When first I heard your voice on the phone,
thought it was Amitabh Bachchan from the tone.
Enamoured by this I started from Singapore,
only to join your team at Sarjapur.
First few weeks you put me on a mental drill,
to know as much & more about Wipro’s frills.
At every step you did enquire about my learning,
and wished to assess how much I was churning.
With care you allowed me to learn from my mistakes,
ever handholding you steered me from depredations stake.
Many a time you admonished me with your stern voice,
well all these were always to help me make a wise choice.
The faith you showered on me for my first intervention,
instilled confidence in me with a vision for perfection.
Your guidance further put me on a stable state,
which helped me score above 90% at a consistent rate.
In my troubled emotional times that you stood by me,
and built my inner strength by just holding me.
You always groomed and coached me at a steady pace,
to make me a Spartan in the war like business race.
Your assertive style always captivated my mind,
your caring supportive stances suggested always love’s blind.
In you I found the unique human nature of hard, soft and tender,
how these you beautifully mould and use has been my only wonder.
You have made me bright you’ve made me strong,
you’ve made me ready to play to the corporate song.
Your dissociation from Wipro has wetted my eyes with tears,
wishing intently to be my friend for years and years.
Although 4 years till date has been our association,
Ive learnt a lot from you to meet life’s different position..
Hence all the memories with you around are difficult to undo,
thus I wish to say “Thank you for being MY BEST BOSS Birjendu”
The Power Of Belief .....
Ever since childhood I always contemplated on the various stories that my grand father told from a repertoire of religious texts and ancient scriptures regarding their relevance to the daily living. Although for me, they were way beyond believing but I clung on the curiosity of each story that was told. As I grew up and years went by some landed into the trash can of my mind while some made such deep impact that to share my learning’s/ understandings/ experiences with my story teller – my grand father was no more alive.
One such story that transformed my questioning mind into a believing mind, instilled the belief that anything is possible if one had unstinted intention in it. It is said that “where there is Belief there is God” and Prahlada has been a witness to such providence. The story that instilled and reinforced my thoughts on the power of belief from the life of a child called Prahlada, who was born of an asura named Hiranya Kashyapu.
Through intense penance (Tapasya), Hiranya Kashyapu sought a conditional boon from Lord Brahma – that he should never be killed by man, god or any animal with any weapon (spear, sword, arrow or the mace); Secondly, he should never by killed inside his palace or outside his palace; thirdly, that he should never be killed during the day or the night; and Finally, that he should never be killed on earth or in the water or in the sky – getting this granted, he thought it made him invincible and immortal. Hiranya Kashyapu now became a tyrant. He would kill anyone who would take the name of Maha Vishnu. He forbade all from worshipping any God as he said “the Gods were kapati (cunning), cowards and immoral”. These were his convictions because of two major incidents in his life – the death of his brother Hiranyaaksha (by a VARAHA – an avatar of Maha Vishnu) and the forceful carrying away of his pregnant wife Kayadhu by Indra (the king of the Gods).
Isn’t this what power does to humans even today? – The power of position, designation, authority or the power of money itself. Whether it be in realms of the national politics or corporate games or life at home. It is perhaps a perception that he is the master or owner of it and hence can use it to the optimum level. However; the greatest power is in using it wisely and with forbearance.
Once this rule was enforced Hiranya Kashyapu set out to avenge the death of his brother Hiranyaaksha and also kill Indra for his immoral deed. A Sage called Narada (the divine messenger of Gods) rescued Kayadhu from Indra and provided refuge as well as the necessary medical attention till the child Prahlada was born. Meanwhile, Kayadhu unlike her husband Hiranya Kashyapu was an ardent devotee of Maha Vishnu and wanted her son to be an embodiment of all the good qualities (sarva guna sampanna), be pious, well educated and also be a lover of god and mankind. She therefore lived at the great Sage’s hermitage so that the child gets adequately educated and also instilled with a strong belief on God (Maha Vishnu).
Even in the current world we choose an environment that is best suited for us to grow into, best suited for our businesses to thrive, choose our customers so that we have best of the names on our brochures, we wish to be among the cream of creams of the society – the clubs, the status drivers etc.. and we also school our children/ employees in the best environs of a lavish swimming pool little knowing how will they swim in troubled waters, what will keep them going when the industries collapse? This is another paradox that I found that we expect for the best to happen, train to deal with the best, but expect them to perform/ function better in the worst possible oddities of life.
Now, Prahalada learnt his lessons well and had unstinted faith in Maha Vishnu even after moving over to his father’s palace. Hiranya Kashyapu was very much perturbed with this behavior of his son Prahlada. When the whole world followed his law he saw an outlay in his own home – his son. He forbade Prahlada from speaking about Maha Vishnu, or even taking his name and said he will be punished if he were to repeat it.
