by Naresh Jotwani, Jayram Daya, R. Srinivasan
This is an attempt to summarize, using a broad sweep, global events over the past few centuries. Viewpoints may differ, of course, but it is hoped that the summary does capture the essentials.
Continue reading A STORY IN THREE BROAD SWEEPSby Naresh Jotwani and R. Srinivasan
Should I try to be a moral person? A nice guy? A law-abiding citizen? Or would that turn me into a loser? An impractical dreamer?
How do I become a winner? A realist?
Can I become a cunning operator in a philanthropist’s garb? Is that option available to me? Or only to some billionaires? Is greed really good – as they say on Wall Street?
Questions, questions … and more questions! But – alas! – no clear answers!
In the hope that a discussion around such questions would be of interest to everyone, we attempt here an exploration of some basic issues.
Continue reading Two Powerful Wordsby Ashok Jain
Foreword
Guest author Ashok Jain (brief profile here) has followed up on Jayram’s post by pointing out the crucial association between Democracy and Dharma.
While no system is perfect, democracy is better than the other forms of government which have been tried, such as autocracy, feudalism, communism, fascism, religious fanaticism et cetera. Democracy is ingrained in Indian political and religious thought from times immemorial, quite simply because it is ingrained in the concept of Dharma. Dharma provides a sense of fairness in society – as against blind adherence to rules and laws. Additional societal values infused by Dharma are equality, fraternity and justice for all.
Continue reading Democracy as Dharmaby Jayram Daya, R. Srinivasan and Naresh Jotwani
Several centuries after the decline of the Romans, the major European naval powers had laid the groundwork for a culture of colonization and exploitation. By that time, the Anglo-Saxons had established themselves in England. Their belief in ‘God, Gold, and Glory’ spurred British colonization in the New World, altering history forever. The other European naval powers who likewise set out to colonize and exploit were Spain, Portugal, France and the Dutch.
Continue reading WEST OR EAST?by Naresh Jotwani
A recent post on this blog, Time as a Resource, showed that time is a crucial resource in business management. Like any other valuable resource, time must be utilized in an optimal manner. As a short and sweet summary of that post, we repeat here the line from Peter Drucker with which that post started:
Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else.
However, as we shall now show, there is much, much more to time than what we encounter in our busy worldly lives. When we logically explore various aspects of the lived human experience of time, we are led to conclusions which have a huge impact on the values by which we order and live our lives.
Continue reading RIGHT ON TIMEby 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 — 2by 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 — 1It 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?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 MONEYTHE 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.
seeker-of-root-causes 