The story is simply Great!!!

Guys, read this story

 

Once a king called upon all of his wise men and asked them,

 

"Is there a mantra or suggestion which works in every situation, in every circumstance,

 

in every place and in every time.

 

Something which can help me when none of you is available to advise me.

 

Tell me is there any mantra?"

 

  All wise men got puzzled by King's question.

 

One answer for all question? Something that works everywhere, in every situation, in every joy, every sorrow, every defeat and every victory?

 

They thought and thought.

   

After a lengthy discussion, an old man suggested something which appealed to all of them. They went to the king and gave him something written on paper. But the condition was that king was not to see it out of curiosity. Only in extreme danger, when the King finds himself alone and there seems to be no way, only then he'll have to see it.

 

The King put the papers under his Diamond ring.

 

After a few days, the neighbors attacked the Kingdom.

 

It was a collective surprise attack of the King's enemies.

 

King and his army fought bravely but lost the battle.

 

King had to fled on his horse. The enemies were following him.

 

His horse took him far away in the Jungle.

 

He could hear many troops of horses following him and the noise was coming closer and closer.

 

Suddenly the King found himself standing at the end of the road - that road was not going anywhere.

 

Underneath there was a rocky valley thousand feet deep.

 

If he jumped into it, he would be finished…and he could not return because it was a small road…

 

The sound of enemy's horses was approaching fast. King became restless. There seemed to be no way.

 

Then suddenly he saw the Diamond in his ring shining in the sun, and

 

he remembered the message hidden in the ring.

 

He opened the diamond and read the message. The message was very small but very great.

 

The message was - "Even this shall  pass away."

 

The King read it. Again read it. Suddenly something struck him- Yes! it too will pass. Only a few days ago, I was enjoying my kingdom. I was the mightiest of all the Kings. Yet today, the Kingdom and all his pleasure have gone.

 

I am here trying to escape from enemies.

 

However when those days of luxuries have gone, this day of danger too will pass. Calm come on his face.

 

He kept standing there.

 

The place where he was standing was full of natural beauty. He had never known that such a beautiful place was also a part of his Kingdom. The revelation of the message had a great effect on him. He relaxed and forgot about those following him. After a few minutes he realized that the noise of the horses and the enemy coming was receding. They moved into some other part of the mountains and were not on that path.

 

The King was very brave. He reorganized his army and fought again. He defeated the enemy and regained his lost empire. When he returned to his empire after victory, he was received with much fan fare at the door. The whole capital was rejoicing in the victory. Everyone was in a festive mood.

 

Flowers were being thrown on the King from every house, from every corner. People were dancing and singing. For a moment King said to himself," I am one of the bravest and greatest King. It is not easy to defeat me".

 

With all the reception and celebration he saw an ego emerging in him.

 

Suddenly the Diamond of his ring flashed in the sunlight and reminded him of the message. He open it and read it again:

"Even this shall  pass away."

 

He became silent. His face went through a total change - from the egoist he moved to a state of utter humbleness.

 

If this too is going to pass, it is not yours. The defeat was not yours, the victory is not yours. You are just a watcher. Everything passes by we are witness of all this. We are the perceiver.

 

 

 

Life comes and goes.

 

Happiness comes and goes. Sorrow comes and goes.

 

Now as you have read this story, just sit silently and evaluate your own life. Think of the moments of joy and victory in your life. Think of the moment of Sorrow and defeat. Are they permanent? They all come and pass away. Life just passes away.

 

There were friends in the past. They have gone.

There are friends today. They too will go.

There will be new friends tomorrow. They too will go.

 

There were enemies in the past. They have gone.

There may be enemies in the present. They too will go.

There will be new enemies tomorrow and……they too will go.

 

There is nothing permanent in this world. Everything changes except the law of change. Think over it from your own perspective. You have seen all the changes. You have survived all setbacks, all defeats and all sorrows.

 

All have passed away. If there are problems in the present, they too will pass away. Because nothing remains forever.

 

 

Joy and sorrow are the two faces of the same coin. They both will pass away.

 

Who are you in reality? Know your real face. Your face is not your true face. It will change with the time. However, there is something in you, which will not change. It will remain unchanged.  What is that unchangeable?

