Imagination and creativity are the only passports for a meaningful future in the AI driven world!
Paul Daugherty, Accenture Group Chief Executive & Chief Technology Officer , is spot on when he says: “The hottest new programming platform is the napkin.”
Focus on the vision and leave the execution to AI enablers!
Image: Alex Padurariu
Are you a spectator or doer?
What is your default position?
The roles may differ as per life stage and situation but leaders drive change and are always willing to share. Influencing change, driving action, defining trends and making things happen!
Remember the Covid promises?
Covid was one of the biggest disruptors of our times – which forced us to evaluate our whole lives and existence. Our perspectives towards everything changed – career, health, family, relationships and self. We reprioritised our life and made several promises to self and the world.
As the world has bounced back to normal, we seem to have forgotten the covid lessons. How many of us are still living the covid promises that we made? Are you?
#life #sunshine #purpose #lifepurpose #covid #covid19 #lifegoals #dreams #love #bliss #mondaymotivation #mondaymood
Uncommon Love: A Profound Sketch Of Simple Souls!
The hearts of the brilliant minds
The colours and seasons of evolving love
The personal costs of entrepreneurship
The role of parenting in creating leaders
The story of the guiding light of Infosys
The tale of India’s most loved children’s author
The chronicle of current British PM’s family
The history of India’s IT Industry
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s ‘An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy’ covers all of the above and more themes!
Like its iconic subjects, Uncommon Love is a simple, candid and honest story of the early life of Sudha and Narayan Murthy. The couple have led a very private life and hence it is quite insightful to get a peek into their personal world. The book is filled with rich anecdotes which are a delight for everyone. These tales give us a clear understanding of the individual traits of Sudha and Narayan.
Indeed a few stories stand out:
Sudha Murty is a movie buff and a certified ‘First Day First Show’ fan. She won the title of Miss Cinema, after winning the bet to watch one movie every day of the year in a theatre! I can relate to it totally!
She was the only woman in the engineering class of 150 men and had to face a lot of challenges including derogatory comments and total unkindness. Her admission conditions included compulsory wearing of saree, no access to canteen and no chatting with boys! The college had no toilet and she had to travel to home in break. But not only she excelled despite the systemic misogyny, she won the respect of everyone!
She got prestigious MIT admission but she gave it up for a shop floor job at Telco – A job where she challenged J R D Tata for ‘men only’ employment policy of Tatas and won the coveted job. She faced similar challenges like the engineering college but her persistence and diligence and professionalism won the day. Later in life, she cried profusely when she visited MIT.
Sudha supported the entrepreneurial dreams of Murthy emotionally, physically and even financially! Murthy would be broke and she would loan money and fund their expenses. She had a notebook of loans which she destroyed on their wedding day.
She regularly financed Infosys and saved it – even pawned her wedding jewellery. She had to be away from her young daughter Akshata to help Infosys as well as manage her job.
Narayan Murthy got an IIT admission but his father’s financial situation forced him to turn it down. He was devastated.
He learnt English due to the nudge and kind help of a roadside shopkeeper!
He proposed to Sudha in an autorickshaw. Though she agreed, her father was not convinced. Narayana also had worn a Red Shirt when meeting his prospective in-laws and gave weird responses to their questioning.
He turned down a lucrative job offer at Hindustan Lever because of the ‘separate toilets’ policy.
Azim Premji interviewed Murthy but did not offer him the job as he thought Murthy was too simple. What if Azim Premji had hired Narayan Murthy?
Narayan Murthy founded Infosys but he gave a lion’s share to all other colleagues. All the other co-founders got big equity share – more than the normal business parlance. He kept only 30% and distributed the rest. He took a 90% salary cut while gave a 20% hike to others. He always focussed on the comfort of the employees. Compassionate Capital is his mantra!
