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  • Great Book – The Fountainhead

    The Fountainhead has been one of Ayn Ryand’s most prolific work. Though it is famous for its philosophy of individualism, I love it for its intellectually challenging themes of passion, excellence, integrity and ethics. And yes it is a great love story too.

    The Fountainhead is a book every collegian reads and worships! The Fountainhead is a tribute to positive selfishness (?), individualism, ego and is based on Ayn Rand’s theory of objectivism. Once you start reading The Fountainhead, it is difficult to put it down. Though I do not always tend to agree with her, I am amazed at her thoughts. She is refreshing, creative and too engrossing. While The Fountainhead is about people behaving in a certain way, Atlas Shrugged is why they behave in that way. The Fountainhead is the favorite book of loads of people including students, celebrities and CEOs. Imagine this was a book that was rejected by many publishers.

    Sample these Ayn Rand quotes :
    1. Wealth is the product of a man’s capacity to think.
    2. I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.

    The story of The Fountainhead is centered on an architect, Howard Roark. Howard Roark was a Brilliant young architect whose integrity was as unyielding as the granite of the buildings he created. This is the story of his violent battle against the world’s standards and conventions, and of his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who loved him passionately, yet struggled to defeat him. The theme of this record-breaking bestseller is that man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress.

    The theme of individualism vs. collectivism, or self vs. selfless, runs throughout philosophy. The story is mostly concerned with ethics, though. The Fountainhead deals with issues of: selflessness, altruism, collectivism, creativity, aesthetics, love, sex, morality, and how to live morally.

    The Fountainhead is the fastest book that I have read. I was up the whole night while reading this book and while in the lecture next day, my mind was on the plot ahead. I completed the book in less than 48 hours. Go – read it!

  • Welcome Mumbai Rains!

    Quick wet notes on heavy rains in Mumbai on June 30…

    It is raining dinosaurs in Mumbai…

    I had to attend a seminar at Matunga East….I started at 8 reluctantly….The heavy rains and the dark environment did not encourage me to go out…but I had to go…work is important…also I had to go to Gujarat then….but the impact of rains hit me when I saw the empty streets…I could not get auto for 10-15 minutes…a few of did not agree to take me to my destination…i changed my plans and decided to go to office instead…one auto fellow agreed…but he said i will no go by Western Express highway…i will leave you only till Kandivali station…then you take another auto…I agree…we started our journey…I could see streets submerged in waters..children and young people were coming back from school and college as they had been closed and people asked to reach home..they were playing and enjoying the rains…the freedom to get wet and go home late was inviting….elsewhere labourers and daily wage workers were waiting for buses and walking down…they could not afford to lose their daily wage….suddenly my auto fellow stopped….he did not agree to go ahead any more….the water ahead was too deep and he did not have courage…i argued with him without success…then i told him that atleast you could take me to the nearest station i.e. Malad and we returned backwards towards Malad Station…there were many people on the station…..trains were running late by hours…the usual railway announcements continued in a tone and voice which no one ever understands….trains to churchgate were more frequent…i saw Ferozpur Express and Saurashtra Express which were late by hours….sadly trains to Borivali – the opposite direction – were very rare…after 25-30 minutes, a train arrived with people standing out and on top of it…that is normal in Mumbai trains but today there were more people….something like train from Pakistan to India during Partition days….full of people with different emotions – some were enjoying rain while some were fed up of it…i managed to get in and also caught with two of my colleagues in the train who had boarded from Andheri…I got down at Kandivali and luckily got an auto..reached office at 10…2 hours after I started from home….the only problem was that my entire bag was throughly drenched and my clothes for Ahmedabad were now wet and damp….they are now getting dried in my training room while i have reduced my six pocket to bermuda by remove its 1/4th part….

    People today are afraid of July 26 now….not many people in offices…also it is a saturday so there is less attendance….so I can clear my backlog today…

    Welcome Mumbai Rains….It means so many things for so many people…..for romantics it is the season of love….for school children and office goers – an excuse for extra holiday….for workholics like me – a time for clearing workload….for Govt / PSU / Public utitlies – more work and more alertness to ensure continuous service….for daily wage earner – an interruption for some and a new opportunity for some….for all of us – enjoying the new color and new season of mother nature..

  • Erasing The Past

    I have erased my past. I am trying to start all over again. Nitya says that our past is never erased – and that’s a good or bad thing depending on your past. But I think that most people are so obsessed with their past that they never move ahead in life. The best example is INDIA. Past should never be an handicap but a source of strength and wisdom.

