This post comes from Mark Frauenfelder at partner site Credit.com.

In these lean times, people want to reduce their spending. It’s easy to cut back on nonessentials such as video games and restaurant meals, but once you eliminate discretionary spending, you’re stuck with an essentials budget that’s hard to reduce. At least that’s what most of us think.

Mark Boyle had different ideas. He’d been working as a businessman in the organic foods industry in England, and had become concerned about his relationship with money. To him, money was a negative influence: “It enables us to be completely disconnected from what we consume and from the people who make the products we use.” He also believed money was largely responsible for environmental destruction and that banks spur this on by “pursu[ing] infinite economic growth on a finite planet.”

So in 2008 Boyle decided to try living for a year without money. His self-imposed rules were simple: He would close his bank account and not spend or receive money (including checks and credit cards). He would live off-grid — meaning he would produce his own energy for illumination, heat, food preparation and communicating with the outside world.

Boyle sold his houseboat and used the proceeds (a few thousand dollars) to get ready. Here are some of the things he did:

He bought a $300 solar panel to keep his laptop and cell phone charged (accepting incoming calls didn’t require subscribing to a cell phone plan).
He obtained an old trailer for free from a woman who wanted to get rid of it.
He made a deal with an organic farm to let him park the trailer on the land in exchange for a few hours’ work each day.
He built a compost toilet near his trailer to harvest the “humanure” for his gardening needs.
He set up a solar shower, which consisted of a black plastic bag and a rubber hose for bathing.
For heating the trailer, he bought a wood-burning stove made from an upcycled propane tank, and for cooking he built a “rocket stove,” designed to produce high-heat using small pieces of wood.
A bicycle provided transportation.
Started on Black Friday

He started his year of moneyless existence on international “Buy Nothing Day” (the day after Thanksgiving, also known as Black Friday — the biggest shopping day of the year). And he wrote about his experiences in his new book, “The Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomics Living.”

Even though Boyle launched his experiment at the beginning of winter, when gardening and foraging for food was out of the question, he discovered that food wasn’t a problem. He found all he needed, and more, by Dumpster diving for products that supermarkets were required to throw out after the sell-by date expired. In the summer months, farming and foraging yielded additional food.

Transportation became an immediate problem. His bike tires punctured so frequently that he soon ran out of patching material. He posted about the situation on his blog, Freeconomy, and, fortunately, a company that makes solid, puncture-proof tires sent him some in exchange for a mention on his website.

Once Boyle got started, he fell into a routine. It was quite labor-intensive — he had to wake up early and, in the winter months, put wood into the stove to heat up the trailer. Then he would have to go out and fire up his rocket stove to cook his food. If he needed to go into town, he had to hop on his bike and pedal 18 miles. He was busy from sunup to sundown.

Discovering simple pleasures

Summer was easier. In the book, Boyle recounts the pleasures of “long evenings walking in the woods, camping by the beach at the weekend, cooking food that you’ve grown and picked yourself, cycling, listening to acoustic music by a camp fire, wandering in the wild foraging berries, apples and nuts, skinny-dipping in the lake, and sleeping under the stars.”

At the end of the year, Boyle organized a festival for 1,000 people who came to enjoy free food and drink, made with the help of friends who foraged, Dumpster dived and bartered for the food, as well as fermented the beer and wine that was given away. The festival, along with his experiences over the year, prompted Boyle to make the decision to remain moneyless after the year-long experiment. He used the advance from the book to establish a trust to purchase a plot of land for a moneyless community.

Inspiration for living with less

I suspect that most people who read this book won’t want to go completely moneyless. But it could inspire them to think about ways to reduce spending. For example, you can prepare more of your meals at home from fresh ingredients rather than eat at restaurants. You can play board games at home with friends and family instead of going to the movies, and you can invite friends over for impromptu amateur music jam sessions instead of going out to concerts and nightclubs.

Before Boyle started his experiment, he had prepared himself by learning “carpentry, vegetable growing, permaculture design, medicine, clothes making and repairing, cooking, bushcraft, and teaching.” It turns out that these skills, while valuable, were of secondary importance to the “primary skills” for freeconomic living: “physical fitness, self-discipline, genuine care and respect for the planet and the species that live on it, and the ability to give and share.”