Narayan Murthy did not allow Sudha to join Infosys as he wanted to create a totally professional company. He told her that if she wants to join Infosys, he will support her decision – he would leave and let her run the show. Sudha was very disappointed, hurt and angry. These hard decisions created Infosys as a different company (there was a brief departure from this position when Rohan joined as EA for a short period).
What if Sudha Murthy ran Infosys?
Murthy was busy building Infosys and could not spend time with the kid. The children felt that Infosys was the third sibling – the favourite child that never grew up and required constant attention.
He continues to be the simpleton. He cleans his own toilet.
Sudha clearly emerges as the brighter, smarter and more generous with her untold sacrifices. But Narayan Murthy’s simplicity, humanity, ethical approach and care for everyone else is his distinguishing hallmark. As Sudha said, he was the trapeze artist in the circus and she was the safety net!
In summary, Uncommon Love is a great read. The author’s grip on the content is not consistent and the book is bereft of any pictures – the one big disappointment in such a rich historically important biography. While the childhood, career, courtship, marriage, childbirth and entrepreneurship is captured well, the rise of Infosys and Sudha’s author career is very rushed.
The love, understanding, respect and support that Sudha and Narayan gave each other is the core message of the book. They do not need anyone else other than each other’s company. They are mirror to each other and their bond strengthened by shared values and idealistic principles.
The book also gives a glimpse of the challenges that Narayan Murthy faced in setting up Infosys after his first failure as an entrepreneur. Indeed it is due to persistence of him and likes of Fakir Chand Kohli, that India has emerged as an IT superpower – that would change the glo
Sudha Murty N. R. Narayana Murthy
#uncommonlove #bookreview #infosys #narayanmurthy #sudhamurthy #entrepreneurship #biography #chitrabanerjeedivakaruni
Thought Provoking! Trust Yuvah Noah Harari To Provide New Perspectives On Of The Hottest Topics Of Recent Times! The Recent OpenAI Saga Just Amplifies The Stakes Here!
Highly Recommended Video – Watch It – The Artificial Intelligence & The Future Of Humanity!
What Are Thoughts?
Dhirubahen Patel’s speech on her learnings from life.
A Few More Showcase Of Dhirubahen Patel’s Speeches:
1. ‘અહં કરિષ્યે’ થી ‘ઇદં ન મમં!’
Dhirubahen Patel’s speech at the launch of Digital Bhagwadgomandal on April 3, 2009.
(Thank you: Sunday eMahefil & Gujaratilexicon Web’s Uttam Gajjar – SeM 163)
2. The Keynote Speech at Gujaratilexicon Launch
Jan 13, 2006
(Thank you: Vipool Kalyani)
The Art Of Living!
When Your Fiercest & Greatest Rival Cries, You Have Done Something Exceptional!
Watching Roger Federer And Rafael Nadal Cry Will Stay As One Of The Most Indelible Memory Of Recent Sporting History – Like Kumble’s Bowling With A Broken Jaw!
Paeans Have & Will Be Written About Roger Federer – But He Is Much More Than A Tennis Legend! What Steps Him Apart Is His Class, Grace & Elegance! And The Humility!
The Spirt Of Excellence He Brought In Game – Each Stroke As A Perfect Note – Nothing Less, Nothing More! And He Made It Look All So Beautiful & Enchanting!
And What A Great Gesture To Have A Final Match With Nadal – What Will Be Your Swansong?
Thanks Federer For Bringing Joy In Our Lives & Inspiring Millions!
Roger Federer:
The Maestro
The Legend
The Inspiration
Is Social Media A Boon Or Bane? The Eternal Debate Continues In The New Netflix Documentary-
Jeff Orlowski’s Docu-Drama ‘The Social Dilemma’ Does Not Tell Us Anything New….We Have Known Both Sides Of Story For Long….What It Does Is To Reinforce The Arguments – Primarily Against Social Media Giants.
The Documentary Has Two Distinct Tracks. The First Track Features Interviews With The Most Smartest And Conscientious Employees Of The Big Tech Giants. The Second Track Showcase A Fictional Story – How Social Media Manipulates & Ruins Kids Of A Perfectly Normal American Family.