    I like the quote: Nothing is more crushing to your laurels than resting on them. Also, Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it!

    There is a alternative school of thought which says that live for the present. But that does not mean that we forget past or be careless about the future. The idea is to learn to enjoy the present and now get too worried about both past and future. Plan for the future, learn from the past but live and enjoy the present too.

    And that indeed is a sensible idea. We need to live for today. Give your best and forget the rest. Easy to preach, difficult to practice!

  • Innovative Retention Strategies

    Sarita Hegde shared an interesting article named HR Baits To Hook Job Hoppers:

    Faced with rising attrition companies are exploring ways to keep employees hooked and engaged while delaying their departures.

    From innovative insurance schemes, subsidized degrees and diplomas from top colleges, to deferred bonuses and in-house mutual funds… HR is doing everything they can to retain their employees.

    High attrition sectors like retail, telecom, financial services, IT and ITeS are party to these innovative schemes more than anyone else.

    Companies not listed on stock exchanges are using shadow options to retain employees. Candidates are being provided the book value of the shares over a period of 3-5 years, a part in third year, a part in the fourth year and subsequently the rest, provided they stick on for the fifth consecutive year in the company.

    Kicker bonuses — performance-linked bonuses paid over a period of time are also being used as a strategy for the senior management. Retention bonuses have also worked well for companies to reduce attrition.

    Pantaloon Retail has introduced a unique insurance plan, where relatives of an employee, in the event of the employee’s death, get his/ her pay package as the insured sum for the service period left in the company. This is particularly beneficial as the pay packages are revised at equal intervals. It has received immense response from the employees and families. It is specifically targeted at the Tech companies are saying hello to psychometric tests as they look at capping attrition and hunting for new means of efficient hiring. These tests, which are usually given in the top three levels, starting from store managers.

    Subsidizing management development programmes for entry and mid-management levels are drawing attention. Some even sponsor the spouses along with employees for management programmes at Harvard, and pay back a certain percentage of the fees after completion of the course or when returning to their respective companies.

    GE Money has tied up with Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad, to offer a marketing course for graduates who have spent more than 6 months in the organization. About 75% of the fees for the one-year course gets reimbursed if they stay back.

  • Money Habits of Rich People

    I was analyzing the habits of successful people, who also happen to be well-off financially. I gathered these habits from online browsing and book reading.

    Rich people had the following characteristics:

    No Credit Card Debt
    No Smoking
    No Drinking
    No Big Weekends
    No TV
    Less Clutter
    Less Materialistic
    Less Needs
    More Peace of Mind

    I am sure many of us will be surprised. The real rich do not show off or flaunt their money. They are rich because they understand the value of money. The value of money is not determined by spending power. The power of money is the power to give and make a difference in lives of others.

    If we are looking for money, we will never get it. If we are driven by it, money will elude us. This century is about ideas, not money.

  • The Cult Of The Amateur

    “If we are all amateurs, there are no experts.”

    Mansukhbhai Shah recently informed about Andrew Keen’s new book, The Cult Of The Amateur. In it, the author expresses his concern for the profligacy of online amateurism, spawned by the digital revolution.
    This, he feels, has had a destructive impact on our culture, economy and values.

    Andrew Keen says, “[They] can use their networked computers to publish everything from uninformed political commentary, to unseemly home videos, to embarrassingly amateurish music, to unreadable poems, reviews, essays, and novels”.

    He complains that blogs are “collectively corrupting and confusing popular opinion about everything from politics, to commerce, to arts and culture”.

    He claims that Wikipedia perpetuates a cycle of misinformation and ignorance, and labels YouTube inane and absurd, “showing poor fools dancing, singing, eating, washing, shopping, driving, cleaning, sleeping, or just staring at their computers.”

    He warns that old media is facing extinction – “say goodbye to experts and cultural gatekeepers – our reporters, news anchors, editors, music companies, and Hollywood movie studios.”

    What do you think? Have a read and share your thoughts – is he being alarmist about the effects of the Web 2.0 revolution, or raising genuine concerns? Are we at the mercy of the amateur? Can kids tell the difference between credible news sources and the amateur’s blog? What, in any case, can be done?

