The source of the problem

The reasons for this sorry state of affairs are not far to seek. The Western idea of management
centers on making the worker (and the manager) more efficient and more productive. Companies
offer workers more to work more, produce more, sell more and to stick to the organization without
looking for alternatives. The sole aim of extracting better and more work from the worker is to
improve the bottom‐line of the enterprise. The worker has become a hirable commodity, which can
be used, replaced and discarded at will.
Thus, workers have been reduced to the state of a mercantile product. In such a state, it should
come as no surprise to us that workers start using strikes (gheraos) sit‐ins, (dharnas) go‐slows, workto‐
rule etc. to get maximum benefit for themselves from the organizations. Society‐at‐large is
damaged. Thus we reach a situation in which management and workers become separate and
contradictory entities with conflicting interests. There is no common goal or understanding. This,
predictably, leads to suspicion, friction, disillusion and mistrust, with managers and workers at cross
purposes. The absence of human values and erosion of human touch in the organizational structure
has resulted in a crisis of confidence.
Western management philosophy may have created prosperity – for some people some of the time
at least ‐ but it has failed in the aim of ensuring betterment of individual life and social welfare. It has
remained by and large a soulless edifice and an oasis of plenty for a few in the midst of poor quality
of life for many.
Hence, there is an urgent need to re‐examine prevailing management disciplines ‐ their objectives,
scope and content. Management should be redefined to underline the development of the worker
as a person, as a human being, and not as a mere wage‐earner. With this changed perspective,
management can become an instrument in the process of social, and indeed national, development.
Now let us re‐examine some of the modern management concepts in the light of the Bhagavad Gita
which is a primer of management‐by‐values.

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Old truths in a new context

The Bhagavad Gita, written thousands of years ago, enlightens us on all managerial techniques
leading us towards a harmonious and blissful state of affairs in place of the conflict, tensions, poor
productivity, absence of motivation and so on, common in most of Indian enterprises today – and
probably in enterprises in many other countries.
The modern (Western) management concepts of vision, leadership, motivation, excellence in work,
achieving goals, giving work meaning, decision making and planning, are all discussed in the
Bhagavad Gita. There is one major difference. While Western management thought too often deals
with problems at material, external and peripheral levels, the Bhagavad Gita tackles the issues from
the grass roots level of human thinking. Once the basic thinking of man is improved, it will
automatically enhance the quality of his actions and their results.
The management philosophy emanating from the West is based on the lure of materialism and on a
perennial thirst for profit, irrespective of the quality of the means adopted to achieve that goal. This
phenomenon has its source in the abundant wealth of the West and so 'management by
materialism' has caught the fancy of all the countries the world over, India being no exception to this
trend. My country, India, has been in the forefront in importing these ideas mainly because of its
centuries old indoctrination by colonial rulers, which has inculcated in us a feeling that anything
Western is good and anything Indian, is inferior.
The result is that, while huge funds have been invested in building temples of modem management
education, no perceptible changes are visible in the improvement of the general quality of life ‐
although the standards of living of a few has gone up. The same old struggles in almost all sectors of
the economy, criminalization of institutions, social violence, exploitation and other vices are seen
deep in the body politic.

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Gita Saar for Management Gurus (In Short)