Thanks to Shri Anil Shah for the same

—————————————————-

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.  His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.  Over the next  few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down.  He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.  Finally the day came when the boy didn’t lose his temper at all.

He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone.

The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  He said, ‘You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.  The fence will never be the same.  When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  But It won’t matter how many times you say I’m sorry, the wound will still be there.  A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one.

Remember that friends are very rare jewels indeed.

They make you smile and encourage you to succeed; They lend an ear, they share words of praise and they always want to open their hearts to us.

———————————————————————-

Very very true

But the end is not THE END. I feel like adding….

—

It always happens in our vane lives, that we drive nails; repent and drive them out; and yet …..

The holes in fence remain.

But…

We can feel the holes and whitewash the fence and make it look better.

How in life?

Repentance is best when one owns the responsibilty and asks for a pardon with true emotion and commitment- repeatedly in one’s own solitude and in witness of one’s TRUE SELF and the supreme power.

Doing so everyday, empowers the rudimentary being. Then one starts living in PRESENT; in NOW.

And if we really live
in the PRESENT;
the past vanishes.

The fence is whitewashed.

Copied from

http://www.remomusic.com/iffi_1mainpg.htm

I have been engaged to perform at the closing ceremony of the IFFI [International Film Festival of India], Goa, on December 9, 2004. I am a professional performer, I perform at most events where I’m engaged to perform, and to me most jobs are equal—I give the very best that I can, and that’s that.

I have often been asked my opinion on IFFI Goa. The fact that I have been engaged to perform does not mean I should not voice my thoughts and feelings about the film festival. And I think the government of Goa, which I’m sure respects its citizens’ opinions and their right to air them, would agree.

So here goes.

* * *

Imagine for a moment a couple who has a dozen children. Most of them in ill health, most of them near illiterate. The couple claims they have no money for proper medicines, no money to better their education. However, in the same breath, the father says, “Hey, but I do have money for cinema tickets, so let’s all go watch a movie.”

Yes, you get the drift of what I’m getting at. It’s a matter of priorities. Health and education come first. Movies come last. And a whole lot of things come in between: public transport, electricity, water supply, roads, cleanliness, traffic control, crime control, corruption contro—the list is impressive. But one thing is certain: movies come last.

Walk into the Goa Medical College Hospital and witness the filth, the abominable state of the toilets, the blood-stained sheets and patients’ bedclothes, the lack of pillows or pillow cases, the rudeness and indifference of most of the staff. Walk into any government-run school or college and witness its shabbiness, the lack of basic facilities such as textbooks or benches or tiles on the roof, the lower than low standard of teachers and syllabus. If you don’t have the money to go to a private hospital or school in this country [as the vast silent majority don't], god help you, god help your future prospects and those of your children.

The government says this pitiful state of health and education [and everything else mentioned above] is due to a lack of funds. Ah, but they do have 110 crore [that's the official figure, I leave you to guess the "unofficial" one] for a film festival.

A film festival! At Cannes in developed countries like France the government looks after its people magnificently; the roads, the electricity, the water supply, the health facilities, the education, the government offices and services are all flawless—in every nook and corner of the city, not just on the main boulevard where the festival is held. The citizens are content and their government is therefore justified in “taking them to the movies”.

A government which claims it does not have the money for health and education is not.

* * *

And let’s ponder this for a while: Rs. 110 crore to promote and help the film industry? Does the film industry require our government’s financial backing, especially to such an astronomical extent? The film industry is known to be one of the richest and most corrupt industries in the country; known for its black money; for its underworld connections; for its perverted lifestyles ruled by casting couches; and this is the industry our government sees the need to promote? How about helping Goan small-scale industries, handicrafts, or khel and teatro artists on this grandiose scale [or at least a tiny portion thereof] first? While these have all to suffer and wait in queues to bribe corrupt officials so that they may avail of the hugely advertised but scarcely disbursed government aid, the government goes and spends Rs. 110 crore—on the filthy rich film industry!

* * *

Ah, but then they say it was spent for Goa, to attract tourists here.

