There is something about this wonderful country, India, that it is an exception in this madness which has taken the world by storm. What makes the populous country in the world to be the least contributing to fringe and extreme groups like ISIS?
Monday, April 20, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Shrinking Time and Space
It is amazing how technology in communications have shrunk our traditional perception of time and space.
Last week was busy- I had to be at the annual plan meetings attended by over a 100 people from around the globe. Times being such, we decided to go for a zero-travel plan and this led to all the outside-India attendees connecting centrally into a Live Meeting for a whole week. We had people from around the globe- locations across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Far East including Australia, Japan and Singapore. The remote experience was near real and the quality of the video and audio, together with collaborative software, ensured that we did as much, or more, work across a working schedule from 0700 IST to 2200 IST- while it did stretch the work times for the colleagues farthest from India, no one complained.
During the drive to the office at the odd hours of 0500 in the morning and return at 2300 late night, there was another “shrinking” experience- I realized that the “City” never sleeps. There is so much of activity on the roads – cabs taking employees in thousands to and from the homes to their offices in the ITES industry . Also, the associated businesses including cafes and housekeeping companies, work round the clock to support this huge industry segment in Bangalore.
I am tempted to rename the recent book by Thomas Friedman as “Hot, Shrunk (nee Flat) and Crowded” – a flat world is indeed shrunk in time and space.
Last week was busy- I had to be at the annual plan meetings attended by over a 100 people from around the globe. Times being such, we decided to go for a zero-travel plan and this led to all the outside-India attendees connecting centrally into a Live Meeting for a whole week. We had people from around the globe- locations across the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Far East including Australia, Japan and Singapore. The remote experience was near real and the quality of the video and audio, together with collaborative software, ensured that we did as much, or more, work across a working schedule from 0700 IST to 2200 IST- while it did stretch the work times for the colleagues farthest from India, no one complained.
During the drive to the office at the odd hours of 0500 in the morning and return at 2300 late night, there was another “shrinking” experience- I realized that the “City” never sleeps. There is so much of activity on the roads – cabs taking employees in thousands to and from the homes to their offices in the ITES industry . Also, the associated businesses including cafes and housekeeping companies, work round the clock to support this huge industry segment in Bangalore.
I am tempted to rename the recent book by Thomas Friedman as “Hot, Shrunk (nee Flat) and Crowded” – a flat world is indeed shrunk in time and space.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Order Out of Chaos
This is an interesting book that I am reading , written so well by Ilya Prigogine. How is it possible to have a theory of chaos? The story goes back to 1912. While Napoleon was advancing on Moscow, his compatriot the Marquis Pierre-Simon de Laplace published an essay on the deterministic universe; if at one particular instant, the positions and velocities of all objects in the universe were known, and forces acting on them, then these quantities could be calculated exactly for all future times. The universe and all objects in it would be completely determined. Chaos theory shows us that the world is more intricate than that.
I have lost count of the number of times that historians and prophets of doom have written of India- most believed that it is chaos personified. Read VS Naipaul's thesis- India: A Wounded Civilization. From chaos emerges order.........the past decade indicates the phenomenal growth that followed the depths of the 1990 economic morass.........despite chaotic systems. We have some way to go.
I have lost count of the number of times that historians and prophets of doom have written of India- most believed that it is chaos personified. Read VS Naipaul's thesis- India: A Wounded Civilization. From chaos emerges order.........the past decade indicates the phenomenal growth that followed the depths of the 1990 economic morass.........despite chaotic systems. We have some way to go.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Hope and Faith............the theme for 2009
As the year 2009 unfolds, I hope to see a renewal of faith in citizens towards governance, a strong government after a result oriented general elections and a significant downturn in terror related events. As a former soldier, I also hope that the pride of place is restored to the men in uniform- words cannot express how much this nation owes to its soldiers, sailors and airmen.
Also, this year could not have begun better than by an expression of thanksgiving that we as "Minds" (as employees are aptly referred to at MindTree) received from Ashok Soota, our Chairman, which I reproduce here.
“I know that my real job is to pursue my happiness each and every day.
I know that my happiness comes from inside my heart and my mind and
That no person, place, thing or experience can take my happiness away
I enthusiastically say “yes” to opportunities that expand my happiness.”
So, as we begin the New Year, let us remember the good times of 2008 (and put away the bad times) and say “Shukar”. Let us pursue happiness - and success will follow. Let us thank God and each of us and our families for all that we get from each other.
Also, this year could not have begun better than by an expression of thanksgiving that we as "Minds" (as employees are aptly referred to at MindTree) received from Ashok Soota, our Chairman, which I reproduce here.
“I know that my real job is to pursue my happiness each and every day.
I know that my happiness comes from inside my heart and my mind and
That no person, place, thing or experience can take my happiness away
I enthusiastically say “yes” to opportunities that expand my happiness.”
So, as we begin the New Year, let us remember the good times of 2008 (and put away the bad times) and say “Shukar”. Let us pursue happiness - and success will follow. Let us thank God and each of us and our families for all that we get from each other.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
