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Archive for the Category "Heritage"

It’s a matter of time… Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Aug 28

It’s a matter of time….

I was discussing the concept of time management with some of the MBA students in one of my classes recently.Time is money.Time and tide waits for no man etc. We also discussed how technology changes with time and how things change with time too.In a lighter vein, I narrated the following three humorous situations:

Waqt waqt ki baat…..

1. Kavi ka waqt…

Ek kavi shaadi key baad biwi sey bola :

“Aaj sey tum hee meri kavita* ho,kalpna* ho, bhavna* ho..”

Patni bolee :” Merey liyey bhi aaj sey aap hee merey

Dinesh ho,Rohit ho,Raakesh ho..”!!

(* in Hindi, these are popular names of girls too )

Translation :

A Poet’s time….

A poet , just after his marriage, said to his wife :

“From today,you alone are my poetry,my imagination,my feelings …”

Replied the wife :”For me too,from today,you are

My Dinesh, my Rohit, my Raakesh …” !!

2.Hanumaan ji ka waqt…

“Bhagwaan,abb main dharti par nahin reh saktaa.”

“Kyoon nahin reh saktey?”

“Pehley log lait karr maathaa tektey ththey,

Firr thoda samay jaaney ke baad,

Keval jhuk karr tekney laggey

Main firr bhi kush thaa !

Lekin abb tau ghor kallyug aa gaya hai !

Aaj mandir mein ek 22 saal ki ladki aayi

Aur haath hilla karr boli–’ Hai Hanu !’ “

Translation :

Lord Hanuman’s time….

Said Lord Hanuman to God,

“I can’t stay on this earth any more”

“Why” asked God very calmly.

“God,earlier,devotees used to prostrate

Before me and offer their respects.

A few years later, they just bowed their head

And offered their respects,

But I was still happy…

However,now, times are so bad.

You know God,what happened this morning?

A girl of 22 walked up to my idol in the temple,

Just waved her hand at me and said :

‘ Hi Hanu ‘ ”!!

3.Bhikhaari ka waqt…

Bhikhaari bola mujh sey,

“Saheb 10 rupaey dey do,

Mobile re-charge karr key

Girl friend ko phone karna hai.”

Main bola:”Wah,Bhikhaari

Nein bhi girl friend banai hai..”

Bhikhaari bola:”Nahin Saheb

Girl friend nein hee

Bhikhaari banaya hai ! “

Translation :

A Beggar’s Time…

Said a beggar to me one day:

“Sir, give me ten rupees, I pray.

I have to get my mobile re-charged

And talk to my girl friend.”

Astonished,this is what, I uttered :

“A Beggar too has a girl friend these days.”

In turn,the beggar thus muttered :

“No Sir,my girl friend has

Turned me into a beggar…!”

E..n..j…o…y…!!

Category: Heritage, People, Social Commentry | 4 Comments

Which Direction….? Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Aug 05

Which Direction…?

I read with great interest and with a little bit of confusion (?) an article titled :” Muslims were praying in the wrong direction” in a local newspaper dated 21st July 2010. Here is the text of the article :

Quote :

Indonesian Muslims have been praying in the wrong directions for months, facing Somalia when they should have been facing Saudi Arabia, the country’s highest religious authority said today.

A cleric from the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) admitted the body made a mistake last March when calculating where Muslims should turn to when praying. He said new instructions had now been issued and that people only had to shift their position for the correct alignment.

According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was born in Mecca, and it is said to be the place where Allah’s message was first revealed to him. Each day Muslims from around the world turn to Mecca to pray and, at least once in their lives if they can afford it, travel there to perform the hajj, or pilgrimage.

Ma’ruf Amin from the MUI said a “thorough study with some cosmography and astronomy experts” revealed that Indonesian Muslims had been facing southern Somalia and Kenya instead of Mecca, which is more than 1,000 miles further north.

The error did not mean their prayers would be ignored, he added. “God understands that humans make mistakes. Allah always hears their prayers.”

The MUI website advises Muslims to make use of a website,Qibla Locator, to locate Mecca without a compass.

It is not the first time the MUI has played down the significance of misdirection. In January it took steps to reassure worshippers they need not be concerned by reports that thousands of Indonesian mosques displayed the incorrect kiblat, or direction toward Mecca.

