Thought Garage

Its pretty unusual for many otherwise very successful Indians to write books, about anything. Be it sharing what they have mastered or what they have thought about, leave alone preaching something. I was thrilled to see Kishore Biyani unveiling ‘ It Happened in India ’ a couple of years ago.  And I recently came to know about Nandan Nilekani touring in USA promoting his own book, ‘Imagining India’. It is another of those aha moment to cherish.  I was surprised the book cover appears different for the version that will be sold in India vs. the one that will be sold in US. The website of the book, ImaginingIndia displays the cover page (left) with seemingly thoughtful Nilekani on the cover. Where as the one I saw on Amazon has cover page (right) displaying a busy train station. Did Nilekani think, it would be embarrassing for foreigners if he had put his own face on the cover? Just like Infosys thought it would be embarrassing to foreign nationals to sing our National ...

If Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in United States and 400,000 people die from it each year, why not ban it completely? It doesn’t make any sense.  How come US Government (and governments across the world) sell licenses to kill 400,000 of its own country men and women each year?   You know, the legislation I'm signing today represents change that's been decades in the making. Since at least the middle of the last century, we've known about the harmful and often deadly effects of tobacco products. More than 400,000 Americans now die of tobacco-related illnesses each year, making it the leading cause of preventable death in the United States . More than 8 million Americans suffer from at least one serious illness caused by smoking. And these health problems cost us all more than $100 billion a year. -- President Barack Obama (At the signing of Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, 22nd June 2009) ( Link ) Whose interest it i...

As promised yesterday, I am presenting the interview with Rajesh Setty on  ‘Upbeat’, his recent book that inspires and helps to cultivate the right attitude to thrive in tough times like this recession. One of the interesting aspects of this book is the fact that the  book was originally written during the dot-com-bust with lessons learnt in building a business during that time and hence I consider it as a ‘proven’ strategy for thriving in tough times, any time.  As I mentioned yesterday I was first introduced to Rajesh Setty and Life Beyond Code through a Manifesto, 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself   published on ChangeThis about 4 years back and I have been a regular reader of Life Beyond Code blog since then.  I am always inspired by the passion he brings into every thing he does. Be it a blog, tweets, e-books or his squidoo lenses.  Many of you know Rajesh as the man behind ‘(Life) Beyond Code’ , but Rajesh is also involved in a few companies in s...

  “ T here are about 6.7 Billion people in this world that we know of.  Whether you believe in ‘Creation’ or ‘Evolution’, this human race started with a tiny number. It is quite amazing to see how fast it multiplies. What is more amazing is that every single individual in that 6 billion crowd is born ‘unique’.  Quite literally, you are born to be one in a billion , whether you believe it or not. “ This was the Introduction to my latest and last speech in Toast Masters club. I presented this speech, ‘One in a Billion’ as part of International Speech contest in my club. My main argument in that speech was that barring physical traits, many of us appear to prefer being ‘common’ and ‘acceptable’ rather than ‘distinguished’ and ‘exceptional’. When it comes to Software Development, the problem of becoming a commodity is much more pronounced now. Even though, an exceptional software developer is 10 times more productive and effective than an average one, the benchm...

I gave my Honda vehicle for a service at a Dealer this weekend. Everything went well. And then I got an email little later asking for feedback on how did the service went and whether I was satisfied with the service.  Here is the text of the Email. The third paragraph was bold text in the email itself. I only replaced the Dealer name and contact details of the Service manager with xxx.   Thank you for choosing XXX  for your recent service needs. It is important to me that you were completely satisfied with your service or repairs. Only you can tell us if we have met or exceeded your expectations. We would appreciate receiving your impressions of this visit. Please take the time to answer the questions and click submit to send your answers back to me. If you prefer a more personal approach, you may call me directly at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Your comments will make a difference, so do not hesitate to make your views known. You may be receiving a survey directly ...

“There is no Praja Rajyam party without Mitra”, said Chiranjeevi few days before the election and amidst resignations by senior leaders. Now, Mitra resigned from the party too, citing that he could not adjust in the party. Not sure whether he could not adjust with policies, values or people within the party. He gracefully and respectfully did not point fingers at anybody and refused to talk any internal matters outside. I respect that.  Internal matters are internal matters. So, now the most important question is, can Praja Rajyam survive? With Mitra’s resignation,  all founding members of the Party have walked away from the party, except Chiranjeevi himself. I am not sure who else is left in the party. But it appears, the honeymoon is now officially over. The belief of ‘public’ affection and ‘call for service by people’ has been proven to be a mirage. Now, support from think tanks appears to be waning as well. Can he resurrect, just like he does in his silver screen ...

  In 200,000 years on Earth, humanity has upset the balance of the planet, established by nearly four billion years of evolution. The price to pay is high, but it is too late to be a pessimist: humanity has barely ten years to reverse the trend, become aware of the full extent of its spoliation of the Earth's riches and change its patterns of consumption. HOME is an ode to the planet's beauty and its delicate harmony. Through the landscapes of 54 countries captured from above, Yann Arthus-Bertrand takes us on an unique journey all around the planet, to contemplate it and to understand it. But HOME is more than a documentary with a message, it is a magnificent movie in its own right. Every breathtaking shot shows the Earth - our Earth - as we have never seen it before. Every image shows the Earth's treasures we are destroying and all the wonders we can still preserve. "From the sky, there's less need for explanations". Our vision becomes more immedia...