The Economist cover page- Hats off to humanity
The cover photo on the latest edition (Nov29-Dec5’08) of The Economist hogs attention. The photo accompanied by the headline ‘Terror in India’ is about a police officer in the Maharashtra State squad helping a badly bruised infant with some water.
The Indian and international media is abuzz with pictures of last week’s terror attacks on Mumbai, the capital city of the western state of Maharashtra and the financial hub of India. But the one chosen by The Economist on its front page stands out among all. No other photo captures the theme of the moment as nicely as this one.
While other images capture the gross vandalism and a sense of anarchy created by the terrorists, the one carried by The Economist simply narrates that at the end of all the violence what remains is a touch of humanity. While other images in a way tell how well the job was done thus encouraging the evil, the one used by The Economist mocks and snaps at the very mission of the evil to ruin humanity.
Those who regularly read The Economist would be familiar with the style of the British weekly newspaper to put the human aspect forth in starkest of the calamities. I still remember the cover of the Tsunami related edition of the 165 year old chronicle. It featured a small kid with tears almost frozen in his eyes, left hand holding a half eaten piece of bread and the other hand clasped by an elderly person. Again the picture was about the hope that is eternal rather than the devastation caused by the deadly ocean waves.
The Economist’s philosophy of admiring and saluting the indomitable human spirit is worth an applause.
Labels: Matters of life
Mumbai locals – As clueless as hell
Is the underground train system (the Tube as Londoners call it fondly) in London ISO certified?
I don’t know the answer. But what I can tell you for sure is that if the London Tube system and our very own local train network in Mumbai decide to race for such a certification then the latter in its current form would lose by a furlong!
And the reason for this has nothing to do with the way the Mumbai local trains carry the herd of commuters or the way they get delayed. Tubes in London are almost equally crowded (to be fair with Mumbai locals, the Tubes carry nearly half less load) and they too face delays.
The reason simply lies in the significance of the ISO certification. The certification is accredited when an organisation or an institution documents all its processes. And, reference to such documents can help someone use the facilities or execute processes without any human help.
The London Tube system scores ten out of ten when it comes to disseminating information about its routes and journey to passengers. Apart from route maps, every tube is equipped with automatic public announcement system, which speaks name of the current station and that of the next one. It also reminds passengers to take care of the gap if any between the platform and the train compartment! Further, it also tells on what stations you can get down to change your route. To simplify this, just imagine that the Mumbai local has a voice system which tells you to get down at Dadar and take the western route if you are traveling from Thane to Bandra.
A staunch Mumbaikar may argue by saying that the local network in Mumbai is fairly complex with three different lines (central, western and harbour). Well, hold your breath but the London Tube is far more complex with as many as 12 lines! And, still a stranger like me can easily travel from one point to another without any human help as long as I can read and understand English…
The point I want to make here is how often do we realize that the systems that we use in India are not fairly documented? Just imagine the kind of pain a stranger to Mumbai goes through while commuting from one place to another. Why can’t we insist for a system wherein every station and every platform and every train compartment is equipped with all the necessary information in the form of display cutouts? Further, a delay in journey or a detour due to overhaul or heavy rains need to be conveyed well in advance both in the train and on the platform.
Of course, there is no denial that locals in Mumbai are gradually getting equipped with public address systems but it is still a long way before these can match the global best-in-class practices.
Labels: Matters of life
Cup and coffee
This one is a nice story on handling pressures related to work life.
A group of alumni, highly established in
their careers, got together to visit their old
university professor. Conversation soon turned into
complaints about stress in work and life. Offering
his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen
and returned with a large pot of coffee and an
assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass,
crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some
exquisite - telling them to help themselves to hot
coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the
professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking
expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain
and cheap ones. While it is normal for each of you to
want only the best for yourselves, that is the source
of your problems and stress. What all of you really
wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously
went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's
cups. Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money
and position in society are the cups. They are just
tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of
Life doesn't change. Some times, by concentrating only
on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it."
So, don't let the cups drive you... enjoy the coffee
instead.
Labels: Matters of life
Does god exist?
The other day, I ran into a discussion over the existence of god. The
undertone of the discussion was that god is not visible and hence one can't believe upon something which is not felt by the human senses. While the discussion
was on, i recalled one nice piece of stroy, which I read somewhere.
One day, a man enters the barber's shop and asks for a hair cut. While,
the barber is on his job, he starts talking about miseries in the
world. The barber further says that there is no god in this world. If he
is there, why he can't just come and rescue people? The customer doesn't
say a word. After the job is done, the customer pays the barber and walks
out of the salon only to return back immediately. The customer, now back
in the salon shouts out loudly," Hey, there is no barber in this world!"
To this, the barber gets stunned and says,"What are you talking? You
just had a hair cut from me. How can you say that there is no barber in
the world?"
The customer takes the barber out on the street and shows him a beggar
with long dirty hair and whiskers. To this, the barber says,"Oh! that
beggar. Look, now I can cut his hair only if he comes to me. How am I
supposed to serve people who don't approach me?"
The customer says,"That is true even with god. He can serve only those
who approach him!!"
Labels: Matters of life
The Guy's rules: by the guys, of the guys, for the gals!
Finally some one has done this job, just check it out!!
Rules of the guys - Please note.. these are all numbered "1" ON PURPOSE
1. Men ARE not mind readers.
1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put it down.
We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us complaining about you leaving it down.
1. Sunday sports. It's like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.
1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.
1. Crying is blackmailing.
1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!
1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.
1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That's what we do
Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.
1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.
1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.
1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.
1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways
makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.
