I am on diet! INFORMATION DIET

I am on diet is a common phrase of our times. After all fast food, confectionaries, beverages (the addictive trio salt, sugar and fat) has become our way of life, over time. 

Industrialization of food, has resulted in the prevalence of microwave dinners, fast food, packaged and processed foods, food-consumerism culture, large-scale food production, grocery shelves stocked with microwaveable, super-sized, bite-sized and on-the-go meals, plastic-wrapped and frozen food. In essence, there is no gastronomic experience but rather efficiency and utility of food, just to re-fuel ourselves.   

Over time, we are suffering the negative consequences of obesity and lifestyle diseases, since the advent of industrialization of food.

Clay Johnson in his book The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption, draws a parallel between the industrialization of food and the industrialization of information.

So what is industrialization of information? 

Webster dictionary defines Information Age as a time in which information has become a commodity that is quickly and widely disseminated and easily available especially through the use of computer technology. 

With Information floodgates open, countless content irrespective of meaningful or not, keeps rushing at us in countless formats through our laptops, tablets, mobiles. 

Johnson points out, we modern humans are mindlessly spending endless hours everyday consuming information through screens (mobiles, tab, laptops) and speakers. "Just as we have grown morbidly obese on sugar, fat and flour - so too, have we become gluttons for texts, instant messages, emails, RSS feeds, downloads, videos, status updates and tweets." - Johnson.

Indeed a food for thought, to chew upon isn't it? 

There is so much of overload of information, many of it is junk, irrelevant, forced upon, distracting, devoid of any value, meaningless which does not cater to our wellbeing and growth. But we end up consuming them because we aren't mindful enough and we have got habituated to it over a period of time. 

In this context, if we see the term 'Information overload' is a misnomer. 

Clay Johnson argues blaming the abundance of information itself is as absurd as blaming the abundance of food for obesity. It's not that the fast food on it's own is coming out of the fast food joints and popping into our mouth. It is we who are making the choice to consume it over healthy food. (Makes perfect common sense isn't it? Ultimately it's about cultivating good habits and making healthy choices).

He proposes an alternative phrase, 'Information Over-Consumption' which is a truer reflection of the reality.

Parallels drawn between the industrialization of food and the industrialization of information is quite evident to us now. Eating too much food can lead to obesity, and consuming too much information can lead to cluelessness.

Just like over-eating leads to negative health outcomes, Information Over-Consumption leads to various negative outcomes across Physical (obesity, hypertension, sedentary death syndrome, diabetes, heart disease), Psychological (distorted sense of time, shallow social relationship, reality dysmorphia, screen addiction) and Social (agnotology, epistemic closure, democratic failure) dimensions.

In the background of this contemporary issue, Clay Johnson in his book The Information Diet: A Case for Conscious Consumption, makes a strong case of cultivating good habits and to become selective about the information we consume as we are about the information we consume.

Remember Maslow's Needs for Hierarchy? The pyramid model of hierarchy of human needs.

Extrapolating the idea of Clay Johnson's Information Diet, Future Crunch a weekly newsletter proposed an 'Information Pyramid' model in the lines of Maslow's Needs of Hierarchy model.

The Information Pyramid model gives us a visualization of what kind of information we should  consciously consume and what kind of information we should consciously minimize. 

We should consciously cultivate a good habit and make smarter choice to consume more of Consensual Information (newsletters, podcasts, specialist publications) & Humanistic Information (books, audiobooks, essays, documentaries) and minimize the consumption of Non-consensual Information (email, messages, notifications) & Algorithmic Information (news, social media).

Bottom-line, let's make smarter, conscious decision to stop Information Over-Consumption in today's Information Age for our own sanity, well-being & growth.   

Bucket List - the little done, the vast undone.

 

Like me, so many of you would also be working from home (WFH) during this pandemic crisis. It's hard to do team bonding activities while working remotely but on the contrary team activities are more important in this virtual work environment, when compared to working out of office. 

In this effort for team bonding during this prolonged WFH, we regularly host various virtual engagement events to bring the team together. My colleague, Ashwathi recently hosted one such event named: 'BUCKET LIST'.

During this event, each team member's took turn to share their 3 bucket list items. 

The event started off on a formal note and with customary greetings. Initial few speakers were guarded and formal but as the event proceeded inspite we being adults and working professionals all started to shed their inhibitions and were expressing their bucket lists with emotions, feelings and authenticity.

I felt it as a deep humane experience, seeing my team members expressing their wishes which they have secretly harboured in their hearts. "May your bucket list come true" wishes for one another, created a bubble of Ubuntu. 

Outwardly we all have so many layers of formalities, positions, decorum but deep within we are just human, so similar to each other. We keep postponing our wish-list because other practicalities of life take precedence and we put our bucket list in a closet, to visit later. Generally for most of us the sum total of our Bucket List is the little done, the vast undone. Combo of happy memories and sighs!

Post the Bucket List Team Event, I was exploring online on this topic and I came across a TedxTalk on Bucket List: 6 Steps to crossing anything off your bucket list by Ben Nemtin.

Ben Nemtin, gives 6 practical tips on how to tick off the Bucket List:

1. What's important?

Ask yourself what is important to you in your life. Take a pause in your life to reflect upon and make a list of what's important for you. 

2. Write your list down?

Write down your dream, write down your idea on a piece of paper. Writing it down converts the intangible form into a tangible form. Convert your dreams into a project. Dream remains a dream, but a Project has step by step process which takes us to our milestone.   

3. Talk about your list.

Talk about your bucket list. If you don't talk about your bucket list, no one will get to know. Surprisingly help can spring up from even the most unexpected quarters, so it's important to talk about your bucket list.

