akeb

Category: Ideas & Wisdom

  • Google ReUnion Ad : Emotional, Moving, Humane !

    The Google Reunion Ad Has Gone Viral ! It Has Crossed More Than 4 Million Hits Within 4-5 Days Of Release. It Is Love And Hailed On Both Sides Of The Border In Real World. The Online World Including Blogs, Twitters, FaceBook Is Spreading The Message !

    The Google Reunion Ad Is Highly Commendable Work. The Ad Is Emotional, Moving, Humane ! It Is A Warm Story Told Very Beautifully. Very Tear-Inducing. Very Smart As Well – It Goes Beyond The Usual Indo-Pak Stories. It Re-Ignites The Need To Move Forward And Have A Healing Touch !

    People On Both Sides Of The Border Want To Have A Positive Relationship. People On Both Sides To Look At Sunny Side Of The Things. People On Both Sides Want To Celebrate Similarities Rather Than Differences. This Ad Should Be Shown To All Politicians, Bureaucrats On Both-Sides !

    The Ad Is A Clever Piece Of Localization By Google ! It Not Only Highlights The Power Of Google But Also Connects Google To Two Countries. The 3.32 Minutes Will Be The Best Investment Made By Them – It Increase The Local Connect Of Google !

    The Ad Tells The Story Of Two Boys Who Were Separated 66 Years Ago Following The South Asian Subcontinent’s Independence From British Colonial Rule And Its Subsequent Partition.The Advertisement Explains How The Two Friends Are Brought Together Again By Their Grandchildren Using Google Searches. After The India-Based Man Tells His Granddaughter About How He And His Friend Used To Steal A Sweet Called “Jhajariya” From A Shop Close To “An Old Gate” In Lahore, The Girl Uses The Clues To Search On Google And Eventually Tracks Down His Long-Lost Friend. She Contacts The Pakistan-Based Friend’s Grandson Who Also Trawls Google For Advice On How To Obtain An Indian Visa And The Advertisement Ends With An Emotional Surprise Birthday Reunion In India.

    Google – Congrats For The Great AD
    Ogilvy – Great Work Done !

  • The LunchBox – Food For Thought – Watch It !

    The LunchBox – Food For Thought – Watch It !

    The Lunchbox is a moving story of two lonely individuals in a big metropolis, who accidentally get connected and developed a liking for each other. It is a simple love story made with lot of care and attention to detail.

    Mr Saajan Fernandes is a widower on the verge of retirement. Ila is a neglected wife busy with her daily routine. Ila sends lunch to her husband via the Mumbai Dabbawallas. The lunch box reaches Mr Saajan instead of her husband and this is where their connect starts. They exchange notes and get some solace from each other.

    The outstanding performances of Irrfan, Nimrat and Nawazuddin light up the movie. Aunty’s voice is the fourth lead in her own way. Irffan delivers another stellar performance after Paan Singh Tomar . His body language, his eyes, his his walk, his sadness, his smoking, his dilemma – Irrfan is the finest actor in the country. Nawaz is a strong match to Irrfan and he shines as Irrfan’s junior. But the heart of the movie is Nimrat Kaur – her effortless acting and her portrayal of the neglected and cheated wife moves you. You want her to be happy – you want to make her smile. Amazing act ! What a find !

    The movie shines by capturing observations of Mumbai city and humans trapped in the city. The Mumbai Dabbawallas are the backbone of the movie. The Dabbawalla refuses to acknowledge the mistake and claims that Harvard School and Prince Charles have come to study their famed delivery – how can they go wrong? Mr Saajan is a Catholic and is disturbed that he will get a vertical burial. “I’ve spent my life standing in trains and buses,” he says, “now I will have to stand even when I’m dead.”

    Nawaz’s Act, Playful Children, Ila’s Mother’s Loneliness, Ila’s Husband’s Adultery add strong shades in this colorful painting. Orient Fan, Streetside Painter’s Paintings, Ila’s Seduction Attempt, Banana Eaters are the other rich textures.

    Go watch it ! One of the best movies of the year !

    LunchBox is Food For Thought but somehow it makes you hungry after the movie !

