Question:



If U cannot answer this then get the answer from here.

This class sucks man!!!! We have been asked to come and sit in a class of ERP- with MSNavision and it reallt seems that there wont be any damn stuff. I camt imagine that ERP can be understood merely by looking into the screen of some idiotic software. Mottai!!- this is real fun u know...I am currently in "Class"- imagine what- this guy there is slogging his a** there trying to explain ERP to us lesser mortals but am I interested?. I guess not..I dont know how can anyone even understand a complex subject as ERP just be looking at some stupid screen of a software. I hope this class ends soon. Yeah the class has indeed ended...This post has become a running commentary.

I have added a new feature in the site..this is jus like the blogger "Next Blog" link..but I think it looks Kool in the site..I jus was browsing thru the net when I came across this site..I thought I will try this feature and it was good. So I have added this... I think the reservior is very less.. in the sense that those people who have registered with the service is very less.. so it gives you only limited number of sites.. The number that you see in the box is the timer...U increase the number and the page stays still for that many seconds.. ie., if the number is 10 then the current page stays there for 10 seconds and after that it changes to another blog... in short it is a slide show of blog pages... simple.... I was reading about the self-organising capacity of the web(Internet). I came across the information about the emergence of websites that operate based on the feedback by the viewers... Nice concept. If that can be replicated to the organisation then I think that can lead to drastic improvement in the size of the organisation and reduction in the control functions.. infact there need not be any control for the organisations... coz the mantra of Emergence theory is "Think Local and Act Local" so Individual units of systems ‘do their own thing’ without knowledge of any overarching aim or scheme, but out of this ‘chaos’, order, pattern and system emerge.

Really impossible to think of such an organisation.... atleast with the current knowledge and understanding I possess. I cant imagine an organisation where the individuals are not worried about the Organisational Goals, Mission etal.. just do whatever they think and yet there is a pattern forming... but who can assure the pattern will be of good to the organisation or implied for the individuals themselves?

Thanx Venkat- Ultimate reality for the links... Still Iam unable to use them... Got my Gayathri Jabham done today with no qualms..... feeling a bit sleepy now.... will mail u later...

I got this photo from a friend of mine- this is the Niagara Falls in 1911. Look at the beauty of the Snow covered and how close the people are to the falls itself. I don't know whether people can go this close now. But if they are allowed to go this close, then I would wish to go there sometime.

Apart from this there has been no other great work....

Ohhhhh...... I forgot....Today was "Aavani Avitam"- the Thread changing Ceremony if I can call it that way... Well that was an interesting story in itself. Pa had told that he would be sending all the necessary materials- including "Poonul(Sacred Thread), the sheet with all the date, month, year etc( Masa, paksha, Ruthu, Thiti etc) through courier- but I havent received it till this moment. But thank god I had the thread that I had after last year's ceremony. This is the second year in my "Brahmachaari" Life(that's a good 16 years) that I am outside my home for "Aavani Avitam". Today morning I woke up at 7.00 (quite early by the current standards, but very late for the rituals) still got to clean the room before I can embark on any ritual. So started to clean the room. My room (quite a studious guy- but the Novels he read had never been of any use for the exams) after a long wound out night was sleeping like there is no tomorrow. But cursing him in minds, I cleaned the room(for most of the dirt was the cigarette buds and the ash from the smoking.

Then started the rituals- but the sheet was of last year and hence all the "Data" given was for the last year. I didn't know what was today's exact thiti, paksham, etc..etc.... Leave it I did for last year only( No Data available). Now I have crossed the first hurdle. Tomorrow is Gayathri Jabham- Now I have all the necessary data. Got it from Pa - he called up. Tomorrow need to wake up early and finish off all the chorus before class... Lemme see...