1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both.
If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.
1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.
1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," We will act like nothing'
We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.
1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine... Really.
1. You have enough clothes.
1. You have too many shoes.
1. I am in shape. Round is a shape!
1. Thank you for reading this.
Labels: Matters of life
Amazing quotes (updatable)
This post contains an ever-expandable list of some witty and different quotes. If u want to conribute to this list, just post ur reply to me and u may find ur suggested quote included in this list!
10. There is only one place where you can find me... in your dreams! (Mar 29'06)
9. The most difficult thing in life is to keep quite and listen! (Mar 20'06)
8. Courage is not absence of fear but realisation that something else is more important than fear. (Mar 20'06)
7. Diamond is just another piece of coal that did well under pressure. (Mar 20'06)
6. Never call people idiots, instead borrow money from them! (Mar 20'06)
5. Don't let go too soon, but don't hang on too long. (Mar 20'06)
4. Failure is temporary, giving up is what makes it permanent. (Mar 20'06)
3. Success is never ending and failure is never final. (Mar 03'06)
2. Good friends are like stars...You don't always see them, but you know they're always there. (Mar 03'06)
1. Lose but don't lose the lesson. (Mar 03'06)
Labels: Matters of life
Five golden rules for finding your life partner!
This one was a wonderful mail sent to me by one of my friends, Seema. It
talks about what you really need to look at while searching for your
soul mate.
You CANNOT build a lifetime relationship on love alone. You need a lot
more. Here are 5 questions you must ask yourself if you're serious about
finding & keeping a life partner.
QUESTION #1:
Do we share a common life purpose? Why is this so important? Let me put
it this way: If you're married for 20 or 30 years, that's a long time to
live with someone. What do you plan to do with each other all that time?
Travel, eat & jog together? You need to share something deeper & more
meaningful. You need a common life purpose. Two things can happen in a
marriage. You can grow together, or you can grow apart. 50 percent of
the people out there are growing apart. To make a marriage work, you
need to know what you want out of life - bottom line - & marry someone
who wants the same thing.
QUESTION #2:
Do I feel safe expressing my feelings & thoughts with this person? This
question goes to the core of the quality of your relationship. Feeling
safe means you can communicate openly with this person. The basis of
having good communication is trust- i.e. trust that I won't get "punished"
or hurt for expressing my honest thoughts & feelings. A colleague of
mine defines an abusive person as someone with whom you feel afraid to
express your thoughts & feelings. Be honest with yourself on this one.
Make sure you feel emotionally safe with the person you plan to marry.
QUESTION #3:
Is he/she a mensch? A mensch is someone who is a refined & sensitive
person.How can you test? Here are some suggestions. Do they work on
personal growth on a regular basis? Are they serious about improving
themselves? A teacher of mine defines a good person as "someone who
is always striving to be good & do the right thing."So ask about your
significant other: What do they do with their time? Is this person
materialistic? Usually a materialistic person is not someone whose
top priority is character refinement.There are essentially two types
of people in the world: People who are dedicated to personal growth &
people who are dedicated to seeking comfort. Someone whose goal in life
is to be comfortable will put personal comfort ahead of doing the right
thing. You need to know that before walking down the aisle.
QUESTION #4:
How does he/she treat other people? The one most important thing that
makes any relationship work is the ability to give. By giving, we mean
the ability to give another person pleasure. Ask: Is this someone who
enjoys giving pleasure to others or are they wrapped up in themselves &
self-absorbed? To measure this, think about the following: How do they
treat people whom they do not have to be nice to, such as waiters, bus
boys, taxi drivers, etc. How do they treat parents & siblings? Do they
have gratitude & appreciation? If they don't have gratitude for the
people who have given them everything, you cannot expect that they'll
have gratitude for you-who can't do nearly as much for them! Do they
gossip & speak badly about others? Someone who gossips cannot be someone
who loves others. You can be sure that someone who treats others poorly,
will eventually treat you poorly as well.
QUESTION #5:
Is there anything I'm hoping to change about this person after we're
married? Too many people make the mistake of marrying someone with
the intention of trying to "improve" them after they're married. As a
colleague of mine puts it, "You can probably expect someone to change
after marriage .. for the worse!" If you cannot fully accept this person
the way they are now, then you are not ready to marry them. In conclusion,
dating doesn't have to be difficult & treacherous. The key is to try
leading a little more with your head & less with your heart. It pays
to be as objective as possible when you are dating, to be sure to ask
questions that will ! help you get to the key issues.
Labels: Matters of life
Frog Tales
This one was mailed to me by one of my old-time friends and I found it quite interesting.
The story goes like this. A group of frogs was strolling in a park one day when two of them fell in a ditch. Both the frogs started jumping to come out of it. Other fortunate frogs gathered around the ditch to get a feel of the width and depth of the ditch and concluded that it would be simply impossible to get out of it. The verdict was immediately told to the two troubled frogs. One of them understood the message and gave up all the efforts and waited to meet its destiny. The other frog in the ditch seemed indifferent to the judgement of the masses and kept on trying. The frogs around the ditch now started clamouring more vigourously about how difficult it was to come out of that mess. Surprisingly, this persistent frog went on jumping even higher and finally popped out of the ditch.
During the after-math of the situation, it was clear that the frog who succeeded was almost deaf and thought for all the time that its colleagues were cheering it and encouraging it to get out!
Moral of the story? Well, moral is that the words we use are immensely powerful; powerful enough to make or break someone's life. So we need to be careful when we speak to people around us. One word can make hell lot of difference to someone's existence!
Labels: Matters of life