Mutoha Arkanuddin, an Islamic scholar, claimed that more than more than half of the country’s mosques pointed the wrong way. The chair of the MUI said that God was not in Mecca, while a government minister described Arkanuddin’s work as invalid and dangerous.

Rohadi Abdul Fatah, director of sharia law and Islamic affairs at the ministry of religious affairs, said the state frequently checked the accuracy of kiblats across the country.

He told the Jakarta Globe that off-kilter kiblats were often an issue in quake-hit areas such as Yogyakarta, West Java and West Sumatra and that the government had the money for theodolites, a precision surveying instrument.

Islam is the predominant religion in Indonesia, with about 200 million followers, although its constitution gives all people the right to worship according to their own belief or religion.

Unquote.

I would like to humbly clarify at the outset, that, my intention is not to raise any controversy or cause any misunderstanding among various followers of different religions.

My upbringing in the Sikhism faith has always taught me that God is everywhere and that God is within you,as well.

At this juncture,I would like to connect this issue with a saakhi (true life incident) from Shri Guru Nanak Devji’s life.

It is about his visit to Mecca,during one of his several journeys through out the world.

At Mecca, Nanak was found sleeping with his feet towards the Kaaba, before which the Muslims prostrated themselves when performing their prayer. Kazi Rukan-ud-din, who observed this, angrily remarked: “Infidel! How dare you dishonour God’s place by turning your feet towards Him?” He also kicked Nanak. The Guru did not show any anger. In fact, he was never angry with anybody. He smiled and in a calm, sweet voice he said to him, “Brother, don’t be angry. I am very tired. I need rest. I respect the House of God as much as any one. Please turn my feet in a direction in which God or the House of God is not there.”

The Qazi took hold of the Guru’s feet. He dragged them in the opposite direction. Then he lifted his eyes. He saw the Kaaba standing in the direction of the Guru’s feet. He turned the Guru’s feet in another direction. The Kaaba was seen standing in that direction. Qazi dragged the Guru’s feet to this side and that. He dragged them round and round. The Kaaba was seen to be going round and round. It was always, in the direction of the Guru’s feet. His feet were always towards the Kaaba. The Qazi was struck with wonder. He then recognised the glory of Guru Nanak.

Kazi Rukan-ud-di and the other hajjis were all filled with wonder.He let go of the Guru’s feet. The Guru got up and said, ‘Don’t you see that God’s House is in every direction? I tell you:He dwells in every place, in every heart. He is in your hearts. He is also in mine.’

(Those who wish to read more on this, please go to the following link :

http://www.sikhiwiki.org/index.php?title=Guru_Nanak_in_Mecca )

I hope that the message from this saakhi is very clear !

Now, I shall wait for the readers’ views on this issue.

May Allah/God/Ram/Rahim/Khuda/Jesus….continue to shower His choicest blessings on all of us !

Category: Comments to print media, Heritage, Sikhism, Social Commentry | 3 Comments

AMUL fan…. Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Jun 01

I am an AMUL fan….

I have been a fan of AMUL BUTTER and have been avidly consuming it since decades.Now at 60 I am a bit cautious and have reduced my intake,but its flavour and aroma hypnotises me whenever I open the fridge…!

Its delightful topical ads and hoardings have also attracted me a lot and I used to cut and keep those ads with me till about 5-6 years ago.With Internet it is now an easier job.

Here is some information on its mascot,followed by some excerpts from old media sources.I hope you will love it as I have loved it.

Amul girl

The utterly, butterly delicious Amul girl in polka dots was born in 1967 from the marker pen of Eustace Fernandes, now 71.For over 43 years now she has been with us through our ups and downs, celebrating India’s sporting victories, taunting politicians and bringing a smile to so many faces with her unforgettable one-liners.

One of the oldest campaigns to survive in the market, she goes on to prove that mascots are more popular brand ambassadors.

AMUL’S TOPICAL ADs ….

Amul Butter Girl

Edited from an article by Mini Varma published in The Asian Age on March 3, 1996

The moppet who put Amul on India’s breakfast table

50 years after it was first launched, Amul’s sale figures have jumped from 1000 tonnes a year in 1966 to over 25,000 tonnes a year in 1997. No other brand comes even close to it. All because a thumb-sized girl climbed on to the hoardings and put a spell on the masses.

