice/ , http://ndtv.com. http://ibnlive.com

sahi-galat ke fark ko lafzon mein lapetne jo nikla,
raah-gumraah ke chaurahe par gum sa ho gaya hoon.

auron ke gham ko apni udaasi ke taraazoo par tolta
shayari likhte-likhte, ik dukaandaar sa ho gaya hoon.

ehsaas ki kami ko yaadon ke registaan mein dhoondta
kuch samandar hain jo na jaane kahin ro gaya hoon

yun chalte-chalte main bhi is duniya ki bheed mein kho gaya hoon
khuli aankhon se dekhta hun par bheetar se so gaya hoon.

—————–

|

how long shall we
let thunder
fill our pauses?

|

will you not sing
one parting song
for all those years?

|

i’d understand if you didn’t.
like a receding wave
and the shore,
this is as close as we could get.

|

as you turn away
from my gaze
i wonder –
if a memory was stuck in my eyes?

|

 as you stare in to the horizon
are you looking ahead?
or still looking back?

|

why don’t you shed one tear?
or beam a smile of hope?
even glaciers give in to rivers…

|

it is a tired moment–
no future to be seen,
no past recalled.

|

one feeling
morphed in to another
and morphed in to yet another

a spiral of unseen emotion
engulfs my life, today.

—-

During the rainy season, we would cheer as the auto-rickshaw made its way through deep trenches of water on the road, splashing muddy water on to one of us. Mondays were especially hard during the monsoons, since we wore the white ‘PT’ dress. Rain splashes were no badge of honour in the school assembly.

I have so many memories associated with my auto-rickshaw. The many dawns I’ve seen while sitting on the ‘side’. The smell of flowers early in the morning. The cool breeze as we approached the outskirts of the city. The friends, the fights, the innocence…

Yet, this blog post is not about these memories. It is about our auto-vaale-uncle ji (driver of the auto-rickshaw). I was about to go off to sleep today, when a thought about him passed through the memory lanes. The fat, friendly gentleman who would ring our bell at 6 am in the morning without fail. Who would pick up our bags, help us settle in to the rickshaw, resolve our fights, ensure that we sat safely. He was not very educated, but he helped educate tens of kids. At a salary of about 2 thousand rupees per month (~40 dollars), 10-15 years ago.

I have never thought of this man all these years, and yet this sudden memory fills me with emotions. Feelings of gratitude towards a man whose name I do not remember, but without whom I would have not made it safely to school, or resolved the countless fights with other kids, or enjoyed the morning breeze. Somewhere deep inside my heart, is a feeling of guilt. I am guilty of having lost contact with him through all these years, resigning these memories to the unimportant/trivial in life…

Here’s hoping that I get to meet him the next time I visit Amritsar.

Here’s hoping that we can all pause to remember the individuals in our lives who have helped shape who we are, and who must not be forgotten as we sail through the seas of life.

Any man can say things that are true of Abraham Lincoln, but no man can say anything that is new of Abraham Lincoln

– Frederick Douglass

I’ve been recently listening to the Team of Rivals, and interviews of Doris Kearns Goodwin about Lincoln (besides snooping around on Biography.com for more about the man). Like millions of others, I find myself mesmerized by the almost-mythical stature Lincoln commands in history.

There is a lot that can be said about him, but a quality that intrigued me most, perhaps because of its absence in the political scene of today, is Lincoln’s uncanny knack to be able to oppose his political foes with respect, without questioning their intent. Even as he opposed slavery, Lincoln could empathize with folks on the other side. Instead of demonizing them, he said:

They are just what we would be in their situation. If slavery did not now exist amongst them, they would not introduce it. If it did now exist amongst us, we should not instantly give it up.

By doing so, Lincoln is able to oppose the issue and let others ‘come to him’, instead of adding to flames of bitterness. It is not only a sign of good character, but also a smart political strategy.

I wonder how such attitude would transform the political debate today, especially in India. I wonder if Manish Tiwari could speak a sentence without demonizing everyone else on the other side of the table. It is not just about being polite, rather more importantly, it is about being smart and strategic.

In the midst of these thoughts, I am reminded of Gandhi, who called Jinnah his brother. I am reminded of Barack Obama, who called McCain a patriot and hero, while opposing him in an election. These qualities are not wholly absent, but rare, perhaps for a reason…

On the landscapes of history, only a thin horizon separates the skies of statesmanship from the seas of politics. Perhaps it is this essence of Lincoln and Gandhi, a sense of balance that calls you to rise to the highest levels of emotional strength while keeping your feet grounded in reality.

