The Manmade Theory Of Life

Today's modern world greets you with a lot of drastic changes which includes the ways in which we live, eat, sleep and of course - earn. In India, you are forced into school at an age of 3. However, in the west you get to enjoy your early childhood for a couple of years more. However , when you are in India, you're probably an engineer or doctor by the age of 22-24. And post that it's a mad race against time to settle ourselves with a decent job or continue to study*. 

*This if-else condition depends on your economic background and interest. 

If you choose to work, you are not going to sit back and enjoy as your teachers lied to you. Yes, we've heard our teachers repeating one common preach when we are in our twelfth grade, " Just struggle hard for one year and your future will be bright, I promise". You believe them , you work crazily hard and secure cool marks. Once you enter college , your professors tell you -" If you want to have a comfortable life , work hard for the next three/four years". You respect the words of your professor this time and slog hard. You are now a graduate with a job at the end of four years. Just when you think it is the time to relax, training tests, performance appraisals, your 'Hitler avatar' boss woo you to sweat it out like a dog and you realize that life's  synonymous to hell and you are never going to be happy, even though your bank balance is going to keep spiking. 

So, the point we'd like to convey here is simple. We are tuned right from our childhood with a notion that you need chunks of money to be happy and 'settle down' in life and this money is going to come only if you study hard. Of course, education is important but to what extent? We spend almost one-thirds of life span for education and post that the race to earn begins. When we blindly run behind money with only the future in mind and do not spare a thought for our personal happiness or satisfaction,  we would all sit back in our sixties and think about what we did or achieved in our lives and unfortunately, there wouldn't be a single moment to cherish. You would have all comforts at that stage, be it your self owned apartment for which you paid EMIs for more than 20-30 years, a nice little car and a lovely family but there's one important thing which would be missing in your heart- that's the yearning to do what you longed to do but you couldn't because you were pressurized to gain a meager steady income, even though your passion promised you more. 

This is the simplest theory of life. Make sure you do not regret living a life that didn't live up to your expectations. Find the source of your passion, chase it down and succeed! 

If Work is Worship, Are Offices Really Temples?

Crime is unacceptable , irrespective of the person or magnitude. But what is so disheartening is the fact that people who're educated, professional and have a decent life to live, commit incorrigible acts which not only drives them to shame, but also leaves a big question mark in our minds about the safety of employees in an organization.

We've been bombarded with news everyday about women being harassed or sexually exploited at work. While a few of these stories become sensational cover stories and breaking news topics, there are thousands of women out there who simply hide such incidents to save their reputation in the society. Such is the state of women who are considered to be equal to men when it comes to the modern world.

With a steady spurt in the number of incidents, organizations are slowly stepping up the ante on work related crimes as such incidents not only affect the lives of the employees, but it also dents the reputation or image of the organization to a huge extent. However, the effectiveness of the action taken is quite questionable when it is the person who is on the top of the hierarchy, who commits the crime. We must understand that ethics plays a vital role when it comes to addressing such situations and when work ethics is missing, there is not much that one can do to instill discipline and morality in an organization.

It must be understood that women are not tools to be exploited but similar entities like us who deserve respect and care on an equal scale. Professional ethics is the need of the hour. The judicial system needs to tighten up too, to grant an immediate judgement and punishments on crimes relating to a workplace.

If your boss is a sleaze, do not be scared to stand up and scream at him. It could cost your job, but it could potentially save several other people from getting caught in the hands of a perverted superior. Wake up before it is too late..

India and Endless Woes- What Are We In the Eyes of the World?

We live in India. A country which houses more than 1.2 billion people and is known for its rich culture and heritage. We possessed all that's required to drive our nation to glory and prosperity. But where we are today is pretty much far and away from where we actually should have been. Have you ever wondered why?

It is primarily because of one and only one reason - We do not value our land, our country more than ourselves. Our life, our jobs, our houses, our families, our future is what comes first and everything else takes a back seat in our priorities list. I'm not suggesting that we should simply sit and brood about the hapless state that our country's affairs are in, but we should spare a thought and do the needful at least during troubled times like these. If you are wondering about what I'm talking about, well, it is about the 'Image of India' in the eyes of the 'foreigners'.

How often have we seen taxi drivers and autorickshaw drivers circling around the foreigners who can just stop and stand there feeling awkward? How often do we see tourists getting raped in prime tourist locations? How often do we see tourist guides wooing the foreigners to take their services and coming out with innovative ways to fool them? Be it at shopping places, tourist spots or simply any other place , we consider the white skinned men and women to be mere puppets from whom we can extract a bounty from! This is indeed an act of shame and we are not simply losing out on our image to a family or two of foreigners but to an entire country or two.

This is one of the prime reasons why our country has been portrayed in a manner which makes us stand with our heads down. Numerous film makers look at India as a spot to shoot their films on the poor , needy and the malnourished. We are looked at as a dirty place with filthy slums and greedy people who give a damn about the nation.

We do know that we are far better than that and we can outnumber a number of developing nations when it comes to our skill and competence. However, the global image is something which needs to be repaired immediately to avoid adverse effects which could also dent our economy in the future.
Wake up India, we have a brighter face to show.

Food Food Everywhere - Wasting It Will Leave Nothing to Spare!

We all work for , earn for and spend on one common thing - Food. In fact to put it straight, we eat to live. Food is something that important. More often than not, we do not understand the value of something, unless we are devoid of it. It is predicted that the same is going to happen to food too.