Tourists? Does Goa have a dearth of tourists? What it lacks is not tourists, but facilities for the tourists who already overcrowd Goa. In the real tourist belt, which is along the sea coast, conditions are shameful: narrow single-lane bumpy, potholed roads where two tourists buses or even cars cannot pass without backing up, particularly on our most famous beaches and other favourite tourist destinations such as popular flea markets/restaurants/pubs/clubs/etc., causing traffic jams every day and every night during season; destruction of the natural beauty for which tourists come to Goa, through ugly construction and advertising hoardings, both legal and illegal; garbage and plastic and glass on and around beaches; municipal markets, the one in Panjim included, which have now begun to stink like those in any other shabby Indian town. The government has neither the time nor the inclination to solve these real problems for the real tourists in the real tourist belts… and they have Rs. 110 crore to build one multiplex, one jetty and one beautiful short road from the Panjim bus stand to Dona Paula, all of which a tourist will hardly ever use?!

Ah, but then cleaning beaches, keeping electricity and water supplies constant, repairing roads, all these things don’t count as tourist attracting activities. Because they are too simple, they cost too little to achieve. A Film Festival counts, even if it attracts people for just a week [mostly VIP guests of the government], because it demands expenditure in crores. I wonder if you can fathom why it is wiser to spend more on unimportant things than to spend less on the really important ones. The only explanation that comes to mind is kickbacks, but then I must be wrong, because this is supposed to be a clean government, right?

* * *

One more thing: the argument that these events bring progress and infrastructure to Goa which would not otherwise have happened, or which would have taken years to happen, is the greatest insult Goans have been made to suffer. Not once, but twice. By two different governments. The first time it was the Congress when the Airport-Fort Aguada road was widened and improved, and STD/ISD facilities introduced in Goa at the time of CHOGM. And this time it is the BJP and IFFI. What this means, dear people of Goa, is that you and I, the actual tax payers with whose money these facilities are built, are not important enough to have them built for us. You and I can suffer in silence for decades in post office telephone booths being insulted by rude operators; you and I can destroy our hard-earned cars in potholes even though we pay road taxes; you and I can suffer power failures and water failures every day, even today; because, my dear people, you and I don’t count. We only provide the taxes, the money. Why spend it on us? Ah, when a handful of foreign and Indian heads of state, when a handful of famous Bollywood and non-famous Hollywood honchos ride into town, it’s time to spend that money. On them. Not on us.

But we should all be oh, so grateful for the crumbs that will fall our way from their over-laden tables after they’ve burped and left the banquet. Of course, the fact that these works are hastily completed, that most of them will not outlast a monsoon, is another matter altogether—let us not even begin to bring up that depressing, frustrating thought here.

* * *

Finally, I cannot understand the fascination that the Indian government perpetually has for Bollywood stars. I have been criticising the excess of importance given to them for years, and publicly calling this country bankrupt of all other heroes and role models for our children. In the short speech I gave at the Sangeet Music Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London recently [a speech loudly applauded by the audience in the Hall, but deleted from Sahara TV telecast for obvious reasons, Sahara being the organisers of the event], I mentioned how even at the National Games in Hyderabad, the chief guests sitting beside the President of India on the dais were not sportspersons; there was no PT Usha, no Sachin Tendulkar, no Leander Paes or Mahesh Bhutpati; there were—yes, you guessed right—Bollywood stars! And how at the Sangeet Music Awards themselves, musicians and singers were sidelined by the importance given to the presence and performances of—Bollywood stars!

Turn on our radio, our TV, whatever; there is not one Indian channel even remotely comparable to National Geographic or Animal Planet. They are all centred on Bollywood stars! We take so much pride in our so-called heritage and culture, we scream ad-nauseum about its merits; but show me one, just one Indian TV or radio station dedicated solely to our classical and folk music, our heritage architecture, our customs and culture? Foreign channels make fabulous documentaries on all these—we make Bollywood masalas. Our ads, from chaddis and bras to diamonds and cars—all modelled by Bollywood stars. Our talk shows, our games shows, our very lives—all ruled by Bollywood stars. Why, even our governments are infiltrated by power-hungry, corrupt, megalomaniac, overweight, useless ex-Bollywood stars.

I am a distant part of Bollywood myself, having attained a good portion of my fame and fortune through the extremely few, but thankfully extremely successful, film songs I’ve sung. But I’m the last person to expect those songs to entitle me to the status of a real life hero, or to have my government spend crores on people like me rather than on pressing and deserving causes. For goodness’ sake, don’t I earn enough in showbiz? Doesn’t showbiz give me enough exposure and fame and glory and money already? Don’t the needy people deserve the government’s funds and encouragement much more than I do?