~

I tried being a dreamer-
inspired, like a poet.
Then embraced acceptance
and peace, like a monk.

~

Yet life never came
to me, as whole.
It came in bits and pieces
of shattered glass,
no longer transparent.

~

Ambition and acceptance,
hope and happiness,
desire and despair,
fill suspended moments
in dry strokes of color.

~

Never to be seen whole,
the rainbow of life
remains
undiscovered.

In the curves and rapids,
a little rock I hit.
a spark of conscience awakens
but only for a little bit.

the tide of time again
sweeps me in its flow.
in a current where it’s easy
to pretend I do not know.

I think blessed are they
who say life’s slopes are steep
for at least they’ll spend
more time, awake than asleep.

for those of us surrendered
like paper boats in time,
I hope there are ways of waking
Where rocks are a little sublime.

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Wow.

Crunchy numbers

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 9,100 times in 2010. That’s about 22 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 33 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 212 posts. There were 24 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 23mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.

The busiest day of the year was February 19th with 131 views. The most popular post that day was Does a Private Job Make You a Sell Out? Disagreeing With CNR Rao.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were facebook.com, twitter.com, linkedin.com, saurabhmadaan.blogspot.com, and google.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for guru gobind singh ji, perimeter scholars international, saurabh madaan, manmohan singh, and harivansh rai bachchan agneepath.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

Does a Private Job Make You a Sell Out? Disagreeing With CNR Rao February 2010
3 comments

Faves from Ghalib March 2009
19 comments

‘Sauda’-giri in Punjab May 2007
30 comments

Perimeter Scholars International, a Student’s Experience December 2009
6 comments

Agnipath – Harivansh Rai Bachchan November 2009

Carefully sewn together by Sardar Patel and Menon from the 500+ states left after the British Raj, we have been a country that has trodden the beaten track, and successfully so far. I say that with caution, because the threats to divide India still prevail as always. However, this post is being written to remind my fellow countrymen about what I believe is special about us, to reinforce the ethos of success in oneness.

Contrary to nations whose boundaries have been dictated by language, religion or economy, India is surprisingly one in spite of being a khichdi of all these perceived barriers. For almost forever in history, nations have fought over religion, economics, colour and what not. In India, as we move from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, terrain changes with changes in colour, language, social customs, economics, religions. Over the years, India is an exemplary truth to the fact that humanity need not be divided, or have to fight and kill to retain unique identities.

I recently watched an interview where Shah Rukh Khan, one of the country’s megastars, was being repeatedly asked about whether he felt ‘different’ as an Indian Muslim. During such interviews, countless riot and terror machines watch outside the studios, anticipating provocative sparks from a celebrity’s words…  Even one statement can be used to fuel the divisive fires of propaganda. SRK stressed how he felt Indian first, and then anything else. He felt proud of his success, his follower-ship and friendships extending across all sections of the Indian society. And most importantly,  he said he believed that the core message of peace and love in all religions is the same.

What makes me proud is the fact that we have been able to pick up the common threads of peace and love from the multitude of religions, customs, languages, and beliefs that mark the terrain of Indian demographics. Here’s hoping that we continue to appreciate that even more in an economically resurgent India. We are a nation that breathes with the timeless message of Nanak, Mohammad, Krishna, Jesus, Buddha, Mahavir and countless other saints. We have a constitution that allows us to remain Indians through what is common in our faiths, and yet permits us to retain what might also be unique, as long as we allow others the same peaceful freedom that we have. Let us continue to imbibe that sentiment deeper in to our hearts.

Tony Hsieh recently visited Google to talk about his new book: Delivering Happiness. Hsieh is an entrepreneur, a venture-capitalist and salesman, now trying his hand at writing a book. Having read through the first few chapters, I’d say that he has done it well. The book is a well-paced, interesting read. Below are some of the things that I carried back from the talk and my reading:

• If you strongly believe in something and have done your due diligence in researching its pros and cons, it may be worth sticking to it even if it is against the norm.
  For Tony Hsieh, that thing was the culture at Zappos. They founded a company where people are paid to leave, customers are provided with a 365-day return guarantee on shoes/apparel that they buy, employees are encouraged to have long conversations with customers (in direct contrast with the philosophy of resolving stuff and getting off the phone as quickly as possible). Tony said that this culture was to promote passion (in employees) and strong relations (with customers).
• Mission and Core Values matter. A lot!
  The first company that Tony helped find (LinkExchange) sold for $265 million in 1998. In their quick growth, however, they had lost track of keeping alive passion and commitment to the company’s mission. Tony writes about waking up and not wanting to go to the office. The fact that even in the presence of a lot of financial success, if one struggles to find reason and fun in what they do, it becomes dull. Clearly, our choices should strongly correlate with our values.
• Happiness…
  Why do you want a job? To make money? Why do you want to make money? To buy a big house? Why… (you get the idea)
  “When you talk about you doing something, ask why. Keep asking the why…” , said Tony “and it is likely that you will end up with the eventual goal of being happy.” Hsieh cited some recent research in the field of happiness, including Flow, which we have talked about earlier in this blog. He encouraged the audience to think about getting to happiness directly than through the winding routes that our lives often tend to take.

P.S. — Thank you to all my friends who stop by at A Speck in the Cosmos.

Life can keep one as busy as one wants to be, but few things are as soothing as writing! I hope that experiences — both good and not-so-good — inspire more passion through this blog.

some of us are men of thought,
some like the feel of tools.
some of us just love to boast,
some love pretending as fools.

crafts galore, known and unknown –
as many as there are men.
some hidden talents still walk alone;
not all we comprehend.

life’s bumpy roads shall lead you
to men who talk one thing,
the window they can look through,
or a song that they can sing.

tread carefully through such ways,
life isn’t just one sight or sound.
don’t succumb to the depth of a shade
so many rainbows surround…

It was a spontaneous flow of exchanges on a topic we both felt passionately about. “Now this is going to take longer than the recruiter said, so do not feel negatively if I ignore her warnings about our interview timings”, he said.

My interviewer was someone with years of experience, an elite education, many degrees, but also a great talent at listening. He encouraged me to talk about things that I knew, about my experience at the Wharton leadership conference, in life etc. etc.

During this conversation, we discussed authenticity. How great leaders can be extremely different in styles, yet extremely effective if they are true to their inner nature.

Authenticity is something I felt strongly about. Gandhi and Mandela had many contrasts — Gandhi used non-violence as a matter of principle, while Mandela said he used it as a strategy — but they were both great leaders in their own right. Steve Jobs is about design, control and keynotes. Larry and Sergey are about freedom, doodles, pets-and-jeans-at-work and humor. Yet, both Apple and Google have innovated in the best of ways.

Contribution and fulfillment, not to mention happiness, are a direct outcome of connecting with our true, authentic self. It is this connection which triggers the inner compass to life. Then, the inner compass becomes the automatic navigator toward a life of direction, and fewer conflicts.

What is your authentic self? Who are you? What do you stand for?

The answer is with you, and has depths unimagined before. Dive as deep as you can (or wish to)!

Filed under: inspiration, leadership, lessons, Life ]]> http://saurabhmadaan.wordpress.com/2010/06/20/authenticity/feed/ 1 wanderer The Real Me http://saurabhmadaan.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/1211/ http://saurabhmadaan.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/1211/#comments Mon, 24 May 2010 02:39:57 +0000 wanderer http://saurabhmadaan.wordpress.com/?p=1211 ]]> There is a lot of randomness in life. A lot of things are circumstantial. For instance, a farmer can plant the seeds, yet not control the weather. A student can study hard, yet not help if they get sick during the morning of their exam.

Over the past one year, life seems to have taken me on a wave of extremes. At times, I have wondered as to who is controlling the trajectory.

Famous Indian poet Kabir once said:

Dheere Dheere Re Mana, Dheere Sub Kutch Hoye
Mali Seenche So Ghara, Ritu Aaye Phal Hoye

which translates as:

Slowly slowly O mind, everything in own pace happens
Gardner may water a hundred buckets, fruit arrives only in its season

I think that’s the essence of life… to be at ease. Do our part. And let what is not in our control not be worried about.

There were times when I used to think that the above shows us how helpless we are. But that’s not true. A student may not be able to completely control their health at exam time, but they can ensure that they are well prepared. The farmer can plant the seeds, fertilize the crops.

When we take care of our parts, uncertainties are minimized. The remaining randomness… is what makes life exciting, worth living!

“I went off into the woods and I started yelling at God,” she says. “I didn’t know why God would lead me up to this point in my life just to have me left with nothing.”

“I was like, ‘Just tell me what my purpose is, tell me why I’m here and if you’ll just tell me I’ll work harder than for anything I have ever worked for anything else in my entire life.’ “

But Shay Kelley did not stop there! The 24-year-old set on a journey that would change her life! She worked as a waitress, saved a few hundred dollars, bought a truck and gave a head-start to her dream: “Project 50/50“. The premise of the mission is simple:

Travel to all 50 states in a 50 week time frame; Collect and Distribute 200 Canned Food Items Each Week Totalling 10,000 In 2010!

