Motivation

A nation is reflected in its values

Today I was pleasantly surprised when I accompanied my elderly parents for their morning walk.
Every morning for many years now they've been going to this community walking track built by the municipal authorities just behind their house. 
Right from the time they exited the building, I found that they're being greeted by complete strangers. People walking on the opposite sides cross over to wish my parents. Groups of people walking together at the track stop to wish them. There's a disabled man who can barely walk but even he walks upto them to greet them.
Young people slow down their running and touch my parent's feet and wish them.
"Namaste" 
That simple and wonderful Indian word. I see people from all parts of India say this as they greet my elderly parents. Kannada, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Marwari.....Every part of India. Many reach down to touch their feet.
Respect and warmth for parents, done with genuine care and affection. Even with complete strangers. 
How beautiful is my country's heart. How intrinsically good, caring and warm are my fellow Indians. It restores your faith in the concept of India. 
True it is, Mera Bharat mahaan!

Insight: In realty location is luxury

Our ad for Paranjape Schemes in today's TOI :)

The insight about buying homes, especially in Mumbai, for ages has always been: location, location, location.

So while lots of other real estate developers will talk about 'living with nature', 'reclaiming childhood for your kids' or prop up a celebrity for lack of a good reason, The Lonely Cloud Consulting simply highlights that critical aspect of location.

Hanuman & the Myth of Leadership.

As humans we're enamoured by the cult of leadership. History, as well as stories are written as odes to the heroic efforts of one person: a leader. Leadership qualities are the first thing we look for in people: subordinates, bosses, parents, and children. Leadership is the ultimate goal. CEO's draw huge pay packages because of that amorphous quality of leadership that they possess.

On Friday, we celebrated Hanuman Jayanti. (In Tamil we call him 'Hanumar' out of respect, so don't be quizzical if you find me addressing Him as Hanumar in this post.). Let me draw a parallel between the cult of leadership that permeates our society and Hanumar.

The Ramayana is a sublime tale, to some it’s holy- the story of a God. To others it’s mythology. However one looks at it, one cannot but be amazed at its depth and its finely nuanced characters and whist at them, let me delve a bit deeper into this most amazing of personalities among them. The Ramayana is a tale full of heroes, but not all of them are leaders. The leaders in the story are perhaps just two: Ramar and Ravana. One the embodiment of virtue- the ideal and perfect leader: objective-oriented, dispassionate, driven by right deeds, exhibiting control over mind and body, leading from the front, inspiring, knowledgeable and flawless. Then Ravana who is perhaps everything Ramar is except his inability to see the adharma in his coveting of Seeta, the third critical peg of the stool that holds the tale.

No child in India would complete their description of Ramayana without uttering the name of Hanumar. Even in a tale with such rich heroes, heroines and villains, the persona of Hanumar looms larger than life. Would Ramayana be possible without Hanumar? Would the tale be complete? Would Sugreeva have befriended Ramar without the wise advice of Hanumar? Would Ramar have located Seeta without that incredible leap of faith which Hanumar took across the ocean? Would Ramar have risen from Indrajeet’s poisonous-barb attack on Lakshmana had Hanumar not bought the Sanjeevani plant? Would Ramar have killed Ravana had he not been on Hanumar’s great shoulders?

In fact would that war have been won at all had Hanumar not been fighting on behalf of Ramar? For by sheer count, Hanumar single-handedly slayed most of Ravana’s feared, hitherto- unbeaten and great generals than Ramar himself.

What do we see in the exploits of this great hero? Wisdom, strength, fearlessness and humility. Yet we address him as ‘sevak’, the supreme servant. He is not the leader, the epic centres around. But without him righteousness and the good would not have succeeded; even the story perhaps would have not been as great or perhaps not been there at all, without him.

Hanumar is the antithesis of the leadership cult. His importance tells us that victory and success is a team effort and not always due to one person alone. His inspiring form which we worship, one in which he’s in urgent flight, holding his mace in one hand and the mountain in the other is a reminder to us not to blindly credit leaders alone.

Look behind every leader, there is a Hanumar behind every one of them. Hanumar exists in our lives. S/He is the person who has encouraged us in our worst times, held us, consoled us, leapt across the oceans for us, found us what we wanted, fought for us, saved us, smoothened out paths and loved us unquestioningly.

Such a person in our lives, is indeed our God. Acknowledge them. And if you make the effort, you too can be Him for someone else. You too can be Hanumar.

Ramnavami. Celebrate the hero!

When there's hope, scoundrels thrive. 
And when there's none, heroes rise. 
Celebrate Rama, today and everyday.
 the vanquisher of evil, 
the bringer of hope,
 the embodiment of virtue.,

Inspiration

We normally associate the source of inspiration from either a very senior person or from a very accomplished person.

Yesterday I met a young entrepreneur who is setting up his enterprise all by himself, with little help and I must say, I emerged inspired and motivated. This is what I heard from him:

1. Sir, there was once a time when I would hate Mondays. This was the time when I was employed by a company. Monday meant catching up with piled up work. Today I look forward to Mondays. In fact I begin my Mondays an hour earlier than usual. On Sunday evening itself I would begin gearing myself, so that I hit Mondays on my feet and running. I no longer fear Mondays. It's my favorite day.

2. I have learnt to value every rupee. Earlier I wouldn't think much of spending even Rs. 2000/- on an evening out. Today I feel for even a Rs. 100/- that I spend. I feel if I were to put it into my business, it would be be put to better use.

3. I have learnt humility. Today I answer  even a pesky call center with politeness, because I've understood how it feels to be rejected and undervalued. I also give a patient ear to any salesperson walking into my office.

4. I have learnt to optimize my time towards ensuring the fulfillment of my business goals. I no longer regret the lack of holidays, missing night-outs with friends, skipping movies. Because all the time I have, every day including weekends I put into my work. I'm constantly thinking up ideas and working them through. I feel productive, charged and I don't regret the decision I took.

5. I understand finances and profitability like never before. If my business doesn't give me a 20% return PBT, in the long term, then I have the understanding that my investments are safer and better utilized in an FD.

I wish that young man the very best. May his tribe grow.

Vijay Bavaha!

Brilliant Idea