One of the greatest contributions of India to the world is Holy Gita which is considered to be one of the first revelations from God.
Bhagavad‐Gita the essence of Vedic Literature and a complete guide to practical
life. It provides "all that is needed to raise the consciousness of man to the highest possible level."
Arjuna got mentally depressed when he saw his relatives with whom he has to fight.
(Mental health has become a major international public health concern now). To motivate him the
Bhagavad Gita is preached in the battle field Kurukshetra by Lord Krishna to Arjuna as counseling to
do his duty while multitudes of men stood by waiting. It has got all the management tactics to
achieve the mental equilibrium and to overcome any crisis situation. The Bhagavad Gita can be
experienced as a powerful catalyst for transformation. Bhagavad Gita means song of the Spirit, song
of the Lord. The Holy Gita has become a secret driving force behind the unfoldment of one's life. In
the days of doubt this divine book will support all spiritual searches. This divine book will contribute
to self reflection, finer feeling and deepen one's inner process. Then life in the world can become a
real education—dynamic, full and joyful—no matter what the circumstance. May the wisdom of
loving consciousness ever guide us on our journey? What makes the Holy Gita a practical psychology
of transformation is that it offers us the tools to connect with our deepest intangible essence and we
must learn to participate in the battle of life with right knowledge?
The Holy Gita is the essence of the Vedas, Upanishads. It is a universal scripture applicable to people
of all temperaments and for all times. It is a book with sublime thoughts and practical instructions on
Yoga, Devotion, Vedanta and Action. It is profound in thought and sublime in heights of vision. It
brings peace and solace to souls that are afflicted by the three fires of mortal existence, namely,
afflictions caused by one's own body (disease etc), those caused by beings around one (e.g. wild
animals, snakes etc.), and those caused by the gods (natural disasters, earth‐quakes, floods etc).
Mind can be one's friend or enemy. Mind is the cause for both bondage and liberation. The word
mind is derived from man to think and the word man derived from Manu (Sanskrit word for man).
"The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone's heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all
living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy."
There is no theory to be internalized and applied in this psychology. Ancient practices spontaneously
induce what each person needs as the individual and the universal coincide. The work proceeds
through intellectual knowledge of the playing field (jnana yoga), emotional devotion to the ideal
(bhakti yoga) and right action that includes both feeling and knowledge (karma yoga). With ongoing
purification we approach wisdom. The Bhagavad Gita is a message addressed to each and every
human individual to help him or her to solve the vexing problem of overcoming the present and
progressing towards a bright future. Within its eighteen chapters is revealed a human drama. This is
the experience of everyone in this world, the drama of the ascent of man from a state of utter
dejection, sorrow and total breakdown and hopelessness to a state of perfect understanding, clarity,
renewed strength and triumph.
Mind is very restless, forceful and strong, O Krishna, it is more difficult to control the mind than to
control the wind ~ Arjuna to Sri Krishna

In this modern world the art of Management has become a part and parcel of everyday life, be it at
home, in the office or factory and in Government. In all organizations, where a group of human
beings assemble for a common purpose irrespective of caste, creed, and religion, management
principles come into play through the management of resources, finance and planning, priorities,
policies and practice. Management is a systematic way of carrying out activities in any field of
human effort.
Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant, says
the Management Guru Peter Drucker. It creates harmony in working together ‐ equilibrium in
thoughts and actions, goals and achievements, plans and performance, products and markets. It
resolves situations of scarcity, be they in the physical, technical or human fields, through maximum
utilization with the minimum available processes to achieve the goal. Lack of management causes
disorder, confusion, wastage, delay, destruction and even depression. Managing men, money and
materials in the best possible way, according to circumstances and environment, is the most
important and essential factor for a successful management. It should literally transform how people
think and help them finally realize the potential of a truly universal knowledge that is wisdom.

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Finding Love Again

Life partners, lovers, friends, companions – they all have different names through out our lives. No matter which stage of life we find ourselves in, we all seek companionship of one kind or another.

So, the story goes..

You have lost a spouse from a terrible disease or a tragic accident, someone you relied on each and every day for even the smallest of things. Someone who captured your heart and made it go pitter patter. Someone who was the peanut butter to your jelly.

I imagine you wonder if you would ever be happy again.

Some years later, along comes someone, an old friend, someone reliable, kind and someone you are comfortable with. It’s like your batteries have been put on a charger and zap… you smile, not just a simple smile, but one of those curling toes and goose bump smiles.

You feel alive again, you feel needed, wanted and loved in a way you questioned if it was possible ever again.

A beautiful story – finding love again.

What is being replaced is emptiness & lonliness, what’s being replaced is a tear of sadness for one of joy.

Peace

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Friendship, Love, Romance - Everyone has a story

Everyone has a story...
It's not how you tell it,,,
It's How You LIVE it..!!!

Friendship, love and Romance are special part of life...
To Live for your dream is the only thing that makes you go on & on & on...