Believe me, I have nothing against Bollywood stars. But to me they’re just that—Bollywood stars, nothing more. They’re not real life heroes; they only act in make-believe roles of heroes. God, don’t we have the real thing to present as role models for our children instead of these overpaid mediocrities with their obscene dances, drunken driving and killing, underworld connections, black money, the whole dirty works? Where are our intellectuals, our writers, our scientists, our city planners and builders, our real life achievers, not the celluloid pretty boys and flimsy girls? If these are the only role models we have to offer our children, let us not be surprised if they grow up mentally and morally to be just like them.

And let’s not be surprised if our very nation develops just like Bollywood—made out of cardboard and thermacol, held up by props, totally false, artificial, superficial, with make-believe celluloid values, where lewd sexuality and mindless violence rule; where our spirituality, philosophy and culture are but a distant, forgotten, ignored, faded memory of our glorious past.

When this dreary moral and ethical bankruptcy hits us with full force one day, when it is too late to do anything about it, we’ll still find escapism of course—we’ll go to the movies.

Thank god for film festivals.

* * *

Okay—if I feel so strongly about IFFI Goa, I hear you ask, why am I performing there? Because I’ve decided, by accepting to perform, to divert at least a miniscule portion of the IFFI funds towards the two causes I consider top priority: I’m going to donate my full earnings from this performance to charitable health and educational institutions in Goa. It’s called putting my money where my mouth is.

Piyush Panchal | Project Manager – SCM | Aegis Limited |

My car is racing at speed of 60 miles per hour, through interstate highway no.I-20, piercing the twin cities of Dallas and Fortworth, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans: one of the arteries of American economic system. This is rush hour and the four lanes including mine are full of myriad of cars, vans and trucks. There is hardly any gap between two vehicles and the flow of vehicles is  incessant.  Similar is the case with four lanes of traffic in the opposite direction.

I feel that I am one of the millions of red particles  flowing through many such arteries that invigorate  nation’s commerce and industry. The oxygen of money and energy of my being keep the red particle that I am alive and robust. Many red particles like me rushing in road vehicles, trains, and monstrous jet planes/ ocean liners keep the economic system of the nation healthy. All the countries of the world are engaged in a maddening rush to achieve economic status  similar to this wealthiest and most powerful country.

The entire human race is engaged in an unstoppable race and the speed of that race is increasing every moment like a supersonic jet engine. No end to this rat race is visible in near future too. All are rushing with a lunatic gusto, towards an unfathomable abyss of total destruction at tremendous speed. None has time, intention or leisure to apply brakes.

As I am engrossed in these depressing thoughts, suddenly a spark of truth and reality dawns  in my poignant  mind that I have missed my right exit and am heading towards west instead of east!

…….

I am profusely sweating, lying like a corpse in my bed. An appalling dream has just awakened me out of my slumber. It pertained to the same highway I-20, after just forty years. The road was desolate even at the good old rush hour of 8-00 AM. Not a single vehicle was passing through it. Wild vegetation growth was rampant in each nook and corner of its stretch. It was lying like the rotting carcass of a panther of  the bygone economic and social system. Trillions of ants of misfortune had eaten away the once powerful being of at monster.

All highways, railroads, ocean routes, and airways were devoid of any means of transportation. The last drop of petroleum and last piece of coal had vanished from the world since last five years. All the water reservoirs were also empty, subsequent to all round bombardment in third world war, fought on a gruesome scale, for command over water and energy sources. Ninety percent of the world population had been annihilated. The unprecedented heat generated out of the nuclear weapons had melted the polar ice caps, resulting in rise of ocean level, that had engulfed all coastal ports. All the invincible powers of the globe had nosedived into irreversible devastation. Aye! the economic and social systems had  virtually disappeared into oblivion.

Only a few unfortunate human insects like me were roaming and moaning, here and there in the forests for water and food. The sky scrapers of the bygone metropolitan cities were lamenting of their past glory in the rampant vegetation kingdom. The human life was crawling at snail’s pace, sniveling, aching towards rejuvenated, cave age antiquity. I was standing there alone – depressed, lifeless, impotent, hungry and thirsty – on the same I-20 – now a part of the expanse of a thick forest. I was perspiring even in the prime winter and trembling with fear on the possibility that a wild animal may gobble me up any moment.