Bombay: Summer of 1967. A Charni Road flat. Mrs. Sheela Mane, a 28-year-old housewife is out in the balcony drying clothes. From her second floor flat she can see her neighbours on the road. There are other people too. The crowd seems to be growing larger by the minute. Unable to curb her curiosity Sheela Mane hurries down to see what all the commotion is about. She expects the worst but can see no signs of an accident. It is her four-year-old who draws her attention to the hoarding that has come up overnight. “It was the first Amul hoarding that was put up in Mumbai,” recalls Sheela Mane.

”People loved it. I remember it was our favourite topic of discussion for the next one week! Everywhere we went somehow or the other the campaign always seemed to crop up in our conversation.”

Call her the Friday to Friday star. Round eyed, chubby cheeked, winking at you, from strategically placed hoardings at many traffic lights. She is the Amul moppet everyone loves to love (including prickly votaries of the Shiv Sena and BJP). How often have we stopped, looked, chuckled at the Amul hoarding that casts her sometime as the coy, shy Madhuri, a bold sensuous Urmila or simply as herself, dressed in her little polka dotted dress and a red and white bow, holding out her favourite packet of butter.

For 30 odd years the Utterly Butterly girl has managed to keep her fan following intact. So much so that the ads are now ready to enter the Guinness Book of World Records for being the longest running campaign ever. The ultimate compliment to the butter came when a British company launched a butter and called it Utterly Butterly, last year.

It all began in 1966 when Sylvester daCunha, then the managing director of the advertising agency, ASP, clinched the account for Amul butter. The butter, which had been launched in 1945, had a staid, boring image, primarily because the earlier advertising agency which was in charge of the account preferred to stick to routine, corporate ads.

One of the first Amul hoardings

In India, food was something one couldn’t afford to fool around with. It had been taken too seriously, for too long. Sylvester daCunha decided it was time for a change of image.

The year Sylvester daCunha took over the account, the country saw the birth of a campaign whose charm has endured fickle public opinion, gimmickry and all else.

The Amul girl who lends herself so completely to Amul butter, created as a rival to the Polson butter girl.

This one was sexy, village belle, clothed in a tantalising choli all but covering her upper regions. “Eustace Fernandez (the art director) and I decided that we needed a girl who would worm her way into a housewife’s heart. And who better than a little girl?” says Sylvester daCunha. And so it came about that the famous Amul Moppet was born.

That October, lamp kiosks and the bus sites of the city were splashed with the moppet on a horse. The baseline simply said, Thoroughbread, Utterly Butterly Delicious Amul,. It was a matter of just a few hours before the daCunha office was ringing with calls.

Not just adults, even children were calling up to say how much they had liked the ads. “The response was phenomenal,” recalls Sylvester daCunha. “We knew our campaign was going to be successful.”

The Rebecca Mark favourite

For the first one year the ads made statements of some kind or the other but they had not yet acquired the topical tone. In 1967, Sylvester decided that giving the ads a solid concept would give them extra mileage, more dum, so to say. It was a decision that would stand the daCunhas in good stead in the years to come.

In 1969, when the city first saw the beginning of the Hare Rama Hare Krishna movement, Sylvester daCunha, Mohammad Khan and Usha Bandarkar, then the creative team working on the Amul account came up with a clincher — ‘Hurry Amul, Hurry Hurry’. Bombay reacted to the ad with a fervour that was almost as devout as the Iskon fever.

That was the first of the many topical ads that were in the offing. From then on Amul began playing the role of a social observer. Over the years the campaign acquired that all important Amul touch.

India looked forward to Amul’s evocative humour.

If the Naxalite movement was the happening thing in Calcutta, Amul would be up there on the hoardings saying, “Bread without Amul Butter, cholbe na cholbe na (won’t do, won’t do). If there was an Indian Airlines strike Amul would be there again saying, Indian Airlines Won’t Fly Without Amul.

There are stories about the butter that people like to relate over cups of tea. “For over 10 years I have been collecting Amul ads. I especially like the ads on the backs of the butter packets, “says Mrs. Sumona Varma. What does she do with these ads? “I have made an album of them to amuse my grandchildren,” she laughs. “They are almost part of our culture, aren’t they? My grandchildren are already beginning to realise that these ads are not just a source of amusement. They make them aware of what is happening around them.”