Today was a very uneventful day except if you wanna consider the two presentations on Indian Pharma Industry and the ERP presentation on Change Management can be termed as "Events"- these things have long been out of the events list. Now there is Bandh today here with all the shops closed to protest the arrest of Uma Bharati. With all the shops closed there isnt any great thing to do on a Saturday Night. I am reading the book "Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilisation". After reading the book it is very clear how meaningful and philosophical our tradition and vedic hymns been. In a particular hymn - "SriSuktam" I think if I remember the name exactly, We tell about the qualities of Lakshmi- the divine mother of all earth. There the hymn goes as "Padmakshi, Padmalini...."etc., This is infant the worship of Lotus- the Lotus being taken for the fertility of the earth. To choose Lotus as the sign of fertility itself is a very great symbolism according to the author. Lotus grows only in the marsh lands and that too it blossoms only with the advent of Sun. This explains the nature of life in the world. The life needs both Water and Sun for its sustenance. Also, In the western civilisation too there was reference to the Serpent and the God as opposing forces as it does in Hindu Mythology- remember Kalinga and Krishna? But the main difference between the two is that while in Western Philosophy, serpent and god are viewed as two completely opposing principles, in Indian Philosophy they are understood to be the two different part of the same Infinite Power. Remember the conversation between Kalinga and Krishna when the later dances on his head and then former pleads telling that he had acted as He had decreed him to do and it is by his very nature that Kalinga behaved in the way. Had he not behaved in that way, then he would have not followed the laws of Nature which is still bigger fault. And for this Krishna replies understandingly and let him to go the Ocean and also grants him protection from Garuda. Also only in Hindu Mythology would one find both the Serpent and the enemy of it – Garuda with the god.
Many more mysteries to be deciphered. Still reading the book…….

How can I make you (Jaymi) understand that even to view my own blog I have to login and see it in preview.... it is not possible for me to comment on your blog because I cannot view any of the Blogger blogs... I cannot post any comments on his/her blog... I can contact you only if I have your email id....otherwise I can leave a comment on my blog, which u should be able to come and read and understand... or else

Attained Moksha today courtesy Hemant . I got a Gmail invite from him- ofcourse after I requested him to send me one. Imagine it was over in just over 10 minutes. Both of us were online and then as you know, things really settle down when the time for it comes. Then do I really need a Gmail account?. well that is a very important question..atleast I dont forsee any pressing need for it. It was just here for me to take and I took it. For the usage part of it, I think the 100 MB stuff that I have with Yahoo is more than enuf for my life time. But this is like telling PC will have a market of 5 pieces when they first came... It is too early to write off my requirements.... But still I find it difficult to envisage a situation like that...

Of all the things that happened today, our International Business class worths mention here. We have been asked to repeat the assignment and resubmit the assignment for MRF Tyres entry Strategy. Iam releived. I was never satisfied with the submission but I donno how Iam gonna make it worthfull this time. There has been no miracle act of god to put in all the data i want to submit the assignment, but this time something tells me I can do a better job. I dont have any rationale behind this - it is jus a hunch feeling. Lemme see whether this feeling holds true.

Recently I came across this verse or a verse meaning this-"There is nothing called Love that exist- its only Proof of Love". Looking at the beauty of language, I wonder how true it is. If there is nothing to prove Love, then will there be anything called Love...atleast I'm unable to envision one. This logic can be extended to almost everything- materialistic stuff to even god. Only the proof exists, and nothing else. How do you know that something exist- is it the "matter" itself or the proof of that?. Suppose, if you say that air exists , how were you able to say that- it is because that you were able to experience or know the proof of it- in the form of breeze or in the form of life breath- else will you be able to tell that air exists? Similarly, Love also need proof that it exists....Doesn't it?. The proof can take any form- may be explicit or heart felt but not exposed. Only then, there can be love....I have a pertinent question- What is Love? I have tried to analyze this question using my left brain. I have reached nowhere...The more I try answer this question, I'm afraid I might vulgarise the sanctity of Love. So I have come to a conclusion that comes very easy to all poets of our ages- Love is unfathomable and Love is Divine..Those who can remember my earlier thoughts on this same issue will appreciate how much my views have changed.....