I woke up from that wicked dream; wailing over the fact that the exit in wrong direction had brought human race, as well as myself to this downhill destiny.

………

I return from the bathroom, reinstating myself from the poignant mental jolt. I realize that all the above was just a bad dream. I sleep immediately and start snoring to wake up in a fresh and fragrant dawn.

I am now driving a car again in the morning rush hour. But my car is a small, environment friendly, battery operated one. But the previous rush is conspicuously absent.

Now there are very few and small offices in the town. Most of the people are working over the internet from their  homes. All the merchandise is purchased from virtual reality e-Shops and delivered on the doorsteps, house to house, through giant trucks. People visit stores only for luxury items. They travel on road only to meet friends/ relatives or for pleasure like me, as I am going to a resort. All go to nearby rail station only and take up automatic, high speed electric trains; parking their cars in huge, multistoried parking lots.

Majority of transport is by myriad of trains much faster than the Japanese Bullet train. All factories are operated by smart robots. Most of commercial vehicles on road too are driven by such robots. All stores are operated by such smart robots only. The commuting  people are only those who maintain ultra smart plant, machinery and giant power houses or pleasure seekers like me. All routine production and maintenance is done by smart robots.

All the energy needs of the world are met by millions of large scale Tokomaks ( Controlled Thermonuclear fusion Reactors) . These small replicas of Sun are capable of generating virtually free electricity of the whole world for thousands of years. These have changed the governance of whole world. All industrial/ commercial/ civic/ residential/ transportation operations are driven by their power. They also produce abundant water for human consumption at gigantic desalination plants on seashores. Ocean liners and jet planes are also plying with Tokomak power.

Pollution is a thing of the bygone past. Conflicts between nations for possession of water and energy sources and gruesome wars are also matters of antiquity. The whole world is governed under a single flag of human race : it is a single nation world.

I murmur my choicest poem

“ The race for existence hinges on a single hope;

O Sun! create your controlled spark in tiny particles.”

(Tokomak is an energy source, that generates thermal power in a controlled way, resembling the operating process on Sun.)

And my car is also plying on the road , thanks to that mammoth source of power. All the evils, pride, jealousy, power struggle, rat race and pushes and pulls of human race are gone forever. I listen to my choicest Gujarati song on radio receiver of my car – a transmission from radio station on Mars.

This new exit has made me a corpuscle of a super human race.

And I wake up again; off this dream, fresh, encouraged and cheerful and take an exit to my notebook to narrate the first reality as also the two fantasies into this article.

———————————-

Click here for original story in Gujarati

I was a little “down in the dumps.” I hadn’t gotten to exercise lately because of my traveling schedule and recently I’d experienced some mild bouts of vertigo (that inner ear condition that can cause the room to start spinning.) You got it…speaking and “spinning” are not good partners!

My keynote presentation was scheduled for 7:00 PM, but I had been invited to show up at 6:00 to see a performance they said I’d enjoy. Little did I know that I was about to see something I would never forget.

They introduced the young musician. Welcome…Mr. Patrick Henry Hughes. He was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair, and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful music.

He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more beautiful. For some reason, however, I knew that I was seeing something special. There was this aura about him that I really can’t explain and the smile…his smile was magic!

About ten minutes into Patrick’s performance, someone came on the stage and said…”I’d like to share a 7-minute video titled, The Patrick Henry Hughes story.” And the lights went dim.

Patrick Henry Hughes was born with no eyes, and a tightening of the joints which left him crippled for life. However, as a child, he was fitted with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. His mom said, “I could hit any note on the piano, and within one or two tries, he’d get it.” By his second birthday, he was playing requests (You Are My Sunshine, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star). His father was ecstatic. “We might not play baseball, but we can play music together.”

Today, Patrick is a junior at the University of Louisville. His father attends classes with him and he’s made nearly all A’s, with the exception of 3 B’s He’s also a part of the 214 member marching band. You read it right…the marching band! He’s a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father do it together. They attend all the band practices and the half-time performance in front of thousands. His father rolls and rotates his son around the field to the cheers of Patrick’s fans. In order to attend Patrick’s classes and every band practice, his father works the graveyard shift at UPS. Patrick said…”My dad’s my hero.”

