‘The Sky is falling’
3rd May 2024 I am a big fan of fables, be it the Ant and the Grasshopper, the Boy Who Cried Wolf, or the Tortoise and the Hare, each are great because they are concise, entertaining, and most importantly, forever relevant. That said, a fable crossed my desk in recent weeks that I found especially […]
Yes Weekend!
9th September, 2023 You can make the world a better place by making yourself a better person. The answers you seek, never come when the mind is busy, they come when the mind is still, when silence speaks loudest. Socrates once said, “Beware the barrenness of a busy life.” So, just do what you love […]
Itadakimasu
16th Nov, 2021 Before eating, Japanese people say “itadakimasu,” a polite phrase meaning “I receive this food.” This standard phrase before a meal, comes from the verb, “itadaku”, a humble way of saying, to eat and receive. The person who prepared the meal would reply, “Douzo meshiagare” which means, “Please help yourself.” This expresses thanks […]
Make Things Happen
14th Oct, 2021 It happened some years ago but I can recall the evening like it happened just last week. I was in an audience listening to a motivational guru. The speaker whipped out his wallet and pulled out a five hundred-rupee note. Holding it up, he asked, “Who wants this five hundred rupee note?” […]
THE KISS PRINCIPLE
04th Oct, 2021 KISS, is an acronym for ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid.’ It is a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960 coined by the late Kelly Johnson, who was the lead engineer at the Lockheed Skunk Works, a place responsible for the S-71 Blackbird spy plane amongst many other notable achievements. The […]
The Secret of Money – How Much is Enough?
1st Oct, 2021 The tragedy dates to 1859, when around 450 passengers on the Royal Charter, returning from the Australian goldmines to England, drowned when their ship was wrecked off the north coast of Wales. What caused this shipwreck? Well, many of those on board were weighed down by the gold in their money belts […]
Wish You A Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!
10/09/21 Ganesh Chaturthi is here! The religious-cultural festival is a 10-day-long celebration of Lord Ganesha’s birth. In Hinduism, Lord Ganesha is the epitome of wisdom, remover of obstacles (Vighnaharta), symbol of happiness, master of knowledge (Vidya). In India, religious ceremonies always begin with offerings to Lord Ganesha. He holds the unique distinction of being the […]
Buridan’s Donkey
08/09/21 Buridan donkey is a philosophical term or paradox that refers to a hypothetical situation where a hungry and thirsty donkey is placed exactly halfway between a pile of hay and a bucket of water. Since his hunger is supposed to be equal to his thirst, the donkey is reluctant to eat and drink, and […]
Perfection is the enemy of the good.
This is an aphorism that is commonly attributed to Voltaire, who quoted an Italian proverb in his Dictionnaire philosophique in 1770. The idea is simple: if you keep looking for something that is perfect, you will end up rejecting what is good enough. There is also the concept of the Nirvana Fallacy, which amounts to […]
Choice Is Yours
The big question about how people behave is whether they’ve got an Inner Scorecard or an Outer Scorecard. It helps if you can be satisfied with an ‘Inner Scorecard’. I always pose it this way. “Look, would you rather have tons of money and live a simple life or have a big house and flashy […]