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Management guidelines from the Bhagavad Gita

• There is an important distinction between effectiveness and efficiency in managing.
• Effectiveness is doing the right things.
• Efficiency is doing things right.
• The general principles of effective management can be applied in every field, the differences
being more in application than in principle. The Manager's functions can be summed up as:
• Forming a vision
• Planning the strategy to realize the vision.
• Cultivating the art of leadership.
• Establishing institutional excellence.
• Building an innovative organization.
• Developing human resources.
• Building teams and teamwork.
• Delegation, motivation, and communication.
• Reviewing performance and taking corrective steps when called for.

Thus, management is a process of aligning people and getting them committed to work for a
common goal to the maximum social benefit ‐ in search of excellence.
The critical question in all managers' minds is how to be effective in their job. The answer to this
fundamental question is found in the Bhagavad Gita, which repeatedly proclaims that "you must try
to manage yourself." The reason is that unless a manager reaches a level of excellence and
effectiveness, he or she will be merely a face in the crowd.

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Javed Akhtar Special

Kin lafzo'n mein itni kadvi itni kaseeli baat likhoo'n
sher ki maen tehzeeb nibahoo'n ya apne haalaat likhoo'n.


Aisay kia hum ne safar na humsafar na raahbar
utth kar giray,gir kar utthay, jaisay bhi ho chaltay rahe .


Kya khuda ka wasta kya buto'n (idols) ka wasta
aadmi ke waastay aadmi ka saath do. (Jan nisar akhtar)


Her khushi mein koi kami si hai.
Hansti aankhon mein bhi nami (wetness) si hai..


Zindagi tanha safar ki raat hai
apne apne hauslay ki baat hai .(Jan nisar akhtar)

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11 in 2011

This year we are going to experience four unusual dates -
1 - 1/1/11
2 - 1/11/11
3 - 11/1/11
4 - 11/11/11
and that`s not all.
Take the last two digits of your year of birth.
Now add the age youwill be this year,
and the result will be 111 for everyone!
This is the year of Money!
This year October will have 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays and 5 Saturdays.
This happens only every 823 years.
These particular years are known as "MONEYBAGS"
The proverb goes that this year if for Money as per Chinese Feng- Shui.
So make Money.. Honey..

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Bhagavad Gita and Management World Management Lessons from India

The despondency of Arjuna in the first chapter of the Gita is typically human. Sri Krishna, by sheer
power of his inspiring words, changes Arjuna's mind from a state of inertia to one of righteous
action, from the state of what the French philosophers call "anomie" or even alienation, to a state of
self‐confidence in the ultimate victory of "dharma" (ethical action.)
When Arjuna got over his despondency and stood ready to fight, Sri Krishna reminded him of the
purpose of his new‐found spirit of intense action ‐ not for his own benefit, not for satisfying his own
greed and desire, but for the good of many, with faith in the ultimate victory of ethics over unethical
actions and of truth over untruth.
Sri Krishna's advice with regard to temporary failures is, "No doer of good ever ends in misery."
Every action should produce results. Good action produces good results and evil begets nothing but
evil. Therefore, always act well and be rewarded.
My purport is not to suggest discarding of the Western model of efficiency, dynamism and striving
for excellence but to tune these ideals to India's holistic attitude of "lokasangraha" ‐ for the welfare
of many, for the good of many. There is indeed a moral dimension to business life. What we do in
business is no different, in this regard, to what we do in our personal lives. The means do not justify
the ends. Pursuit of results for their own sake is ultimately self‐defeating. ("Profit," said Matsushitasan
in another tradition "is the reward of correct behavior." – Ed.)

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Chetan Bhagat @ Symbiosis

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Luv U Meow (Maa.. Meri Maa... Pyaari Maa.. Muma..)

Thanks for always being the ones to pack my lunches,
clean my rooms, give me luv, pamper me and get on my very last nerves.

Without you, many of I would not have become what I am today.

To celebrate all you hard work, sufferings, sacrifices and no monetary pay.
I want to thank you on this Mother’s Day (May 8,2011).

I m lucky to have you
and YES m proud of u too.