Take a simple example of our own country India. We have all leading food joints setting up franchises in India because they know how much we love our food and how ready we are to spend on it. The rich spend millions of rupees on lavish weddings which boast of a six course buffet, but down the very street there would at least a dozen children starving without the wealth to afford even a meal a day. While this discussion could lead to the rich-poor divide which is haunting our country since time unknown, a little awareness or concern towards the needy could change things. We could always contact a food collection agency which could distribute the surplus food to the needy. It is not that tough a task to contact these people - simply google - waste food collection chennai , and it's done!

While this is one step which we can spread awareness on a personal front and successfully feed at least a handful of poor kids and people, food wastage is a bigger issue . In a country where malnourished kids are in millions, we just should not tolerate the fact that grains and crops get spoiled in the warehouses . Just because our storage facilities our inefficient, we can't allow innocent people to die. It is not their fault but that of the authorities. It is high time we raise a voice against this.

In future, if we do not have enough food, it is not because of growing demand or shortage of supply , it is mainly because we were reckless today and wasted a lot without caring about tomorrow. It is not only India but several other developed countries too, which are sparing little thought about food conservation and optimum utilization of the same.

It is high time the world wakes up before it dies hungry!

Food Wastage - All Talk and No Action Will Make Our Planet A Hungry House!

Alright, June 5th was World Environment Day and we all know that. Newspapers came out in green color, several corporates sent out advertisements to show their concern for the environment with their names embossed in bold. The media revealed umpteen numbers of stats - one of the most shocking was the one which stated that India ( alone ) wastes food worth 50,000 crores INR every year! There were several others which took to the papers and television channels.

Most of us would've been shocked once we read such stuff but the very next day we get back to our daily routine and all that we felt bad about is history! Yes, probably we need to wait till the next World Environment Day to wake up again.

It is a matter of fact that we follow the  'all talk, no action' strategy many a times and when it comes to the crisis revolving around the environment, things aren't different. Enough has been said that people should take to public transport and cycling to curb pollution but in reality is it easy to cycle through our packed roads in a safe manner or is it possible to find a seat in a train or bus during peak hours ? Absolutely no. We talk about saving electricity and how much of coal is burnt to light that bulb in your house, but can we bare the heat during peak summer without our air conditioners on? Absolutely no, again.

We live in a modern world where our ultimate goal is to make our life comfortable and save enough for our children . In such a scenario, even though it is tough to spare a thought about compromising on certain essential stuff, there's definitely something that we can do to protect the environment.

For instance, we could turn off lights and fans when they are on unnecessarily and even air conditioners when it pretty comfortable to stay without it.
When we see that a tree has been cut down in our street or near our residence, we could compensate for it by planting a sapling in our own backyard.
There are 1000's of such small initiatives which we could practically implement and make this world a better place. It is indeed true that an individual can trigger a revolution and that's why we still believe that ONE CAN CHANGE.
Save trees, save your breath!

Employing the Youth as 'Agents of Change'

The nation is drowning under controversies, corruption allegations and inhumane behavior against women. At times, the common man feels paralyzed when he has to battle it out against the intolerant police force and a weak and slow judiciary. People with money and powerful positions are the only ones who have a say in this country which is one of the world's most powerful economies. Luckily, there is some hope considering the fact that a few concerned souls are raising their voice against the evils of this modern society which still continues to reel under power of the rich and the corrupt.

As individuals, we are only bothered about our present and future, our career and our lifestyle. Limited is the time to spare a thought about the issues which are slowly crippling this country. Thanks to a few outfits and organizations, we have been a little successful in voicing protests against raging issues which is heard echoing at the parliament too, at times.

I Lead India is one such initiative which has been taken up by Maruti Suzuki and the Times of India which aims at utilizing the power which the youth of India possess and propagating them as the 'agents of change' against any act which is against the law. Today, India has a very strong percentage of population which is built up of young blood. Hence, it is an absolutely wonderful initiative to provide the responsibility to the youth to clean up the rot.

It is high time we stop sitting back and watching news channels and voice our opinions by simply sitting on our luxurious sofas. It is time that we actually take an actual step forward.

We believe, ONE CAN CHANGE and campaigns like 'I lead India' shall only strengthen our fight against India's umpteen numbers of problems.

When in the World of Business , Do As the 'Dabbawalas' Do!

We've heard a lot about management strategies, the elevator pitch for wooing investors, the financial forecasting plans, customer engagement strategies, pricing policies and what not! Entering into the world of business is pretty tough considering all the paper work, the investments and the planning at stake. But India is a proud nation which houses one of the most incredible businesses which have been running successfully for ages now, probably without even knowing as to what a few of the above mentioned terms mean. Yes, I'm talking about the age old dabbawalas!

The 'dabbawala business' is pretty simple. It aims at providing freshly cooked food for the people who slog their hearts out in their shops or offices. It has indeed become a tradition for Mumbai's working class to rely upon these guys for their lunch. What makes the dabbawalas so special? The answer is simple, it is the efficiency with which their business is carried out. Most of you would be knowing that the dabbawalas have been awarded with the six sigma certification for the fantastic efficiency which their business model possesses.

What's so unique about the dabbawalas is fact that their business is almost 100+ years old and the business is still growing at 5%-7% which is pretty fabulous to note. Also, these men are highly disciplined and dedicated which helps them to battle through the war against time that arises everyday during lunch time. The organizational structure brings in almost 5000-6000 people who work their way towards achieving an immaculate efficiency of 99.999%. The most amazing part about this business is that they do not take the help of any modern day technology. However, the business model now accepts orders through SMS which is the way to go!

The dabbawalas have been recognized and admired by the western countries for their outstanding performance. Big heads like Prince Charles and Richard Branson have all taken note of this inspiring model of business.
We salute the dedication of the dabbawalas and only wish that they continue to make India proud!