Bike!!!!

My all modified Mountain Bike!!

Fountain Head

"Integrity is the ability to stand by an idea. That presupposes the ability to think. Thinking is something one doesn't borrow or pawn. And yet if I choose a symbol for humanity as we know it, I wouldn't choose a cross nor an eagle nor a lion and unicorn. I'd choose three gilded balls"

Courtesy: Fountain Head

Simple and straight from the heart. I share the above opinion!!

An 'interesting' viewpoint

I recently came across this article in the Times of India website, written by Shobhaa De. Read on.....
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cricket_tamasha/articleshow/2372935.cms

Ratan TATA

A man of strong priciples & a focussed vision, he has certainly lead the TATA group of companies successfully over the last 2 decades now. Recently, I saw an interview of Ratan Tata. Questions spreading over a wide range of topics, including politics were thrown at this gentleman. There was a certain poise and charm in the manner of his handling these questions diplomatically. On one hand defending the present UPA coalition goverment and the Prime Minister, he was also adept at stating that the Goverment also needed to take Bold initiatives as part of fostering 'Inclusive Growth'.
He stressed on BOLDNESS; indicating that not only the Government must be bold in its initiatives, but also each and every industrialist and investor must be bold in his/her initiatives. The industry must not follow but lead, not just nationally, but at international levels. One must be competitive at an international level, and not just stop at that, but must adapt to WIN at such levels. Such is the positive and agressive attitude of this inspiring leader of the TATA Group of companies.
It is no wonder, that TATA Steel has gone shopping for Corus, TATA Motors, under its hood, initiating the 'small car' project and several other international conquests . This Man's vision and inspiration is deadly. This is reflected in the manner of business aggressiveness exhibited by the TATA Group.

Faces of Humanity

Recently, I came across several articles about the 'racist' attacks on Indian tourists, in Leipzig, Germany. What furthered me to write this article was a nice apology letter from my German language teacher, on behalf of the country as a whole!! It would be so easy to blame Germany, a land with troubled histories, a land not so accomodative when it comes to foreigners.
But, when one looks at a much broader picture, I see a different face altogether. I have met people who are kind and friendly in Germany - one part of Germany's face and I have met people who are not so accomodative - the other part of the same face. Now, is such a picture applicable to Germany alone??
NO!!! Call it hate crimes, but these crimes are not centered only in Germany; they are as rampant in India as they are in Germany.
What we fail to realize is the overall face of HUMANITY! We are all HUMANS and have a life, similar feelings and needs. When will we understand that we are all born from the same SEED!!!!Today, Germany may be under the 'scanner' but tomorrow another place and country (INDIA TOO!!!). No individual country can be held responsible for such acts; for WE are all as a whole equally responsibile for the degrading face of HUMANITY!!!

Deutsches Museum

After continued persevrance from my good friend, 'BS', we finally decided to pay a visit to the famed Deutsches Museum, here in Munich. Little did we realize what was in store for us on a glorious August morning.
The museum was a store house of various technological innovations of Man; subjects ranging from Marine Engineering, Textile Engineering, Aeronautics, Engines &Instrumentation Technology to Microelectronics, Computers, modern Space Technology, Environment and so on. Four huge storeys dedicated as a tribute to Man and his Evolution was what we walked through, this day. Stone Age painting models (Altamera Caves), World War plane models, Submarines and ship models, Underground train models, Rockets & satellite models were all part of the display.

7 hours of non-stop admiration did not enable us to see ALL that was there to be seen and admired. Each step of ours was filled with awe; questions such as,'How can one EVER think of such an idea?' plagued each step of ours.
As we walked out of the museum, hungry for a snack, our minds were satiated with the thought that our 'knowledge' was like a Needle in a MASSIVE haystack!!!

Recently, I came across an article about Equity Investment in Germany. The survey in the article informed that fewer Germans are open to the idea of investing in equities. This was attributable to lack of knowledge and also a major crash of the Deutsche Telekom stock in the year 2000. As usual the CEO of the company was sacked, 'thanks' to the above crash.

The stock markets always hold a risk factor. It is a 50-50 chance of loosing money as much as profiting. This is the reality, no matter how rosy the papers print about the rising Indian and Chinese or for that matter any stock market. So, when a company's stock crashes, generally only the CEO is culpable and hence the immediate move is to sack this person - ONE PERSON. Yes, there are cases of CEO's not being responsible enough to guide the organization, but an organization is not just ONE CEO. It is a family of several people and in my opinion, each and every employee is equally responsible. Ofcourse, I do not intend to say that, when the stock craches, sack all its employees - that would mean no stock at all!!!!
Stock markets are intrinsically bound to the World's Business economy, and by its nature there will be ups and downs. Again, a 50-50 chance of losses as much as a profit. This year's loss will churn the next year's profit. Simply throwing out CEO's and bringing in new faces is not sufficient to ensure profitability. It requires a much broader outlook. Ofcourse, I am no economics expert to 'opiniate'! There are too many people for that. Just recording a thought!

Evolution

Woke up to a dull, misty morning. I see beauty; the wet leaves, fresh and green, the 'pitter-patter' of the rain drops against my window had a tune by itself to which the branches of the tall trees, against my window seem to be swaying. In the distance I could see the haze slowly lifting, a misty enthrall, a poet would say. As I travel in the 'S-Bahn', strong thoughts hit me - Man Evolving. Are we really, as a 'superior' species, capable of evolving?
In today's context, I refer to evolution, not from the perspective of its traditional biological meaning but from the perspective of self improvement. Not a day goes by without an article/news about malpractices & violations. On one side, people talk about humanity and hence talk about sending 'FINANCIAL AID' to poverty stricken countries as in Africa & Aisa and on the other side, the same people 'AID' themselves by swindling some (or all of the money) which was for 'humane' purposes!!! Today's World is driven by terms such as 'Profitability', 'Quality', 'Innovation', 'Efficiency' & 'Resource Management'! What these terms really address is just one aspect - 'MONEY'! In this materialistic World, every aspect of life including love, relationship, humanity, justice, trust have been reduced to 'MAXIMIZE PROFITS'!
Its definitely plausible to say that, 'Yes, we as a human race can evolve', but one must always add the term, 'To maximize our profits' in the end, for it is assumed that what ever you do, is to maximize profits. This I write with an absolute sense of humor!
Until we are driven by this one aspect of life, and are unable to look at humanity as a whole and benefit the entire race and not from a self centered perspective (i.e. to maximize profits), the human race's ability to evolve any further has come to end, without actually, 'PROFITING'!!!!