4. Be persistent.

You will hear more NO than Yes, but no does not mean 'never' it usually means 'not now'. Most of the dreams and not get accomplished because people give up. So be persistent and don't give up too soon. 

5. Be audacious. 

Don't over-estimate the competition and don't under-estimate yourself. Be audacious to set unrealistic goals and back it up with relentless hard work.

6. Help other people

Happiness is only real when it is shared. Be helpful by nature and help without expectations. When people see you helping others, there are chances you too will receive help.

So dream big, be audacious, write down your bucket list, talk about it, be persistent and help others in their journey. Wishing you all the very best in our life! May your bucket list come true!  

References:

• 6 Steps to crossing anything off your bucket list by Ben Nemtin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Y7mfxEaco

• Ben Nemtin's website https://www.bennemtin.com/

No copyright voilation intended. Bucket list image used is from https://www.iesabroad.org/blogs/madison-palmer/ultimate-london-bucket-list#sthash.8OMusV91.dpbs

 

  

The Unremembered Stories of The World Wars, INDIA and Indian Independence

 

While browsing through the magazine rack at a local departmental store, I came across a special issue of The Week magazine (dated August 2, 2020): World War II @75 How India Saved The World From Hitler.

It is a special issue of The Week magazine, to commemorate the 75th year of end of World War II, which is just round the corner 2nd of September. (WWII ended on 2nd September 1945).

The title How India Saved The World From Hitler, was intriguing to me. I grew up in the 90's, as a school going kid I had hardly read a paragraph in my history books which mentioned about India's contribution and involvement in the World Wars (I and II).

(By the way, just two years ago 11th of November 2018 was the centenary year for the end of World War I).

This edition of The Week magazine featured many related stories about India and World War II. Reading them made me wonder how little I knew about my country's history, it's contribution and our legacy in shaping the present day modern world.

Reading these stories, nudged me to explore more on India and World Wars.   

It is important for us to know about India's contribution in the World Wars. These wars are watershed moments in the modern human history which shaped our present day world order. 

Writing this blogpost is my small attempt to spread awareness among many more Indians and the global community, who like me might be ignorant of INDIA's enormous contributions in the World Wars. 

India's involvement in World Wars as part of British Empire and India's own freedom movement in the backdrop of World Wars is a vast landscape of complicated stories, many characters and multiple perspectives. Making a sense of this requires a deep dive into further reading and the extend to which one wants to read and know depends on one's personal interest and inclination. 

This blogpost is not a deep dive into the subject. It attempts to do the following:

1. Info-graphics for your easy reading and quick awareness
2. Present a brief write-up on India's enormous contributions in the World Wars.
3. Present a brief write-up on the relevance of World Wars and India's independence.
4. Curate the links (other resources) at one place for your easy accessibility

1. Info-graphics for your easy reading and quick awareness

2. Brief write-up on India's enormous contributions in the World Wars

World War I

Indian political leaders backed the British war effort in order to gain leverage in their fight for dominion status and eventually their call for total independence. 

The sacrifices of the Indian soldiers was of a very different kind, because they were not fighting for their own Nation but there was a HOPE that by defending the British, in return they would eventually earn their independence.

India provided the largest voluntary force ever assembled in history with around 1.4 million (14 lakhs) individuals, with 74,000 fatalities.

The total number of animals sent overseas from India for the war efforts were around 184,350. These included horses, ponies, mules, camels, bullocks and dairy cattle.

The contributions from Indian revenues towards the cost of the war amounted to £146.2 million by the end of 1919-20. In today's terms, these would amount to around 14 billion. 

The approximate value of supplies send overseas during the war to the various forces dependent on India was £ 34 million. Items supplied were, rice, flour, atta, dal, ghee, sugar, tea, tinned meat, jam, biscuits and firewood. It amounted to 3.7m tonnes.

The Indian regiments fought at various places across the world: France, East Africa (now Kenya), Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq, Kuwait, Turkey and Syria), Egypt, Palestine, Trans-Caspia (modern day Turkmenistan), Arabia, Greece, China, West Africa and North-West frontiers of India.

11 Indian soldiers received Victoria Cross medals for their bravery.

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, India gained independent representation. As a signatory of the Treaty of Versailles, India gained automatic entry to the League of Nations. The collective contributions of Indian soldiers, gradually lead to positive reforms in the Indian army after the end of WWI.

World War II

At the start of WWII in 1939 the Indian Army had just 1,60,000 (1.6 lakhs) troops. By the time the war ended in 1945, the Indian Army had swelled to more than 2.5 million (25 lakhs). 

It was the largest all-volunteer army in the history of human conflict writes Harry Fecitt, the author of  Distant Battlefields.

Close to 25,000 were martyred in the war, 64,000 were wounded and 12,000 went missing, never again to return home.

The key wars, in which Indian soldiers contributed enormously:

In December 1940, the 4th Indian Division fought the Italian empire in East Africa. The Indian forces that liberated the city of Addis Ababa in April 1941, paving the way for Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie to return to his homeland. In May 1941 a regrouped Italian Army was again defeated by 5th Indian Division. 

In the Middle East, a pro-German junta led by Rashid Ali, seized power in Iraq. Britain's supply of oil for running the war machines dried up. By mid-1941, the 8th and 10th Indian Division reached Basra in Iraq and secured the oil fields. 

Another Indian brigade, along with Australians and the Free French Forces, captured Damascus and secured Syria and Lebanon.