Nothing seemed to shake the unstinted faith in the young boy and he continued to love, sing hymns, praise the lord (Maha Vishnu) by taking his name and having discourses with his fellow school mates. This strained the relationship between the father and the son and Hiranya Kashyapu sentenced Prahlada to death. Kayadhu (Prahlada’s mother) wept at such an instance, but was consoled by Prahlada who said “don’t worry mother, the God (Maha Vishnu) is ever present with me and he will protect me until it is my time to leave the world to his abode – that too it is by his (Gods) wish”.
“Do as you are told …..” ; “Don’t use your brain ………” ; “Follow the law and you are safe ………” ; “Don’t be an out law…………..” isn’t this what we tell our kids, our managers, our people who officially report into us etc. this is perhaps because we trust our own judgment, our experience our earlier successes and the benefits that we have gained by doing it. But the world has witnessed that people who think out of the box and who have an unstinted faith in themselves have created wonders.
Prahalada was to be beheaded – but when the soldiers did it the sword passed through his body without a cut or a drop of blood oozing out; he was put into a pit of venomous snakes the snakes never responded to even hissing at him; he was put before a wild mad elephant which became a docile creature; he was thrown into the fire and the flames suddenly got doused; he was yet again thrown from the top of a hill and Maha Vishnu held him from below and landed him safely at the bottom of the hill. Every time a new methodology for death of Prahlada was devised and the boy was to be subjected to it, the perpetrators witnessed only Maha Vishnu’s names being uttered by the boy. Not a moment did Prahlada have fear in his eyes because the eyes only conveyed the love, reverence and deep faith for Maha Vishnu, and the lord saved him.
I feel god tests those who are worthy of being tested and for this he takes the form of managers – a true incarnation that we can call. Although my life revolved around the real corporate world but my spiritual understandings had a larger bearing that actually made me ask “do you really believe in anything at all to totality? be it your abilities; your skills your knowledge most importantly YOU. I learnt that despite challenging situations if you are able to hold on to your self – thoughts, feelings & emotions; trust on your wisdom and usage of your mental constructs – knowledge, intellect, skills etc; remain unshaken by external oddities and yet consolidate your actions towards the goal – Success itself paves the path for you.
Back to the final segment of the story - when everything failed, Hiranya Kashyapu one evening at twilight (sandhi kala) accosted Prahalda and decided to carry out the punishment on his own and put an end to his son. Looking at his young son and his unshakable faith in the Lord, and he asked is the lord more powerful than him (Hiranya Kashyapu) – the young lad said “yes”; “if it is so then where is he” asked Hiranya Kashyapu – the young boy replied “he is in everything and is present every where”. At this answer the rage of Hiranya Kashyapu had no bounds; he took his massive mace and slammed at everything he saw asking Prahlada “is your Maha Vishnu here? .... Finally when he stuck a Pillar, a fierce creature with the body of a human (NARA) and the head & nails of a lion (SIMHA) roared and stepped out the crumbling pillar. Hiranya Kashyapu shuddered at its very roar and fierce mighty majestic look. He made one last attempt with all his might to kill the creature with his mace, but, the creature avoided the mace picked up Hiranya Kashyapu caught him in a vice like grasp carried him towards the doorstep of the palace. The creature now gave a thundering roar sat on the door step put Hiranya Kashyapu on its thighs and dug its claws into the stomach of Hiranya Kashaypu and tore him apart. After it pacified, it blessed Prahlada with peace, prosperity long life and spiritual evolution.
It is this segment that instilled in me the need for perseverance. It is this that actually adds power to the belief and brings to life that which is the un-seeable. It is only the sculptor who visualizes the idol in a stone. Holding onto this one single vision (or dream as we may call it) he puts his all to use all. He see’s it while carving, he sees it while striking/ chiseling, he sees it even in his sleep (rather sacrificing the sleep) and once it is through and the idol is ready the others see it. Everyone around him (if curious) may notice the physical transformation of a stone to an idol but, the internal evolution of the dream converging into reality nobody witnesses. The sculptor dreams – believes in his dream, believes in himself – his strengths and limitations; believes that he can give shape to the stone; believes his strikes on the stone with varied implements believes that it is only he who has to pursue the dream to make it real and holds steadfastly till the end. So what started as a just vision un-trusted by others results into an idol that is believed by all. In Sanskrit the resemblance to the word belief is “VISHWASA” – A conjoint word of “VIshwa” meaning world and “Shwaasa” meaning breathe which simply means “if you wish to remain in this world then you have to trust your breath”. Thus the power of belief – if self permitting it can make men as living miracles and if self limiting it can also bring them a different range of experiences that people would like to keep away from.
