The Art of Unlearning

One of my friend asked me

"I have 3 PhD's. I am the secretary of a few associations.
I have learnt a lot.

But I still feel that I am missing something.
Why?"

The best answer I can source is..

If you had also learnt how to unlearn what you learnt,
you will not feel this way. When you learn to drop all your so-called knowledge,
every moment will be a fresh and evolving
and you will never feel you are missing something.

Remember, only empty cups can be filled.

Why does everyone like music ?

Can you point a soul which hates music ?

Interesting thought, why does everyone like music ?

Here is the best answer I can get..

"Because music makes you aware of
the silence within and without."

Sounds crazy. Let's dwell deep..

How are silence and the sound of music connected ?

" Just imagine:
If the music was without any gap, how would it be ?
Cacophonic, is it not?
Your idea of melody and rock are decided
by the ratio of the gaps of silence added to it.
The silence in-between
is also the silence that is within"

Stunned with silence? hear this interlude and let me know if I was wrong.

Nejukuul Paythidum Maamalai... leaving you stunned (with silence).

Book Shelf - Zero Percentile – Missed IIT, Kissed Russia

Here are some excerpts from Author's speech about his book..

Zero Percentile is the story of Pankaj who is the only son in a family of 2 daughters. Needless to say he is expected to fulfill all the dreams of his family and to bring them out of their sad existence. Things didn’t look difficult for the brilliant & enterprising boy who was all set to clear IIT exams when a twist of fate threw him in a self pitying & depressing state. It was then that his father decides to send him to an engineering college in Volgograd in Russia.

Leaving behind his childhood friends Motu & Priya he moves on marking the beginning of a roller coaster ride. He battles the new language, horrid climate, totally different people etc. In the process he also finds love & an enterprising side in him which takes him to places. In all the bad times what works for him is his brain & aggressive behavior.

To know how things unfold you need to read the book.

The book is in flashback; Pankaj is waiting for a phone call and introspects about his life! We travel through his pre-birth days, his birth, school days moving on to present. Clichéd at places but an entertaining read.

What makes the book different is its setting. Russia is a country which is hardly talked about in books; I mean at least I haven't read such books from Indian authors. Apparently they feel that the book should be set in a place to which readers can relate to. In this case half the book is set in Russia & the author really transports you there. The cold & gloominess of cold/ snow gives you a sense of loneliness faced by the students & the author manage to capture it well through his words. I guess the fact that Neeraj himself has spent seven years in Volgograd is what adds to the authentic portrayal of the place.

Not only that, even the school days (Set in Delhi) of Pankaj are described in a way that they will surely take you down memory lane. The stupid fights, childhood crush, desire to be first ... it's all there and well written.

The book is a fast pace read, which entertains you and turns out to be a page turner. At places I did feel that it is clichéd but overall the book makes for a good time pass read with all the masala at the right places.

Do take some time to read this book.

Leadership and Management (No more Greek & Latin)

Leadership and Management

Below little video snippet spills some thoughts on leadership and management which management gurus and schools muddles around for years.

I firmly believe that leadership should come within (which I don't have :) )

Job of Jobs

This question was thrown to one of the best thinker in south India.. (sourced from my friend who is in search of a job :) )

Why does everyone need a job?
'To escape from tension'

hahh! (job is the generator of tension. Isn't it ?)

Why do we say we need a job even though the job gives us tension ?

'Because we don't know that we are the source of tension
and not the job itself.
So whether in a job or jobless,
there is tension'

How to come out of tension ?

'Do your job to your best and relax'

Wowed by the answer, above is the essence of Bhagavat gita.

What an work space..

"Work like a slave,
command like a King,
create like a GOD"

On the lighter side..

Here are some tips to maintain a healthy level of insanity in the workplace

Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits. Wear them one day after your boss does. This is especially effective if your boss is of a different gender than you.

Make up nicknames for all your coworkers and refer to them only by these names. "That's a good point, Sparky." "No, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with you there, Cha-cha."

Send e-mail to the rest of the company telling them exactly what you're doing. For example: "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom."