In May-June 1942, the 4th and 10th Indian Division joined the Commonwealth forces and won the second battle of El Alamein in Egypt, defeating the celebrated German general Erwin Rommel.

In July 1942, the German forces had begun the seige of Leningard and were almost sighting Moscow. The siege of Leningard lasted for 872 days (2 years and 3 months). Russia was starved of food, fuel and ammunition. Most of Russia's oil import came from Persia. The oil fields of Persia was under threat from the advancing German army, threatening the import of oil. To revive the oil supply, 8th and 10th Indian Division and the 2nd Indian Armoured Brigade were deployed for invasion of Iran in August 1941 and they succeed in their mission. The Indian troops developed ports, roads, river and canal routes from the Persian Gulf to the Arctic reaches of Russia, through which tens of thousands of soldiers carried 62,000 tonnes of aid. 

Auchinleck who commanded the Indians in the Middle East said "The British couldn't have come through both wars (WWI, WWII) if they hadn't had the Indian Army."  

With the bombing of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese on 7th December 1941, America also entered into the war. Japan was simultaneously fighting in Hong Kong, Malaya (Malaysia), Burma (Myammar) and Singapore. The Rajput and Punjab regiment, 9th and 11th Indian Divisions and the 12th Indian Infantry Brigade fought across Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore and Burma. In the North East frontiers of India (Imphal and Kohima) the 5th, 7th and 26th Indian Division fought in the fierce battle what came to be known as the Battle of the Admin Box. 

The INA (Indian National Army) lead by Netaji Subas Chandra Bose was engaged in the Battle of the Admin Box seeking to liberate their motherland. To the great glory of India, both sides British India Army and INA fought each other. 

The WWII came to an end with Japanese surrender following the aftermath of US atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on 6th and 9th of August 1945 respectively. 

On 2nd September 1945, the Japanese generals officially surrended to General MacArthur on board USS Missouri, berthed in Tokyo Bay.    

For India, however there were a few more days of war left. The 5th Indian Division reached Singapore on 4th September 1945 to take it over. The 23rd and 25th Divisions landed in Malaya on 9th of September to take it over. 

6,300 Indian Army personnel won awards in WWII.

The tally included 31 Victoria Crosses (VC) the highest military gallantry honour, 7 George Crosses, 252 Distinguished Service Orders, 347 Indian Orders of Merit and 1,311 Military Crosses.  

3. World War I, World War II and it's relevance to India's independence

1.4 million and 2.5 million Indian soldiers fighting for British Empire during World Wars I and II, Gandhi's Quit India movement and Bose's Indian National Army (and INA trials) were the three inter-connected plots, which lead to India's independence on 15th of August, 1947, two years after the end of WWII.  

The Indian Independence struggle since the 1900's has to be seen in the backdrop of changing dynamics between the European Imperial Empires and the precipitation of the World Wars.

The Indian political leaders of those times had wholeheartedly supported Britain in WWI in the hope of return of favour of being granted dominion status for India's war efforts. When WWI ended in 1919, Britain refused to give dominion status to India in return for their help. Rather what came through was Rowlatt Act, Jallianwalla Bagh massacre and a water-downed diarchy through the Montagu-Chelmsford (Mont-Ford) reforms.

Though the Indian political leaders where fighting against the British Raj for India's political freedom, when WWII broke out, most of them, except Subhas Chandra Bose were willing to lend their support to the British cause against Nazism, with an assurance of India's independence after the war ends. 

As this assurance did not come through Gandhi threatened British Raj with the call for civil disobedience movement. As the Congress threatened civil disobedience, most of it's top brass leaders were put into jail. By March 1941, Subas Chandra Bose escaped from house arrest and fled to Moscow.

The WWII had taken a global stage with the Axis and Allied forces fighting each other. Bose managed to raise INA (Indian National Army) with the Indian POW (prisoners of wars). 

By 1942, Gandhi announced "Quit India" movement and India was in a turmoil. 

By 1942, with the fall of Burma and Singapore, INA and Japanese armies were at the doorsteps of eastern gate of the British empire. Meanwhile the Japanese and INA were making inroads into Burma, The Andaman islands were handed over by the Japanese to Netaji Subas Chandra Bose, and Bose hoisted the Indian tri-colour. The fate turned soon, with British India Army holding the fort in the Battle of Admin (Imphal and Kohima) and with Japanese surrender after the atom bombs falling in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in August 1945.

The captured INA officers and soldiers, were brought to Red Fort in Delhi to be tried for treason. The INA trials resulted in widespread protest across India. The sailors of the Royal Indian Navy rose in revolt in February 1946. These protests drove home a message to the British, that the loyalty of Indians Armed Forces could not be taken for granted any longer. This precipitated this final event of transfer of power and India gaining her political independence on 15th of August, 1947. 

Sarojini Naidu had written a poem, The Gift of India, narrating the sacrifices of Indian soldiers in World War I. In the last stanza of the poem she asks the world to remember the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers who fought in the World War.  

When the terror and tumult of hate shall cease
And life be refashioned on anvils of peace,
And your love shall offer memorial thanks

To the comrades who fought in your dauntless ranks,

And you homour the deeds of the deathless ones, 

Remember the blood of my martyred son!

Unfortunately, we haven't kept them in our remembrance enough. 

Isn't it high time, to remember the Unremembered?

