Myriad thoughts on a million things
Archive for September, 2008
Smoke free partying…. Finally!
Sep 30th
October 2nd dawns and India is to go smoke free! Yayyee… finally!! Smoking is going to be illegal in all public spaces. Those include pubs, restaurants, stations, movie halls etc. (any place that requires more than 20 people to congregate in a closed space)
The effective implementation of this ban would enable non smokers to finally lead a normal life! Being a non smoker in a group with smokers is like suffering from some kind of handicap. When you crinkle up your nose, they look at you sympathetically (like they might be sorry that you’re missing the fun) and try and make you More >
Standing Babas!
Sep 30th
I’m currently reading Gregory David Robert’s ‘Shantaram’. It’s an interesting book, albeit slow and meandering, but interesting none the less. For me, having stayed in Mumbai for a bit, it is especially more interesting as it chronicles many fascinating things about Mumbai that I did not know / have never heard of. One of these being the Den of Standing Babas!
When I read the bit about them in the book, I was really intrigued! Babas or Sadhus as they are commonly known in India are religious men who renounce everything material in their search for nirvana. The book records More >
Instinctive Racism or Thought Through Typecasts?
Sep 29th
It’s been some time since I read Malcolm Galdwell’s ‘Blink’. At the time when I read it, I thought it was an eye opener. I especially liked his stories/ examples on how instinctively, without even knowing it, we make decisions about people, races, and things in the blink of an eye. In the book, some of his stories highlighted how black people in the US experience instinctive racism due to the type cast expectations/ views that white people have of them.
I didn’t think of the book again till a few days ago. I follow the show ‘Are you smarter More >
Hamlet: The clown prince
Sep 29th
I recently went to see Rajat Kapoor’s ‘Hamlet: The clown prince’ at Prithvi. The play, (in gibberish and English as the advet said) was supposedly hilarious. I went in wondering how one could possibly make whiny and serious Hamlet funny….And I came out holding my sides, for they ached from all the laughing I did for 2 hours straight!!
The play has a company of clowns presenting their version of Hamlet along with multiple doses of digressions to share their own lives and personalities. Clowns being clowns, the play is not only funny, it’s filled with contemporary influences which manage More >
Living like an Earl – the Harewood Experience!
Sep 4th
Through this post I want to share my wonderful Harewood experience with all of you. Harewood is pronounced ‘Haar’- ‘Wood’ and not ‘Hare’-‘ wood’…just letting you know and setting your expectation that this is not a post about a bunny and his life in the jungle (!), but one about my visit to the Harewood Estates in Leeds, UK. J
Summer in the UK is by far the one of the most beautiful things in the world. The beautiful British country side is indescribably stunning in all its sunny & green grandeur. So when I was there one summer, a few More >
Living for today vs. building for tomorrow
Sep 4th
I’ve always wondered about this whole human life experience. We are born, have a few carefree years of childhood, a few anxious years of teenage, many stressful years of working and many blissful/cantankerous (depends on one is happily married or not) years of married/ single life and then we’re done. Heavenly gates are hopefully there to welcome us back to the realm. And in during this whole journey we go through this myriad emotions and experiences that hopefully make it all worth the effort.
Most of us, in our lives, are focused onto doing things that will make our tomorrow More >
Organized Human Resources Community
Sep 4th
Most organized streams of occupation have one thing in common. They have a singular body that controls, augments, approves, and accredits all aspects of the occupation and its practitioners. Some examples would be the Chartered Accountants of India, Bar associations for Lawyers, the Indian Medical Association for Doctors etc.
This kind of setup allows for the control of the body of knowledge and practices because of which people have a common expectation of the outcomes of the occupation.
As an HR professional, I often wonder about the way HR is viewed by other professionals and their varied expectations from HR. More >