Hang mosquito netting around your cubicle. When you emerge to get coffee or a printout or whatever, slap yourself randomly the whole way.

Put a chair facing a printer. Sit there all day and tell people you're waiting for your document.

Every time someone asks you to do something, anything, ask him or her if they want fries with that.

Send e-mail back and forth to yourself engaging yourself in an intellectual debate. Forward the mail to a co-worker and ask her to settle the disagreement.

Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronized chair-dancing.

Put your trash can on your desk. Label it "IN."

Send e-mail messages saying there's free pizza or cakes or cake in the lunchroom. When people drift back to work complaining that they found none, lean back, pat your stomach and say, "Oh you've got to be faster than that."

Leaving you as of now, making your workplace better :)

Book shelf - The SAINT the SURFER and the CEO

Is this story fiction or not? One is not sure, just as in the case of the author's previous book "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari". It reads like fiction, but the story seems to resemble the life of the author, who is an ex-lawyer.

The author, Robin Sharma, writes about transforming the corporate and personal life into a path of high vision and integrity. This novel reads easily and the teaching concepts are integrated in the character's conversations and thoughts.

Whether you read this as a work of fiction, or as a semi-autobiography, the story is interesting, and the truths discovered by the main character are the same truths we ourselves are seeking and discovering in our own lives.

It is a powerful book, full of ways to enhance our life, both professionally and personally.

Fun to read and enlightening too!

What is most holiest thing in this world ?

This thought rubbed me off when I was watching television, really amazed by the answer.

Answer goes like this..

"Feet of a man who traveled long distances in search of himself. Really, long travels will make one matured. It answers many unanswered questions."

Got a chance to hear a remix song from 'VOGI B'. Original tack by maestro Ilayaraja.

Sounds like..

"Madai thirandhu payum nadhi alai naan..
Manam thirandhu koovum siru kuyil naan.."

roughly translates like this..

"I'm like a flood, rushes out from water barrier of a Dam..
I'm like a cuckoo bird, which sings with an open mind"

Super! Fantastic! Excellent! Bale!

Most admired line:

" Pudhu Raagam Padipathalae naanum Iraivanae..."

" I'm also the almighty as I give birth to new songs"

Sorry for the crude translation. This song describes the dreams of a guy (music composer) just got an opportunity to score.

Leaving you with a thought

Is research 're-searching'?

Book shelf - 2 States

2 States - Synopsis of this story
****************************
(for people who just glance books)

Love marriages around the world are simple:
Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy.
They get married.
In India, there are a few more steps:

Boy loves Girl. Girl loves Boy.
Girl's family has to love boy. Boy's family has to love girl.
Girl's Family has to love Boy's Family. Boy's family has to love girl's family.
Girl and Boy still love each other. They get married.

Welcome to 2 States, a story about Krish and Ananya. They are from two different states of India, deeply in love and want to getmarried . Of course, their parents don’t agree. To convert their love story into a love marriage, the couple have a tough battle in front of them. For it is easy to fight and rebel, but it is much harder to convince. Will they make it? From the author of blockbusters Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center and The 3 Mistakes of My Life, comes another witty tale about inter-community marriages in modern India.

If you want pdf version of this book, just write a mail to rajas.friends@gmail.com

What is the difference between man and God?

ha, popular question..

One of the best answer I heard goes like this

"God created man.
Man created God"

feel like laughing, I do have another question "Why do people like jokes?"

Again the best answer I can relate to this is..

"It creates a gap in the mind;
it creates a moment of no-mind state which people enjoy without knowing it"

Leaving you in this no-mind state. see you later.

Who am I ?

Who am I?.. very powerful query by Sri Ramana Maharshi.

‘Who am I?’ "I am not this physical body, nor am I the five organs of sense perception."

"I am not the five organs of external activity."

"I am not the five vital forces."

It goes on like this..

This blog is my journey in search of 'Who am I?' (Don't think that I'm too philosophical :)). Join me in this, I assure you lots of things to mull over.

My goal is to "leave people in a better state than they had been before meeting me". This blog is for people whom I'm going to meet thru this medium and rub off my thoughts.

Leaving you as of now..