4. Curated resources (at one place for your easy accessibility)

• India 1914 website is part of 'Remembering Indian Soldiers', a project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Palan Foundation.

          https://www.india1914.com/Default.aspx

• Annu Palakunnathu Matthew a Professor of Art at the University of Rhode Island is working on a project The Unremembered: Indian Soldiers of World War II. She is collecting family photographs of Indian officers and soldiers who fought in WWII, for creating a digital archive to keep their memories and legacy alive.

          http://www.annumatthew.com/gallery/unremembered/ (Annu Matthew's website)

          https://www.indiansoldiers1945.com/ (One can contribute with photographs for this project)

          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKMBCXdosDE  (Conversation at BIC - Bangalore                         International Centre)

• Movies, Web series:

1. Kabir Khan directed web series The Forgotten Army Azaadi Ke Liya on Amazon Prime, tells the story of INA during the WWII, from an Indian soldier's point of view. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG6PUj-TUfY (trailer)

2. Rangoon movie directed by Vishal Bharadwaj, is a love triangle in the backdrop of WWII and INA. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4909752/ 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-tC0wcIu24 (trailer)

3. Sajjan Singh Rangroot is a film on Sikh regiments that went to the front lines during WWI. Lead role played by Diljit Dosanjh. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7762982/  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7YddfDo4N0 (trailer)

4. Raag Desh is a period film directed by Timangshu Dhulia on the historic 1945 Indian National Army Red Fort Trials. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6080746/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TE_2zp5RbA&t (trailer)

• Documentaries:

1. Kabir Khan has scripted a 3 episode documentary The Forgotten Army aired on Doordarshan.

Episode 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PArPXYQV5w

Episode 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b2UFTE2ijo

Episode 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRHRgKqMI50

One link for episode 1, 2 and 3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcgLbAbzzGY 

2. History TV18 featured episodes WW and Indian army: 

61st Cavalry India's Horse Warriors: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpV_DdeXJgY (the first 15 mins of this episode talks about 61st Cavalry division during the WWI).

History Honours: India's Forgotten Army: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJzNSs8WT3I (Indian Army during the WWI).  

• Reading

Links to two stories from The Week Magazine's special edition on India and WWI.

1. India's World War (cover story) - a story that is now all but forgotten 
https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2020/07/23/we-were-there-everywhere.html

2. Birth of a nation - How WWII started a chain reaction that resulted in India's independence 
https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2020/07/23/birth-of-a-nation.html

Books on World Wars and India:

1. The Raj at War: A People's History of India's Second World War - Yasmin Khan

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25203591-the-raj-at-war

2. Farthest Field: An Indian Story of Second World War - Raghu Karnad

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26530362-farthest-field

3. Women at War: Subhas Chandra Bose and the Rani of Jhansi Regiment - Vera Hildebrand

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/33556435-women-at-war

4. The Indian Spy: The True Story of the Most Remarkable Secret Agent of World War II - Mihir Bose

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34807236-the-indian-spy

5. Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan - Shrabani Basu

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1035312.Spy_Princess

6. India's War: World War II and the Making of Modern South Asia - Srinath Raghavan

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26240787-india-s-war

7. For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front, 1914-18 - Shrabani Basu

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26073088-for-king-and-another-country

8. If I Die Here, Who Will Remember Me? India and the First World War - Vedica Kant

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22118469-if-i-die-here-who-will-remember-me-india-and-the-first-world-war

9. Sepoys in the Trenches: The Indian Corps on the Western Front, 1914-1915 - Gordon Corrigan

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1389710.Sepoys_in_the_Trenches

10. The Indian Army on the Western Front - George Morton-Jack 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20914055-the-indian-army-on-the-western-front

11. World War One in Southeast Asia: Colonialism and Anti-colonialism in an Era of Global Conflict - Heather E. Streets-Salter

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32735228-world-war-one-in-southeast-asia

References (for writing this Blog): 

India's World War (cover story) - a story that is now all but forgotten 
https://www.theweek.in/theweek/cover/2020/07/23/we-were-there-everywhere.html

After Dunkrik, a starter list of 10 engaging books on India's role in the World Wars - article by Jenny Bhatt. https://scroll.in/article/846748/after-dunkirk-a-starter-list-of-10-engaging-books-and-a-bonus-on-indias-role-in-the-world-wars

Photographs of Indian sepoys from World Wars.

https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/12-photos-of-the-indian-army-in-the-first-world-war

World War I: Six extra-ordinary Indian stories.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-46148207

Letters written by Indian soldiers from World Wars.

https://scroll.in/article/677257/heart-rending-letters-of-indian-soldiers-who-fought-in-world-war-i

Common Wealth War Graves

https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-cemeteries-memorials/cemetery-details/2005200/forli-indian-army-war-cemetery/

The Northeast India WWII Trail

https://travellingslacker.com/world-war-ii-northeast-india/

What is TIME? What is Life? What is Lifetime?

Life is like a boat, floating on the river of Time.

The year 2020 has turned out to be a year to forget due to the unexpected, prolonged Corona crisis. 

"Oh God! Just waiting for this year to end soon", "2020 has been such a tragic year", "I just want to erase 2020 from my memories" have become part of our daily conversations these days. In other words, we want to press the 'fast forward' and 'delete' buttons on TIME. 

The concept of time has always fascinated me since my childhood days (I am sure it must be the case with most of you). 

Watching Star Trek and Indradhanush serials on Doordarshan, reading H.G.Wells novel Time Machine, watching Ray's Sonar Kella fueled my curiosity to grasp the concept of time. In high school days it was Stephen Hawking's book Brief History of Time and "मैं  समय  हु" the epic story telling of Mahabharat by समय (TIME).

This write-up arises from my exploration of the question What is Time? but in the middle of a pandemic why am I writing on time. Well, I am not doing this just for my intellectual pleasure (dare I waste your valuable time on reading it). I am writing this article to explore the practical understanding and applications of Time in our Life. 