And Shay’s adventures have already helped her contribute, make new friends, and appear on the front page of the CNN website.

Reflection
It is amazing how a moment of apparent failure can be a life-changing experience. Steve Jobs began taking calligraphy lessons when he didn’t have enough money for a good meal, Lincoln overcame several personal tragedies to blossom in to the leader he became…. there are countless examples in human history when a setback has inspired extra-ordinary contribution. Shay is showing the inspiring truth, in her own special way!

How many times do we see impediments as a choice?

How many times do we wait for losing our job before setting out for what we really wanted to do?

Update: After you read this post, do not forget to take a look at Shay’s message in comments.

I took this picture on a trip to New Orleans in 2007. The picture is a reminder to look further in to life, and appreciate its beauty more and more. Life, truly, is wonderful!

Anyone can create their own posters at http://www.Bughugelabs.com

• The state of flow is characterized by total immersion in the task at hand, so much so that one loses the idea of time and self. In this state, doing is enjoyment, without worries of results.
• Mountaineers, chess players, musicians, scientists, factory workers, parents and various others have experienced flow in their own ways
• We have a limited attention, or psychic energy. The states of ‘flow’ tend to be the ones where we invest most, if not all, of this energy in to a challenging activity that we enjoy doing, and are just capable of doing
• Negative feedback and distractions tend to dissipate attention, leading to entropy. Conversely, positive feedback reduces this entropy, frees attention, leading to a state of order, or negentropy

——————

2. Also wondering about credentials and labels
I’ve developed a skeptic attitude toward people who say that you need such-and-such degree/label to do such-and-such. Page, Brin and Gates did not have PhDs to develop Google and MSoft. Dhirubhai Ambani did not need an MBA to develop the largest enterprise in India. Kahneman had not even taken a single course in Econ (he got the Nobel for behavioral economics). However, most of our jobs, programs are designed to embellish labels. Anyway, to wrap it up, I believe that an individual should not fear the lack of labels. Too much emphasis on degrees can force learning to take a back-seat. A look at history shows that more than anything else, it is passion that determines success.

——————

3. The Lost Fun in Graduate Academic Research:
I think it is done in a terrible way. Papers are supposed to be the most significant metric of success, and the race is to just publish more and more. We have more journals, more paper, more PhDs, but I wonder if they all derive the same sense of fulfillment that they enter the field for. Most professors are not entrepreneurs, or even entrepreneurial. Do we need professors and universities to fund graduate research? I wonder if we could have an environment where companies were funding graduate research, inventors and entrepreneurs working hand-in-hand with graduate students. Professors could still be present as consultants and mentors, which is predominantly what they do even now… Would be much more fun, dynamic and interesting…

Thank you,

the thorn of pain,
for sticking with my feet,
all this while.

without you,
I would never know,
the joy of freedom,
the fragrance of flowers,
the sensation of feeling
Mother Earth
all bare.

thank you,
the moment of hardship,
the moment of truth,
for testing
the boy in me;

and delivering
a Man.

I have some good friends in California. So, when I flew to San Fransisco last month, I was very excited to be meeting Gurshi and Sangat. Of course, I also had several back-t0-back interviews from 11:30 am till 3 pm on a Tuesday. And there was no lunch break.

It was very intense, and a lot of fun. A lot of questions were asked, a lot of thoughts were shared, and quite a few laughters spread here-and-there. Many people have written about their campus and how nice and awesome it is. I won’t repeat that. I was impressed. But the place where I currently am, also has an amazing, creative and dynamic atmosphere. One of the best buildings in Canada. However, it is rare to feel that somewhere outside of academia… a place which encourages both — creative freedom and interaction with others.

International permits working out smoothly, I look forward to joining them soon, and giving my very best.

P.S. — If Gurshi and Sangat are reading, pakode teyyaar rakho!

It is that time of the year when trees have bare branches, few leaves. But the number of leaves is slowly increasing, a few more every day. You look at a tree, and even if the number of leaves is scarce, you know that there are going to be more tomorrow.

This is also that time of the year when flowers are very shy. The yellows and reds attract attention, but the petals quietly fold themselves in to anonymity. Slow unfurling, a little every day, is a joy to observer.

Einstein once said:

There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

Miracle is a loaded word. But even in ocean blues, barren trees, unfurled petals, life has a miraculous beauty — the beauty of hope and dream.