Books give you an excellent direction to think.. dont they?. I am currently reading this book Emergence- I seem to enjoy all the books i read but this one is special. This book speaks of the connection between the way ants live and the way cities had emerged. One point to ponder over here is that many of todays great cities have not been planned to be cities. They just emerged from within themselves. What makes a city that it is?. What comes to your mind when I tell Mumbai or Delhi or Newyork?. If it is busy fast paced life style, then it means Cities have life of their own. How is that made possible? The life of the cities is the integration of patterns of individual behaviours. This means that every individual in a particular city has an influence in the city as a whole. How come certain places in a city command higher prices than other places? If is it because of better facilities, then how come they alone got the better facilities than the other places in the first place. Does this mean to say that the city has a mind of its own?. Ofcourse many of these questions can be answered as like minded people coming together, but tell me how come you know that these people will be like minded in such a large city? Certain questions are best left unanswered..
Yet to complete the book. Iam sure I will be more confused by the end of it......

This template I got from Blogskins. Actually I was working on a similar kind of template, but when I saw this template, it immediately attarcted me. As always, White, Saffron combination is heavenly IMHO and I can give anything for the elegance it gives. This template took the entire night yesterday for customisation after my International Business assignment. When I finished off the template, ie when I was totally satisfied with the template, it was 6.30 in the morning. But time worth spending if I get satisfaction..wot say?
Today's Post would be for this. This article was echoing what I had long cherrished and beleived. But I am sadened when people equate this to fundamentalism and wot not.. But have we ever thought that there had been people amongst us who were more intelligent when the westerners were still roaming in the forests.

If some one asks a school children who proposed "Helio-Centric" theory he would say it as "Copernicus". But I think even before Copernicus's Great Grandfather came on this earth, we Indians have been using the same model in all our religious practices. Take a look at any of the "Navagraha" structures in any of the temples in any part of India and you will come across the same positions - with the Sun in the centre and all the planets around. Also, it was told that none of the 9 planets would see each other-Isnt this some way of telling that they would never meet in their orbits?. I dont know, But I beleive a research in these lines would throw more light.

Also, the explanations given for the effect of the "Brahmasthara" on men is highly similar to that of the Present day Nuclear Weapons. Do all these propose a very advanced civilisation that existed and that we purposefully bury now?

Currently reading the book- Emergence- The connected lives of Ants,Brains, Cities and Software. Really nice book and throws up new vistas and new way to understand Human- Civilisation. Started off yesterday -oops - Today Morning after 6.30 but gave nice reading in that rainy morning with cold wind blowing through the windows... I like this atmosphere. But my roomy woke up because of continuos drizzile inside the room due to open window and we had a bit of war with words..Never mind- once woken- he too started enjoying the climate. Or is it necessary Evil...? to be with me?....sigh....wicked wink...

Moving on to the next plane, the writeup I was speaking about - Who am I- stuff is here. Try figure out Who am I?

Ye, all those Blogg world buddies.......
Kindly forgive me for all the spelling, logical mistakes I make in this post and also for wasting ur time.
I am getting frustrated with the Kenyan, Ugandan and Tanzanian Tyre industry. This assignment is seriously bugging me for the last 3 days. Tomorrow is the submission and i hadnt got any substantial details yet. The bug that is assignment that too in International business is one such thing that u need some rock hard data to back up and the car sales data for these three countries is not coming by. I read all of Sindhu's blog jus now when waiting for the PDF files to download and then scanning them like a scanvenger for dead flesh. This really sucks.....sigh.. MRF tyres will do well not to go anywhere and sit well simply because there is no car sales for that matter not even Automobile sales in these three countries...then to whom will MRF sell its tyres- to the search engines?
May be this post will look like being posted in a inebriated condition... let it be so...actually it is worse than that.. Iam sitting in the same place for the past 7 hours...from 11 in the morning to now almost 6. I didnt have many classes today and that didnt help me in any way... things are only worse..better i will submit a stupid assignment...but that is how iam feeling right now. This post is gonna be hilarious..... incohesive..incorrigible.....illogical...irrational...wat r the other words to describe these emotions...now iam unable to think of any thing other than africa, tyre, sales ,market size...etc.......damn it....at last google...simply amazing.....