  • Life Is Beautiful – Cherish It With Safety

    Life Is Beautiful – Cherish It With Safety

    Accidents bring lot of dreams and aspirations to a crash. Often with blood and tears. The pointer of guilt is a secondary factor as the biggest damage is already done.

    Though destiny cannot be changed, we can change our habits to reduce the damage:

    1. Helmets – Helmets can reduce the extent of damage. All people on two-wheelers need to wear it. It is not cool to not wear the helmets – though many think it otherwise.
    2. Mobiles – Mobiles have changed us as human beings. Conversations can distract us from the road situation and blind us to impending disasters. I amazed to see young men and women speaking on mobile with and without hands-free. People fix mobile phone in the helmet and talk. Women drive Activa with a single hand. Please avoid it.
    3. Speed – Speed Thrills. Speed Kills. Let us get our highs and adrenaline rushes from our achievements, great work. Life is not a Xbox game.
    4. Traffic Rules – Traffic rules exist for a reason. We need to be aware and obey the basic traffic rules. Ahmedabad is notorious for the lack of traffic sense. Why? Let us be the change. Let us not break traffic rules. Let us avoid the temptation of going in the wrong side. Let us avoid the temptation of jumping the light.

    Let us always remember that someone is waiting for us at home. Loved ones and their entire world depends on you. Many times, parents have cut their stomaches, sacrificed dreams and given up luxuries to educate us and see us go ahead in life. Let us value that.

  • Dravid’s Wisdom

    Dravid’s Wisdom

    Rahul Dravid is an leader who walks the talk. He is a leader who is grounded, humble, sincere, achiever and team-player. He has taken a stand on the current cricket controversy – he speaks his mind and he is fearless. We know many ex-cricketers who just sit back and enjoy perks from BCCI. He has chosen to show the mirror. Great Act !

    Here is a Quick Edit which appeared on Mint. Worth repeating !

    Rahul Dravid has always been a class act, both on the field and off it. It is thus good to see him remind cricket administrators, in an interview, that the success of the game rides on the loyalty of the fans. He had made a similar point in his wonderful Sir Donald Bradman Oration in 2011.

    Indian cricket is facing a credibility crisis, with administrative turf wars, betting controversies and conflicts of interest. The situation was similar in the mid-1990s. Dravid was one of a generation of cricketers who not only came together in a formidable combination on field, but also brought credibility to the game with their exemplary behaviour. The others were Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, V.V.S. Laxman and Anil Kumble.

    Dravid makes a point that has far broader relevance: Politicians owe their jobs to voters, CEOs to shareholders, bureaucrats to citizens, journalists to readers.

  • The Increasing Tribe Of Graphical Novels !

    The Increasing Tribe Of Graphical Novels !

    As The Attention Deficit Increases, The Need For Innovative Marketing Medium Increases. How Do We Engage The Audience Better Is A Key Question? How Do We Ensure Stickiness?

    The World Is Moving Towards Video And Images. An Important Trend Has Been Graphical Novel !

    Many People Think Graphical Novel Is For Kids. But It Is Finding Increasing Acceptance Across The Board. All Of Us Still Have A Kid In Us. I Still Love My TinTin Comics As Well As Chacha Choudhary Comics. Chandmama Was A Staple Diet.

     

    The Zen Of Steve Jobs Was A First Big Hit For Graphical Novel Movement. Today, It Is A Very Popular Medium. Even Bollywood Movies Have Graphical Novels. Gandhiji’s Auto-Biography Will Be Released In Graphical Novel Form.

    I Came Across This In Mint – Produced By Manta Ray. Check Out The Theme Of Our Genius !

    free digital copy

  • Ship Of Theseus – The Finest Indian Movie !

    Intellectual & Visual Treat !!!
    India’s Oscar Nomination !!!
    The Film Of The Year !!!

    Watch It ! No Review – Just Watch It !

  • Warren Buffet’s The Philanthropic Pledge

    Warren Buffet’s The Philanthropic Pledge

    Warren Buffet is an inspirational hero to one and many ! He has been a legend in the investing world but his philanthropic pledge has put him in the same league as Rockerfeller and Tata. Even Bill Gates has changed his legacy !