Think about it, there are so many quotes on time, which we reflect upon for drawing life's philosophy, life lessons and solace:

 

The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough - Tagore

The two most powerful warriors are patience and time - Leo Tolstoy

Better three hours to soon than a minute too late - Shakespeare

Lost time is never found again - Benjamin Franklin

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it - Stephen Covey

Time and tide, waits for none - folklore

The quotes of Tagore and Tolstoy explores the philosophical dimension of time, while the quotes of Shakespeare and Stephen Covey explores the management dimension of time. Taking few clues from these stalwarts, time is an abstract concept because it does not have a physical existence. In essence, time can't be perceived with our senses, only the effects of time is perceived by us.

Like all abstract concepts, time is also difficult to comprehend but if we can gain clarity in our minds about 'What is Time?' we will be better off physiologically, psychologically, spiritually and practicalities of life, because our life is so deeply intertwined with time. 

This write-up is an exploration of the perceived effects of time and it's practical implications on our daily life and about the wisdom we can draw upon and apply in our life.

• It is difficult to comprehend the connection of Time and Life due to it's enormity, randomness, complexities and ubiquity.

These concepts of time and life are talked about in various ancient Indian texts and eastern philosophy. 

Stories from Mahabharat:

According to a folklore in Andhra Pradesh, once upon a time Karna on his way comes across a young girl crying because she had dropped her pot of milk on the ground and she fears punishment at the hands of her step-mother. Out of compassion, Karna took the wet earth and squeezes milk out of the soil back into the pot. The girl goes away happy but the earth-goddess is not pleased. She swears that one day she will squeeze Karna the way he squeezed her and that would be the cause of his death. 

During the climax of Mahabharat's war when Arjuna and Karna come face-to-face, Karna's chariot's wheel gets stuck in the ground (earth-goddess grab holds of Karna's chariot wheel). During his desperate attempt to set-free his chariot wheel, he gets shot and killed by Arjuna. 

In another story, Krishna was Rama in his previous life (avataar) and Rama had sided with Surgiva (monkey son of Surya the sun-god) and shot Bali (monkey son of Indra the rain-god). In next life, Krishna sided with Arjuna, who was the son of Indra, while shooting Karna, the son of Surya, thus restoring the karmic balance.

These stories, illustrates the enormity, randomness, complexities and ubiquity of the intertwined life and time. These stories, reminds us making a judgment of an outcome at a specific time point in life is pre-mature as the story of life is still unfolding and only time will tell (whatever that means).

The fictional story Nova Effect - The Tragedy of Good Luck, also illustrates how events in life which is perceived as bad luck now, results into unexpected positive outcomes in future. What is bad in my life now, may turn out to be good in my life in future.

Wisdom: Whenever a time point in life becomes overburdening, zoom out your focus because life and time is enormous, random and complex and these principles are ubiquitous. Don't draw conclusion and make judgement as this too shall pass and your life story is still unfolding.   

"It is impossible to determine if the outcome of an event is good or bad until the future is fully realized." - Alan Watts

Youtube link for the story Nova effect: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGVhOWqsBWM&t=1s

• Predictions

In the age of Data Science, predictive modelling finds applications in all spheres of human society. Knowledge based on data points is extrapolated in time to make predictions. This curiosity of knowing the future and trying to predict the future has always been an integral part of human nature since antiquity. Astrology is one such example, where knowledge based on position of stars and planets is used to make predictions about a human being's life. But as we all know from our personal experiences, whether it is modern day Statistical Science or ancient future telling (astrology) they are not definitive predictions but it a probabilistic predictions. The number of unknown variables and their inter-play in a human life, in the world and time is humongous and it is in a dynamic flux. 

Take this very example of COVID-19 crisis. Just few months ago, human race was talking about space travel and now we are not even travelling in our neighbourhood. The variable of an epidemic hitting us was no where there in our collective prediction as a human race. In short, it's hard to make definitive predictions in the randomness of life and time.

Wisdom: It's wiser to take the prediction about a future outcome, or prophecy of one's future (destiny) as a guidance but we should not develop a fatalistic mindset of resigning to fate and not taking control of our present (now) to shape our future time (destiny). 

"Take the whole responsibility on your own shoulders, and know that you are the creator of your own destiny." - Vivekananda 

• We are product of our times

How did the universe appear to our ancestors before the invention of telescope?

Most people thought Earth to be the center of the universe (Geocentric view).

The Greek astronomer Ptolemy (90 - 168 CE) described the Geocentric view of the universe in his book Almagest, which he wrote around 150 CE. People held this view of universe for more than 1,500 years as truth. 

When asked why an astronomer like Ptolemy held a Geocentric view, Carl Segan (famous American astronomer and cosmologist) replied: "Ptolemy believed that the Earth was at the center of the Universe and that the Sun, Moon, planets and stars went around the Earth. This is the most natural idea in the world. The Earth seems steady, solid, immobile, while we can see the heavenly bodies rising and setting each day. Every culture leaped to the geocentric hypothesis."

Copernicus (1473 - 1543) was the first person to identify mathematical errors in Ptolemy's Geocentric model and by 1514, he wrote a short essay called the Little Commentary, that explained the Heliocentric model (Sun at the center). Being afraid of the controversy and of the repercussions he waited for 20 years before he published his book, On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres in 1543, the year he died.