For those spiritual souls
It is said that the lord showers benefits on devotees who believe in him– he at first protects the devotee from any physical harm or damage to the body [refer story of Prahlada where he is to be beheaded the sthoola shareera (physical body) becomes sookshma shareera (subtle body)]; secondly, the lord will protect the devotee from all external vices (unworthy desires – kama) that make the devotee go astray [refer story of Prahlada put into a pit of venomous snakes]; instills & reinforces courage into the devotee to not get perturbed by problems however large as even the biggest of problems can be silenced, tamed and solved [refer story of Prahlada where he is thrown before the wild mad elephant]; the lord then blesses the devotee with calm disposition & a focused mind that can never by distracted or disturbed by anger/ rage/ aggression of any sort [refer the story of Prahlada when he was thrown into the fire]; the lord finally provides the devotee with a stable state not allowing his ego to play a role where in the devotee can get toppled from his peak of glory due to his ego (ahankara) – the devotee is thus strengthened and built internally. Once the devotee is blessed with this he then finds himself on the progressive path called evolution. Therefore he now evolves from his Animal Hood of sensuality and selfishness to Human hood of moral perfection and love for humanity and then to Divine Hoot of spiritual perfection and oneness with all beings.
When Prahlada asked for redemption of his father’s sins and asked him to not leave him as an orphan – the lord promised to be ever present with him. Prahlada then prayed to the lord Narasimha about the redemption of the peoples problems and their sins, the lord then asked him to propagate – anyone who worships me at twilight zone (called Pradosh Kala) by performing a Puja or by Vandana or by Archana or by Aradhana with purity (of kaaya - body, vacha- speech, manasa-heart); sanctity and total devotion will be thoroughly blessed.
This pradosha kala [the time zone spanning 3 hours – one hour before the evening twilight zone (also called sandhi kala – which also spans 1 hour) and one hour after twilight zone] puja can be performed by individuals or married couples (dampati) on any day but, the scriptures (Skanda Purana) say that the 13th day (Thrayodashi) of each lunar fortnight is very auspicious and ideal.
One such story that transformed my questioning mind into a believing mind, instilled the belief that anything is possible if one had unstinted intention in it. It is said that “where there is Belief there is God” and Prahlada has been a witness to such providence. The story that instilled and reinforced my thoughts on the power of belief from the life of a child called Prahlada, who was born of an asura named Hiranya Kashyapu.
Through intense penance (Tapasya), Hiranya Kashyapu sought a conditional boon from Lord Brahma – that he should never be killed by man, god or any animal with any weapon (spear, sword, arrow or the mace); Secondly, he should never by killed inside his palace or outside his palace; thirdly, that he should never be killed during the day or the night; and Finally, that he should never be killed on earth or in the water or in the sky – getting this granted, he thought it made him invincible and immortal. Hiranya Kashyapu now became a tyrant. He would kill anyone who would take the name of Maha Vishnu. He forbade all from worshipping any God as he said “the Gods were kapati (cunning), cowards and immoral”. These were his convictions because of two major incidents in his life – the death of his brother Hiranyaaksha (by a VARAHA – an avatar of Maha Vishnu) and the forceful carrying away of his pregnant wife Kayadhu by Indra (the king of the Gods).
Isn’t this what power does to humans even today? – The power of position, designation, authority or the power of money itself. Whether it be in realms of the national politics or corporate games or life at home. It is perhaps a perception that he is the master or owner of it and hence can use it to the optimum level. However; the greatest power is in using it wisely and with forbearance.
Once this rule was enforced Hiranya Kashyapu set out to avenge the death of his brother Hiranyaaksha and also kill Indra for his immoral deed. A Sage called Narada (the divine messenger of Gods) rescued Kayadhu from Indra and provided refuge as well as the necessary medical attention till the child Prahlada was born. Meanwhile, Kayadhu unlike her husband Hiranya Kashyapu was an ardent devotee of Maha Vishnu and wanted her son to be an embodiment of all the good qualities (sarva guna sampanna), be pious, well educated and also be a lover of god and mankind. She therefore lived at the great Sage’s hermitage so that the child gets adequately educated and also instilled with a strong belief on God (Maha Vishnu).
Even in the current world we choose an environment that is best suited for us to grow into, best suited for our businesses to thrive, choose our customers so that we have best of the names on our brochures, we wish to be among the cream of creams of the society – the clubs, the status drivers etc.. and we also school our children/ employees in the best environs of a lavish swimming pool little knowing how will they swim in troubled waters, what will keep them going when the industries collapse? This is another paradox that I found that we expect for the best to happen, train to deal with the best, but expect them to perform/ function better in the worst possible oddities of life.
