CORONA & CARE

First Posted April 2021

Namaste all! This is an important message from me, a Covid Positive patient, to help not just Covid patients but also normal people to take care against it. As the new strain's effect is severe around, I want to share some key points from my experiences to keep you healthy enough. 

The rules of Covid have changed now. Positives & Negatives matter no more. It is the 'symptoms' that are key today. You may be negative, and still have symptoms. Then it means that you are a bigger patient than an asymptomatic positive. 

Delay in testing, neglecting symptoms increases the risk & spreads it.

First, our negligence has to be fixed. I was also one. When my boss asked me to take a test, I neglected it thinking that my sore throat was a normal one. Simultaneously my wife developed other (new CoVID) symptoms. When she was taken to a hospital, the doctor himself couldn't identify it as CoVID (as there were no respiration-related issues). Gave normal medicines. It is after 2 days she understood it as almost Covid when my RT-PCR report came positive. Then, my wife, along with many of my family members from my 6 months son to 60+ years father, gave tests, and most of them got positives. By then it spread to my cousins as we had gone on an outing in the meantime. Some of them attracted ample symptoms but got negative reports despite having a number of symptoms. So notice this. 

Neither the Doctors nor the reports were able to give accurate results in different cases about the new strain.  (In my case both happened. In my wife's and cousins' cases respectively.)

The symptoms have changed in the new strain, becoming somewhat severer compared to that of the initial Coronavirus Disease.

I have compiled the below information that guides you about the symptoms, precautions, and treatment of present Covid.  I have written these based on the experiences of my family members and me,  how we have taken measures to get rid of it at the earliest possible, with the help of our doctor. Many of the points were sourced from Doctors, Well-wishers, Health professionals, and last but not least, the experienced patients.  

I hope you would take the same self-care, in addition to your Doctor's consultation.

New symptoms:

- Low BP (check if you get doubt)

- Diarrhea / loose motions

- Sore throat

- Common cold 

- Body pains 

- Cough

- High fevers (My temperature went up to 103° on one day)

- Vomitings (Can be both symptom & reliever. Because it can be felt as a reliever when it sends your infection out, generally during your second week of CoVID, when you take medicines against the infection.)  

Actually, between Day 8 - Day 10 of mine, my lungs took a minor infection. Chest pain and heavy breathing issues started on April 9th. With my doctor's help, I went for the hospital admission.  

 Severity & care:

- In case of chest pain, breathing issues, nonstop cough, or other severe symptoms, try to get admitted to the hospital immediately, on Doctor's advice

- Do relevant additional tests like CT Scan, D Dimer, or other blood tests as required/prescribed

- If you experience a lack of smell, keep inhaling 2 drops of Zinda Thilismath strongly close into nostrils frequently, it would give a clear relief in your respiratory channel

Points to ponder:

- Don't fully rely on the Covid test reports, as the test results are never fully correct. You may also be a Covid positive even when your result is negative. Don't get panicked!

- The accuracy of the RAPID Covid test is said to be only 50%, whereas the accuracy of the RT-PCR test is known to be 80-90%. 

- No test shows 100% accurate results. So whatever be the result, treat yourselves as a positive patient and follow the instructions strictly.

Daily Routine: 

- Sleep as much as possible 

- Drink hot items as much as possible

- Bath as much as possible with 'steamy' water. Take a head bath. Maintain hygiene.

- Eat as much as possible (Less food will complicate your health condition)

- Dry fruits (Anjeer and badam are important)

- Fruits (Orange and pomegranate are important)

- Morning salted hot water gargling for 10 minutes

- Pulse-oxymeter check min. 4 times a day (if the value is less than 90, rush to hospital)

-Do Pranayama and breathing exercises 4 times/day 

- Steam min. 4 times a day. This is most important. 

- ORS packs multiple (for keeping yourselves hydrated)

- Maximum water consumption (Up to 5 liters a day)

- Drink Kashayam (aka Kadha or Kwath) (that includes ginger, pepper, honey & turmeric)

Precautions:

- Top 1 instruction - BE OPTIMISTIC AND MENTALLY POSITIVE (You strongly believe that will be out of all these very soon)

- Stay in a fully ventilated space. Isolated space need not mean it should be a closed space. Don't suffocate yourself. 

- Better turn off ACs. Air conditioners not just increase your troubles with their coolness but also circulate the infected air throughout.

- Keep distance from each other. (Even your fellow positive family members are in the same room, keep min. 6 feet away)

- Use surface disinfectant sprays on all items (including toilets - before and after use. Spray on the commode, taps, doorknobs, switches, etc.)

- Use gadget disinfectant sprays for all machines (phones, computers, thermometers, oxymeters). Gadget sprays have less water content.