In 1597, 54 years after the death of Copernicus, Galileo (1564 - 1642) wrote a letter to Johannes Kepler his contemporary fellow scientist explaining his support for Copernicus - "I accepted the view of Copernicus many years ago. And from this standpoint I have discovered many natural phenomena, which cannot be explained on the basis of the more commonly accepted hypothesis. I have written many direct and indirect arguments for the Copernican view. But until now I have not dared to publish them, alarmed by the fate of Copernicus himself, our master. He has won for himself undying fame in the eyes of a few, but he has been mocked and hooted at by an infinite multitude....I would dare to come forward publicly with my views if there were more people of your way of thinking."

The belief system and cultural understanding of their times shaped up their minds. The social pressure of their times was a deterrent to change their collective minds instantaneously rather it happened gradually over a considerable period of time.    

Unless we reflect upon it, we won't appreciate this social and psychological phenomenon, 'We Are Product of Our Times'. Just think about it, in our times, it is so natural for us to just go to school and learn about heliocentric solar system, whereas just 500 years ago even to have this view, was such a big deal. 

Wisdom: The realization of 'We are products of our times' can make us less fixated and less rigid with our belief systems. It opens up the windows of our mind to look beyond, expand and grow with the flow of time, than remaining fixated forever.

• Generation gap

Generation gap, one of the real life issue which many of us face is connected to the above understanding. Generation gap is when the present generation and their previous generation have a contradicting viewpoint on most of the topics and they are unable to make each other understand to come on common grounds. Everybody faces the issue of generational gap at some point in their life. The young today who are fighting with the older generation will also grow old one day and fight with their next generation. 

Wisdom: One should keep an open-mind, empathize and listen to other's point of view. This can break the cycle of generational gap and conflict.

The younger generation should understand that their previous generation grew up in a time of less abundance, without internet and technology, so their mindset will be different than theirs. On the other hand, the older generation should also understand the new generations are growing up in a different ecosystem and hence their mindset will be different. So it is not a matter of judging who is right or wrong, good or bad, rather it is a matter of acceptance of the difference of our times and their times.

• Change is the only constant

'Time is ticking on' and 'Change' are synonymous. With time the socio-economic-cultural-geopolitical order and structure changes and in our generation this pace of change seems like time on a fast forward button due to technological advances. Change demands change management, adaptability and evolution to remain relevant and to be successful in the dynamically shifting newer times. 

Those who remain oblivion to the wind of change fail to move along with time and eventually become irrelevant. This stark reality is seen time and again for an individual, for a corporation, for a society and for a nation. 

Wisdom: Go along with the flow of time, rather than resisting and living in the past. 

"Adapt to change quickly. The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new cheese." - Dr. Spencer Johnson, from the book Who Moved My Cheese? 

Few years back, I had written a post on Adaptability is the Best Ability (sharing the link, for a detailed reading on Change and Adaptability): 

https://no-herdmentality.blogspot.com/2017/11/adaptability-is-best-ability.html

• Let go

We have heard 'Let go' so many times from our well wishers and we have said 'Let go' so many times as well wishers to others. Haven't we? Letting go of pain and emotional baggage essentially means letting go of the past time (memories) to which we are still clinging on, while we are in our present time (now).

Wisdom: Time is an abstract concept it cannot be perceived directly by our senses, only the effects of time are perceived by us. This understanding gives us clarity that much time has flown since then i.e. physiologically we are living and breathing in a different time but psychologically (in our minds) we are still living in the past. So let go.... and move on with time... 

"Sometimes letting things go is an act of far greater power than defending or hanging on." - Eckhart Tolle

• Time and it's practical implications in life

Time is a resource spend it wisely, 10,000 hours of practice makes one an expert, Start early to get a head-start, Short-term vs Long-term gain, Time management etc, are the various scripts we consciously or sub-consciously run in our mind on a daily basis. Even though the concept of time is abstract, it's effects can be perceived and it does have a direct impact in our various endeavours in life. 

Assimilating knowledge, building career, nurturing relationship, maintaining good health, creating wealth, developing good habits, picking up new skills etc all needs dedicated time and efforts throughout one's lifetime. 

Wisdom: Human life is not a 100 meters race rather it's a long distance marathon and ups and downs along with the passage of time are inevitable. One should not give up when the journey becomes arduous, keep walking the times will again change and this too shall pass. 

 "Life is a marathon, not a sprint....Train for endurance, not speed." - Unknown

• Autobiographies:

Biographies gives us glimpses of the unique journeys men and women have traversed during their life-times. The stories of the characters from our history also shows us even though their times were different, the fundamentals of human struggle and the triumphs of human spirit remains relevant to the struggles of our times and we can draw life lessons and inspirations from their life and time.

Wisdom: The fundamentals of human struggle and the triumphs of human spirit are timeless.

"Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory." - Benjamin Disraelli 

• Life's Time is limited, Life's Energy is abundant

We all are here with a pre-paid card of Time. Only difference between this card and a mobile recharge card is that we are unaware of our time balance. Therefore the only thing, which we can manage is our life energies. This phenomenon is seen in the life's of individuals who managed to live a life large and bigger than their individualistic self. Just think about it, what Vivekananda managed to achieve in just 39 years of his life-time. Most of us who live double of that age, are unable to achieve a fraction of that greatness. When we introspect and reflect upon such examples, we can realise lifetime is not about just the time, it is about life energies and what we do with it.

"Life is a dance of time and energy. Coordinating both well is the key to a successful life." - Sadhguru

At a lesser philosophical level, Stephen Covey's book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People also mentions Time Management is a misnomer. It is about managing yourself, it is about managing your priorities. 

"Time management is a misnomer, the challenge is to manage ourselves." - Stephen Covey

Wisdom: We will be more effective if we focused on managing ourselves rather than living out of the conventional paradigm of time management.    