 

It is nothing but your true self. You are just a witness of change.

 

Experience it, understand it…

 

True Colors - Bjorn Borg - Love for all

Afterthought:

1. A friend shared this advertisement with me earlier today.

2. I like advertisements, especially those that get you talking or those that generally leave you feeling positive about the world we live in. This is one of them. It's also one of those advertisements that really keeps you guessing till the end. How you react at the end will probably be an indication of your own values, personality and outlook.

3. The Swedish company behind this advertisement, Bjorn Borg, comes across as a socially responsible entity. I am also not sure if the brand has anything to do with the tennis star of the same name. Nevertheless, it reminds me of other positive brands like The Body Shop. Unfortunately, the company doesn't have a presence in Asia so it's really hard to tell.

Life, what is it but a dream?

I would like to share with you one of my favourite poems by a poet who, I've always felt, did not get the accolades he deserved simply because of his phenomenal success as a writer of children's books - Lewis Carroll. The success of Alice in Wonderland overshadowed his poetry - despite the fact that many of his poems actually feature in his prose writings as an integral part of the story. As a writer of humorous verse and nonsense verse he has few peers. Unfortunately, as in prose so in poetry, humorous writers tend not to be taken seriously when the talk veers round to literary greatness.This is a poem in a different, dreamier, mood. Whenever I find myself exasperated by people talking about the feverish pace of modern life this poem springs to mind , especially the last five lines.

A Boat, beneath a sunny sky

Lingering onward dreamily

In an evening of July -

Children three that nestle near,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Pleased a simple tale to hear-

Long has paled that sunny sky:

Echoes fade and memories die:

Autmun frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise.

Alice moving under skies

Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream -

Lingering in a golden gleam -

Life, what is it but a dream?

[The initial letters of this poem when read downward give the full name of the original Alice (in Wonderland) - Alice Pleasance Liddell]

Apropos of what I've written above , I remain deeply sceptical about whether life has really become fast-paced. I'm often tempted to tell these 'fast-paced' people the story of the donkey chasing a carrot dangling in front of him, tantalisingly out of reach, unable to understand that it's dangling from a stick tied to his own body and that he's never going to be able reach it. The Promised Land is always going to be 'just around the next corner'. No, we've simply lost the ability to slow down, relax, introspect, to think of something other than the 'rat race'. Are we increasinly losing touch with our inner selves, with nature, with the finer things in life, things which cannot be measured in money? W.H.Davies had it right :

What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

I've often been accused of being impractical and out of touch with the times. There was a time when I would be ready to argue the point spiritedly but these days, I just smile and let it go. Why give myself hypertension and ulcers? As for me, I'd rather be

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream -

Lingering in a golden gleam

After all Life, what is it but a dream???

Surely You're joking Mr. Feynman

When I was at my graduate school, I must've read this book more than 10 times. It was that good.  Its now almost 5 years since I last read it, but I still remember some of the funny stuff that I read. It just leaves an everlasting impression in you comparing to others whose effects are ephemeral. He just leaves a mark on you without any seriousness and the way he does it is something better read than me saying it.... 

• 
  
• What is great about Richard Feynman is his refusal to take anything too seriously. Rather, he refused to take anything too seriously because he was damn serious. When you think of it, only people who are not really serious appear to be serious. Seriousness in appearance is different from seriousness in essence. While its hilarious in one side, its also serious on the other side.
  
• 
  
• A staff (also a good friend of mine) at that time used to do tutor for students who wanted to do well in other competitive entrance exams. She used to make the students read excerpts from Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman. She said the pupil liked the chapter on how to become friendly with women. Now, that was funny, with Richard Feynman trying out the instructions of the bar master, almost failing, but then sticking to his gun, and finally getting the reward. If you scratch your head and don't know what it is all about as you read this blog, then you should definitely read this book. I assure you that you would be laughing like mad before long.
  
• 
  
• Here is a review of the same it toolbox i thought it'd be better if you read a review than my usual musings....

Mood: Lack of sleep 

There is a question, somewhere deep in my head: Is it possible that Leonardo da Vinci has bored just once per whole civilization? Is there truely no place nowadays for real "renaissance person", who has some achievement in more than two,three disciplines? The book is the answer for the question: definitely there is at least one such a person - Mr. Feynman.