About the Independence Day- I think it had been understood in a very different construct. What is Independence Day?- Is it just another day to wail away time in the comfort of your house sofa and watch the special programs in stupid box?. It seems that it is so for many. I dont agree or I completely disagree. It's significance had been lost in the minds of relatively "born-free" youngsters- This is what I infer from some posts. The main plank of such thoughts is that This is a free country and I am free to do anything. I agree- you are completely free to do such things for which you are willing to take responsibility. If you are not willing to take responsibilty for your acts but you want freedom to do whatever you want- sorry this is not the way to do things.

When you refer to be free- who is there to decide what is free- is there any one yardstick to measure freedom- then what should prevent anyone from selling his country to enemy(perceived or otherwise) or killing someone and telling I am free. Freedom always comes with a rider- what is freedom- rather what is the degree of freedom?. Arent we spectators to this?. Is this what we mean "No Government control"?.Is this what we clamour for?. Though I agree with the belief that Politicians are behind most (if not all) ills of this country- isnt there a sense of escapism in ours that we blame a faceless "other"- Arent we powered to reject these same guys?. Arent we been given enough power?.Isnt it our mistake that we select them- Isnt it true that they are our Agents and we their Principle?. Then why arent we using the most important discretion that any lame principle has- change the Agent.

Why arent we taking the course of correction onto ourselves but expecting the entire world to change according to our taste.

There was a comment that "The system had never been worthy of our trust"- hou hilarious. What you have taken for granted is the benefit of the system - havent we read how Germany was under Hitler-Isnt our system making sure that doesnt happen-that can never happen- Had we ever thought of how paining it will be for a party in power to loose it but still it does that if defeated in polls- Isnt this the merit of the system?. Pakistan is a visible demonstration of this syndrome.

How many of us have really done something worthy to the system?. How many of us had not taken advantage of the system?How many of us had not spitted or puked or relived of ourselves in the public not even once?Is this called freedom?Dont you expect even this sort of control? If you are speaking of the Liberties in a higher sense- even then how many of us have used our senses to arrive at a conclusion?

Coming back- How many of us has really taken our election ids being issued within the due date?. Didnt we expected the date to be extended infinitely? We have to agree there can never be an"All- Satisfying" solution.

Vitness the sensational news item about the recent hanging of Dhananjay. Is this not the same media that villified him in whatever manner possible some time ago- isnt this the same media that portrays the sad part of the story now? Had these people not known that when a man is sentenced to death, his family will be left uncared?

Today we had a group presentation on Ethics. Went on well. Need a look?- Its here. The grading is not yet out. Submitted the Strategic Human Resource assigment- huge burden finished- has taken about 4 days to finish that-ofcourse not complete days- u know what I mean by a day- typically 2 hours a day discussing a case is a "Day". Also had a Presentation in International Business. Really pathetic presentation. Got a bad feedback. Overlooked many issues. Really last minute preparation. But that isnt the valid reason. Had to prepare for the next presentation on the Entry Strategy for the MRF Tyres into East African countries. Currently working on it. Hasnt called my nephew, who had joined here in Manipal. Tied up with this assignment. Need to call him atleast tomorrow. Really feeling bad for not meeting the promises.
On a Serious Note:
Going through the Selectiveamnesia's Blog. Sadened by the comments made for the post about independence. It is not the correct way to look at the Independence Day as just another holiday.
More about another day- now had to prepare the International Presentation.

Two of my most hilarious Idiosyncrasies are,

Jus gave an exam in Ethics. Mostly case analysis and some - take a stance question. I need to justify my stance in cases where it says Market System in itself is unethical. I for one didnt have problem- It is always known that there has to be some sort of Governmental control over the markets- for the simple reason that the basic assumption of market system is the symmetry of information doesnt exist in the society now and till it is ensured there has to be a correction mechanism that would take care of this Information Dysymmetry and Perfect competition.

But the case proved to be much difficult to judge in a 2 hour time period. It was about 3 classmates entering into 3 different companies.They have different set of issues to ponder over and the respective stance that I would take had I been in that position.

Nothing serious. Got it sort of OK. I strongly beleive there is nothing like right or wrong in Ethics- its just whether U can take a nice sleep that night after you have taken a decision and can u tell your mother boldly that u have taken such a decision.