- Use floor cleaners / Dettol for floors frequently

- Use hand sanitizers for hands every time after every act

- Try to manage with 2-3 sets of clothes. Recycle/wash with hot water. Don't let the virus spread onto your other clothes or things in the room. Though probability is less.  (& You should sanitize your living & toilet spaces thoroughly once you are back to negative life... I mean Covid-free life :)

- Put the mask(s) on as much as possible even you are in home isolation. (you should make yourselves be always comfortable with it)

- Don't put the mask ON while sleeping. It would affect your respiration.

- Take out the mucus as much as possible from inside. Either puke away or spit it off. (Ultimately ensure that you remove the mask while doing it :) 

FOLLOW ALL THE ABOVE, CHANCES ARE PLENTY FOR YOU TO BE SET IN JUST 4-5 DAYS TOO. 

ALL THE BEST.

Teachers and Tough Times

TEACHERS' DAY NOTE
Posted in September 2020

These are the days of homeschooling. 
Undoubtedly an unprecedented experience for schools. 

The teachers across the world deserve the credit for making it possible in these tough times. Though the students can’t show up at schools, the teachers are ensuring that the ball keeps rolling.  

As challenging as the parents may find it to educate their child during these days, teachers choose to do it day in and day out. Not for the money, and definitely not for the awards, but for the commitment not to stop a child’s journey towards successful learning.

Teachers are the ones who usually play a vital role in shaping the future of the students, hence that of the nation. I thank all of the teachers for the excellent contribution.  

Teachers’ day is the best occasion to recognize the services and celebrate how much their work is rendered by them means to the schools. 

This is the day also to salute Dr. Sarvepalli Radha Krishna, who brought a great name for the role of teaching and inspired endless people with his great thoughts.

Happy Teachers' Day!

Digital Transformation – A gateway to the future?

SEO ARTICLE

Posted in April 2019

DIGITAL is an assorted sweet box. It has the Cloud. It has Data Analytics. Internet of Things. Mobility. Many more.

How digital transformation matters?

Digital transformation is a bridge to the future. The technological world around us is undergoing swift transformation through Digital. Innovation is rapidly soaring at its all-time high in technology. 

It's not the future. It's already here. It’s now. It is everywhere. The digital transformation is revolutionizing countless areas of our lives. The volume and nature differ from place to place, company to company, and industry to industry. As such, one thing is common to all. "Challenging the conventional way of life. Stretching the boundaries." 

Digital transformation is not just allowing new innovative applications, but also has begun to have an incredible impact on the entire verticals. When the time witnesses us making a paradigm shift from existing work systems to a digital mode, our lives are being slowly automated. 

How is transformation linked to interconnection?

The Digital Transformation ultimately delivers an intelligent and more connected experience with all aspects of life. These new technologies promote communication and collaboration among not just human beings, but objects too.
  

It is the Internet of Things! Just the IoT is disrupting our daily life greatly today. The commendable strategy undertaken by the global industries in the transition opened up doors for the Internet of Things and hence ­– pervasive sensing, interconnected devices as well as sharing services became an essential part of our lives.  Smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart door locks, Bluetooth speakers, security systems... whatnot.

The market's dynamic growth has now resulted in a boom of IoT solutions. The latest ABI Research gave a few insights that support this argument. By next year, there will be over 30 billion IP-connected devices and sensors globally. Believe it!

What Digital Transformation has to do with future firms?

Digital transformation further has a considerable impact on the companies too. The global firms have evolved rapidly in response to the digital changes. At the same time, small companies are deploying a good amount of investments in them. Eventually, the industry's focus grew on the digital stacks and scaled up to the cloud model.

Future technology would be the most powerful. The next level of Digital will be capable of incredible and fairly consistent backend standards. It plays a key role in automating real-time decision-making. Thankless tasks will be gradually swapped to algorithms and bots. And so would be the workforce. There won’t be employees, but collaborators. Artificial Intelligence will reach the next level and hence the drones.  

Similar to 'Software-as-a-Service', there is no surprise if we would notice soon the 'IoT as a Service' technology. So soon we will be seeing the Blockchain Technology erasing the intermediaries and trusted third-parties like bankers, agents, and brokers from the financial systems. 

Many more systems will challenge the convention as we know it, and show new directions to it.

How can we see the transformation as?

Hitherto - the major value addition of the Digital for business development has been the time and manpower. 
Today - the digital revolution is creating wonders by stretching beyond the Point-of-Sales. 
Hereafter - the gap between creativity and technology, paper and machine, assistants, and robots will be torn down to the least. 

Come, join the digital transformation and step into the future. 