The book describes the incredible life of open-minded person, who can during one life do the following:

• learn to repair radio as a thirtenn years old child
  
• how to learnd italian quickly :D
  
• take a part in Manhattan project (atom bomb) - surprisngly he writes the most about how the life in Los Alamos looked like, than about his real work. It seemes like he worked more in nearby factory in Oak Ridge, than in Los Alamos ;)
  
• open locker, wardrobes and safes (I need to remember 25-0-25 and 50-25-50)
  
• how to make impression on women in bars (do not pay for them silly)
  
• how to earn money in Las Vegas
  
• how to be friend of big fish in Las Vegas
  
• try to repair Brazilian schollar system
  
• play on pandeiro and frigideira (whatever it is) and took a part in Carnival celebration as the samba school member. Hotel boy screaming - "O PROFESSOR!"
  
• learn why you should not earn too much
  
• paint
  
• why to be in touch with people from other disciplines and not to go for the interdisciplinar conferences discussing general topics
  
• get Nobel prize (it sounded like the ceremony was the worest challenge)go through the hell of scroing US school books
  
• how to play hald-professionaly on the drum for the ballet
  

So when you read the list there may be the following feelings in your head.

Did he really do these things? Yes.

Is he a megaloman? A little.

Why I hear the surname for the first time? I was surprised as well :)

As you can see making the extract from the book, which is the extract from such a rich life, like the Feymann's one, gives the odd results. Nevertheless what was the most inspring in this all - Feynman has always very pratical approach and even when he speaks about VERY complicated things (including philosophy), everything is served in straightforward way (without a single formula).

You can not be the professor Mr. Feynman.

Why?

Because I understand everything what you are saying.

On the other hand the book is simply SMART. It contains plenty of tips&tricks including not only "uncommon integration" (how you can gain from possesing the other toolkit), but also "how to cut massive number of string beans" or "how to deal wit a women". What is truely inspring it desribes the things AS-THEY-ARE and not with rounded words, so you can find even once a crossword on f, when he speaks about the government :D

He was also the one, who reminded me that if you want to achieve something in long term, you need to be honest in front of yourself and when you present the results of your work you must present ups and downs.

And at least, but not at last - the book is hilarious, so you enjoy reading it. It will be definitely well spent 11$.

Score: 6/6 (very good)

Now i'll give you another opportunity to read if you feel its not worth spending....

Here is a link for the same as PDF i request you guys to read this for serious inspiration - Mr. Feynman's way...

Surely You'Re Joking_Mr Feynman.pdf

How to Find Your Life's Purpose

Millions of people have asked the question "Why am I here?" and "What is the purpose of this Life?" Here are some ways to find your purpose and passion in life and some guidance on how to live the answer to this age old questions.

A WikiHow article...

Steps

• Make a list of the things you do for fun, or that you really enjoy. Include in the list the parts of your job that you really like, the things you volunteer for, sports, the arts, reading, etc. Imagine you're a billionaire with no worries about money, how would you choose to spend your time? Add those things to the list, even if you don't do them now. This list is of your passions; the things that you love to do, or would do simply for the pleasure they bring you.
• Write down the names of people that you admire, and why you admire them. For example, you might admire Patch Adams for choosing to step out of the traditional role of medicine and creating new ways of healing and connecting with his patients while also having fun. You might admire the band Green Day for living out loud and on purpose, creating the music that they love and speaking their minds. You might admire Oprah Winfrey for choosing to reveal her truth, at a time when concealing is the norm. Name as many as you can think of. When you're done, look at the list and know that what you appreciate about others, is also in you. You are attracted to these qualities, because they speak to you, and they speak to you, because they are a part of your path. If this was your list, Stepping out of the box, telling the truth, and living out loud would be action steps that would take you toward your purpose. Adopt these admirations of others as a way for you to show up in the world. These are your actions.
• Make a list of the things you do naturally without even thinking about it. (You may want to ask others for feedback, as it's common for them to see talents in us that we don't see ourselves) Such natural talents may be: an eye for detail, a great sense of humor, a nurturing side, the ability to focus intently, or being playful. (Consider also, the things you've done that have gotten you into trouble--oftentimes if you turn them around and look at the positive aspects of it, you'll find a gem of a natural talent that you previously hadn't appreciated) These are your genius. Genius comes easily and profoundly, without needing to expend a lot of energy. Some people are geniuses at math or music; but there are lots of other types of genius as well. There are genius mothers, genius teachers, genius listeners, and genius independent thinkers. We are meant to use our genius in service of our Life Purpose.
• Look at your Passions, Actions, and Genius lists, and spend 10 minutes each morning doing something from one of the lists. Draw, sing, dance, tell the truth about something you've been concealing, organize a drawer, thank someone you've been appreciating silently, take a risk and call that girl.
• Notice how you feel. By definition, if you're living your life purpose, you'll feel exhilarated, excited, happy, and alive. If you're not feeling these things, go back to your lists, and see if there's anything you forgot to write down, or do the one you've been avoiding because it's so scary.
• Feel your fear and do it anyway! It's normal and natural to feel scared when stepping into your life purpose. Fritz Perls said, "Fear is really just excitement without the breath." So, keep breathing, and take the next step. If it's worth doing, you're probably going to feel a little scared doing it. Just think of the fear as the energy you need to take the next step.