Next exam stares at face- Brand Management. Will certainly prove to be hilarious. Havent prepared anything till now- has been asked to prepare a case file on an Indian Product brand and come to the exam. I think that the exam is going to be based on the case sheet that everyone prepares for himself. He will be asked to analyse any one Product Brand in terms of its performance in the past three years and come out with a strategy for the same.

Hope there will be some thing to write tomorrow. I know it is preponderous desire but still human greed knows no bound. Does it?

Jus out of Ethics class by Prof.R.C.Shekar. His view of things sadens me. He tells the UCC tragedy was the result of Indian Slavery to American Imperialism. I can agree that there had been a grave negligiance in the part of UCC, but I cant agree to his view of Indian Slavery. Had the case been with an Indian Company, would there be difference in his views?. There are thousands dying in India due to many other Industries- will he held all of them responsible just by saying that India has become Slave to Capitalistic Mindset?.
The case had a referrence to one Mr. Mukund who was the Works Manager in UCC at the time of the Accident. Prof's view was that he had to be held responsible for the tragedy. I agree with that. He ought to be held responsible, but the system has also to be blamed. May be Iam a bit diasy here.

The Prof tells that one had to get the permission of everyone concerned before taking a decision and he tells that UCC hasnt got the permission of the people living nearby and the one who were enjoying the fruits of the pesticides being produced there were some rich farmers in Punjab and not the ones living in Bhopal. When this happens, his logic goes that any right minded person should not work in such a place because he gets paid for heavily. If the same logic is applied to himself, then He should have resigned from the Finance Director Post of Coal India- Is Coal India getting the permission of the Tribals who live in the Forest before clearing it for Mining or does it rehabilitates all those who lost their livelihood because of the Coal Fields?

This dual standards of Ethics really worries me. How will one justify the Nuclear Power Plants that were built and that are being Built- because there cant be a decision if everyone's views has to be taken into consideration. It is always easy to speak of Democracy but the practising part- might be tricky.

Yesterday, we went to Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilisers Ltd, a UB Group Company for studying the ERP implementation aspects of that firm. The man who briefed us about the implementation wasnt that knowledgeable and he was in the technical section. He couldnt explain us the intricacies in the implementation process. He wasnt even able to explain why they chose SAP and not Oracle or BAN. The points to remember according to him is that one shouldnt go for customisation in implementation and take up the standard product because it has been in use through out the world and all the fortune 500 companies use it. If these guys view the ERP implementation just as another product in the company then it would be pretty difficult to imbibe the acceptance of change. The ERP Package has been in force only for the past 8-9 months. The Honeymoon hasnt ended as yet. He wasnt able to give any reasons as to why they decided to move from Legacy system to the current system. Now I got why Indian Companies cannot make it to the top list.

If this thought of "Other Big Companies use it - so I will also use it" Never takes you any where. If you want to be heard in the Global scene, create your own rules- SAP's main plank is customisation and when you donot customise just because, that is not done anywhere else is not a sign of a buyer and supplier. Now this takes us to another Topic that came up for discussion in the class today.

It is like" Free Markets is the answer for the ills of planned Markets". Our Prof. being a great beleiver of free market took up the issue and told that control by any means of the factors of production or the products isnt the right way of doing things and free market just does the correct thing in that makes it free of control. But he also added "Market Controls". Does this means to say that " Control by faceless is better than control by your government"? If that is the case, then what is the market?- the players- who controls the Players ?- Players themselves- then how do make sure there arent cartels and vested interest groups. I think, free market in the extreme cases will do more harm. There has to be a control by the people who use the products- this is done by the government that is elected by the wishes of the people- which makes it imperative to have a Functioning Democracy, where the wishes of the people are duly taken care of. This makes the point that which should be there first?. Free market leads to democracy or Democracy aids and sustains free markets?. I think these two are interlinked and it is really very difficult to seperate them. It is a really great combination to have both , but is it TIME FOR INDIA?

