IF by Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

Films:A visual treat

I was very young when my grand mother used to tell me stories.I remember being wide awake although she did so that I can sleep well with happy thoughts.I remember having goosebumps everytime justice prevailed in a story and how in the end everything was supposed to have a morale or an experience.The concept of film-making is the same.Using all sensory signals,story,scripting ,brilliant screenplay and acting being one of the medium if not all.However that would do gross injustice to the magic it creates,the dreams it builds,the make believe ,the inspiration,the learnings which can only be possible through a feature film.How do you expect a medley of strangers sitting in front of a giant projector in a dark room laughing at  the same jokes,becoming emotional in some sequences,getting angry at the same characters waiting for redemption and by the end relating to some character which stays with them in some way.Why are there ardent critics and ardent fans of the same experience.It is because it is supposed to be an experience ,a story.Some love it and some love to hate it.I am an ardent fan of Tom Hanks more so because of the movie "Forrest Gump" which ranks top among the best movies ever made.If you have managed to catch this movie you cant help but not relate to "Life is like a box of chocolates,you never know which one you gonna get" or "Run Forrest Run" whenever you are cursing fate or whenever you are looking for that extra little motivation in your life.It works for me.May not work for someone else.Once again.The word.Experience.Thats film-making.The art of film-making which is now an industry originated first in the form of drama when aspirant artists,authors and actors  looking for a creative high used to orate stories in front of live audience which slowly evolved to enacting make believe scenes  enhancing the audience response.That evolved into today's theatre ,a breeding ground for today's actors to enhance their skills.There are no retakes here,no editing.Just you and the audience.Theatre evolved into film-making to make that extra effort plausible for the audience to come in and love what they see.The special effects,the VFX,the action sequences are an obvious ploy to commercialize the same but you cant disagree that this only makes the experience of spending two hours of your day  better.Then there is love.Yes ,love.There I said it.So many industries work and have jobs because we humans have emoting capabilities unlike any other.We love,we hate,we get angry.The myriad of emotions can best be summarized in one basic human emotion:loving someone and the need to feel loved.But no industry understands it better than the film industry.The films now categorised as comedy,thriller,suspense,state of affairs,romantic comedies were once just plain and simple love stories.Casablance.Check.Sleepless in Seattle.Check.No one knew Romeo-Juliet,Heer-Raanjha,Sohni-Mahiwal that well before there were films.There were stories.There were the audience.It enthralled many generations before.It enthralls today and we believe the concept of story telling in a film which we consume as entertainment continues to enthrall millions in the future too.

The 50 hour work you do -is it outstanding or standing out???

People buy two categories of things.
The distinct. And the generic.
The distinct items are the things that have a limited commodity, that are artisan in nature, that are worth paying a premium for. They stand out for some reason. The generic items are, well, the things you find on Amazon.
If I start to describe a pink, ever-in-motion bunny, you know the brand of battery. [________]
You have recall because that distinct advertisement cemented something uniquely. For anything to be powerful in the marketplace, it has to be seen and remembered. No one can select it, when they can’t recall it.
This, of course, applies to people, as well as organizations:
If you work within an enterprise, this will mean you must stand out more at meetings. When you ask smart questions, challenge assumptions, and act proactively to solve problems that no one else steps up to…. You are distinctly someone worth promoting. The outspoken and proactive individual gets picked more times because he or she is distinctly memorable. We notice what sticks out. More importantly, know what ideas you are fighting for because that can form the basis of why you want to stick out from the rest.

If you are a business, and you share more about your category and expertise, your buyer will pick you because they know for sure you are the best. Don’t hide your price because it’s high. Show, don’t tell, why you are worth that price and what a mark of distinction it is to be your customer. Instead of hiding all your insights until someone buys your product, share those insights broadly so you stand apart. Distinctness means you can turn category enthusiasts, or existing customers into promoters. Stand out in a market of many, to become a market of one.
If you are an entrepreneur, it means you should stop buying into the advice you read. Studying Facebook and Google, and anyone else who came before you is simply celebrating the past. Celebrating the past is what magazines, research analysts, and papers do. They report what worked for the last one who made it but you can rarely win by copying what has already been done. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos did not follow the business practices of his day to invent (and persistently reinvent) his business, neither did Apple’s Steve Jobs, or Howard Schultz of Starbucks or … well any innovator…. How you become distinct is not a cut and paste exercise. It is born of learning, building, and development to push an idea to its edge.
For an individual, this means that you step out of trying to fitting in, and start celebrating your own uniqueness. Or said in my very own Agarwal-ism, it is when each of us stop kissing-ass so we can be kick-ass. You stop buying into the notion that there is one way to do anything, and then develop the thing that only you can bring to the table.
It’s true there is a market for commodity things, and generic people or products. Those markets force you to optimize for speed, efficiency, and perhaps service.
Commodity markets do not reward creativity, which is a result of hard work, owning your onlyness, and habits. So doing the commodity thing may very well be the right choice for you or your business. I can’t decide that for you.
But if you want to be one of the distinct ones – an innovator, a leader of ideas, a change agent to make the world a better place, there is only 1 way to do it, and that is to be distinct.