Tips

• Look at ways to incorporate your Passions, Actions, and Genius more and more into your life. As you do, your life purpose will begin to unfold. Could you bring your attention to detail into your job? How about spending your lunch hour writing an article teaching someone else how to do something you love to do?
• As you increase the amount of time spent fulfilling your life's purpose, you'll notice it's easy to make decisions in life as you ask the question "Does this opportunity fit in with my passions, actions, and genius?" Over time, you'll spend more and more of your days living your life's purpose, and you'll feel happier and healthier than ever before.
• We often look at our Purpose as a way to answer everything right now or something that can only be fulfilled way into the Future. While one's life purpose may ultimately be fulfilled far into the future, find ways to start NOW: is it a side project, is it one of many aspects of your current job, can your purpose be expressed in the way you interact with current relationships.
• Keep in mind that often times, we find our purpose along the way. It is often stated after one's life has ended that they had a purpose, based on the events and choices of one's life.

Life is about correcting mistakes - A wonderful Story

A gud story amidst the fwd's i get... Read it guys if u find time and u can digest this .... :) 

 

Monica married Hitesh this day. At the end of the wedding party, Monica's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook. With Rs.1000 deposit amount.

Mother: 'Monica, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next to the line. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with Hitesh.  When you look back after years, you can know how much happiness you've had.'

Monica shared this with Hitesh when getting home. They both thought it was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can be made.

This was what they did after certain time:

- 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Hitesh after marriage

- 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Monica

- 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali

- 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Monica got pregnant

- 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Hitesh got promoted ..... and so on...

However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial things.They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married the most nasty people in the world.... no more love...Kind of typical nowadays, huh?

One day Monica talked to her Mother:

'Mom, we can't stand it anymore. We agree to divorce. I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!'

Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first. Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a poor marriage.' Monica thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the queue and planning to cancel the account.

While she was waiting, she took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and went home.

When she was home, she handed the passbook to Hitesh, asked him to spend the money before getting divorce.

The next day, Hitesh gave the passbook back to Monica. She found a new deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I notice how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much happiness you've brought me.'

They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe. Do you know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not ask.I believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru all the good years in their life.

"When you fall, in any way, Don't see the place where you fell, Instead see the place from where you slipped. Life is about correcting mistakes!"

My Lost Youth - A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This one is perhaps the most emotive and moving poem I have read for a long time. Longfellow's style is so candid, and full of excited melancholy. I particularly love the refrain, which I didn't post under the memorable lines I have read, as I wanted to post the whole poem here...