The Great Minds Of Silicon Valley Include:
1. Tristan Harris – Former Google Design Ethicist
2. Justin Rosenstein – Co-Inventor of Facebook ‘Like’ Button
3. Tim Kendall – Former Director of Monetization At Facebook, Former President Of Pinterest
4. Renee DiResta
5. Jeff Seibert
These Interviews Highlight Risk Of Social Media Addiction. Social Media Giants Engineer Platforms To Create Addiction, Manipulate Behaviour & Reap Profits For Their Shareholders. The Dangerous Impact On Mental Health Of Children & Teenagers, Personal Privacy & Data Confidentiality Issues, The Rise Of Hate Crimes & Genocide, The Fuelling Of Fake News, Death Of Democracies Are Some Of The Negatives That Can No Longer Be Ignored.
The Documentary Considers Founders Of Social Media Giants To Be Trapped. Too Naive! Shareholders & Governments Are Human Beings – And Human Beings Have A Choice – But Are We Willing To Call Spade A Spade?
Social Media Is A Drug. Agree. It Is Challenging The Organised Religion – An Equally Dangerous Drug 🙂
Why Our Best Brains Work For Biggest Social Media Companies? Agriculture Crisis Hits Headlines Every Year And We Have No Solution….Why We Applaud New Feature Upgrades Of Big Tech Giants While Many Genuine Research Organizations Die Every Year…
Technology Is Neutral. A Gun In The Hands Of Police Protects, While In The Hands Of Terrorist Kills.
Social Media Has Reunited Families, Help Raise Awareness Of Evils, Found Blood Donors, Brought Joy To Our Life. But It Has Also Led To Recruitment Of Extremists In Terrorist Organizations, Body-Shaming, Incited Crimes Etc. As Well.
Social Media Is Not 100% Evil Or The Only Evil. It Is Too Simplistic To Blame It For All Evils In The Society. Yes – It Is A Platform That Amplifies The Evil In The Society. Social Media Giants Are Taking Corrective Actions But We Need Neutral Champions To Review These Actions.
Practical Takeways:
1. Regulate Screen Time For Self & Kids
2. Do Not Take Devices To Bedroom
3. No Devices For Kids Till High School
4. Research & Question Sources Of Information
5. Explore Alternatives To Big Social Media Products
6. AI Is Already Running The World
I Believe Our Ethics, Values & Choices Drive The Usage Of Any Technology. Social Media Can Be An Agent Of Good. Let’s Switch Off The Screens, Watch The Real World, Smell The Flowers & Drive A Positive Change. The Answers Lie With Us….
Watch It – A Important Documentary To Watch. One’s Outlook Toward Mindless Scrolling & Notifications Will Change!
The Corona Virus has changed the world. It is the first universal crisis that has affected everyone across the board. The world is clearly going to be divided into pre-Corona and post-Corona world. For better. For worse. Time will well.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to reiterate the commitment to customers. It is a natural reaction to safeguard one’s own existing business. But can you think about the customer’s business? What challenges are they facing? How can you ensure that their business is not affected? Can the teams ensure business as usual? The customer will notice all the actions that an organisation will take for living the promises and delivering value. And will you go beyond? How will the customer’s business change due to the crisis? How can you help them? It can help you identify new opportunities but win the long-term respect of the customer.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to innovate. The status quo is the enemy of innovation in many organizations. The crisis is the best time to challenge the status quo. The crisis is the time to go to the drawing board and think of new ideas and new business models. Corona Virus has opened up time and resources for many organizations. Make the most of the same.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to redefine the business. Digital ready business will have an advantage over the traditional businesses and push the overall digital agenda across all organizations including public services. Digital, healthcare, telecom etc. are the obvious winners in the short term. But all businesses will have to think of the post Corona business situation and prepare – the ones that will adapt will thrive!