No preaching just something which celebrates life!!!

Jim Rohn once said “Income seldom exceeds personal development. What you become directly influences what you get.” Hence every day step out of your comfort zone and apportion time to stretch because when you stretch miracle happens. Here I am sharing “31” different ways to stretch. Use your imagination to add more….
Find & practice two new revenue streams in the next “30” days.
At your work environment identify “3” people and find “3” reasons to complement them.
Find “3” reasons to ask for a raise and or promotion.
Ask for additional responsibility not under your scope of talent.
Express your critical opinion on a topic in a large gathering.
Make your boss laugh.
Introduce yourself to someone standing next to you in a que.
Ask for an extra discount at a supermarket.
Call up your tough prospect for an appointment.
Attempt what you have been postponing for past few months.
Sing a song in a gathering of “10” or more people.
Congratulate your adversary on his success.
Go on raw vegetable diet for the week.
Write a critical letter to the editor.
Give up on your favorite beverage for the month.
Arrange for a get together of your friends that you have not called or met for over an year.
Learn to speak Arabic.
Switch off TV for the month
Take up a short education program with a written test.
20. Get an interview for a higher position in a larger enterprise.
Implement, a plan to stretch your “7” days expense budget into “15” days.
22. Get up an hour early every morning and use that time to meditate.
23. Take up dancing classes.
24. Spend “3” hours a week on teaching white collar people.
25. Donate blood.
26. Participate in a marathon.
27. Volunteer for beach cleaning campaign.
28. Read Shakespeare literature.
29. Automate “3” routine jobs.
30. Practice delegating “1” activity that you have never delegated before.
Smile more, laugh more and enjoy more.
When you stretch it stretches your business, professional, social relationships and when you continue practice it stretches your body, mind and soul.

Why do I love Atlas Shrugged?

Atlas shrugged is a widely recognized book and a dream read for any book lover. The story has industries of USA as a backdrop and entails to the injustice prevailed due to bureaucratic and fallacious practice of authorities. Though the size of the book can make one reconsider the idea of reading it initially, but after reading the first few lines only, all my apprehensions disappeared into thin air. The book starts with a question, ‘Who is John Galt’?, and the quest of finding its answer will sail you through the end of the book and what a worthwhile journey!
The story is not about one individual yet it is based on individualistic values and the code of living in this world. The story is about Francisco D’ Anconia, the Heir of biggest copper manufacturing unit of the world and gave it all up, it’s about Hank Rearden, the successful manufacturer of steel in USA and the inventor of Rearden Metal that made him even more successful, but gave it all up, it’s about James Taggart who lived his life assuming that everything he did, does and shall do would be for the sake of public welfare and that should be the ultimate aim of any Rich human being but eventually proved wrong, it’s about Dagny Taggart (main protagonist), the WOMAN who runs a railroad who could have given up her life but not her railroad and the story is about 3 men who became her epitome of an ideal world she always wanted to witness and part of, An Utopia.
Rand managed to create a world where the characters that are productive are downright shrewd and selfish but in a completely justifiable way and the ones who are dependent upon these people are of low moral code and unacknowledged. The reader can find oneself struggling at times with her philosophical views on life and living i.e. living for oneself and not for the sake of any other person. The exaggeration of everything is evident like the creation of wealth as well as wiping it off till the last straw. Being born and brought up in the land of Bhagvad Gita which teach us the ultimate mantras of Karma like, ‘Neki kar, dariya mein daal’, Karam kar, phal ki ichcha mat kar’, this book can seriously question these motto of good deeds.
There are long and awe-inspiring speeches preponderant about correct definitions (according to Ayn Rand of course) of those factors that keeps the survival of society possible and at the same time can make you question your own ideologies. Though well written but the lenghty description of these speeches might test your patience and could corrupt you to skip few pages too. Throughout the book, one can imagine oneself as a silent spectator amidst the whole plot cheering for the Good while jeering for the Evil, but what is good and what is evil is a matter of idiosyncratic perceptions. It shall definitely make you ponder the various economical and political issues prevalent in present times too. A particular aspect about Rand’s work which I found in 'The fountainhead' too is that all Goody characters are great looking while the baddies are not-so great looking, probably implying a metaphorical description of good and bad by Rand.
The writing ability of Rand is unquestionable, supported by a wide research and thorough knowledge of various facets of society, economics, politics and human behavior on the whole; she definitely knew the job of weaving all these aspects together with adequate reasoning to produce a master-piece. Many a times, the plot would make you say, ‘Err…I beg to differ with you Ms. Rand’, but being an intelligent writer, she clears all your doubts by vindicating her stand and keeping you on her side for majority of the book. Though pretentious at times, with bold and surreal portrayal of its characters, one would love to overlook all this for a happy and utopian ending. The book comprises of 3 parts, each containing ten chapters with elaborative establishment of all the main characters along with the plot.
To wrap up it all, I will definitely recommend this book to all the book lovers, because no matter if you’ll love it or hate, it would be a great loss to ignore it. After all it’s a book that changed and challenged the thinking process of many across the world.

