Make a Difference Today...

A man was walking down the beach at sunset. As, he walked along, he saw another man in the distance. He noticed this man kept leaning down, picking up something and throwing it out into the water, again and again. As, he approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach. He was throwing them back into the water, one by one.

Puzzled, he approached the man and said, "Good Evening. I was wondering what you are doing."

"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide and all these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If, I don't throw them back into the ocean, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"But, there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possible get to all of them. And, don't you realize this is probably happening on hundreds of beaches all up and down this coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"

The man bent down and picked up yet another starfish, and threw it back into the ocean. With a smile he replied, "Made a difference to that one !!!"

Just remember, no matter how small the deed it really does makes a difference. Make a difference today. Do something nice for someone else, even if it's just narrating this story to a friend and letting them know somebody cares about them...

Who's packing your parashute??

Hello everybody. Today I gave blood in the blood donation campaign driven by Gangaram Hospital in my college.Yippee...feeling so good! I still remember the last tyme when the same scenario was going on in Jaypee University. I was very afraid of pricking. But my friends Ribhu, Ekta and Karan were standing besides me and trying to do all sort of mischieves in order to divert my attention. I was experiencing the true feeling of belongingness; but today, that sense was nowhere. Everybody was busy in his/her affairs though 'D'(Swayam) was there. Finally when I was about to quit, one helper came there and started talking to me in a way like he knows me well. I was lost in his energetic and affective talks. Perhaps he was observing me quite from sometyme! Lyfe has become too fast! You can't afford to spare tyme for everybody. But whether its something which justifies expectacy theory? Always expect the unexpected or comes a response driven expectations!

Charles was a jet pilot whose plane was once destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. He ejected and parashuted into enemy hands. But he was captured and spent six years in a communist prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons from that experience.

One day when Charles and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table approached him and said," You're Charles! You were shot down. You flew jet fighters." " How do you know that?", asked Charles. "I packed your parashute", the man replied.

Charles shocked in surprise and gratitude. The man said," I guess it worked!" Charles assured him," It sure did. Otherwise I wouldn't be here today".

Charles couldn't sleep that night, thinking about the man. He says," I wonder how many tymes I might have seen him and not even said,'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because he was just a sailor. The sailor, perhaps who was weaving the fate and destiny of someone he didn't know".

Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it throughtout the day. These supports are necessary to reach the destination safely. Sometymes in the daily challenges of lyfe, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please,thanks, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to him or to us, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason. "I am proud of you" are five of the most precious words you can ever use to make another person feel important. Appreciate everybody's worth, whatever they are, whatever they do. Everybody is important and essential, whatever they do, whatever their job is. They may change your thinking and decisions. Someone's lifetyme opportunity may be perched on the tip of your tongue. Reveal in the rhythm of ordinary things. At tymes your words speak volumes about the quality of lyfe. Appreciation is a wonderful thing; it makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

As you go through this week, this month, this year, do recognize people and check, Who is packing your parashute!!

Dedicated to all who I forgot to say thanks or sorry...

Blessings-"The Idiotic Owls"

Why this title?? Seems strange...Isn't it?? Lets try to explore!!

Blessings come in many ways. But the best come as friends. At tymes you need someone to share the greatest joy of your heart; at tymes the greatest fear or sorrow of the moment! Friends add color to your life. They are always there for you. When you are down, they give you support and help in letting you up. And when you are up, they rejoice with joy & helps in formulating the most wonderful moments of your lyfe. They communicate with you in laughters and that laugter turns a sad day into a joyful one. Life doesnot amount in breathings, but to the moments which cut you the breath, especially with friends.

Now what about the second phrase, Idiotic? Well actually long tyme back when I was spending some unforgettable tyme with my friends at Waknaghat, there started a discussion regarding what is meant by lyfe. Someone from the group responded with an extremely beautiful answer: "I would sit next to my friends, pull them close together, put my arms around them and say proudly these idiots are my lyfe." I was highly impressed with the response and today when I thought of writing something regarding friendship, the memories flashed by and took me somewhere in my history with tears in my eyes. I wish I could go back! Alas! Here appears the limitation of human boundaries.

When I dive into the ocean in search of My Idiots (apart from me) from the never ending droplets; some names always fill me with a spark . Karan Chawla, my alter ego who became a loving anchor in all storms of my lyfe; Manu, who can rightly claim to know me inside out; Komal, who taught and made me to smile in the most difficult tymes of my life; Mrinmoy, whose lyfe decreases with one flowing tear in my eyes; Ribhu, who became my sunshine during my dark clouds in the voyage; Ekta, who carved her sincere thoughts deep inside my heart; Hitesh whose serious & sincere advice used to guide me like an elder brother; Nicku, whose presence itself is enough to heal all of my worries and Gaurav, who really treated me as his elder brother.