Despite some of the negative reactions that the ads have got, DaCunhas have made it a policy not to play it safe. There are numerous ads that are risque in tone.

“We had the option of being sweet and playing it safe, or making an impact. A fine balance had to be struck. We have a campaign that is strong enough to make a statement. I didn’t want the hoardings to be pleasant or tame. They have to say something,” says Rahul daCunha.

“We ran a couple of ads that created quite a furore,” says Sylvester daCunha. “The Indian Airlines one really angered the authorities. They said if they didn’t take down the ads they would stop supplying Amul butter on the plane. So ultimately we discontinued the ad,” he says laughing.

Then there was the time when the Amul girl was shown wearing the Gandhi cap. The high command came down heavy on that one. The Gandhi cap was a symbol of independence, they couldn’t have anyone not taking that seriously. So despite their reluctance the hoardings were wiped clean.

“Then there was an ad during the Ganpati festival which said, Ganpati Bappa More Ghya (Ganpati Bappa take more). The Shiv Sena people said that if we didn’t do something about removing the ad they would come and destroy our office. It is surprising how vigilant the political forces are in this country. Even when the Enron ads (Enr On Or Off) were running, Rebecca Mark wrote to us saying how much she liked them.

Amul’s point of view on the MR coffee controversy

There were other instances too. Heroine Addiction, Amul’s little joke on Hussain had the artist ringing the daCunhas up to request them for a blow up of the ad. “He said that he had seen the hoarding while passing through a small district in UP. He said he had asked his assistant to take a photograph of himself with the ad because he had found it so funny,” says Rahul daCunha in amused tones. Indians do have a sense of humour, afterall.

From the Sixties to the Nineties, the Amul ads have come a long way. While most people agree that the Amul ads were at their peak in the Eighties they still maintain that the Amul ads continue to tease a laughter out of them.

Where does Amul’s magic actually lie? Many believe that the charm lies in the catchy lines. That we laugh because the humour is what anybody would enjoy. They don’t pander to your nationality or certain sentiments. It is pure and simple, everyday fun.

——————————————————————-

Here are some ads using inspiration from names of Bollywood films:

Those who are interested in more….please try visiting Amul’s website : http://www.amul.com/

Happy Buttering !

PS : I also came across an Amul ad on the famous shoe throwing incidence.Here it is.Hope you will luv it too :

Category: Comments to print media, Heritage, Humour, Social Commentry | One Comment

Writing a poem on a given theme… Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Apr 13

Writing a poem on a given theme…

” FOREST BROOK ” was this month’s poetry theme given by MUSE to those interested in participating in the theme poetry competition.

I thought of the theme and recalled what I had seen decades ago when I was in School (1960s ie nearly 50 years ago).

I also searched on Google-my favourite search engine.

First I searched for :” Forest” . Some of the results that the search threw were : forests in india,forests essentials,forests resources,forest research institute forest conservation,forest survey of india,forest ecosystem,forest fireand - forrest gump !

Next I searched for :” Brook” .Some of the results of this search yielded : brooklyn decker,brooke bond,brookfield viscometer,brooke burke, brooks brothers,brooke hogan,and - brooke shields-hot videos !

Finally I searched for :” Forest Brook”.Here is what I landed up with :

Forest Brook middle school,High school,Elementary school

Forest Brook Community Church,Forest Brook Apartments,

Forest Brook Music Information site,Forest Book -a black history play Forest Brook Homeowners Association,Forest & Brook Food Corporation A National Forest Brook Trout Habitat and a Forest Brook Farm !

There was nothing about a real Forest Brook that appealed to me. I had almost given up !

I tried once more and after some time I found a video showing a gurgling bubbling brook flowing along a rocky terrain. The site that yielded this wonderful scene was as under :

A babbling forest brook on Vimeo

A babbling forest brook. by Raoul Pop 3 years ago: Jun 12, 2007 7:14pm EST …vimeo.com/211375

- It was a clip of 1 minute 1 second only,but it had made my day !!