Now, Prahalada learnt his lessons well and had unstinted faith in Maha Vishnu even after moving over to his father’s palace. Hiranya Kashyapu was very much perturbed with this behavior of his son Prahlada. When the whole world followed his law he saw an outlay in his own home – his son. He forbade Prahlada from speaking about Maha Vishnu, or even taking his name and said he will be punished if he were to repeat it.
Nothing seemed to shake the unstinted faith in the young boy and he continued to love, sing hymns, praise the lord (Maha Vishnu) by taking his name and having discourses with his fellow school mates. This strained the relationship between the father and the son and Hiranya Kashyapu sentenced Prahlada to death. Kayadhu (Prahlada’s mother) wept at such an instance, but was consoled by Prahlada who said “don’t worry mother, the God (Maha Vishnu) is ever present with me and he will protect me until it is my time to leave the world to his abode – that too it is by his (Gods) wish”.
“Do as you are told …..” ; “Don’t use your brain ………” ; “Follow the law and you are safe ………” ; “Don’t be an out law…………..” isn’t this what we tell our kids, our managers, our people who officially report into us etc. this is perhaps because we trust our own judgment, our experience our earlier successes and the benefits that we have gained by doing it. But the world has witnessed that people who think out of the box and who have an unstinted faith in themselves have created wonders.
Prahalada was to be beheaded – but when the soldiers did it the sword passed through his body without a cut or a drop of blood oozing out; he was put into a pit of venomous snakes the snakes never responded to even hissing at him; he was put before a wild mad elephant which became a docile creature; he was thrown into the fire and the flames suddenly got doused; he was yet again thrown from the top of a hill and Maha Vishnu held him from below and landed him safely at the bottom of the hill. Every time a new methodology for death of Prahlada was devised and the boy was to be subjected to it, the perpetrators witnessed only Maha Vishnu’s names being uttered by the boy. Not a moment did Prahlada have fear in his eyes because the eyes only conveyed the love, reverence and deep faith for Maha Vishnu, and the lord saved him.
I feel god tests those who are worthy of being tested and for this he takes the form of managers – a true incarnation that we can call. Although my life revolved around the real corporate world but my spiritual understandings had a larger bearing that actually made me ask “do you really believe in anything at all to totality? be it your abilities; your skills your knowledge most importantly YOU. I learnt that despite challenging situations if you are able to hold on to your self – thoughts, feelings & emotions; trust on your wisdom and usage of your mental constructs – knowledge, intellect, skills etc; remain unshaken by external oddities and yet consolidate your actions towards the goal – Success itself paves the path for you.
Back to the final segment of the story - when everything failed, Hiranya Kashyapu one evening at twilight (sandhi kala) accosted Prahalda and decided to carry out the punishment on his own and put an end to his son. Looking at his young son and his unshakable faith in the Lord, and he asked is the lord more powerful than him (Hiranya Kashyapu) – the young lad said “yes”; “if it is so then where is he” asked Hiranya Kashyapu – the young boy replied “he is in everything and is present every where”. At this answer the rage of Hiranya Kashyapu had no bounds; he took his massive mace and slammed at everything he saw asking Prahlada “is your Maha Vishnu here? .... Finally when he stuck a Pillar, a fierce creature with the body of a human (NARA) and the head & nails of a lion (SIMHA) roared and stepped out the crumbling pillar. Hiranya Kashyapu shuddered at its very roar and fierce mighty majestic look. He made one last attempt with all his might to kill the creature with his mace, but, the creature avoided the mace picked up Hiranya Kashyapu caught him in a vice like grasp carried him towards the doorstep of the palace. The creature now gave a thundering roar sat on the door step put Hiranya Kashyapu on its thighs and dug its claws into the stomach of Hiranya Kashaypu and tore him apart. After it pacified, it blessed Prahlada with peace, prosperity long life and spiritual evolution.
It is this segment that instilled in me the need for perseverance. It is this that actually adds power to the belief and brings to life that which is the un-seeable. It is only the sculptor who visualizes the idol in a stone. Holding onto this one single vision (or dream as we may call it) he puts his all to use all. He see’s it while carving, he sees it while striking/ chiseling, he sees it even in his sleep (rather sacrificing the sleep) and once it is through and the idol is ready the others see it. Everyone around him (if curious) may notice the physical transformation of a stone to an idol but, the internal evolution of the dream converging into reality nobody witnesses. The sculptor dreams – believes in his dream, believes in himself – his strengths and limitations; believes that he can give shape to the stone; believes his strikes on the stone with varied implements believes that it is only he who has to pursue the dream to make it real and holds steadfastly till the end. So what started as a just vision un-trusted by others results into an idol that is believed by all. In Sanskrit the resemblance to the word belief is “VISHWASA” – A conjoint word of “VIshwa” meaning world and “Shwaasa” meaning breathe which simply means “if you wish to remain in this world then you have to trust your breath”. Thus the power of belief – if self permitting it can make men as living miracles and if self limiting it can also bring them a different range of experiences that people would like to keep away from.
