Forgiveness

Once upon a time, a lion was sleeping during the warm day of winter when a little mouse came their and started jumping on lion.

As the lion woke up, he was red with anger and roared,"You have disturbed my sleep. I am going to eat you now."

The mouse was frightehed and said, "O King of the forest. I am sorry. I thought I was climbing a mountain and never knew that it were you. But please pardon me. May be one day I will be of some use to you and I will repay the favor."

The lion laughed at him and then somehow pardoned him.

Many days passed. One day, some hunters came to the forest and caught the lion in a net. On this occasion, the mouse cut the net with his sharp teeth and compensated the favor of the lion.

We have heard this story so many time in our childhood but we seldomly put it in practice.

Moral of Story: You should develop the art of forgiveness. It is possible that the person asking forgiveness may be helpful to you someday just like the mouse.

A New Era in Indian Telecom Industry

Today I saw MTS Telecom ad of 1/2 Paisa call charge per minute. I remember days when mobile telecom operator used to charge 17 rupees per call. My brother used to use a bulky Phillips mobile handset in 1996. He used to use BPL mobile service. At that time even incoming calls were charged. Practically, it was impossible for a common man to own a mobile phone at that point in time. Last month, we have crossed 500 mn subscriber base mark. Phone penetration level has increased to 46% compared to less than two digits some 10 years ago. Earlier, it used to take 9 - 12 months to get a phone connection. Today, you get phone connection within a day. These developments will help India grow very fast.

Today, if you want to buy vegetables or order a sandwitch or dosa then you just need to call vegetablewala or sandwitchwala bhaiyaa on his mobile phone. He will deliver you vegetables at your door step. Even kamwali bais & ghatis are carrying mobile phones nowadays.

I think this is a beginning of new era in telecom. Mobile phone charges are affordable now. It has come down by 30 times in last 12 years. This has become possible due to price war in Telecom industry initiated by Tata Doccommo. They have come out with innovative tariff plans such  as 1 Paise/Min, 1 Rs per call etc..They have made all their competitors follow them.In a country like India where ARPU(Average revenue per user) is less than 150 Rs, it is very difficult to survive if you do not manage to get large subscriber base. In US and Europe, ARPU more than 5 USD. I have always wondered how telecom companies are managing to be profitable.

Telecom companies have become more creative in last 2 years and came out with innovative plans. Thanks to Tata Doccommo who changed the landscape of Telecom industry by introducing innnovative plans. All & all it's good for consumer like me.

Mumbai is for all

A hot debate is going in Mumbai for past one week."Mumbai kiske baap ki hai?". People do not realize that they are a part of independent country. As a citizen of independent country, they have right to stay anywhere in country irrespective of their religion and language.

There are certain political parties in Maharastra who are trying to gain political advantage by encouraging "Jaati Vaad".They do not realize that they are losing public's faith and trust day by day. Shiv sena's vote share has come down from 19.97% in 2004 to 16% in 2009.This is a clear evidence that even Marathi manoos is not liking Shiv Sena's strategy.Shiv sena won 11 seats in 1999, nine in 2004 and only four in 2009. This shows that their strategy of influencing Marathi Manoos is not working.

Mumbai kiske baap ki jagir nahi hai. Every citizen of India has right to live in Mumbai. I think this is a time to unite and ensure that such parties do not win elections. I, for sure, will not give vote to political party which promotes Jaati Vaad. Do you also think the same?

MBA and the fisherman

American businessman was at a pier in a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow-fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.

The Mexican replied only a little while, The American then asked why didn't he stay out longer and catch more fish?

The Mexican said he had enough to support his family's immediate needs.

The American then asked the Mexican how he spent the rest of his time.

The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life, senor."

The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and, with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution.

"You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City , then LA and eventually NYC where you will run your expanding enterprise."

The Mexican fisherman asked, "But senor, how long will this all take?"

To which the American replied, "15-20 years."

"But what then, senor?" asked the Mexican.

The American laughed, and said, "That's the best part! When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public. You'll become very rich, you would make millions!"

"Millions, senor?" replied the Mexican. "Then what?"

The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."

Then the Mexican Fisherman says: THEN WHAT AM I DOING NOW?

Possible conclusions:

a) MBA is useless
b) Enjoy life right now
c) Don’t go on a wild goose chase
d) Goals are absurd
e) many more..

I think one can't grow in life if he has fisherman like attitude. One can't experience new things in life if he is happy with what he is doing now. I think this story doesn't have any relavence in current times. I don't think one will have problem free life he lives like fisher man.