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to win and re-engage with employees. The relentless pursuit of execution excellence often blinds an organization to the people behind the success. The organisational hierarchies, systems and work pressure often adds to the distance. This is the perfect time to find the human hearts behind the employees. How an organization will treat the employees in this period will determine the success of the organization for a long time to come. How the organization will protect their interests will speak volumes about the ethics of the organisation. And the organizations that will go beyond the realm of legal compliance and money and stand together with the employees will buy long term loyalty and respect.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to connect to the family. Many are not used to spending lot of time with family members. After the initial awkwardness, people will discover the simple pleasures of family life – cooking with kids, fun of dancing together, exploring a hobby or reliving the journey – many things that usually take a backseat in the busy life. Celebrate what makes you click as a family. Create a family value chart and write the family history. Create a new ritual or do something totally crazy. Lack of time is usually the biggest culprit for any relationship breakdown – now that you have time, make it count!
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to prepare for the future of living. The remote workplace and digital lifestyle has got its biggest boost with the Corona Virus induced lockdown. How we work, how we live, how we learn, how we stay healthy, how we grow – all this will determine the template for future.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity for each and every nation to show its crisis management skills and the empathic care of its citizens. The national health system and the entire government machinery will have to adopt extremely agile thinking and coordinated execution. It is an opportunity to test continual of delivery of the essential services and protect critical infrastructure while facing a contagion crisis.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity for the world to invest in universal and global healthcare goals. Corona Virus has shown that no country can work in isolation. It is a perfect time for collaboration between countries to think of the long-term solution for medical issues. Research funding needs to be accelerated along with investment in local and grassroot delivery infrastructure. The Corona Virus provides an opportunity to think about how to prevent the next crisis? And understand where the world failed in current crisis’ prediction and what was learnt?
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to invest in self. The ‘always-on’ mode leaves with us limited time for self. The ‘someday’ activities and passion projects keep on piling up. This is the perfect time to take up those pending projects. Take an online course or learn a new skill. Prepare for the next stage of career growth. Take an obituary test or challenge yourself for a 21-day habit change. Prepare the bucket list. Paint your dreams. Create smart goals for the lockdown time.
The Corona Virus is an opportunity to give. Many of us are in privileged positions. Except for being confined to our homes, we do not suffer major hardships. But there are millions whose daily livelihood is affected. Closure of schools affects the kids who depended on their daily meals in the schools. Senior citizens are struggling. Children are neglected. Offer help to the medical fraternity, government officials and their families. Help the less privileged brethren. Give time, energy, thought and financial help for the less fortunate ones. There has never been a perfect time to give. Give, give, give.
Corona has changed the world and we still do not the full impact yet! Be positive and look at the bright side. Everyone will emerge better, stronger and faster – together!
Image: Marc Olivier Jodoin
The article first appeared on Thrive Global on March 25, 2020
Quarantine Quarantine
Life Is Fine
Love, Friends & Family
Bring The Sunshine
Quarantine Quarantine
Ash-Virus Has Spine
Purpose Idea Energy
Never Easily Decline
Quarantine Quarantine
Time Is Mine
Revisit The Passion
True Self Is Divine
Quarantine Quarantine
Priorities May Re-Assign
Hear The Inner Voice
Make The True North Align
Quarantine Quarantine
Fast Lane Is A Slow Line
Treasure The Nostalgia Box
Cherish Today’s Cloud Nine
Quarantine Quarantine
Doctors & Nurses Shine
Officers & Helpers Serve
Perspectives Will Surely Redefine
Quarantine Quarantine
Stock Markets Worry Top-line
Healthy Mind, Fit Body, Children
Are The Real Bottomline
Quarantine Quarantine
World Is Benign
Love, Care & Help Overflow
Human Hearts Are True Shrine
Image: Sharon McCutcheon
The article first appeared in Thrive Global – the leading media platform for health and wellness.