    I am reproducing Warren Buffet’s Philanthropic Pledge – It is worth reading !

    “In 2006, I made a commitment to gradually give all of my Berkshire Hathaway stock to philanthropic foundations. I couldn’t be happier with that decision.

    Now, Bill and Melinda Gates and I are asking hundreds of rich Americans to pledge at least 50% of their wealth to charity. So I think it is fitting that I reiterate my intentions and explain the thinking that lies behind them.

    First, my pledge: More than 99% of my wealth will go to philanthropy during my lifetime or at death. Measured by dollars, this commitment is large. In a comparative sense, though, many individuals give more to others every day.

    Millions of people who regularly contribute to churches, schools, and other organizations thereby relinquish the use of funds that would otherwise benefit their own families. The dollars these people drop into a collection plate or give to United Way mean forgone movies, dinners out, or other personal pleasures. In contrast, my family and I will give up nothing we need or want by fulfilling this 99% pledge.

    Moreover, this pledge does not leave me contributing the most precious asset, which is time. Many people, including — I’m proud to say — my three children, give extensively of their own time and talents to help others. Gifts of this kind often prove far more valuable than money. A struggling child, befriended and nurtured by a caring mentor, receives a gift whose value far exceeds what can be bestowed by a check. My sister, Doris, extends significant person-to-person help daily. I’ve done little of this.

    What I can do, however, is to take a pile of Berkshire Hathaway stock certificates — “claim checks” that when converted to cash can command far-ranging resources — and commit them to benefit others who, through the luck of the draw, have received the short straws in life. To date about 20% of my shares have been distributed (including shares given by my late wife, Susan Buffett). I will continue to annually distribute about 4% of the shares I retain. At the latest, the proceeds from all of my Berkshire shares will be expended for philanthropic purposes by 10 years after my estate is settled. Nothing will go to endowments; I want the money spent on current needs.

    This pledge will leave my lifestyle untouched and that of my children as well. They have already received significant sums for their personal use and will receive more in the future. They live comfortable and productive lives. And I will continue to live in a manner that gives me everything that I could possibly want in life.

    Some material things make my life more enjoyable; many, however, would not. I like having an expensive private plane, but owning a half-dozen homes would be a burden. Too often, a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner. The asset I most value, aside from health, is interesting, diverse, and long-standing friends.

    My wealth has come from a combination of living in America, some lucky genes, and compound interest. Both my children and I won what I call the ovarian lottery. (For starters, the odds against my 1930 birth taking place in the U.S. were at least 30 to 1. My being male and white also removed huge obstacles that a majority of Americans then faced.)

    My luck was accentuated by my living in a market system that sometimes produces distorted results, though overall it serves our country well. I’ve worked in an economy that rewards someone who saves the lives of others on a battlefield with a medal, rewards a great teacher with thank-you notes from parents, but rewards those who can detect the mispricing of securities with sums reaching into the billions. In short, fate’s distribution of long straws is wildly capricious.

    The reaction of my family and me to our extraordinary good fortune is not guilt, but rather gratitude. Were we to use more than 1% of my claim checks on ourselves, neither our happiness nor our well-being would be enhanced. In contrast, that remaining 99% can have a huge effect on the health and welfare of others. That reality sets an obvious course for me and my family: Keep all we can conceivably need and distribute the rest to society, for its needs. My pledge starts us down that course.”

    Very inspiring indeed !

  • The Blank Check Theory – Achieving Breakthrough Results

    The Blank Check Theory – Achieving Breakthrough Results

    Recently, I Revisited An Unusual Management Technique – The Blank Check Theory. The Theory Inspires Managers To Pursue Audacious Goals Without Worrying About Budgets.

    The Thought Is Simple. Managers And Leaders Are Taught To Work Within Limited Available Resources. Budgets Restrict Creativity And Imagination Of Managers – As Everyone Is Always Making Trade-Offs. What If Resources Were Unlimited? What If Managers Were Free To Dream Big And Act Without Worrying About Budgets?

    The Blank Check Theory Believes That When Teams Work With Blank Check, They Deliver Outstanding Results. The Are Accountable For Results But They Decide Their Budgets. They Are More Inspired And Act With More Ownership.