    Click here to join the debate

  • Black Economy In India

    Recently, Businessworld Magazine had carried a excellent and timely cover story on the growing black economy in India.

    mag_jun04.jpg

    It is true that there is no political will as the political-bureacratic class are also involved. Some guesstimates indicate that the Black Economy is larger, deeper and wide-spread across the socio-economic strata. How many people we meet in a day? How many of them actually account for their earnings and pay taxes? Under-reportting of income is an accepted norm for doctors, contractors, builders, cable operators, restaurant barons, event managers etc. We are not speaking here of not-so-poor fruit vendors, petty traders and beauty parlor owners or officially illegal trade such as drugs, trafficing etc.

    The surprising thing is the ‘crawl when asked to bend’ approach of financial authorities. It is no wonder that legitimate Indian businesses are setting up operations overseas and talented Indians are migrating. After a point, patriotism sounds a cruel joke when we look at the politicians.

    Yet the India Story remains intact. The power of young Indians remains in place. Only the pace and direction might see some correction.

    Some of my comments have been published in the latest issue of Businessworld.

  • Apple Launches Safari for Windows

    The internet browser space is getting hotter with the launch of Apple‘s Safari for Windows. I liked the following features in Safari 3:

    Tabbed Browsing
    This is one feature that was badly needed in Safari. So no need to open multiple windows or shift to Mozilla for tabbed browsing.

    With tabbed browsing in Safari, you can open and switch between multiple web pages in a single window. Drag and drop your tabs to rearrange them, open one in a new browser window, or merge all your current windows into one tabbed window.

    Private browsing
    Your browsing is your business. Which is exactly why Safari offers private browsing — to keep your online activities private. Turn on private browsing and Safari won’t store your Google searches, your cookies, the history of sites you’ve visited, your download history, or information from online forms you’ve filled out.

    Faster Performance
    The fastest web browser on any platform, Safari loads pages up to 2 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2. And it executes JavaScript up to 2.8 times faster than Internet Explorer 7 and up to 1.6 times faster than Firefox 2.

    Pop-up blocking
    Steve Jobs launced Safari at Apple’s Conference for Developers for Apple Products and also talked on Leopard, the highly awaited OS from Apple.

    BBC News reported the following:

    Chief executive Steve Jobs said Apple “dream big” and wanted to expand the 4.9% market share Safari enjoys. A test version of Safari 3 for Windows XP, Vista and Apple Macs running OSX, is available for download from the Apple website. Apple is hoping to replicate the success of iTunes, which has proved enormously popular on both Macs and Windows machines.

    Mr Jobs used the conference to lift the lid on new features of its forthcoming operating system (OS) for Macs, called Leopard. He said the OS has 300 new features and demoed 10, including a new organisational system for the desktop called Stacks and a new folder system which lets users browse files and applications visually, just as music lovers can browse album covers in iTunes.

  • What Parents Know About Money!

    Parents and we might have a different view on certain apsects of money. However, not everything they believe is wrong. Some ideas and insghts are classical and stand the test of time.

    Rediff Archives has a note named What Mom Thought About Money which discusses the above fact. It says:
    1. More Money Is Not Solution – Managing money is. Setting priorities for expenses and planning it means better money management.
    2. The 80:20 Principle – Eighty percent of the things we buy, we use 20% of the time. And 20% of the things we buy, we use 80% of the time. (See my previous post Less Is More!)
    3. Always Tie Loose Ends – Do not postpone credit card debt. What needs to be done, must be done.
    4. Budget for emergencies!
    5. Bargain – Will be amazed to see how much it actually works!

  • What Parents Do Not Know About Money!

    One of the areas where I have a different opinion from my parents, is money! It is due to various reasons:
    1. Economic Situation of India Is Different Today
    2. Earning – Spending – Saving Habits Are Different Today
    3. Overall Philosophy  Is Different Today – Ideas, Quality of Life, Self Actualization etc Are More Important Now. Earlier Money Was A Guarantee To Good Life.

    My parents frown when I spend good bucks on restaurant food or movie or see my credit card bills. I see this expenses as rewarding self or enjoying some money for today rather than wait for tomorrow. I am sure many of my friends also face this unique situation.

    Recently, I came across a wonderful Rediff archive which revolved around the same idea : What Parents Did Not Teach About Money!

    Here is the gist and my comments:

    1. Debt is good – Depends on how you use it. If for education, go ahead.
    2. Stock market is not only for gamblers – Think long term!
    3. Credit card can work for you – If you pay within credit free period. Offer convenience of not carrying cash.
    4. Jewellery is an lousy investment
    5. The bank is not the best place to park your money – Obvious! Interest here is peanuts and you actually lose money, if you factor in the inflation.