Keywords: Digital, Transformation, Software trends, Internet of Things, Future Technologies

Education vs. Social Stratification in India
MAGAZINE ARTICLE 
Posted in March 2018

Do you really think that a conceptual process like education is strong enough to address the issue of social stratification, particularly in a vast country with composite social differences as India?

In a complex society like us, the split comes along with the hierarchy of social classes, castes, and economic strata within the society. This segregation springs up in the minds since childhood from the grassroots level of society. Regardless of the habitation - be it a village, town or metropolis - people are divided across as diverse communities, religions, and races.

The impact of stratification is more in India than in any comparable country. The timely insights published by any mass medium clearly reflect the state of social stratification in India. Many recent happenings out there elucidate how grievous is its impact even in the highly educated territories of our land.

Social stratification imposes high costs on society. Also in an economic standpoint, the masses that are born poor will stay poor in all likelihood. On the other hand, the classes who inherit privilege are more likely to pass on privilege. These financial differences add to the composite divide between people, especially when it comes to education.

Right before the introduction of a kid into school education, economic capital primarily injects the ‘hangdog’ feeling into a child’s mind. The wealthy layer of the society has a large scope for letting their children enjoy their school education in the "lap of luxury". All the complementing educational material and learning aids required for an all-round education is affordable to them, but aren’t by the underprivileged people. The hapless people do not even dare to imagine their children inside a high-toned school.  This has the further effect discouraging academic achievement or ambition.

Are all these differences so essential for society? Each part of our complex society exists because it has a vital function to execute in keeping up the existence or stability of society as a whole. We also have a functionalist view claiming that social stratification is important because it fulfills vital system needs.

Way back in the 1940s, American Authors Kinsley Davis and Wilbert Moore proposed their own concept “Davis-Moore Thesis”. In their theory, they argue that no society is left unstratified and is universal. They also claim that social stratification is indeed necessary for the smooth working of society. Thereafter the duo set out to explain how inequality is beneficial to society. While these hierarchies are not universal to all societies, they are the norm among the majority of the cultures.

However, we cannot downplay the impact of the socioeconomic stratification on people.  For those of us who believe in social justice, any kind of stratification is morally indefensible.

Diversity is inevitable, disparities are not. Society is seen as a self-regulating system and all of the constituent elements of a society must contribute to maintaining this state of harmony. The tendency of it uplifts toward stability and equilibrium. Ultimately, the ‘education’ has all the strength to address this.  Until we get equality in education, we won't have an equal society.

The highest performing education systems today are those that focus on quality and equality. There is a larger need to instill a sense of equality into the budding minds. In these systems, the vast majority of students have the opportunity to attain high-level skills, regardless of their own personal and socio-economic circumstances. Children should be encouraged to take up such learning opportunities that erase the conventional borders between the communities. We should make them actively participate in the civic and democratic aspects of modern societies. The proportionate attitude in a boy or girl comes to fruition education when he becomes 'a man', a responsible citizen rather. Schools should ensure that children of all communities get equal opportunities for a good education. When the sense of social harmony goes hand in hand with the academics, matured mindsets come out as end-products. 

Ilaria opts 'Travel' and stays buckled on roller coaster ride of Entrepreneurship
SUCCESS STORY 
Posted in September 2017

To make a business take flight, entrepreneurs need to start with their target customers. This is exactly what this startup has done eight years ago. RoundAbout, a travel bloggers' content aggregator and a marketplace for social influencer campaigns, is based out of Turin city in Italy. The startup is aimed at providing valued experiences for travelers who want to explore deeply.

Breaking the stereotype

Unlike stereotype travelers, if you really want to explore places and live each place out of touristic standards, RoundAbout helps you connect the place by providing information through its network of bloggers. Besides giving new tips for urban explorers, the bloggers give deep insights on travel, lifestyle, art, and culture of cities.

With the travel industry marking a new path made out of new needs and expectations, people are showing interest to learn something new and break from traditional tours. They are willing to learn from the communities they visit and do it in the easiest way. RoundAbout provides witnesses, storytellers for a complete tool that lets travelers gather and use all information optimizing times and costs.

The startup company also provides web space wherein people can be part of the international network of creative influencers directly connected with brands and local companies.

The story behind becoming an entrepreneur

How the idea sparked? It all started when Ilaria Di Lecce, who is the founder of RoundAbout, happened to see a flyer at her college when she was studying Civil Engineering. The flyer was an advertisement from JEToP (Junior Enterprise Torino Politecnico). She was immediately flooded with questions - Do you think to be an entrepreneur? She has the answer "I do". Do you think to have the right skills? The answer was again, "I do." And the next question was "come and prove it." She immediately took a shot at it. Spending three years in JEToP as Sales Manager, Marketing Manager and then president, the JEToP witnessed an unforeseen financial crisis. After an international meeting in Bruxellas, she turned things around.