    The Concept Of The Blank Check Was Floated By Sanjay Khosla, Kraft’s President Of Developing Markets, And Mohanbir Sawhney, A Professor At The Kellogg School Of Management At Northwestern University, Writing In Strategy & Business Magazine. They Shared Multiple Examples Of How Blank Check Allowed Teams To Envision And Achieve Breakthrough Results.

    For Instance In 2007 Tang, The Old Powdered Breakfast Drink, Was Doing Poorly Around The World, So Executives At Kraft Gave People In Charge Of The Brand In Various Countries A ‘Blank Check,’ Essentially Urging Them To Dream Big And Not Worry About Resources. The Results Were Astounding. In The Five Years, Tang Doubled Sales Outside The U.S.

    Kraft Applied The Same Theory In Mexico And Got Amazing Results. Kraft Gave Its Cadbury Brand In India A “Blank Check,” And The Innovations There Included Doubling The Use Of Store Display Cases That Both Presented The Chocolate Attractively And Kept It From Melting; Greatly Increasing The Advertising Budget; And Marketing The Product With A New Focus On The Indian Tradition Of Having Sweets At Important Social Moments. The Result: Record Revenues.

    The Blank Check Teams Are Held Strictly Accountable For Quantifiable Results. They Have Freedom To Act But Within The Set Of Ground Rules To Ensure The Initiatives Stay On Strategy And Produce Results.

    There Are Five Rules To Make The Blank Check Theory Work:
    1. Pick The Best Bets – Carefully Figure Out What Part Of The Business To Target, Looking For An Area With Past Success But Definite Room For Real Growth.
    2. Select The Team – Pick The Team To Bet On, Looking For People Who Are Naturally Accountable For The Business Area But Who Also Show Great Potential.
    3. Define Goals And Plans – Define The Goals And Plans, Setting Clear, Measurable Targets And Quickly Getting A Basic Proposal From The Team, Not More Than Two Pages Long.
    4. Kickoff The Initiative – Write The Blank Check, So That The Team Really Knows It Is Authorized To Proceed And Can Do Whatever It Needs To Do.
    5. Monitor Results – Monitor The Results, Setting Milestones With Clear Metrics, And Of Course Expecting A Certain Amount Of Failure Along The Way.

    The Typical First Reaction To A Blank Cheque Challenge Is Skepticism. People In Corporate Settings Have Been Trained To Think In Terms Of Budgets And Belt Tightening.

    Khosla And Sawhney Feel They’ve Proven That The “Blank Check” Can Make Great Things Happen. They Conclude:

    Even Seemingly Sleepy Businesses Hold Tremendous Untapped Potential. If Business Leaders Can Liberate Their People From The Limitations Of Budgets And Resources, They Will Find That Their People Will Surprise Both Leaders And Themselves With What They Can Achieve. This Is The Power Of Blank Checks.

  • The Eklavya Evangelist !

    Everyone of us make lot of important decisions in our life. Some turn out to be great decisions, some turn out to be lessons. I think one of the best decisions that we made was choosing Eklavya as Aditya’s school. Yes – Eklavya, the school.

    Eklavya School is one of the unique schools. To me, it represents a thought. It represents an experiment to create model citizens. It represents an idea to create smart, sensitive, aware, happy and well-rounded individuals. It is an idealistic fusion of values and life skills.

    The credit for creating Eklavya Institution goes to Shri Sunil Handa and his team. He is a genius and has created this vision and translated this into action. Equal credit goes to him team, who live and breathe his vision. The Eklavya way of life and values are noticed from the bus conductor, bus driver, watchman to everyone else in the school.

    Choosing Eklavya was a leap of faith for us. Everyone was against us. We got strong reactions which included the following:
    – You have a child just over three years and you are giving him such hardship?
    – A drive of 2 hours to and fro daily?
    – Are you mad?
    – Do not rob child’s free time?
    – You and your wife will not have any life!
    – Eklavya school is very strict?
    – Eklavya people are unreasonable and impractical – think twice?

    Even our both set of parents had some reservations. Our friends had reservations. Some still do. Primarily due to distance.