My Lost Youth - A poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Often I think of the beautiful town 
That is seated by the sea; 
Often in thought go up and down 
The pleasant streets of that dear old town, 
And my youth comes back to me. 
And a verse of a Lapland song 
Is haunting my memory still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

I can see the shadowy lines of its trees, 
And catch, in sudden gleams, 
The sheen of the far-surrounding seas, 
And islands that were the Hersperides 
Of all my boyish dreams. 
And the burden of that old song, 
It murmurs and whispers still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

I remember the black wharves and the slips, 
And the sea-tides tossing free; 
And Spanish sailors with bearded lips, 
And the beauty and mystery of the ships, 
And the magic of the sea. 
And the voice of that wayward song 
Is singing and saying still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

I remember the bulwarks by the shore, 
And the fort upon the hill; 
The sunrise gun, with its hollow roar, 
The drum-beat repeated o'er and o'er, 
And the bugle wild and shrill. 
And the music of that old song 
Throbs in my memory still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

I remember the sea-fight far away, 
How it thundered o'er the tide! 
And the dead captains, as they lay 
In their graves, o'erlooking the tranquil bay, 
Where they in battle died. 
And the sound of that mournful song 
Goes through me with a thrill: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

I can see the breezy dome of groves, 
The shadows of Deering's Woods; 
And the friendships old and the early loves 
Come back with a sabbath sound, as of doves 
In quiet neighborhoods. 
And the verse of that sweet old song, 
It flutters and murmurs still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

I remember the gleams and glooms that dart 
Across the school-boy's brain; 
The song and the silence in the heart, 
That in part are prophecies, and in part 
Are longings wild and vain. 
And the voice of that fitful song 
Sings on, and is never still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

There are things of which I may not speak; 
There are dreams that cannot die; 
There are thoughts that make the strong heart weak, 
And bring a pallor into the cheek, 
And a mist before the eye. 
And the words of that fatal song 
Come over me like a chill: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

Strange to me now are the forms I meet 
When I visit the dear old town; 
But the native air is pure and sweet, 
And the trees that o'ershadow each well-known street, 
As they balance up and down, 
Are singing the beautiful song, 
Are sighing and whispering still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts." 

And Deering's Woods are fresh and fair, 
And with joy that is almost pain 
My heart goes back to wander there, 
And among the dreams of the days that were, 
I find my lost youth again. 
And the strange and beautiful song, 
The groves are repeating it still: 
"A boy's will is the wind's will, 
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts."

A different way to think about creative genius

A different way to think about creative genius: Elizabeth Gilbert on TED.com

Watch Elizabeth Gilbert's talk from TED2009 on TED.com, where you can download this TEDTalk, rate it, comment on it and find other talks and performances from our archive of 360+ TEDTalks -- including more talks about creativity

Gate Keys....

ECE - KEY - GATE – 2009

01.B          02.A          03.B          04.C          05.C          06.C

07.A          08.D          09.B          10.A          11.C          12.B 

13.D          14.A          15.A          16.D          17.C          18.C 

19.C          20.D          21.C          22.C          23.B          24.B 

25.A          26.B          27.A          28.B          29.C          30.A 

31.D          32.D          33.A          34.B          35.D         

36. No Answer (Correct Answer Z = 1)          37.A          38.C 

39.A          40.A          41.B          42.D          43.B          44.A 

45.B          46.B          47.C          48.B          49.C          50.D        

51.B          52.B          53.C          54.C          55.C          56.D 

57.A          58.B          59.B          60.D

MECHANICAL KEY - GATE – 2009

 

         01.A          02. C         03. C         04. D         05. D         06. B

         07. A         08. A         09. B OR C ( Correct answer is - òvdP )

         10. C         11.B          12.D          13. B         14.C          15.B         

         16.D (Actually no answer in the choices given but near by is “ D” )

 

17.A          18.A          19.A          20.D          21.C          22.A 

23.B          24.A          25.A          26.A          27.D          28.B

29.D          30.C          31.D          32.B          33.C          34.A

         35.B          36.A          37.A          38.A          39.A          40.B 

         41.C          42.B          43.C          44.D          45.A          46.D 

         47.B          48.C          49.A          50.D          51.A          52.C 

         53.A          54.D          55.D

         56.C  (NO ANSWER , BUT CLOSEST IS “ C” , ACTUAL ANSWER 0.88)

         57.A          58.C          59.A          60.B

PRODUCTION KEY - GATE – 2009

 

 