For those spiritual souls
It is said that the lord showers benefits on devotees who believe in him– he at first protects the devotee from any physical harm or damage to the body [refer story of Prahlada where he is to be beheaded the sthoola shareera (physical body) becomes sookshma shareera (subtle body)]; secondly, the lord will protect the devotee from all external vices (unworthy desires – kama) that make the devotee go astray [refer story of Prahlada put into a pit of venomous snakes]; instills & reinforces courage into the devotee to not get perturbed by problems however large as even the biggest of problems can be silenced, tamed and solved [refer story of Prahlada where he is thrown before the wild mad elephant]; the lord then blesses the devotee with calm disposition & a focused mind that can never by distracted or disturbed by anger/ rage/ aggression of any sort [refer the story of Prahlada when he was thrown into the fire]; the lord finally provides the devotee with a stable state not allowing his ego to play a role where in the devotee can get toppled from his peak of glory due to his ego (ahankara) – the devotee is thus strengthened and built internally. Once the devotee is blessed with this he then finds himself on the progressive path called evolution. Therefore he now evolves from his Animal Hood of sensuality and selfishness to Human hood of moral perfection and love for humanity and then to Divine Hoot of spiritual perfection and oneness with all beings.
When Prahlada asked for redemption of his father’s sins and asked him to not leave him as an orphan – the lord promised to be ever present with him. Prahlada then prayed to the lord Narasimha about the redemption of the peoples problems and their sins, the lord then asked him to propagate – anyone who worships me at twilight zone (called Pradosh Kala) by performing a Puja or by Vandana or by Archana or by Aradhana with purity (of kaaya - body, vacha- speech, manasa-heart); sanctity and total devotion will be thoroughly blessed.
This pradosha kala [the time zone spanning 3 hours – one hour before the evening twilight zone (also called sandhi kala – which also spans 1 hour) and one hour after twilight zone] puja can be performed by individuals or married couples (dampati) on any day but, the scriptures (Skanda Purana) say that the 13th day (Thrayodashi) of each lunar fortnight is very auspicious and ideal.
My Favorite Actress ....
When I was little hardly fitted into hands she made faces to watch me smile.
She sang songs for me to sleep and waved her hands so mosquitoes don’t peep.
She shed tears when I hurt myself, looking fallen down she’d inspire me to stand.
She had glittery eyes when I scored in my tests and coached me up for sports & fests.
Her tensed turgid face was full of prayers when I was struck by a bout of illness & fevers.
Her rhythmic dance was a delight to watch when all at once she cooked in the kitchen and fed me on stand.
She cheered me up when I was sad and admonished me when I did something bad.
She heartily laughed when I played my pranks she seriously worked while at her bank.
She walked the ramp of sincerity, dignity, respect, trust & all, the values were for me to stand tall.
When my life took unexpected turns like a sign post she stood to steer me from heart burns.
Out of arrogance when I did speak, with a stilled calmness she made me meek.
When I was away achieving great feats she stood all radiant in life’s sweltering heat.
Her millions of faces and acts I’ve seen over 4 decades with a proud heart I mean:-
Many actresses have come from far and near but there are none in comparison to my MOTHER.
She has daily played multiple roles of mother, wife, child, sister, inlaw .. and has always captured my heart and soul.
Should in my eye there be a camera to capture she would definitely stand to win the prestigious OSCAR.
To her these lines are my only dedication with love, respect and admiration.
She sang songs for me to sleep and waved her hands so mosquitoes don’t peep.
She shed tears when I hurt myself, looking fallen down she’d inspire me to stand.
She had glittery eyes when I scored in my tests and coached me up for sports & fests.
Her tensed turgid face was full of prayers when I was struck by a bout of illness & fevers.
Her rhythmic dance was a delight to watch when all at once she cooked in the kitchen and fed me on stand.
She cheered me up when I was sad and admonished me when I did something bad.
She heartily laughed when I played my pranks she seriously worked while at her bank.
She walked the ramp of sincerity, dignity, respect, trust & all, the values were for me to stand tall.
When my life took unexpected turns like a sign post she stood to steer me from heart burns.