There is a wonderful sense of joy in looking at a shy flower whose petals will unfurl tomorrow. In trees that will turn green. In seasons that will change. In winds that shall blow. Even in the patterns of a cloud, and the waves of the sea.

At the depths of circumstance, the rock bottom of ocean, is a beauty of its own. I remember writing once, long ago:

‘No height when I touch
Perhaps, the greatest depth,
Still, new hopes, I can derive –
with nothing below, and all above,
I can only, only rise…‘

“If I write one line about my life, I say: When you think that your life is going to change, it can come back again to start.“

“I don’t want many money; I just want to take care of my parents and make my country nice.”

“When I go to my college in China, I am below average. There are 200 students in my college. But in last year, I come to top 10. So now, I never feel bad even if some thing not go nice at the start. I always know that after some time, things will get better.”

Changhong Li, all the very best to you! I am glad I came to the PSI program, and made wonderful friends like yourself.

I am glad that the exams went well.

Came home at 3 am, and fried some paneer. What a joy it is to have a hot, sumptuous meal when you are drained of all energy. And in the heart of night, when all the world’s asleep, what a joy it is to play some music, and savor the taste of your culinary talents (however limited they might be!).

… being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.

The author also gave an interesting TED talk on the same subject. Many have commented on and summarized the philosophy elsewhere; I think the talk does it quite well.

I have just begun reading Csikszentmihalyi’s book: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Below are a couple of sentences from the second page :

What I “discovered” was that happiness is not something that happens… It does not depend on outside events, but, rather, on how we interpret them. Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person.

———————
Connect with me on Twitter; find me elsewhere.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

– William Ernest Henley

More about the poem and the poet here. Many leaders have drawn inspiration from this poem, including Nelson Mandela, who had it pasted on the wall of his prison cell.

like bubbles,
leave feelings,
at points in space and time.

light travel,
no baggage,
of accolades or crime.

like river,
flow freely,
singing day and night.

glaciers,
can melt
in glow of hindsight.

Ducks Near the Perimeter Institute

Over the past few months, I have spent hectic days of study, interspersed with idle walks around the lake, book reading and just being myself.

With the passage of time, it seems more and more clear that happiness is closer than we imagine. Moments of laughter with friends and family, companionship, and a clear conscience — these things are more important than anything else. Solving complex equations, getting a wonderful job, impressing someone… they all may be good, but only so much in the overall scheme of things.

The past few months have also helped me understand that potential should not be overlooked in the present, especially during tough times. It helps you see the best in every person, every situation, every object.

Additionally, I have begun to appreciate the factor of randomness in life more than ever… a lot of times, paths evolve, plans reform, dreams fly. Sometimes, nature and chance bring you from one place to another, at their discretion. It may or may not seem positive at first, but it can always be made that way with perspective, effort and acceptance. Possibilities and acceptance should be balanced well in one’s perspective of life.

At this point in my life, I feel relaxed, I feel happy. I feel grateful for the experiences that I have had, and for the possibilities that are ahead of me, without any condition of them being fulfilled.

Gratitude. Gratitude. Gratitude.

I got selected for TFI. A very long, hectic interview in New York city. I made it at the last moment on short notice, and met with some very interesting people. For me, the timing is not right at the moment with the barrage of new responsibilities about to unleash themselves. However, it was wonderful to be part of the process, and I look forward to joining the movement some time in the future. With the enthusiasm that I saw in the room, in their emails and the publicity about the good work, I am certain that TFI is going to bring about a paradigm shift in the way primary education (and primary teaching) is thought about in India.

Also heard similar positive news from another couple of places. I have some ideas, but let’s see which way the water flows.

Recent links from the web:

1. Srikumar Rao on happiness: His message seemed very similar to that from the Bhagawad Gita. Invest in the  process (karma) rather than the outcome (phal).

2. Jim Yong Kim on leadership: Be yourself, truly. Be useful, in a concrete — rather than abstract — way (profession). Embrace your identity with confidence.

3. Finally, a Zen monk’s meditation, stolen from Leo’s recent post about a “barefoot philosophy” for life.

“Empty-handed I entered the world
Barefoot I leave it.
My coming, my going –
Two simple happenings
That got entangled.”
~ Kozan Ichikyo

Some monsoon drops,
A pond with ripples,
Rainbows, reflected.

The world is awash
Naked, in puzzles
Of origins and ends…

Clouds float low
Lifting a mist,
Cosmic Wonder.

We’re all a part.
We’re not apart.

Next, the nice post summarizing the idea at Zen Habits.

Hope you find it useful!