My Thoughts on Leadership - Vivek Paul, CEO, Wipro Technologies

BITS Alumni Magazine

As I think about the essence of leadership, the first thing that comes to mind is that different circumstances sometimes throw up leaders that are right for that time and situation. Even in the same situation a leader at one particular time may be wholly inappropriate at another time. But if you hold aside the situational leader, there are many threads in common for those that lead through all seasons, and I share a few through some quotes.

All progress owes itself to the demands of the unreasonable man. To be reasonable is to accept the status quo, to accept small gains. You must be unreasonable -- have a vision, a change agenda, something that most people would not see or be willing to push. Every great city, every wonder of the world, every giant corporation was built by some individual who kept pushing against the mountain and was, to the amazement of all, able to move it. When you start to put that shoulder to the first boulder, the task will appear impossible but you will find that when others believe in your vision and start applying their own minds and their shoulders, they will not only create a bigger force, but they in turn will also attract others, and even gargantuan tasks will shrink rapidly.

Change descends equally on everyone, but a few realize it faster than others. Many of these unreasonable leaders were able to see some change in their circumstance that would render doable what was until then considered the impossible. So look around you what do you see changing that requires a different approach. Sharpen the pattern recognition engine in your brain to see a technology shift, a social shift, an industry shift pick up on weak signals and seize the agenda. So go explore the limits of knowledge read, interact with smart people, always ask questions so every day you can steadily push further and further back the dark boundary of ignorance.

Every day we struggled to make things better, and after a few years when we looked back, it looked like a strategy, is a quote I have heard attributed to Shoichiro Honda when asked about his strategy for success. This is a reminder that while vision and change are good, they are of little value unless accompanied by the daily struggle. It is no surprise that few successful organizations do not also have a reputation of being incredibly hard working and fastidious.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesnt have to do it himself. This skeptical view has checked many a leader in his or her tracks. Leadership can only be successful by example. If you expect hard work from others, you have to work the hardest. If you expect breakthroughs, you have to make a few yourself. There is no room in the world for empty suits and never let a formal designation lull you into thinking you no longer have to personally contribute. So always balance your time between directing and excelling as an individual performer in whichever aspect you can do well at.

If it is not important to make a decision, it is important not to make a decision. There is a stereotype of this macho leader spewing a barrage of decisions. The reality could not be more the opposite. You have to learn to live with ambiguity for about as long as needed, able to balance the action list with no regret, hedge the outcome and full steam ahead moves. There are only two ways to get this mix right. First, use a lot of data for every decision. Irreconcilable differences vanish when enough data is mined. Second, is listen respectfully and with an open mind to your team. Both the talent and the diversity of your team are huge assets. Never be afraid to hire people who are smarter than you, more experienced than you, and never hesitate to create a mix of experiences, genders and strengths. And since this is so critical, weed out yes men and foster people who are unafraid to tell you the unvarnished truth.

In the jungles outside Bangalore there are many elephant camps where one can see huge elephants chained to a tiny stake. I wondered why the elephants do not just pull them out of the ground. I was told that as calves when they are tied to this stake, they try very hard to pull, but cannot, and reconcile themselves to being tied down by the stake. But as they grow bigger and stronger, they are mentally still tied to that stake and do not even try to break free. This then brings me to the next leadership idea have an infinite faith in yourself, and break away from any self imposed limitations. As a leader, you will find there are few people to say well done, or to reconfirm your agenda against the whirlwinds of uncertainty. There is only you. And the good news is that just you is enough.

I will end with something I learnt from Jack Welch, previous Chairman of General Electric. He loved international trips, because every time he got on the flight on the way home, he would pretend that he had just been appointed CEO, that this was his first day at the office and that the guy before him was quite a dud. He would come up with scores of things he would do differently as the new leader. And this brings me to my last leadership idea always reinvent yourself, never being afraid to challenge your own past and your own success.

So in a nutshell, catch the wave of change, be willing to struggle for it demanding more of yourself than others, be unreasonable in terms of your expectations, have an infinite faith in yourself, surround yourself with a diverse and strong team, never be reluctant to change yourself and when success swoons at your feet always take your job seriously, but never take yourself seriously".