         01.A          02. A         03. B         04. C         05. A        

         06.C          07. C         08. D         09. D         10. B

         11.D          12.B          13. D        

         14.B ( Nearest ), Actually no answer in the choice given

         15.A          16.D          17.D          18.A          19.C         

         20.D          21.B          22.B          23.C          24.C         

         25.A          26.C          27.D          28.C          29.C         

         30.B          31.A          32.C          33.C          34.A

         35.B          36.A          37.B          38.A          39.D         

         40.D          41.B          42.A          43.C          44.B         

         45.D          46.C          47.A          48.D          49.B         

         50.C          51.B          52.B          53.A          54.C             

         55.D (During calculation if we take the rounded off

                   values)Otherwise actual answer is 29.02

         56.B          57.D          58.B          59.D (Actual answer is 360 )

         60.C ( Actual answer 224.24)

Courtesy - 

FW: ET - The Power of Ideas

The Economic Times’ The Power of Ideas - an initiative to incube and mentor your genuine ideas and can find VC's for ur new buisness ventures...

Give it a try if u have any serious Ideas and are looking for Venture Capitalists...

Cheers

Subbu

---

From: call from Subbu [mailto:chuppandi@gmail.com]
Sent: Friday, February 06, 2009 7:30 AM
To: Subramani S
Subject: ET ideas

--
With regards

Subbu... ( ur Chuppandi for ever ) 
www.chuppandee.blogspot.com 

FW: Narayanan's (sound) bite, Obama's bark

PMO in damage control mode after the National Security Adviser is judged to have put his foot in it...


5 February 2009
The Hindu

Quotes taken out of context have given a distorted view: Narayanan
National Security Adviser clarifies remark that Obama was “barking up the wrong tree”

Siddharth Varadarajan

New Delhi: In a case of one man’s (sound) bite being worse than another’s bark, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan has rushed to clarify that his remarks about the new American President “barking up the wrong tree” on Kashmir were really aimed at underlining the “high expectation India had from the Obama administration.” And that “selective quotes taken out of context have tended to give a distorted idea of what was actually said” by him.

The canine metaphor used by Mr. Narayanan in an interview on Monday to CNBC TV 18 was reproduced widely in the international media under headlines like ‘India warns Obama over Kashmir.’ According to South Block sources, a formal clarification was issued by the Prime Minister’s Office after the Ministry of External Affairs concluded the NSA’s remarks were likely to hinder rather than help the process of establishing a good political rapport with President Barack H. Obama and his incoming foreign policy team.

In the interview, Mr. Narayanan had said “references made by President Obama which seem to suggest that there is some kind of link with settlement on the Pakistan’s western border and the Kashmir issue certainly have caused concern. I think we are in a nascent state. I do think that we could make President Obama understand, if he does nurse any such view, that he is barking up the wrong tree.”

He was answering a question about the link Mr. Obama made between his fight with the Taliban and Al-Qaeda and a solution to Kashmir.

MEA officials told The Hindu that when the Obama administration had already met India’s concerns by limiting the remit of its special representative for South Asia, Richard Holbrooke, to just Afghanistan and Pakistan, there was no need for any public airing of doubts, nervousness or apprehension by New Delhi.

In damage control mode, the PMO statement said Mr. Narayanan “has clarified that references made in the course of an interview by him to Karan Thapar were answers to specific questions put by the interviewer.” The statement “further clarified” that the “underlying theme of the reply to the question on Indo-U.S. relations was the high expectation India had from the Obama Administration with a hope being expressed that it would be possible for India to make the new Administration appreciate India’s positions and views on the region, including Kashmir.”

Describing Kashmir as “one of the quieter and safe places in this part of the world,” Mr. Narayanan had said in his interview that it was possible that “elements, perhaps in the administration” were “harping back to the pre-2000 area.”

The PMO statement said the reference by the NSA to the internal situation in Pakistan “and the role of former President Musharraf” had also been made “in the context of specific questions put by the interviewer.”

Mr. Narayanan was asked whether Pakistan had become a more difficult and complicated country since President Musharraf’s resignation. Answering yes, the NSA said it had been possible for India “to do business with him.” A “great deal was achieved in terms of trying to arrive at the modus vivendi on some of our most difficult issues and questions,” he said.

In his clarification, Mr. Narayanan said “selective quotes taken out of context from the detailed answers have tended to give a distorted idea of what was actually said.”

Significantly, the PMO clarification did not refer to Mr. Narayanan’s assertion that Pakistan had “reverted” to India with queries on the Mumbai probe, a claim External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee refuted on Tuesday.