    However, we are very happy with our decision. No doubt, the distance involved is big – but every parent and child have to travel these days. If I was in Bombay and not posted in Ahmedabad, my son would have eventually spent same time in Bombay traffic.

    My wife has to spend a very good amount of time on my son’s education. I have to contribute as well. But we are happy about it. We want to be part of our child’s education process. We are not living in the ‘Child Slogs At School, Parents Live Own Life’ syndrome.

    We strongly believe that parents need to be involved with their child’s education. We cannot expect that once we enroll our child in school, our responsibility ends. It is like investing money blindly in stocks and mutual funds and expecting monthly cheques without using our intelligence and time. And every child is the biggest asset and hence their education is the biggest investment parents make! Children are our only real legacy !

    Eklavya has following good practices:
    1. Every child and teacher and educators have to travel only in the school bus. No student can drive on their own to the school. Parents cannot pick up the child from any other place.
    2. Any one parent has to attend the Parents’ Workshop every fortnight. The parent is updated on the child’s progress, the current curriculum in the class, the plan for the forthcoming fortnight etc. It is important that parents reinforce the school education to aid faster learning.
    3. Only home made food allowed in the school. Many schools have similar practice. Good for everyone!
    4. Eklavya has minimal holidays. Eklavya functions on independence day, festival days etc. I have seen that other school have frequent holidays. Eklavya ensures that festivals are celebrated in schools and children understand the rationale of festival, practices etc. A unique event is that entire household having a holiday while our son has the school. They make up for school events by working on saturdays. Some parents hate it. But this speaks of the commitment and effort on part of Eklavya school as well.
    5. Eklavya is strict on expected behavior at school.
    6. Every event and function at school is inclusive. All students participate in annual celebrations and sports. The senior students help the junior students in organizing and managing the event. (The sports days and Euphoria days are sight to see. You can see thousands of car around Eklavya. The Eklavya team does a phenomenal job at traffic management but the sheer volume of cars ensures that the highways are full of Eklavya parent vehicles. As soon the school gates open, parents run to grab the best seats to see the performance. For parents, it also becomes a good networking event)
    7. Parents have to attend the annual IPEM workshops twice a year. No excuses on that. It is required to review child’s progress and it is an opportunity for the parents to have a open discussion.
    8. Eklavya gives back to the society in spirit and action. It provides financial assistance to several students. It provides teacher training and shares best practices.

    There are many more things that they do and we love it !

    I am sure many others schools in India and Ahmedabad have been inspired by Eklavya now. Many other schools may have these similar ideas. But the key is the execution and living the values. The force behind success of Eklavya is Eklavya Team and Eklavya Founder Sunil Handa. Many people know him through his Entrepreneurship course in IIMA. He was also featured in the book ‘Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish‘. The principal with whom we interact is an epitome of humility, intelligence, care and discipline – all rolled into one ! Teachers are important role models for children and Eklavya is a good inspiration ground.

    I am called an Eklavya Evangelist at my workplace and I am accused of converting many parents. I can proudly say that we can have a Eklavya Group at our office now ! The idea is simple – the future citizens will excel only if the overall environment is re-enforcing and re-iterating the values and ideas that they value.

  • 45 Life Lessons From A 90 Year Young Person !

    I came across this blog randomly on Stumbleupon. It was too good and I took the liberty to reproduce it completely here.

    45 Life Lessons From A 90 Year Young Person !

    1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

    2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

    3. Life is too short not to enjoy it.

    4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

    5. Don’t buy stuff you don’t need.

    6. You don’t have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

    7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

    8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

    9. Save for things that matter.

    10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

    11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

    12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

    13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

    14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

    15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye… But don’t worry; God never blinks.

    16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

    17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

    18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

    19. It’s never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

    20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

    21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

    22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

    23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

    24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

    25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

    26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, ‘In five years, will this matter?’

    27. Always choose Life.

    28. Forgive but don’t forget.

    29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

    30. Time heals almost everything. Give Time time.

    31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

    32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

    33. Believe in miracles.

    34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

    35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

    36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.

    37. Your children get only one childhood.

    38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

    39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

    40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d
    grab ours back.

    41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have, not what you think you need.

    42. The best is yet to come…

    43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

    44. Yield.

    45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.