Out of arrogance when I did speak, with a stilled calmness she made me meek.
When I was away achieving great feats she stood all radiant in life’s sweltering heat.
Her millions of faces and acts I’ve seen over 4 decades with a proud heart I mean:-
Many actresses have come from far and near but there are none in comparison to my MOTHER.
She has daily played multiple roles of mother, wife, child, sister, inlaw .. and has always captured my heart and soul.
Should in my eye there be a camera to capture she would definitely stand to win the prestigious OSCAR.
To her these lines are my only dedication with love, respect and admiration.
Face is the index for actions ......
It was in the wee hours of October the 17th, 2008 when I heard coughing from the adjoining bedroom. Within the few moments that I took to get out of bed and run into the room I heard commotion – little did I realize that my father had had a heart attack? No sooner did I see his face contorted with pain, anguish absolutely soaked with sweat dripping from his brow, I saw him sinking into silence – his last words “I’m feeling uneasy” faded into the background as he slumped onto his bed. His face instantly prompted me to act – calling the doctor, the ambulance and the hospital etc etc.
Over the next 23 days that I was at the hospital with my father hosted at the intensive care unit it was a traumatic experience. It is during these times that I made a significant observation. Every time I heard the siren of the ambulance my eyes would look out over to the episode that unfurled. I noticed that the paramedic staff/ doctors sometimes raced towards the ambulance and at times they acted fairly slowly.
Viewing this regularly I wondered if this was due to fatigue or over-confidence or lack of sensitivity that prevailed during the times they responded slowly. But on close observation I noticed that the paramedics looked at the face of the driver of the ambulance and acted on its expressions. An extremely tensed face of the driver influenced them to act rapidly and if the driver’s face did not express tension or concern then they acted at ease. Their actions were not dependent on the complaint of the patient or the patient’s accompanist or the accompanists’ expression at all. On subsequent observations I gathered an understanding on what could be the reason for this.
The ambulance drivers were experienced transporters of the ailing patients and their accompanists. They had a perfect understanding of the time frames within which they patient was required to be transported called “the golden period”. When the driver made it within the golden period his face did not express tension or concern which gave a clear indication to the medical staff that there is still time. But when he couldn’t make it within the golden period the face clearly expressed it and hence prompted the doctors to act instantaneously.
Later I began to observe this at my work place and found its wide presence. During the quarterly press meets when the faces of senior leaders showed tension it influenced the press to question them in those specific areas - the generalized questions now became focussed/ pin pointed. The worried lines on the face of the manager prompted the junior to enquire on what was troubling him and what needs to be done. Disappointed faces indicated more to be done. Happy faced indicated celebrate success. Although these were indicators but nothing like the face of the ambulance driver who, rather than indicating, resulted in influencing people to act. Is there a way that such things can ever come into the corporate world – yes if we raised our sensitivity, then actions would be equally profound. Expressive faces can definitely enable unrelated people to act.
Over the next 23 days that I was at the hospital with my father hosted at the intensive care unit it was a traumatic experience. It is during these times that I made a significant observation. Every time I heard the siren of the ambulance my eyes would look out over to the episode that unfurled. I noticed that the paramedic staff/ doctors sometimes raced towards the ambulance and at times they acted fairly slowly.
Viewing this regularly I wondered if this was due to fatigue or over-confidence or lack of sensitivity that prevailed during the times they responded slowly. But on close observation I noticed that the paramedics looked at the face of the driver of the ambulance and acted on its expressions. An extremely tensed face of the driver influenced them to act rapidly and if the driver’s face did not express tension or concern then they acted at ease. Their actions were not dependent on the complaint of the patient or the patient’s accompanist or the accompanists’ expression at all. On subsequent observations I gathered an understanding on what could be the reason for this.
The ambulance drivers were experienced transporters of the ailing patients and their accompanists. They had a perfect understanding of the time frames within which they patient was required to be transported called “the golden period”. When the driver made it within the golden period his face did not express tension or concern which gave a clear indication to the medical staff that there is still time. But when he couldn’t make it within the golden period the face clearly expressed it and hence prompted the doctors to act instantaneously.
Later I began to observe this at my work place and found its wide presence. During the quarterly press meets when the faces of senior leaders showed tension it influenced the press to question them in those specific areas - the generalized questions now became focussed/ pin pointed. The worried lines on the face of the manager prompted the junior to enquire on what was troubling him and what needs to be done. Disappointed faces indicated more to be done. Happy faced indicated celebrate success. Although these were indicators but nothing like the face of the ambulance driver who, rather than indicating, resulted in influencing people to act. Is there a way that such things can ever come into the corporate world – yes if we raised our sensitivity, then actions would be equally profound. Expressive faces can definitely enable unrelated people to act.