• The Power of Now

Though many years have passed by since I read the book The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle), the core message has stayed with me as if I read the book yesterday. It is because, a complex subject has been explained in such a simple manner, possibly a child will also grab the concept. 

The author explains about Time and our perception of time, in these simple terms:

What is Past? It is our memories of the time, gone by.

What is Future? It is our imagination of the time, yet to come.

So both are construct of our mind, as it is not the reality in this very moment (now).

The only reality is this very present moment (now), in which we are breathing.

Think about it, even when we remember the past (memories) and think about the future (imagination) we are doing this in the now (present moment). Isn't it?

Wisdom: My present is the result of what I did with all the past Nows (time). My future will be the result of what I do with this Now (present). So rather than being a pendulum swinging between my past (memories) and my future (imagination), we should live and get involved with life in this Now (this present moment) and make the most of our life, because this is the only reality.   

"The only thing that is ultimately real about your journey is the step that you are taking at this moment." - Eckhart Tolle 

Coming back to from where we started. In this year, we are collectively going through once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully, this is the one and only pandemic we experience in our life time and this ends soon. But till this comes to an end and revival happens, let us stay safe and more importantly stay sane in our mind. Let us not loose our perspective of Life and Time.....this too shall pass. Who else can present it better than everyone's favourite, legendary singer Kishore Kumar in his iconic song, Aane wala pal, Jaane wala hain... 

Youtube link: Aane wala pal Kishore Kumar song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkaeQa2prMc

Take care....Stay safe,Stay Sane....this too shall pass.

References:

https://devdutt.com/articles/a-boy-called-karna/

https://productiveclub.com/nova-effect/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGVhOWqsBWM

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/gratisoul/what-is-generation-gap-2/

https://dyntellbi.com/from-astrology-to-predictive-analytics-understanding-how-data-is-used-to-make-predictions/

Big History:

https://no-herdmentality.blogspot.com/2017/08/education-series-44-big-history-project.html

Adaptability is the best Ability:

https://no-herdmentality.blogspot.com/2017/11/adaptability-is-best-ability.html

TRUST - looking through the prism of a mathematical formula

E = ?

I heard you all say E=mc²

That is the power of a formula, it stays in our memory and gives us a conceptual understanding of the subject.

Out of curiosity, I was exploring can Trust be represented by a mathematical formula?

What made me contemplate about Trust? 

In my opinion (own perception and interactions with family and friends) and from the public discourse, globally Trust has become fast eroding social capital. This contemporary relevance of Trust and Mistrust got me to explore this subject.

Oxford dictionary defines Trust as the feeling you have that somebody or something will do what they should do; the feeling that somebody is honest and good. 

Moving away from language, when I tried to look at Trust from the point of view of a mathematical formula, I stumbled upon a beautiful concept called 'Trust Equation', which I am sharing here for our collective learning: 

TRUST EQUATION:

T = (C+R+I) ÷ S

The concept of Trust Equation was introduced by David H. Maister, Charles H. Green and Robert M. Galford in their book, Trusted Advisor.

Let's look into all the factors of Trust Equation, in details: 

1. T: Trustworthiness
2. C: Credibility 
3. R: Reliability 
4. I: Intimacy 
5. S: Self-orientation

• T (Trustworthiness) is the trust factor between the two individuals.
• C (Credibility) is one's credentials, truthfulness and transparency. In simple words, how believable one is to others.
• R (Reliability) is how others perceive the consistency of our actions and it's connection with our words (integrity).
• I (Intimacy) is the sense of security one generates for people around him/her, so that they feel safe to share and discuss.
• S (Self-orientation) refers to where does one's personal focus lie? Do they have my best interest in their mind or Are they are doing this for themselves?
• C, R and I (Credibility, Reliability, Intimacy) are the numerator 
• and S (Self-orientation) is the denominator of the equation.
• The C and R are the Rational components (In fact these are measurable attributes). 
• I and S are the Emotional components (Difficult to measure directly but can be inferred indirectly from one's behaviour).

What inferences can be drawn from Trust Equation? 

• Trust Equation reflects the balance of Mind and Heart. 
• C, R and I increases Trustworthiness
• Whereas S decreases Trustworthiness
• It takes long term commitment and effort by both the Trustee and Trustor, to build a Long-lasting, Meaningful Relationship (whether it is in personal space or in a business context). 
• In essence, "Relationship trump transactions, with trust at the heart of the matter" - Charles M. Green 

Reflecting upon some contemporary incidences of Mistrust and it's correlation with Trust Equation: (Living in middle of a pandemic, I couldn't think beyond COVID-19 related incidences)

1.  This COVID-19 pandemic, has lowered the trust factor of general public on WHO (World Health Organisation). Several investigative journalism have pointed out WHO's flip-flop on handling the Corona virus outbreak in China when it was still in Phase 2 (localized within Wuhan). WHO's approach towards China has raised questions if WHO (an international organization) applies the same standards for all countries or there is differential approaches based on the country's power quotient? This lowered C (credibility), R (reliability) and S (Self-orientation) factors caused an overall decline of  WHO's Trustworthiness (T) in public perception.
2. Recent publication of a clinical study on the drug HCQ (Hydroxy Chloroquine) in Lancet a highly reputed medical journal has caused a huge dent on it's Trustworthiness which was build over two centuries (a 197 years old journal). 

This study [Hydroxychloroquine or Chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis] claimed HCQ:

• Had no positive treatment outcomes on COVID-19 patients and 
• It caused Cardiac rhythmic irregularities and increased the risk of cardiac fatality. 