I saw the video clip and was overjoyed to hear the sounds of the gushing waters of the beautiful brook captured by a nature enthusiast ! My search had yielded good results !!

Next I tried to search for the exact meaning of ” Brook”.Here is what I found :

Brook :A stream smaller than a creek, especially one that is fed by a spring or seep. It is usually small and easily forded. A brook is characterized by its shallowness and its bed being composed primarily of rocks. Some brooks and creeks and small streams can be very dangerous after large amounts of rain have fallen in a short period of time,such as thunderstorms. These small bodies of slow moving water can turn to a crazy and wild rapid river after these rains.

Having collected all the information, I started writing the first draft of my poem.Here is how it went initially:

Forest Brook

I jogged my memory to recall a forest seen In my school days

In nineteen sixties…..green,woody,high trees,birds chirping,

monkeys jumping…I tried to recall a bubbling brook,where we had gone,for a picnic ages ago In nineteen sixties…..playing games,splashing water,seeing my face in its clear waters.

Now after fifty years…the forests have been plundered,making way for concrete jungles. Brooks too have either dried up or been polluted by mankind due to industrialisation.

Today I Googled:”Forest”.I got : forests in india,forests essentials

forests resources,forest research institute,forest conservation,forest survey of india ,forest ecosystem,forest fire and of course- forrest gump !

I next Googled :”Brook” .I got: brooklyn decker,brooke bond,brookfield viscometer,brooke burke, brooks brothers,brooke hogan,and of course-brooke shields-hot videos !

I tried Google for : “Forest Brook”.This is what I landed with :Forest Brook middle school,High school,Elementary school,Forest Brook Community Church,Forest Brook Apartments,Forest Brook Music Information site,Forest Book -a black history play,Forest Brook Homeowners Association ,Forest & Brook Food Corporation

A National Forest Brook Trout Habitat and even a Forest Brook Farm

Alas !! Google had no real forest or real brook or a real forest brook.

I was shattered ! How am I ever going to write the poem ??

——————————————————————-

I took a break at this stage. The next day I started afresh. This is the second draft of the poem :

forest brook

i jogged my memory to recall a forest seen in my school days

in nineteen sixties…..green,woody,high trees, birds chirping,

monkeys jumping…

i tried to recall a bubbling brook,where we had gone

for a picnic– ages ago,in nineteen sixties…..playing games,

splashing, waddling,seeing my face,in its sparkling waters…..

now, after fifty years…the forests have been plundered

making way for concrete jungles……brooks too have

dried up and been polluted by mankind due to industrialisation…….

so today i googled:”forest” i got : forests in india,

forests essentials,forests resources, forest research institute

forest conservation, forest survey of india, forest ecosystem,

forest fire, and of course- forrest gump !!

not a single lead to a real forest !!

i next googled :”brook” i got: brooklyn decker, brooke bond,

brookfield viscometer,brooke burke, brooks brothers

brooke hogan,and of course-brooke shields-hot videos !!

not a single lead to a real brook !!

in vain i tried google for : ” forest brook”.this is what i landed with :

forest brook middle school,high school,elementary school

forest brook community church,forest brook apartments

forest brook music info site,forest brook -a black history play

forest brook homeowners association,forest & brook food corporation,a national forest brook trout habitat

evn a forest brook farm.not a single lead to a real forest brook !!

alas !! google had no real informtion about a real forest,a real brook.

at last, after a great painstaking search,i came across

a video of a bubbling brook-its noise and energy captivatingly captured,by a nature enthusiast. to enjoy its pleasure,

do visit : a babbling forest brook on Vimeo : vimeo.com/211375

i am so sorry i couldn’t compose any poem on the subject

as no real forest brook is left …i will make do with hearing the gurgling sounds of the brook…. in the video above !!

——————————————————————-

I still did not like the poem as it seemed to lack something vital but I could not pin point exactly as to what it was ! So I e-mailed the draft to my dear friend Shernaz of Pune.She is a very gifted poetess and writes beautiful poetry and has even won quite a few awards ! She worked on it and mailed me back her first version, which I call the third draft , as under : Forest Brook

In search of a forest real I went

green, woody, lofty trees,

birds chirping, monkeys jumping…

with a bubbling, sparkling brook

at whose pebbly bank we had picnicked

five decades past.