One must know when to stop in life. Lot of time we keep on running after a goal without having end in mind. You must need to review your goals at periodic intervals and revise them if you feel that they are not realistic. Questions that you need to ask are
1. Is it worth pursuing your goals?
2. If yes then at what cost?

Conversation with God

God : Hello. Did you call me?

Me: Called you? No.....who is this?

God : This is GOD. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat.

Me: I do pray. Just makes me feel good. I am actually busy now. I am in the midst of something.

God : What are you busy at?

Me: Don't know. But I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the time.

God : Well I wanted to resolve your fight for time, by giving you some clarity. In this next era, I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.

Me: Tell me, why has life become complicated now?

God : Stop analyzing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.

Me: Why are we then constantly unhappy?

God : Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because you are analyzing. Worrying has become your habit. That's why you are not happy.

Me: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?

God : Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.

Me: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty. ....

God : Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.

Me: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?

God : Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don't suffer. With that experience their life becomes better not bitter.

Me: You mean to say such experience is useful?

God : Yes. In all terms, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.

Me: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can’t we be free from problems?

God : Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons to Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems.

Me: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading

God : If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.

Me: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. What should I do?

God : Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode ahead. You work with the compass. Let others work with the clock.

Me: In tough times, how do you stay motivated?

God : Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.

Me: What surprises you about people?

God : When they suffer they ask, "why me?" When they prosper, they never ask "Why me". Everyone wishes to have truth on their side, but few want to be on the side of the truth.

Me: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here? I can’t get the answer.

God : Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it.

Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.

Me: How can I get the best out of life?

God : Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

Me: One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.

God : There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.

Me: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I now have a new sense of inspiration.

God : Keep the faith and drop the fear. Don't believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Life is a mystery to solve not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.

Racism on the rise in Australia

Jaspreet Singh, living in Essendon area of Melbourne on a spouse visa—his wife is a student—was allegedly set on fire by some unidentified assailants at about 2 am on Saturday. He is currently recovering in a local hospital with 15% burns.

The incident,coming a week after the fatal stabbing of student Nitin Garg, has put a strain on bilateral ties. This has been going on for quite a few months now. People got stabbed in their houses, on train stations, on the street and there were petrol bombs thrown on people's cars. These are gruesome,coward & racial attacks on Indians in Australia. It’s a kind of terrorism. Shame on Australia!

It's a time for action now. We should not keep quiet on this topic. Why Indian Govt is silent on this topic? Why media is not making this an issue? Where are all political leaders gone? Why likes of MNS and Shiv Sena not acting on this? Why are we not banning all events held in India by Australian Universities?

It's time for all Indians to unite and teach them a lesson. I remember a dialogue from "Chak de India". "Agar woh hume ek mare toh tum do marro, agar woh do marre toh tum chhar maro.Itna marro ki woh khatam ho jaye."

Let us unite as Indians and let us totally boycott any institute or community who has any racial bias. We are sure to be reigning economic power in the near future and the mature world knows this; those who do not, need to learn.

Let the likes of Tourism Australia and Universities in Australia continue losing business and continue having Job cuts till the time they learn , how to be professional both in Business and treating fellow human beings.

Dealing with Pessimists on your team

Dealing with a pessimist on your team can be a frustrating and time-consuming experience. Attempts to ignore or counter frequent negative comments may simply boost further negativity. This is one of the biggest challenge for a manager. This quite often kills a team's momentum and motivation. It is very disappointing when your top performers are spreading negative comments in the organization.

Here are three approaches to managing negative behavior:

1. Create awareness. This is best done by pulling the team member aside and explaining how his comments are received. Explain why the person is valued on the team and make clear the impact of his behavior. For example, you can say, "When you make negative comments, the team gets stuck and we aren't able to move forward." Once you understand the underlying reason for the pessimism, you can provide additional support or information if it's needed.

2. Reposition negative statements. Don't let negative comments linger. Ask for clarification or more information about what the speaker means. . Offer your own constructive criticism while providing an alternative solution.

3. Involve the whole team. It can be damaging to single out a team member in front of the entire team. Peer pressure is a far more effective tactic. Sometimes social sanctions work better than leader sanctions. Set team norms and ask everyone to observe them. Once you've agreed on norms, ask the team to hold each other to them.

When All Else Fails
All of the experts agree that if a team member is continually disruptive and does not respond to coaching or feedback, you may ultimately need to remove her from the team. Sometimes people are not a good fit for a team or a project and it's your job as leader to make that distinction.