On the basis of this published study medical practitioners stopped prescribing HCQ and ongoing HCQ clinical trials were stopped across the globe. Later when discrepancies were noticed by peer reviewers and they demanded to see the raw data, the authors backtracked as they couldn't furnish the data. The paper was subsequently retracted from Lancet with an apology from the authors. 

This incident raises serious questions ranging from conspiracy theory, to  conflict of interests (HCQ an effective cheap drug can potentially lower down the market valuation of a new research drug from an innovator company), to political affiliations (Did Trump's endorsement of HCQ, politically polarized the drug and a section of scientific community developed a bias towards HCQ?). 

Whatever be the truth behind this, such irresponsible act of publishing a unsubstantiated study had put so many life at risk, by depriving them of  HCQ from their treatment protocol. This incident shows low C (credibility) and high S (self-orientation) factors of the authors and the editorial board (conflict of interests or personal biases), reduced Lancet's Trustworthiness (T) which was build over two centuries.

3. There are innumerable accounts of such mistrusts which keeps exploding at institutional or individual levels. Collapses of giant corporations, financial institutions or sportsperson falling from grace due to doping or shady financial transactions all are due to compromise of either or all factors C (credibility), R (reliability), I (intimacy) and S (self-orientation) as explained by the Trust Equation.

 

4. Similarly on a positive note, when a company or a brand or a person commands Trustworthiness, it can be correlated to high standards of C, R, I and S factors as explained in the Trust Equation.     

Summary: 

Trust is the key ingredient for Social Capital. Without trust no meaningful relationship can be forged. Therefore it is important to nurture the attribute of Trustworthiness in us, for becoming effective individuals and to become a better human being, professionally and  personally. 

"Relationship trump transactions, with trust at the heart of the matter" - Charles M. Green 

Trust Equation: T = (C+R+I) ÷ S serves as an easy to recall formula, which gives us the conceptual understanding of Trust, in a simple yet profound manner! 

References:

1. Understanding the Trust Equation and 12 Trust Tips - Webinar by Charles H. Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfc7Cbmk6WM
2. The TrustedAdvisor https://trustedadvisor.com/articles
3. How Trustworthy are you? article by John Baldoni on HBR https://hbr.org/2008/05/how-trustworthy-are-you 
4. Surgisphere: Governments and WHO changed COVID-19 policy based on suspect data from a tiny US company. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/covid-19-surgisphere-who-world-health-organization-hydroxychloroquine 
5. China delayed releasing coronavirus info, frustrating WHO https://apnews.com/3c061794970661042b18d5aeaaed9fae
6. Star Cardiologist Mehra and data doctor Desai - story of Indian experts behind HCQ scandal. https://theprint.in/health/star-cardiologist-mehra-data-doctor-desai-story-of-indian-experts-behind-hcq-scandal/436601/

 

Leadership: Strategic & Tactical approaches

Leadership effectiveness emerges out from the confluence of Strategic & Tactical approaches. It is also a poignant reminder to us, not to fall into the trap of overt singular usage of just one skill-set but to be mindful of the inter-dependency of Strategic & Tactical approaches for a meaningful, successful outcome.

The quote "Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat." by Sun Tzu underlines the importance of strategy & tactics for a successful outcome.

Leadership would be significantly flawed if there is over-reliance on tactics & due importance is not given to strategy.

Though Sun Tzu comes from a military background, the importance of Strategy-Tactics finds application in all fields of human endeavours. For example in competitive Sports, lot of strategising happens between the coach, captain & technical experts before stepping on the field. Once on the field, the players tactically respond to the changing dynamics of the match situation. The break-time, is once again utilized to re-strategise & tactical play returns in the scheme of things when match resumes.

In my mind, strategic thinking & deployment of strategy needs conscious effort & it's not intuitive. As we all are drawn towards the path of least resistance, the tactical approach route has more footfalls than the uphill route of strategy, until it becomes a habit with regular practice.

Why Strategic thinking & deployment of strategy needs conscious effort? 

• One has to learn how to think
• One has to set aside ego & biases
• Acceptance of blind-spots (I know what I know, but I don't know what I don't know)
• Multi-disciplinary approach & Synthesis mindset
• Engage in consultative, democratic brainstorming session
• Embrace contrary views & don't shoot down the messenger
• Demands skills like being proactive, planning, risk anticipation & risk mitigation
• It is about responding & not reacting
• Two way communication is key to be able to strategise correctly, to convey the strategy, keep stakeholders engaged with the strategy over time & to revisit the strategy with the ongoing dynamics of changing realities

After consciously setting the strategic direction, the tactical approach has to be also leveraged for a robust process. The importance of tactical approaches are:

• Recognition of the fact, we are living in a dynamic reality
• Dynamic changes demands real time responsiveness
• Good tactical response is based on intelligence, situational awareness & being proactive
• Keeps the daily actions & activities aligned to the established strategic direction
• On the ground, practical implementation of the strategy    

We would all have anecdotal stories of our positive experiences of strategic-tactical synergies and not so positive experiences when strategic & tactical approaches have not been in sync. These personal stories serves as a poignant reminder, to save guard ourselves from falling into the trap of polarity usage of just one skill-set. Meaningful success outcomes is driven by effective leadership, which demands both, strategic & tactical approaches.

Note: The reference has been deliberately made to the attribute (Leadership) & not to the title (Leader),because I firmly believe being a leader is agnostic of a formal designation or role. The other way to look at it is, many formal leaders come short in their leadership while many informal leaders with strong leadership qualities are not in formal position either by design or by choice.