the inner voice

The last couple of months have been quite tempestuous for me. One can always feel the storm and turbulence it brings along within when it’s anything to do with fulfillment. If you are not happy, whatever be the reason, it’s bound to convulse your mind. It keeps going back to that issue. No matter what starting point of your argument is, subsequent arguments are framed to your line of thinking and you reach the same conclusion yet again but with increasing intensity. My situation took me to extremes; there was hardly a moment when I was thinking of something else. It almost paralyzes you, so much so that I took a complete break from the situation. I then revisited the challenge. The question haunts and pounds heavily. If it’s not that intense it’s not a big real problem. One also needs to stay comfortable in that uncomfortable zone. That zone could run into days and weeks. The violent shake and prolonged stay in that zone help one carry out some real introspection. You then cannot...

Everyone I talk to tells me that 2012 was not a good year. The never-ending scams, persistently high inflation, the slowdown in industrial activity, lay-offs, the impact of global events, and towards the end, the savage rape of a young girl. The gravity is not lost on me, but I still hold a different view, I believe it’s was a watershed year for India. It may have not have been a great year in an economic sense, but probably the best in a social sense. This year could be termed as the year of the awakening of the average Indian powered by the energy of the young. Citizens gave a titanic jolt to the ineffective political class by making its roar felt. I am certain that this year will serve as a tipping point in the modern history of this nation. India has undergone colossal change over decades and obviously so have Indians. With the urbanization of India, the struggle and aspiration of an average Indian changed as well. New social strata called the urban (middle) cl...

While all languages are great, Urdu, I feel enjoys a special place amongst them. Its elegantness flatters you and its expressiveness romanticises you. I am love with many words within that language, and wish to explore one of them in this blog post. When you talk about colors (रंग), ‘Rangrej  ( रंगरेज )’ or related expressions like ‘ RangRajwa ( रंगरजवा ) ’ crop up in mind. Though its literal meaning is ‘the dyer’….but is often poetically substituted for GOD, Master ( Guru ) or as the Lover,….जो उन्हे उनके रंग में रंग दे …..someone who can color them in their colors. The Sufi Songs or the ones with Sufiana soul or bent have most expressively used this word. In most usages you will find them easily substitutable, beyond the obvious Dyer, GOD, Master and Lover. When you think of it as the GOD or the Master ( Guru ), then it’s the color of spirituality and when it’s the Master (Lover), then it’s the color of love...

We don’t remember days, we remember moments – Pavese, Cesare ( 1908-1950), Italian, Poet, Critic, Novelist, and Translator 2011 had many such moments. Beginning of the year, I commented upon the start of the new decade bringing new promises along with it. Even though, in general, 2011 was a very tough year, especially for people connected with the finance world, I still hold on to my earlier comment. Each year when we look back and evaluate, we end up looking at our failures, at things that turned out contrary to our expectations or liking. And what that inferno of thought does, is further depresses us, building a kind of negative spiral, which engulfs and ends up strangulating us. Unless one makes a conscious attempt to stay positive, it’s very difficult to remain so given the surrounding ecosystem is so much volatile and uncertain. The coming decade will be a decade with ‘new normal’ - the earlier extreme / tail positions becoming the norm of the day. So let me sit back, relax a...

It's not only the end of the year but also the end of the decade. 2000-2010 will be remembered as one of the decades where India underwent transformatory changes. The good part is that we all got an opportunity to lead and manage it while it's still mild. The next decade will be much more virulent. Well, this decade (2011-2020) will differentiate winners and losers at every stage. It will be much less tolerant. Mediocrity will have no place and will be much severely punished than the treatment it got so far. So tighten your seat belts, or should I say wear your space suits, the journey will be tough and exciting, certainly eventful.   So how does one prepare for it? I believe that being 'agile' and 'adaptive' will be the two most important qualities, that will allow you to succeed and survive the next decade. Well, doesn't it sound deja-vu, very Darwinian :-). I also believe that all those who will choose to be constantly in 'learning' mode will ref...

While studying Engg sciences, we were asked to design structures and carry out stress tests on them to check their stability. While analyzing companies, we carried out similar stress tests, to check their creditworthiness in extreme circumstances..their ability to service the debt….as a Nation, we underwent a similar stress test yesterday. So what were the stressors, what did we shock? We shocked the cultural fabric, co-existence, tolerance, shocking national integration, humanity itself, taking it to a breakpoint. The only difference was that, unlike the routine stress tests which are conducted in a controlled environment, this was played out live into production. The Ayodhya verdict, a long-standing one, looking into the contentious question of who has the title and whom should the possession be handed over to was one of most speculated one's in recent times. Everyone waited with bated breath. All over in offices, in residences, in neighborhoods, hundreds of opinions were voiced....