Yet another Independence Day!

I woke up this morning early enough to catch the DD live telecast of the Prime Minister's address to the nation from the Red Fort. Well, for those who cared there was the usual address from any Indian Prime Minister rehashed to suit the current trends.

I also went and bought a copy of the lastest issues of India Today, The Week, Outlook to go through their I-Day specials. Interesting reading, they make!

Amongst a lot of resolutions that we hear during this particular week of intense patriotic display, there is one I personally wish to see happening and that is the entry of youngsters like you and me into politics! Whoever, said 'Politics is the last resort of a rascal'!?

I read of the MIT Pune's initiative in launching a one year programme in governance for those who want to get a formal qualification to get into politics (that's the last thing you ever want in today's politics, probably). T N Seshan is the chief advisor and the initiator of the idea along with Dr. Karad of MIT. That was a couple of months ago. This is one iniative to watch for!

Political parties must take it upon themselves to have a succession plan for encouraging young blood into the party affairs. They do have something like that - a 70 year old pary veteran taking up the reigns from a much younger person.

Well, what am I doing new this Independence day? I just bought Khushwant Singh's 'India An Introduction' and hope to see history through the eyes of one of my favourite writers!

Mediocre But Arrogant

Mediocre But Arrogant is a story about love and life in a business school set in the Management Institute of Jamshedpur. It is a story of Abbey, but not an autobiography says Abhijit Bhaduri an alumnus of XLRI (PMIR 84). He was in Hyderabad yesterday to promote his book that was released earlier this month in Kolkata.

Abhijit is currently in the US and this is his first book. It surely is set to get a good look and has a dialogue / narrative feel to it. I got a personally signed copy of the book free (sponsored by an XLerin Hyderabad) and Abhijit read a few pages for the small crowd of XLers that had gathered at the Country Club, Begumpet. I have just started reading the book and cannot seem to put it away.

Shall write again after I complete the book!

World Left-handers Day!

Did you know that August 13 is World Lefthanders Day!

On August 13, 1976, an organization called, Lefthanders International (LI), launched International Left-Handers Day, an annual event. This day was (apparently) chosen because it was Friday the 13th and a way to poke fun at the superstitions that surrounded left-handed people for years. (the Latin word sinister actually means left!).

This event is now celebrated worldwide so left-handers everywhere can celebrate and increase public awareness of the advantages and disadvantages of being left-handed.

Famous left-handers include (in no particular order of priority) -

Marlon Brando,
Fidel Castro
George Bush (not Dubya, but his dad)
Charlie Chaplin
Julius Ceasar
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Phil Collins
Tom Cruise
Pierce Brosnan
Jim Carrey
Isaac Newton
Bill Clinton
Winston Churchill
Bill Gates
Henry Ford
Michelangelo
Goldie Hawn
Helen Keller
Sachin Tendulkar
Nicole Kidman
Amitabh Bachchan
Jay Leno
Saurav Ganguly
Demi Moore
Prince Charles
Queen Elizabeth II
Ronald Reagan
Mark Twain
H G Wells
Oprah Winfrey and
Yours truly :-)

What am I reading?

Well, nobody asked me this question. If I were a CEO, may be Business World or Business Today would have asked me to share with their readers as to what books inspires me! But then, I can blog...

A month ago, I read Amitav Ghosh's The Glass Palace. Simply superb, it is a novel that takes you through the narration and gives you a place in the whole story. One of my key take away from this book was the fact that I got a lot of insight into Myanmar. Till reading this novel, it never struck to me as to how little I know of Myanmar or the erstwhile Burma excepting the struggle for democracy led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Link to the author's personal web site - http://www.amitavghosh.com

This morning I finished reading the much acclaimed The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (http://www.paulocoelho.com) It took me more than a month to finsh this book - read it more like five pages a day kind of thing. You could start reading the book from anywhere in between and there is a certain essence in it!

Happy reading!

What is Elevator Speech?

What is an “elevator speech”? It's what you say in the elevator during your ride down to the lobby when someone asks, "What is a Senior Manager - Dean's Office?"

On the other hand, when you are the one trying to make use of the elevator ride to generate interest, what you say construes Elevator Pitch

Hyderabad or is it Cyberabad..?

Well, why do I ask this question? I for one am a pucca 'namma bangaluru' person. None the less now that I am in Hyderabad working for the Indian School of Business I am slowly (yes, very slowly) starting to like the place.

I moved here last week and am scouting for a good house which will eventually become a home :-)

More on Hyderabad and Cyberabad later..

Regards,
Guru