The woods are a concrete jungle now,

industrial waste slimes through

where once was the lively brook true!

I thought I’d find one on Google search -

I got: forests in India , (aren’t these real?leave it out?)

forest essentials, forest resources,

forest research institute,

forest conservation, forest fire,

forest survey of India , forest ecosystem,

and of course – Forrest Gump!!

Alas! where were the real forests?

A search for “brook” revealed:

Brooklyn Decker, Brooke bond,

brookfield viscometer, Brooke Burke,

brooks brothers, Brooke Hogan and the inevitable -

Brooke Shields – hot videos!!

Not a single lead to a lively burbling brook!!

While “forest brook” yielded this:

forest brook schools – middle, high, elementary;

forest brook community church and apartments;

forest brook music info site

forest brook -a black history play

forest brook homeowners association

forest & brook food corporation

a national forest brook trout habitat (this one’s a real brook)

even a forest brook farm.

All, but a real forest brook!!

But wait, what’s this?

A bubbling brook, its gurgle and energy

captivatingly captured by a nature enthusiast.

To enjoy its pleasure,

do visit: a babbling forest brook

on Vimeo: vimeo.com/211375

With no real forest brook left

my Muse is bereft,

so, no real poem folks.

—————————————————————————————-

Shernaz continued with her efforts. This is the final version which I call as fourth draft : Forest Brook In search of a forest real I went

green, woody, lofty trees,

birds chirping, monkeys jumping…

with a bubbling, sparkling brook

at whose pebbly bank we had picnicked

five decades past.

The woods, a concrete jungle now,

industrial waste slimes through

where once ran the brook true!

I thought I’d find one on Google search -

I got: forest essentials and resources,

forest research institute, and conservation,

forest fire, forest survey of India , forest ecosystem,

and of course – Forrest Gump!!

Alas! where were the real forests?

A search for “brook” revealed:

Brooklyn Decker, Brooke bond,

Brookfield viscometer, Brooke Burke,

Brooks brothers, Brooke Hogan and the inevitable

Brooke Shields – hot videos!!

Not a single lead to a lively burbling brook!!

While “forest brook” yielded this:

Forest Brook schools – middle, high, elementary;

Forest Brook apartments and church for community;

A music info site named forest brook

A black history play called forest brook;

Forest brook homeowners association

Forest & brook food corporation

Mercy! Even a forest brook farm!

All, but a real forest brook!!

But wait, what’s this?

A bubbling brook, a treasure!

Its gurgle and energy captivatingly captured;

To enjoy its pleasure,

do visit: a babbling forest brook

on Vimeo: vimeo.com/211375

With no real forest brook left

My heart, how it wept,

My dear Muse is bereft!

——————————————————————

I liked the content and feel of the above final draft and posted it on Your Space on MUSE.Thanks dear friend !!

Readers must have realised that it is really a tough task to compose a meaningful poem on a given theme !!

——————————————————————

For feedback on the poem see the responses given below.

Category: Heritage, Ideas, Nature, Social Commentry | 6 Comments

Emulate Narada to be a good manager Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Mar 22

Emulate Narada to be a good manager

I had read this article in September 1998 and had liked it a lot. I have shared it time and again with my MBA students since it gives some valuable tips to the generation of today as to how to become a good and an effective manager.Here it is,for my readers to ponder upon and reflect :

————————————————

This is based on a question as to why is Narada so much revered and respected which is asked by Yudhisthir in the Mahabharata, as was elaborated by Swami Parmanada Bharati to a group of professionals and managers.

Narada is a grand strategist just as a leader also has to be. Generally in our films we portray him as a schemer and manipulator but it is not so. The fact is that Narada is an excellent strategist; which is a quality that all managers must have, to be able to manage things in an organisation to meet specific aims and objectives. We should however note the difference between how a manager manages his work and how Narada does so. Narada is not serving any self-interest. He is doing everything for a higher purpose and never does anything for any selfish gain. Narada causes conflicts, only to direct the people involved towards the higher goal of self-realisation.

A good leader is also one who is prepared to strive and to extend himself for the sake of the spiritual development of himself or thepeople whom he manages. If you manage people so that both they and you grow spiritually, then this is the highest form of management. This is the ideal which we have to follow as leaders, as professionals and as managers.