LUv UUu

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ShahRukh – Gauri: The Real Love Story

Shahrukh’s personal story can never be complete if one were not to talk about his romance and subsequent marriage with Gauri Chhiba, the daughter of retired Major Ramesh Chhiba, who had been born a vegetarian, was a Hindu Brahmin, and even had a temple within his house. Shahrukh being a Muslim in India where religion plays a key role while deciding the destiny of marital alliances, his marrying Gauri whom he had met in 1984 and eventually married in 1991 was indeed a tough task to accomplish.

The relationship between the two had been kept under wraps, and understandably so because Gauri’s parents would not have accepted it. Or, so it seemed for quite some time even while the twosome continued to meet up for six long years. The youngest in a Punjabi joint family with around 15 members, that Gauri would marry someone from her community was a foregone conclusion.

As for Shahrukh, he was willing to do anything to get her in his life, and it is said that he had entered Gauri’s household by posing as Abhimanyu during the girl’s birthdayparty. Abhimanyu…. Who? Yes! The character that Shahrukh had just started to play in the television serial Fauji that was being directed by the retired Lieutenant Colonel Raj Kapoor. The serial based on life in the army had made Shahrukh’s character really popular, and people around even said that he looked quite a bit like Dilip Kumar when he attended the birthday party in Gauri’s house that day.


The story of Shahrukh and Gauri’s relationship continued to add a new chapter with every passing day, and not all of them were bliss-laden as is the case with all human relationships. He was tremendously, in fact uncomfortably possessive about his lady love, so much that he would pick up a quarrel with her even if she let her hair down… literally. Finally, Gauri lost her cool and realized that she wanted to get away from the emotional bedlam in 1989. Without informing Shahrukh, she came down to Mumbai with her pals just a day after the former had celebrated her birthday in his room by decorating it the best way he could have and giving her lots of presents.

It was when Gauri had left for Mumbai that Cupid shot that one decisive arrow. Shahrukh just had gone to the city of dreams where his love had gone, and he ended up telling everything to his mother who was supportive and open-minded as always. Not only did she give her son Rs 10,000, she also advised him to go to Mumbai and get his love back. Shahrukh went there with his friends, and what followed sounds like a chapter straight out of fictional romantic folklore.

In the huge city, he and his friends kept looking for Gauri, and especially around the beachees because of his awareness that she was attracted to them in a big way. On the last day of his stay in Mumbai, since he had run short of financial fuel obviously, a cab guy advised him to go to a place called the Aksa Beach. From there, they ferried across to a place called Gorai and, after searching frantically, managed to track her down when she was standing in the water! Once the duo saw each other, they embraced each other and started crying. That was the defining moment in their relationship, because it was clear to both of them that they need to be with each other all their lives.

The problem the couple apprehended was because of Gauri’s set-up that consisted of simple people who were loyal to Indian social norms and did not question the tenets of tradition: which, in this case, implied that having a son-in-law who belonged to a different religion. This was a thought that would have never crossed their minds. But the time when the twosome had to marry had to surface some day or the other, and that did happen in 1991. The couple went ahead and put up a notice for a court marriage which, according to the Indian marital laws, meant that their names were displayed in front of the court in a notice for one long month.

Shahrukh and Gauri had to hide the notice from their parents, so they did the most obvious thing. They gave a address and said it was their own. The poor fellow had to suffer the repercussions. The parochial among the Hindus made a group and shouted in front of his house, and so did their Muslim counterpart. During those 30 days, the life of his friend was absolutely miserable, but then both Shahrukh and Gauri did not have a choice because they were really concerned about the latter’s parents.

Those 30 days proved to be critical for the young couple. They worked hard towards convincing Gauri’s parents, and eventually managed to make them see their point of view. That they would have a court marriage after the notice period got over was decided upon, and it was on August 26 that this ceremony was finally solemnised in the court. They also got married in keeping with Hindu and Muslim traditions seperately. In fact, it was Gauri who insisted that they should have a Muslim wedding too, and the roots of a secular family set-up had been firmly established be them.

This was the time when Shahrukh was making his initial forays in Bollywood, and among his forthcoming films were Deewana and Raju Bangaya Gentleman while he was shooting for Dil Aashna Hai as well.

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