As said by someone, "The beauty of the lyfe does not depend on how happy you are, but it depends on how happy others can be becoz of you". Friends make this statement true. Some time ago at the Seattle Olympics , nine athletes, all mentally or physically challenged, were standing on the start line for a 100 meter race. The gun fired and the race began. Everyone wanted to participate and win. During the race, one boy fell and started crying. The other eight heard him crying. They slowed down and looked behind them. They stopped and came back... All of them... A girl with down's syndrome sat down next to him, hugged him and asked," Feeling better now?" Then all nine walked shoulder to shoulder to the finish line. The whole crowd stood up and applauded...They all defined the true meaning of friendship...

Aren't We capable enough to show such a spirit??

Deep down inside us, we all know that the most important thing in lyfe is much more than winning for ourselves. The most appealing thing is to help others to win. We are human beings, not machines. We do have emotions and feelings; the exchange of which defines the friendship...

Friends we love never go away. They walk besides us everyday. Sometymes unseen and unheard, still near, still loved, still missed and still very dear...

Kabhi ankahi baaton ki ada hai dosti, kabhi gum ki dawa hai dosti, kami hai poojne walon ki, warna iss zamee par khuda hai dosti...

And regarding last phrase, Owls...Well usually I call my close friends ullu...Its a patent you know!

Dedicated to Friends...

Why MBA???

Why MBA?? Well seems a very interesting question...Isn't it?? Lets try to explore some of the possible answers:

1) My dad told me to do so...papa ne kaha tha...

2) Had spare 1400 bucks...

3) I don't have technical expertize...company mei kaise rise hoga...

4) Return on Investment after MBA is awesome...

5) Everybody is going for MBA and thats why appears I should also sail the same boat....

6) You ask me WHY??...and I ask you why not...

Well enough of the talks...Let us try to identify some of the possible answers to above...

1) "My dad told me to do so"

: But then dad also asks you to marry his friend's daughter...

2) "Had spare 1400 bucks"

: gud reason..but you can also purchase a vodka bot with that 1400 bucks...

3) "I don't have technical expertize:

: Fine that you are not technicaaly sound. But what makes you think that Not being good at technical would naturally qualify you to be good at management...

4) "Return on Investment after MBA is awesome"

: The average salary in best of IIMs is 12 lacs CTC(domestic salary...believe me its true...if u disagree, plz refer wikipedia), which isn’t that great coz after 2 yrs in a good company (and switch), your salary can be 10 lacs (obviously you have to excel in your work for that, but dont expect MBA and thereafter to be a cakewalk) . And the cool 8-10 lakhs you spent on the studies.

ROI in the share market, and in any business is much higher. Actually if ROI is all you care about, start a garbage collection and disposal company. You ll break even in 2 yrs, then add a garbage recycling unit. You ll be a crorepati in 5 years. I am not joking, I know someone who did the above in 4 years total, I am sure all of you can do it definitely.

5) "Everybody is going for MBA and thats why appears I should also sail the same boat"

: What would you call this - peer pressure, or crab mentality? But before you snicker and laugh at the rest of the world who does this (and you dont), just pause to remember your admission into college. Why did you put Computers as your no. 1 choice? Did you actually like the field? How much experience did you have in the field? How many of you chose it, even though you didnt have any real affection towards it? So you want to repeat that all again?

6) "You ask me WHY??...and I ask you why not"

: You ask me why I should I go to hunoolooloo for vacation, and I ask you....... why not? Basically there’s no end to counter questioning...

...pause...why??arey lunch karna hai yaar...will cntinue after that....

hmmm...continuing...

On a more serious note, see it’s all a question of where you see yourself say 5-10 years from now (although very few of us think that long term). If you are a 'techie' at heart you would probably be quite happy to be working on the tech side of things and you can make a great career that way as well, but if you want any of the following things then an MBA probably makes sense:

(1) A career move to an entirely different domain say finance or operations...though it could also be done without an MBA as well but then the struggle is a lot harder.

(2) A fast forward button for your career...in the corporate world degree holders from top B-schools are given positions of responsibility and authority very quickly considered to those without an MBA irrespective of any amount of 'managerial' acumen you may show.

(3) Money...hmmm...lots of it...at the end of the day there's no denying the fact that this plays a very important role besides your work...Infact for many it's the sole reason for many who pursue an MBA.....the hard fact is that those who do the actual work get paid far less than those who 'manage'them.

But then consider these hard-hitting facts...

The highest paying job (after an MBA, and maybe after anything else as well) is in the field of Investment Banking. You work 20hrs a day, 7 days a week, sleep during flights, and earn crazy amounts of money. And get burnt out in 6 years max. That’s what a high up guy in Lehmann Brothers told me. The guy said that he has worked for 6 years, hasn’t met his wife for a while even though they live together, and is planning to quit soon. So if it’s money that drives you, remember to be in the top 5 in IIM-A,B,C and also be prepared for the above.