But even more than his unbelievable musical talent, it was Patrick’s “attitude of gratitude” that touched my soul. On stage, between songs, he would talk to the audience about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, “God made me blind and unable to walk. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability…the musical gifts I have…the great opportunity to meet new people.”

When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and cheered for over five minutes. It gave me giant goose bumps!

My life was ready to meet Patrick Henry Hughes. I needed a hero, and I found one for the ages. If I live to be a hundred, I’ll never forget that night, that smile, that music, but most importantly, that wonderful “attitude of gratitude.”

I returned to Chicago and shared Patrick’s story with my wife, my friends, and our team at Simple Truths. About two weeks later, I received a letter from a friend. He said, “Mac, here is a quote from Vivian Greene that I think you’ll love!”

“Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass…
it’s about learning how to dance in the rain!”

I thought…that’s it! We all face adversity in our life. However, it’s not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our life. During tough times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves, or, can we, with gratitude…learn how to dance in the rain?

It almost sounds too simple to feel important, but one word…gratitude, can change your attitude, thus, your life, forever. Sarah Breathnach said it best…

“When we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that’s present….we experience heaven on earth.”

~~~~~~

What I just shared is the introduction to my book, Learning to Dance in the Rain…The Power of Gratitude. My co-author is BJ Gallagher and she is one of the most talented and creative writers I’ve every known. It was an honor to work with her on this beautiful book that can truly change the way you think about life.

For more information, to look inside this great book, or to view the 3 minute inspirational movie, just click here. It also makes a wonderful gift for any occasion!

Keep Dancing,

Mac Anderson
Founder, Simple Truths

———————————————

MAC ANDERSON is the founder of Simple Truths and Successories, Inc., the leader in designing and marketing products for motivation and recognition. These companies, however, are not the first success stories for Mac. He was also the founder and CEO of McCord Travel, the largest travel company in the Midwest, and part owner/VP of sales and marketing for Orval Kent Food Company, the country’s largest manufacturer of prepared salads.

His accomplishments in these three unrelated industries provide some insight into his passion and leadership skills. He also brings the same passion to his speaking where he speaks to many corporate audiences on a variety of topics, including leadership, motivation and team building.

Mac has authored or co-authored twelve books, which have sold more than 3 million copies. They include:212°…The Extra Degree, Change is Good…You Go First, You Can’t Send a Duck to Eagle School, The Power of Attitude, The Essence of Leadership, The Nature of Success, The Dash, Charging the Human Battery, Finding Joy, Customer Love, Motivational Quotesand Learning to Dance in the Rain.

For more information about Mac, visit www.SimpleTruths.com.

Its call-centre operators are now helping enhance patient care for American hospitals, optimise financial transactions for Australian banks and streamline parts management for European engineering companies. Its IT companies are developing mission critical avionics systems, next generation telecommunications technologies and complex medical devices.

Despite the limitations imposed by the country’s weak infrastructure and antiquated education system, India has rapidly evolved into a global knowledge and innovation hub.

Just ten years ago, Indian IT companies like Infosys, TCS and Wipro were bidding for small contracts to help western companies fix the Y2K bug in their computer systems. Their customers were desperate to fix this ticking time bomb, but didn’t have the manpower or skill to do it. So despite severe hesitations, western companies sent their mission critical systems to India for repair.

–

–

–

–

It also explains how companies in India are able to hire bright but largely inexperienced talent to successfully engage in R&D and other innovation.

With the slowdown, Indian talent supply has been able to catch up with demand. And Western companies are more desperate than ever to cut costs.

To achieve the 30 per cent to 40 per cent cost savings that Indian outsourcers can offer, they are now outsourcing their most strategic internal systems.

Additionally, thanks to a combination of the recession in the US and that country’s flawed immigration policies, there’s a flood of highly educated and skilled talent returning home to India. These NRIs see more opportunity in India than abroad, and want to be near family and friends.

They are returning with the latest skills and an understanding of foreign markets. So the stars are lining up for Indian outsourcing, and this industry is gaining a second wind.

Within a decade, India is likely to become the world’s second largest R&D centre after the US. Its innovations will likely benefit not only India, but also the world.

(Vivek Wadhwa is executive in residence/adjunct professor at the Pratt School of Engineering at Duke University and a senior research associate with the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School)

——————-

Read full article

————————————

Courtesy : Shri Manthan Bhavsar

His Blog

 Chetan Bhagat – writer of a novel based on which current very successful Hindi film

Three Idiots

Thanks Chetan. You’re a fabulous speaker!
__________________________________________________

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates – there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party — several months in advance — just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp’s flame. The first aspect is nurturing – to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn’t any external measure – a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn’t the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won’t be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current level s feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature’s design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