Some of the other qualities we have to emulate to be an ideal manager are as follows:

Qualities of Narada :

The more the knowledge and skill and goodness you have the more humility you must have. The less the ego, the more effective you are as a manager.

Not indulging in sense pleasures but ever engaged in doing his duties.

No trace of anger.

Not resorting to restlessness and not undertaking unnecessary work, no extra movement of hands, legs, etc.

Fearless.

Not indulging in procrastination.

Never be afraid or hesitate to do what is dharma.

Fulfils his promises and forgoes his own gains or wants.

Well versed in theory and practice required and acknowledged as an adept.

Ever ready to forgive but not as  weakness.

Ever alert and energetic but not a slave to sensuous pleasures.

Does not say unpleasant truth. Truthful, but because it is the truth he does not go on saying it, and speaks pleasantly and pleasing truth; does not lie merely to be pleasing and pleasant.

Simplicity (but of nature that does not mean he is a fool or that he dresses in tom or outdated clothes).

Is susheel (difficult to give an English equivalent but means full of good qualities.)

If we practice any one sadguna, gradually all good qualities shall come. There is nobody who has no sadguna. At least one good quality is there in everyone, every animal, every plant, etc. By that one good quality that person can develop himself. Similarly, we must avoid even a single bad quality.

Contented.

Detached involvement.

Moderate in sleep, food, etc.

Speaks pleasantly.

Does not have jealousy.

Does good without talking about it.

Does not feel happy when others are in sorrow.

Samatvam. Maintains his equilibrium.

No strong likes and dislikes.

He is full of joy and jokes but does not hurt anyone.

Is a good communicator and explains things through verses from Vedas, to illustrate the points.

Has forbearance. He forgives personal insults but not society or group insults.

Takes action whenever a wrong is committed to anyone, not merely when it is against him.

Does not insult anyone.

Does not quarrel over money, woman, etc.

Has firm devotion to God.

Does not criticise.

Good communicator and orator.

Never praises himself nor expects a reward for performing his duties.

As a leader he is fully alert to see who is doing good/ bad work and is ever ready to reward and punish as needed.

Soft spoken.

Notices and observes strengths, faults of all but never tells faults of one to another. Does not speak unnecessarily of one to another.

Has excellent judgement on what responsibilitycan be given to whom and to what extent without letting extraneous considerations like friendship affecting his judgement.

Does not try to find faults in the shastras but has shraddha in its teachings. Has firm principles and lives without deviating from these.

Never wastes time and thus sets a good role model for others to follow.

Is always in full control of the situation.

Has high standards and understands the essence of the shastras, and has a firm grasp of its application.

Is always active, fully alert and is never careless or callous.

Is ever conscious of the right time, muhurta and follows it exactly, very punctual.

Is modest.

Is ever interested in the well-being of others.

Never reveals the secrets of one to another.

Not a miser, does not indulge in self-pity.

Is scholarly, without anger and without cheating or falsifying.

Always happy either in loss or gain.

Is unattached, with a firm mind and is expert and skilful in what he does

Is free from disease.

Regular and moderate in habits — food, sleep, etc.

Understands the value of time and makes full and good use of it.

Knows the atmatatva the reality that he is the Atman and therefore a good human being.

His world-view of reality is firm and based on the foundation of the shastras and therefore the whole superstructure of his personality is sound and perfect.

Because his foundation and inner convictions are based on a perfect understanding of the truth therefore his whole life and personality are always directed towards the goal — the goal of self-realisation, which is the common goal of everyone.

Dharma: It is necessary today for managers to understand the complexities of dharma. Why? Because the managers are the leaders of the nation. It is their job to manage things. Specialists, professionals even administrators or politicians cannot be as good in managing things as the managers.

If managers are the leaders,and since it is their responsibility to manage then they have a lot to learn from the ideal managers — Rama, Krishna and Narada who is a master manager and whose qualities are being discussed .

These qualities have to be our role model and these qualities are necessary in a good leader and an effective manager.

Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd. ( FE 12.09.1998)

From :Managerial Effectiveness Edited by Sunil Kumar–Excel Books   Price :Rs 395/-

Compiled by J S BROCA

Category: Heritage, Ideas, People | 5 Comments

MY RED DIARY. Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Mar 01

MY RED DIARY

My precious possession till date,has been a small red diary,patiently preserved over the years.When “I am in vacant or in pensive mood” (Wordsworth),I glance through its contents.The other day,while turning its pages,I came across upon certain thoughts collected from some source during my good old school days.Since the subject matter is is still very relevant to the present day materialistic world,I feel,it would be better to share those thoughts with the readers. So,here I go :

10.02.1964
PROOFS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD :

Every act of religious worship supposes that the worshiper has some idea of God.It also implies that God exists.By the word “GOD” is meant a Being endowed with intellect and free will that has not been made but has made all that exists outside Itself.

Proof from the order in nature:

a) Orderly arrangement is due to the activity of an intelligent designer.Once we are convinced of this,we have an example of order in nature comparing it to a man-made object e.g.the camera and the human eye.

How did the camera come about? We have the choice of just two answers ,that it was made by chance or by intelligence.Now,we know that it certainly could not have been made by chance.It is not difficult to convince yourself that it was put together by an intelligent worker.Then how did the human eye come to be made? By chance ! No ,that is absurd .The human eye was made by some intelligent Being.Why take only part of the whole; since the eye is but a part of Man,we have to conclude that Man is made by the same Being.Since Man is the highest intelligent being on earth,he could not have been made by a creature with less intelligence than himself ,for you cannot give what you do not possess.So,we have to admit that Man is made by a being that possesses intelligence greater than Man.Since such a being does not exist in the visible world,we have to conclude that this being is a spirit and we call this spirit “God”,for, if there were no God,neither would there be Man.

b) A most wonderful order prevails in the Universe.e.g.the planetary system.Each one of them moving in it’s own orbit,the division between land and water,the nature of plants and their reproduction,the nature of bodies of animals and of men,the order prevailing in the Universe-all suppose the presence of an intelligent being.Now,by whom has this being been made? A reasonable answer-it has been made by an uncreated being-God.

Moral Law:

All nations admit the existence of a moral law.They not only know that there is a difference between good and evil but are also aware of the fact that they must avoid evil and do good.That therefore acknowledge that there exists a law-giver ,who has a right to impose duties,which Man is bound to fulfill.Now this law-giver can be none other than He who has made Man.There must be a supreme law-giver,one who has authority both over Man and over all creation.This supreme law-giver,we call God.

Proof from causality:

A thing must exist,before it can act.Nothing therefore can make itself.That which is brought into existence is an effect and that which brings it into existence is called the cause.Take for example anything in nature.A mango comes from a mango tree.How did the tree come into existence?From a seed.From where did that seed come? From another mango and so on to an endless series.Then we ask ourselves,how did the first tree come into being?The complete and the final answer will be found only when we reach a cause that is not an effect.A Cause that has not been created.It must be self-existent.The first cause,the self-existent source of all things,and uncaused cause we call GOD.

Finally,God’s existence is based on the conviction which all nations have at all times had of it.All nations,whether civilized or uncivilized,both in ancient or in modern times,have always held that God exists.

In conclusion,if religion is due to ignorance or man’s fear of the unknown,why is it still practiced in our atomic age by so many millions of people all over the world?The foundation stone of religion is belief in the existence of God.This is not a blind un-reasoning belief but a conviction which has been reached through the use of our intellect.

(This was last published in Bank of India’s House Magazine, Volume 19, No 1, Jan-March 1992,then called “The Teller”,now called “TAARANGAN” )

Category: Heritage, Nostalgia | 6 Comments

Heritage collection: Vintage cars Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Feb 01

Dear Readers,

Sometime in 1977 I was a regular subscriber to Reader’s Digest magazine. On renewing the subscription, RD had sent photographs of vintage cars to me. I have kept these photographs carefully over the years and now put them on my blog so that you can see and enjoy.

Vintage Car 1

Vintage Car 2

Vintage Car 3

Click on the photos to see the enlarged versions.

Category: Heritage | Leave a Comment

Heritage collection: Currency Notes Author: Jatinder Pal Singh Broca Jan 01

Today being the first day of the New Year 2009, I present below some photographs of old rare currency notes preserved by me over last 40 years. More later.