All posts by Naresh

Intrigued by age-old questions ... which are not yet answered!
Childhood, Civilization, Happiness, Life, Money

A boy learns about money — 2

Leave a comment

by JAYRAM DAYA, GUEST AUTHOR

Those who are lazy and lethargic become slaves, while those who work hard create opportunities.

This code of moral upliftment was impressed upon me by my grandmother. I understood that dedicated work is the instrument to combat poverty, and thus my anticipated future seemed attainable. Stories shape history for people of all ages, leaving a lasting legacy that inspires future generations. I became a determined follower of this code, resolved to make a positive change.

A country’s story is told by legends. Granny was born in India, and so her thoughts were shaped into a coherent entity that represented Sanatan Dharma. I was taught that we did not have a religion, but had Sanatan Dharma, which promotes peaceful coexistence of all life on Earth.

Continue reading A boy learns about money — 2 →
Childhood, Civilization, Happiness, Life, Money

A boy learns about money — 1

1 Comment

by JAYRAM DAYA, GUEST AUTHOR

Looking at matchbox cars in a shop window, I would be happy as a lark. I would stand in front of toy stores, claiming to want to buy one. I would think that everything there might one day be mine. As a young and growing boy, I lived in a dreamland dominated by toy cars. When the sales-lady questioned what I wanted, I would simply walk away and, while walking back home, keep thinking, ‘If only I had the money’.

Continue reading A boy learns about money — 1 →
Life, Management, Politics, Psychology, Search for truth

MOTIVES, MOTIVES!

6 Comments

Last week, Srini discussed ‘politics of management’. Clearly, almost every agent in that kind of a political environment has hidden motives, or personal agenda. An agent’s personal agenda must be kept hidden, quite simply because it is not aligned with organizational goals; discussing it openly would let the cat out of the bag – and allow others to plot against it.

Srini made it clear that one learns about such politics only when one gets into the real word – which is where one runs into conflicting human motives. Text-book knowledge of management principles cannot impart the valuable lessons which real life experience does. In text-books, human beings are assumed to take up some idealized roles – as ‘director’, ‘manager’ … and so on. Real human emotions and motives cannot be captured in text-books.

Continue reading MOTIVES, MOTIVES! →
Business, Happiness, Life, Management, Power

Politics of Management

13 Comments

Over the years, R. Srinivasan (Srini to friends), a co-editor of the blog, has written many posts originating in his work as independent management consultant. Today we are re-posting one of Srini’s earlier posts, which we believe readers will find of great interest.

One of the first lessons in management schools is titled Principles and Practice of Management, which forms the core basis of understanding how modern organizations are supposed to be managed. However, as one gets into the real world, every student of management, and even those who do not have formal management education, soon come to realize that there is one more ‘P’ that governs the management of organizations. This ‘P’ is not formally stated anywhere; I have decided to call it ‘the politics of management’.

Continue reading Politics of Management →
Civilization, Economy, Engineering, Society, Technology

ENGINEERING OR TECHNOLOGY?

4 Comments

It comes as a slight surprise when we first learn that the word ‘technology’ has its root in the Greek word tekhne, which meant ‘art’; after all, today we understand art as being quite distinct from technology. The older Greek word harks back to the era when technology, in Greece and elsewhere, was much simpler; we may assume that practitioners of tekhne in Greece were viewed much as we view ‘artisans’ today.

It is no surprise, however, to learn that the word ‘engineering’ is rooted in the word ‘engine’; presumably, in the early days of engineering, ‘engines’ of one kind or another dominated the scene. But, to dig deeper, we enquire about the origin of the word ‘engine’. It turns out that ‘engine’ is indirectly rooted in the Latin word for ‘intellect’ or ‘inventiveness’. In fact the English word ‘ingenious’ is close in its form and meaning to the Latin near-equivalent ingenium.

Continue reading ENGINEERING OR TECHNOLOGY? →
Civilization, Economy, Gautam Buddha, Life, Money, Society

MY REALIZATION WITH MONEY     

4 Comments

Guest post by Jayram Daya

IIT Bombay Mech Engg batch of 1968 may remember Jayram Daya as being a sensitive, good-natured classmate from Hostel 2, an artist, and a citizen of South Africa. Since those student days, Jayram has successfully established a business in South Africa, handed the business over to his two sons, and is now happily pursuing higher interests in the next stage of life. He is in Sanyaas Ashram, but also, in his own words: I’m an engineer, an entrepreneur, a storyteller, a poet, an author, a painter, a photographer, a blogger, a philosopher, and a visionary.

Continue reading MY REALIZATION WITH MONEY      →
Civilization, Economy, Finance, Politics, Power

CIVILIZATION

4 Comments

THE IRON LADY

This is the life story, in its distilled essence, of Mrs. Margaret Thatcher – a highly talented, strong, outstanding individual; the first ever woman Prime Minister of Great Britain; and the longest serving Prime Minister of that country in the previous century.

In addition to narrating her life story, however, in this post we shall attempt something audacious. We shall compare the stages of her illustrious life with the four-state roadmap (see here). Why do we want do that? The answer is very simple: Because that comparison throws light on human life.

Continue reading CIVILIZATION →
Civilization, Happiness, Karma, Life, Search for truth

The Four-stage Roadmap

5 Comments

by Naresh Jotwani

[Important note: In this post, the notation ‘H/SD’ is used as shorthand for ‘Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma‘, which are the two commonly used references to the vast ancient spiritual heritage of India.]

In print or electronic media, we often see language such as: ‘According to the concepts of H/SD, the four stages of human life are Brahmacharya, Gruhastha, Vanaprastha, Sanyasa.’

Such language carries a risk of erroneous understanding. ‘H/SD’ does not coerce or urge a person to behave in a certain way, or to plan his life in prescribed stages. It is entirely up to the individual – through his wisdom, or lack thereof – to understand and cherish human life the best he can. Truths do guide the individual – but only to the extent he finds and assimilates them.

Continue reading The Four-stage Roadmap →
Civilization, Karma, Life, Politics, Society

CIVILIZATION – 5

6 Comments

NOT IN MY NAME!

The previous post (here) touched upon one’s duties, responsibilities and moral accountability. Can the burden of Karma – of accountability for one’s actions – be transferred to another by the ties of marriage, family, clan, friendship, business, money, politics … or whatever else?

The answer is, ‘NO. Karma is strictly an individual matter’. But, as we know, a desperate person will try anything to avoid the inevitable payback for his wrong actions, including attempts to deflect the payback to others.

Continue reading CIVILIZATION – 5 →
Civilization, Conflict, Karma, Life, Society

CIVILIZATION – 4

5 Comments

BROTHER, HUSBAND, KINSMEN, CONFLICT

Karma operates at the deepest level of our being. Therefore its working cannot be grasped without rigorous introspection and true empathy with another person’s condition. Nonetheless, all of us do pick up hints now and then, from ancient stories and from the life around us.

A famous story in the Bible has Cain asking God, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’

Cain was denying any responsibility for the well-being of his younger bother Abel and – by implication – for the well-being of other human beings. In fact the jealous Cain had killed Abel prior to this exchange with God, and therefore that question was also Cain’s attempt to cover up his horrendous crime. The story goes that, thereafter, Cain lived the life of a restless wanderer.

Continue reading CIVILIZATION – 4 →