Ah!! Responsibility......
Reflecting on the events in my life, time and again I remember being told about being responsible and elaborately explained what my responsibility/ies were. As I grew I was amazed as to how my responsibility/ies grew with age, with each situation, within each domain of my activity be it my life at home, school, college or at work (later part of my life). Some also questioned me as to whether I performed my responsibility well or not. Some at a variety of instances accused me of being irresponsible or simply saying “shrugging responsibility”. I am sure many in their life too must have experienced these many a time.
It is these comments, accusations, explanations and expectations that intrigued me to ponder over the meaning of responsibility. This quest has taken me through a self journey of events involving people and at a variety of situations thus enabling me to converge upon the meaning of this commonly used word. A word many don’t want to hear about, a word that triggers their emotions, a word when used breaks hearts and snaps a healthy relationship, a word which people would love to shun for they think that it makes them Atlas (who bears the onus of the entire universe on his shoulders). Despite these we still find that when this word is converted into action and applied enhances the respect for that individual in others and its repeated display establishes a fair amount of credibility in him. This elevates his position in the minds of people thereby widening his social network as many people would prefer to be associated with him. However the choice is dependant on the individual and many a time it is due to the feeble understanding of this word that they get into a Hamletian situation “to be or not to be (responsible)”. This dilemma had encompassed me too and it is after a lot of deliberations, personal experiences and the learnings that I gained from others experiences that I have today been able to decipher the true meaning of it so as to apply it in pathways of my life.
To me the word RESPONSIBILITY seems a conjoined word comprising of 2 very powerful words – One which depicts a skill (RESPONSE) and the other which involves the individual’s competency (ABILITY). Therefore arithmetically it can be represented as RESPONSIBILITY = RESPONSE + ABILITY.
Response is the manner in which we act to/ on situations, in different conditions, situations, periods of time with either one or many individuals. Ability on the other hand can simply mean the capacity of the individual to do things – it may be self permitting or self limiting to him. On close observation it can be noticed that it is the ABILITY which actually influences the RESPONSIVENESS of the individual.
Many a time we find that life puts us through a lot of tests whereby the expectations of others from us is not just to overcome them but to excel. This unknown anticipation makes us tread on the razor’s edge of decisively indecisive state. Now when a man has been bestowed with the ability (to help or to perform or to act) and he responds in a likewise manner (as expected by the other who is anticipating) then he is termed as a RESPONSIBLE person. However, should the same man bestowed with ability refrain from responding in the same circumstances is termed as an IRRESPONSIBLE person. Hence arithmetically;
HAS ABILITY And DOES RESPOND = RESPONSIBLE
HAS ABILITY but DOES NOT RESPOND = IRRESPONSIBLE
Well, the story does not stop here, what if the person has not been bestowed with the ability but responds as expected by the other who is anticipating then does it mean that he is very responsible? Or if in the same situation he were not to respond then does it mean that he is irresponsible too?
Looking closely at these two paradigms it can be intelligently deciphered and stated only if we look at the outcomes of the two responses. In the former case whatever the outcome, it is evident that the amount of risk taken by the individual supersedes in all aspects of his action. This therefore can be used as a strong indicator of irresponsibility. The latter paradigm indicates his inability to perform any action thereby putting him into a phase of non-responsiveness thus the ideal term that can be used would be NON–RESPONSIBLE person, and should a person anticipate any response from this individual proves his stupidity. Thus we can say that
HAS NO ABILITY And DOES RESPOND = IRRESPONSIBLE
HAS NO ABILITY But DOES NOT RESPOND = NON-RESPONSIBLE
However, giving another view to former of the above statement, sometimes it is observed that the individual weighs his self respect with the risk and hence performs the action. It is individual dependant that one individual may at this point of time be internally expecting an able person to aid/ help him at that moment of time and not speak up/ ask hence not getting any help. The ABLE others in this case definitely comment “Only a crying baby gets milk – you should have asked”. While another may ask the ABLE others but get rebuked or face stiff refusal/ denials. Hence, both succumb to perform or respond in a manner they deem fit and necessary whatever the dangers that they undergo or undertake. It is rather a shame that the others who are ABLE are so insensitive to this individual that they refrain to help him and further quote “if I help him now, he will become dependant on me?”. These insensitive people fail to understand that they having the ability to help and not responding (for whatever reason) as anticipated indicates them to be IRRESPONSIBLE.