Dudes don’t be duds. Realize that the only thing that matters in life is to achieve something that you actually desire (that sounds sooooooooooo cliche). So try and be honest with yourself. Ask yourself whether you enjoyed solving technical challenges (the linked lists, the trees…. sorry tech folks, I couldn’t remember any other subjects) Ask yourself whether your dreams and hopes about engineering (before you joined it) had anything to do with science (and not about engineers getting good jobs). Most of you might not be technically inclined, and that’s absolutely fine (it reduces competition for many).

Now ask yourself whether the MBA is what you really want. Does finance, economics, accounts, HR excite you? Do you feel positive thinking about them? Or do you have a plan for yourself in which an IIM degree might help.

Next, review your own personality and inclinations. Do you prefer being the workman as long as you have the freedom to choose your tools and your work, or do you love playing supervisor?

If you feel inclined or biased towards any of the above two sides,congratulations. You will do well in life, skip the rest of this article. For the rest, you better start exploring yourself. Life's too short anyways. By the time you realize what you want from it, it might have slipped away.If you want to do an MBA, best of luck, I sincerely wish you to do well. Prepare hard (You know that already… why doesnt anyone ask me to shut up?). Prepare smart (now whats that?) Critically review yourself, and water the roots. Work on improving speaking, reading and writing skills if that’s where you lack. blah blah blah.... I think most good institutes would be doing this so for purposes of brevity, I’ll leave it for them to continue. Also keep in touch, I’ll like to offer you to join me when I start my own company.

If you are technically inclined, read the following very carefully.(You can even try printing out the next paragraph in bold, large font size and stick it all over your walls, but I wont really insist on that)

You might be working in a company in which you may not be getting a chance to enhance (or even use) your talents. DON’T lose heart. It’s only a while before your projects will become better. The initial year can be a very big disappointment, coz that’s when you go through bench rotations, maintenance work etc. But things become dramatically better afterwards. Use your extra time to prepare your technical skills outside of your current work area, and after a year you will be able to leverage that knowledge to join a better company. There are a lot of good companies who do really high-quality work, and a little sustained effort will get you there. One of the most amazing things about the technical field is that it’s a pure meritocracy, atleast in good companies. Many companies (I know for Trilogy atleast) have a technical career ladder as well in which you can reach the very top

and still stay tech. Your job takes on architectural, not managerial roles. You lead the company in its technical innovation endeavours.

What more do u want? (You also earn a lot of money, but I won’t dwell on that, coz money matters much less than impact and power to pure tech lovers. I know some of my friends..). And you can do stuff like SRK in Swades.

To end with, I’ll simply repeat a very cliche statement:

"Just follow your heart"

Whether it’s a tech field or an MBA.

The rat race for money won’t ever end, even when you become Bill Gates.

The only things that will make you feel satisfied and happy are your family, and the sense of achievement that your work gives you.

source of data:chotanarad

The First Step

Finally decided to share and exchange the thoughts and dimensions playing in one of the parts of my cerebrum. I was trying to start something lyke dat from the past 2 years but couldn't for various reasons or should I say my laziness. But today the divine feeling I felt while talking to my alter ego, Karan Chawla, made me realize the very fact of not showing an escapism from any moment of lyfe. Remember waqt matlab aaj...abhi... Yes! You can have only present in your hands; past has become the history and future yet awaits! Why we spoil our present in an unending hope of a beautiful future?? Cant we just enjoy the current moment only?? Cherishing the most unwanting and undemanding moments might put an end to most of our problems. This collection of diversities strengthen us which after a bit of tyme becomes an invaluable learning experience, something vital to handle the present. We cannot control the events but we Can control how we deal with them. Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; its something you design for the present.

Anywayz putting an end to the series of ideas, I feel happy to dedicate this blog to my friends who act like pillars of strength in varying phase of my lyfe. I expect yoU, my friends, to go through these entries and give your valuable comments and advice so that more & more thoughts and perceptions may be nurtured...I will also try to put general issues that are currently on the horizons in order to make this blog a useful platform apart from flowing my own thoughts. Towards the ending I would to like to say:

Sure, this world is full of trouble
I ain't said it ain't...
Lord, I've had enough and double
Reason for complaint;
Rain and storm have come to fret me,
Skies are often gray;
Thorns and brambles have beset me,
On the road - but say,
Ain't it fine today??

What's the use of always weeping,
Making trouble last?
What's the use of always keeping,
Thinking of the past?
Each must have his tribulation ,
Water with his wine;
Life, it ain't no celebration,
Trouble? I've had mine;
But today is fine!

It's today that I am living,
Not a month ago;
Having, losing, taking, giving,
As time will it so;
Yesterday a cloud of sorrow,
Fell across the way;
It may rain again tomorrow,
It may rain - but say;
Ain't it fine today??