Ther e is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes – Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said – don’t be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worke d up? It’s ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I’ve told you three things – reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don’t go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades — how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it’s life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember – if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that’s where you want to be.

Disappointment’ s cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don’t know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me fi ve years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved — movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result — at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan — I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life – friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness – this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it — not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let’s be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don’t. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don’t get literary praise. It’s ok. I don’t look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It’s ok. Don’t let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I’ve told you the four thunderstorms – disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying – I come from the land of a billion sparks.

We get lots of disturbing negative inputs about Indian way.

This is a pleasant, positive deviation.

——————————————————————

This is the story of 26 th November 2008 terror attack on Taj Mumbai.

1. All category of employees including those who had completed even 1 day as casuals were treated on duty during the time the hotel was closed.

2. Relief and assistance to all those who were injured and killed

3. The relief and assistance was extended to all those who died at the railway station, surroundings including the “Pav-Bhaji” vendor and the pan shop owners

4. During the time the hotel was closed, the salaries were sent by money order

5. A psychiatric cell was established in collaboration with Tata Institute of Social Sciences to counsel those who needed such help

6. The thoughts and anxieties going on people’s mind was constantly tracked and where needed psychological help provided

7. Employee outreach centers were opened where all help, food, water, sanitation, first aid and counseling was provided. 1600 employees were covered by this facility

8. Every employee was assigned to one mentor and it was that person’s responsibility to act as a “single window” clearance for any help that the person required

9. Ratan Tata personally visited the families of all the 80 employees who in some manner – either through injury or getting killed – were affected.

10. The dependents of the employees were flown from outside Mumbai to Mumbai and taken care off in terms of ensuring mental assurance and peace. They were all accommodated in Hotel President for 3 weeks

11. Ratan Tata himself asked the families and dependents – as to what they wanted him to do.

12. In a record time of 20 days, a new trust was created by the Tatas for the purpose of relief of employees.

13. What is unique is that even the other people, the railway employees, the police staff, the pedestrians who had nothing to do with Tatas were covered by compensation. Each one of them was provided subsistence allowance of Rs. 10K per month for all these people for 6 months.

14. A 4 year old granddaughter of a vendor got 4 bullets in her and only one was removed in the Government hospital. She was taken to Bombay hospital and several lacs were spent by the Tatas on her to fully recover her

15. New hand carts were provided to several vendors who lost their carts

16. Tata will take responsibility of life education of 46 children of the victims of the terror

17. This was the most trying period in the life of the organization. Senior managers including Ratan Tata were visiting funeral to funeral over the 3 days that were most horrible

18. The settlement for every deceased member ranged from Rs. 36 to 85 lacs in addition to the following benefits:

a. Full last salary for life for the family and dependents

b. Complete responsibility of education of children and dependents – anywhere in the world

c. Full Medical facility for the whole family and dependents for rest of their life

d. All loans and advances were waived off – irrespective of the amount

e. Counselor for life for each person

Epilogue

1. How was such passion created among the employees? How and why did they behave the way they did?

2. The organization is clear that it is not something that someone can take credit for. It is not some training and development that created such behavior. If someone suggests that – everyone laughs

3. It has to do with the DNA of the organization, with the way Tata culture exists and above all with the situation that prevailed that time. The organization has always been telling that customers and guests are #1 priority.

4. The hotel business was started by Jamshedji Tata when he was insulted in one of the British hotels and not allowed to stay there.

5. He created several institutions which later became icons of progress, culture and modernity. IISc is one such institute. He was told by the rulers that time that he can acquire land for IISc to the extent he could fence the same. He could afford fencing only 400 acres.

6. When the HR function hesitatingly made a very rich proposal to Ratan – he said – do you think we are doing enough?

7. The whole approach was that the organization would spend several hundred crore in re-building the property – why not spend equally on the employees who gave their life?