Have you touched your limits ever?

A wonderful story I came across…

Have you touched your limits ever?

 

Here's a story about George Dantzig

 

The famous Mathematician whose contributions to Operations Research and systems engineering have made him immortal.

 

As a college student, George studied very hard and often late into the night.

 

So late, that he overslept one morning, arriving 20 minutes late for Prof. Neyman's class.

 

He quickly copied the two math's problems on the board, assuming they were the homework assignment.

 

It took him several days to work through the two problems, but finally he had a breakthrough and dropped the homework on Neyman's desk the next day.

 

Six weeks later, on a Sunday morning, George was awakened at 6 a.m by his excited professor.

 

Since George was late for class, he hadn't heard the professor announce that the two unsolvable equations on the board were mathematical mind-teasers that even "Einstein" hadn't been able to answer.

 

But George Dantzig, working without any thoughts of limitation, had solved not one, but two problems that had stumped mathematicians for thousands of years.

 

Simply put, George solved the problems because he didn't know he couldn't.

 

You are not limited to the life you now live.

 

It has been accepted by you as the best you can do at this moment.

 

Any time you're ready to go beyond the limitations currently in your life, you're capable of doing that by choosing different thoughts.

 

All you must do is figure out how you can do it, not whether or not you can.

 

And once you have made your mind up to do it, it's amazing how your mind begins to figure out how.

Same Object, Different perceptions!!

When I was in elementary school, I got into a major argument with a boy in my class. I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson learned that day.

I was convinced that "I" was right and "he" was wrong - and he was just as convinced that "I" was wrong and "he" was right. The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other.

In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the object was. "White," he answered.

I couldn’t believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black! Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the color of the object.

The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to answer, "White." It was an object with two differently colored sides, and from his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson learned that day: You must stand in the other person’s shoes and look at the situation through their eyes in order to truly understand their perspective.

Similarly in life, there will be many times a situation ,where you think its not good but for others it might be. And sometimes you think this is good but actually it will not be. We tend to make biased decisions just based on one direction with short term gains but we need to think a lot from all perspective. Its better to have short term loss and long term benefits than short term gains and long term misery.

Each time we end up in an argument , what is important to us? To understand the situation by considering other person’s perception also? Or just winning the argument? Now you have to think on your own!!

Beyond Buisness

What is recession?

This story is about a man who once upon a time was selling Hotdogs by the roadside. He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television. But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs.

He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more a more raw material and buns and sold more. He recruited more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove. As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from college, joined his father.

Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it." The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV. He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colourful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic. He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his Hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly and so did the profit. The father said to his son, "Son, you were right”. “We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of the Story: It’s all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think.

Defenition of Excellence...

A wonderful story with a moral.... Nice to read... A man once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I will know it." The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside. "Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and excellence"

A Small Story - but a nice moral

Got this forwarded from someone.... Just thought its worth sharing...

A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed.

The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn’t sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral of the story: If you don’t give your hundred percent in a relationship, you’ll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully

Creative Destruction Happens Quickly; Those Who Wait End Up In The Rubble

From the just-a-warning dept - Techdirt

When we talk about the economics of industries that are in transition, such as the newspaper industry or the entertainment industry, we often point out the need to adopt new business models that embrace the economic realities those industries face. Regularly, supporters of those industries respond that it's folly to jump to a new "unproven" business model without real proof that the new business model will succeed -- especially when the old business model is still going strong. There's this belief that the companies in those industries can just hang on while everyone else experiments, and when a new business model is clear, they can comfortably make the switch and everything will be fine. And, it is true, that even disintermediated businesses have a history of sticking around and throwing off cash for a long time after the disruptive technology disintegrates their foundations.

Yet, as this article in The Atlantic points out with regard to the newspaper industry, when "the end" comes, it comes amazingly fast. It is true that old industries can hang on for a while, but they reach a sort of tipping point where suddenly everyone realizes that the emperor has no clothes. And, at that point, there really isn't any time to make the necessary shift to the new business model. Instead, there's just bankruptcy. So, sure, the record labels and the newspapers can wait it out and hang on until there's "proof" that some new business model makes sense. But, by the time that proof is there, their old business might not be.