These are the derivations from my understandings from all those experiences that I have encountered, lived and borne during the productive days of my life. We play a variety of roles in our lives today and we can’t shirk away from this powerful word called “responsibility”. Should one live by the true sense of the word and couple it with a humane approach is bound to gain respite from insensitivities of others and make them better individuals. Individuals who are:- responsible citizens to their nation; responsible parents to their children; responsible teachers to their students; responsible corporate professionals and great contributors in all respects
It is these comments, accusations, explanations and expectations that intrigued me to ponder over the meaning of responsibility. This quest has taken me through a self journey of events involving people and at a variety of situations thus enabling me to converge upon the meaning of this commonly used word. A word many don’t want to hear about, a word that triggers their emotions, a word when used breaks hearts and snaps a healthy relationship, a word which people would love to shun for they think that it makes them Atlas (who bears the onus of the entire universe on his shoulders). Despite these we still find that when this word is converted into action and applied enhances the respect for that individual in others and its repeated display establishes a fair amount of credibility in him. This elevates his position in the minds of people thereby widening his social network as many people would prefer to be associated with him. However the choice is dependant on the individual and many a time it is due to the feeble understanding of this word that they get into a Hamletian situation “to be or not to be (responsible)”. This dilemma had encompassed me too and it is after a lot of deliberations, personal experiences and the learnings that I gained from others experiences that I have today been able to decipher the true meaning of it so as to apply it in pathways of my life.
To me the word RESPONSIBILITY seems a conjoined word comprising of 2 very powerful words – One which depicts a skill (RESPONSE) and the other which involves the individual’s competency (ABILITY). Therefore arithmetically it can be represented as RESPONSIBILITY = RESPONSE + ABILITY.
Response is the manner in which we act to/ on situations, in different conditions, situations, periods of time with either one or many individuals. Ability on the other hand can simply mean the capacity of the individual to do things – it may be self permitting or self limiting to him. On close observation it can be noticed that it is the ABILITY which actually influences the RESPONSIVENESS of the individual.
Many a time we find that life puts us through a lot of tests whereby the expectations of others from us is not just to overcome them but to excel. This unknown anticipation makes us tread on the razor’s edge of decisively indecisive state. Now when a man has been bestowed with the ability (to help or to perform or to act) and he responds in a likewise manner (as expected by the other who is anticipating) then he is termed as a RESPONSIBLE person. However, should the same man bestowed with ability refrain from responding in the same circumstances is termed as an IRRESPONSIBLE person. Hence arithmetically;
HAS ABILITY And DOES RESPOND = RESPONSIBLE
HAS ABILITY but DOES NOT RESPOND = IRRESPONSIBLE
Well, the story does not stop here, what if the person has not been bestowed with the ability but responds as expected by the other who is anticipating then does it mean that he is very responsible? Or if in the same situation he were not to respond then does it mean that he is irresponsible too?
Looking closely at these two paradigms it can be intelligently deciphered and stated only if we look at the outcomes of the two responses. In the former case whatever the outcome, it is evident that the amount of risk taken by the individual supersedes in all aspects of his action. This therefore can be used as a strong indicator of irresponsibility. The latter paradigm indicates his inability to perform any action thereby putting him into a phase of non-responsiveness thus the ideal term that can be used would be NON–RESPONSIBLE person, and should a person anticipate any response from this individual proves his stupidity. Thus we can say that
HAS NO ABILITY And DOES RESPOND = IRRESPONSIBLE
HAS NO ABILITY But DOES NOT RESPOND = NON-RESPONSIBLE
However, giving another view to former of the above statement, sometimes it is observed that the individual weighs his self respect with the risk and hence performs the action. It is individual dependant that one individual may at this point of time be internally expecting an able person to aid/ help him at that moment of time and not speak up/ ask hence not getting any help. The ABLE others in this case definitely comment “Only a crying baby gets milk – you should have asked”. While another may ask the ABLE others but get rebuked or face stiff refusal/ denials. Hence, both succumb to perform or respond in a manner they deem fit and necessary whatever the dangers that they undergo or undertake. It is rather a shame that the others who are ABLE are so insensitive to this individual that they refrain to help him and further quote “if I help him now, he will become dependant on me?”. These insensitive people fail to understand that they having the ability to help and not responding (for whatever reason) as anticipated indicates them to be IRRESPONSIBLE.
These are the derivations from my understandings from all those experiences that I have encountered, lived and borne during the productive days of my life. We play a variety of roles in our lives today and we can’t shirk away from this powerful word called “responsibility”. Should one live by the true sense of the word and couple it with a humane approach is bound to gain respite from insensitivities of others and make them better individuals. Individuals who are:- responsible citizens to their nation; responsible parents to their children; responsible teachers to their students; responsible corporate professionals and great contributors in all respects
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