And it rained!!

Does anyone of you remember the childlike enthusiasm you suddenly had when there was an impending holiday on a Friday or a Monday? Do you? Well ofcourse you do.Who doesnt?And so it rained heavily in Kolkata today.The Bhadralok in Bengal always on the lookout for such an opportunity bribed the media to stay at home.And there you have it.All Bengali channels started flashing their breaking news as if Bengal is witnessing the last flood of the century.I decided to leave home early so that I can get to work before all this madness takes over my parents.But parents they are.As soon I was about to step out my dad called "beta dont leave the house,its pouring".I dint want to be non obedient so I said "yeah i will wait".And thats when the demon struck.I dint want to go to office now.So I participated in the madness.I called up my friends and told them its going to rain heavily and its better they return soon.I was thinking "Hey I am pulling a fast one on them" and had a smug smile on my face until one of my friends called up and thanked me for informing her about the TV news.Yes it rained and it rained heavily.This rain means many things to many people.And I dont mean philosophically.Oh I am not an expert on that.Really!!Some took this as an opportunity to catch up on sleep,some had chai-pakoras to enhance their six pack folded bellies(i am sure you understand its diamterically opposite Sallu's abs).And some like my dear friends preferred to slog it out at their workplace showing how sincere they were when the fun part was that their bosses were missing.Oh my my I had my share of fun today!! To top that I received Subway privilege membership(yeah yeah how can I leave any opportunity to show off)which entails me for a year of Veg Subs and what not for a family of four at 90 percent discount.Sometimes corporate life seems worth it.As it is said be in the heaven for the environment and hell for the company.So cheers to that!!!

The advantages of being short sighted!!

It all began in Flury's(Park Street) Kolkata

I was a shockingly perverted seven-and-a-half year old who loved playing doctor-doctor and had become the centre of attraction thanks to a new pair of spectacles. I soaked in every minute of it. Lovely young seniors in full blouses and pithy skirts patted me around. “Look how cute he looks in those big glasses!” they said while I grinned.

And contrary to what you’d expect, the perks didn’t stop there.

With great power came greatly reduced responsibility. I’m visually incompetent, sire. Can’t serve in the armed forces. Not supposed to have foresight. Can’t join the search party at the bottom of the swimming pool looking for the fat lady’s lost ring. Can’t help now ex-girlfriend puking all over HRC due to lack of face recognition software (or contact lenses).

Being short-sighted prepared me for a life of sinful debauchery. Waking up with someone I didn’t recognize was never odd. So while others remained dazed and confused, I capitalized on morning wood. Forget acid, I grew up on blurred outlines and merging colours, a daytripper of sorts.

And I remember how this Goan chick felt flattered when I called her purple haze (I was merely referring to my version of her colourful lingerie).Bad vision couples beautifully with wild imagination. When sex got boring I could put faces on bodies. The possibilities were endless.

A fortunate friend was blessed with a squint along with a heavy dose of myopia. Oh what fun he had ogling at lovely assets while victims believed the seemingly innocently stare was into empty space. I hated him.

My sweetest myopic secret is that once the glasses come off, I don’t remember. Maybe some ambient sounds, but nothing of any significance. This succinctly explains how I dated a Karan Johar fan and anUday Chopra fan. Enter theatre, convince her lenses are on and you’re good to go. In fact, I don’t think I recall anything. Too much face substitution maybe.

And having found a partner whose lenses are twice as thick as mine I must confess, love isn’t blind, it’s just terribly terribly short sighted.