USP, the crux!

Although RoundAbout is still at the beginning, it had great validations from users and bloggers. The company has the possibility to directly face all the possible adopters of their service. The company constantly take note of people about their interest and experiences in travel. Keeping in constant touch with the bloggers across the world too benefits the company. Bloggers from New York, London, Berlin, and other cities write the weekly sections.

Besides all, the passion drove the startup in staying buckled on the roller coaster ride of entrepreneurship. In the words of RoundAbout CEO - "The more I worked, the more I realized how much I loved what I was doing and I didn't want to stop. This key element is what can really turn a job into pleasure, it's the reason why I can work 24X7 and risk everything I have.


Tags: RoundAbout, CEO Illario Di Lecce, Italy, Travel agency
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Do you doubt me?
INFORMATION BITE
Posted in September 2017

Most of us assert 'I have a doubt' instead of 'I have a question'.

What is the difference?

A ‘question’ is something you ask.

To ‘doubt’ something is to think it's unlikely (or) when you are half sure about it.

‘Questioning’ a person is different from ‘doubting’ them, right?

See the difference:

1) I questioned Farhan Akthar’s ability to run 100m in 10.9 sec.

2) I doubted Farhan Akthar’s ability to run 100m in 10.9 sec.

Any doubts?

…err… Any questions?

Lead it like BAHUBALI

MANAGEMENT ARTICLE Category: 1000+ Words Posted in May 2017

Ocean-like subject is ‘Leadership’ and Bahubali duo is a textbook for it.

In the first place - Ballaldev and Amarendra Bahubali - both are powerful leaders and there is no doubt in it. Both of them possess innovation and thought-leadership in their quiver. They have ample command over their communication and problem-solving methodology. Furthermore, both are seemed to be respected by the public.
Then, how is Bahubali different?

Bahubali, a true leader

Bahubali’s leadership was abundantly evident in ‘Bahubali - The Beginning’, especially during the war episode against Kalakeya.
The war starts with a sacrificial ritual. When Ballaldev cuts off a buffalo’s head to gain energy (as per their belief), Bahubali avoids the Bali and sheds his own blood on the feet of Goddess, which saves a life but motivates his team to an incredible extent.
Primarily speaking, when the strength of their competitor is analyzed, though Kalakeya’s 1,00,000 beastly soldiers outshine many a time the count of Mahishmati soldiers, Bahubali recommends Trishula Vyuham to attack them i.e., to surround the opponent soldiers from all sides before they understand the actual scheme and bounce back. That’s a commendable strategy. 
For the same war, Bahubali is provided with less stronger weapons than his brother Ballaldev. When Kattappa advises Bahubali to claim for a better set of weapons, just a modest smile was his response. We can see his confidence and his clarity in the thought process behind the smile.
“A winner sees a solution in every problem. A loser sees a problem in every solution.”
Undeterred Bahubali plans an innovative strategy with available weapons and executes sound delegation. The genius uses his logic and uses novel attacks in the war (such as an ignited huge cloth). 
The incident can be compared to a real-life scenario. A manager may have resources that are inefficient or planned for lesser than the competitors. Then (s)he should think out of the box to deal creatively with the situation, and use them effectively.
With his innovative ideas, Bahubali not only wins on rivals but also guards his team against getting demotivated, through fear of death. For instance, there's a tricky moment when Kalakeya soldiers cover themselves with the public of Mahishmati. However, Ballaldev proceeds to kill innocent people to gain access to his target (Kalakeya’s Leader and ultimately Mahishmati crown), whereas Bahubali figures out a way not only to save the innocent people but also attacks the opponents smartly. 
With reference to business, if the leader targets only on winning over competition or generating revenue and ignores the well-being of his resources, sooner or later (s)he loses respect and trust among the team causing deterioration of performance over time.
In addition to the above factor, opponents may also deliberately aim at the morale of your employees, similar to the situation in war. Mahishmati troop then accepts defeat loses the spirit to fight. Bahubali swiftly understands the critical nature and readies to face the situation on his own which not only encourages his team but also inspires them toward success through his actions. “Failure isn't fatal, but failure to change might be.”
With motivation and preparedness, a leader not just prepares his employees to fight but also to respond to the business-critical issues, without losing interest. It reaps a lot. 

Many victories are worse than defeats

Towards the end of the Vyuham, Ballaldev feels alarmed as Bahubali is approaching towards their common target. He not only intensifies his attempts to approach Kalakeya’s leader but also gets ready to kill him irrespective of Rajamatha’s instruction to not to kill.
After reaching Kalakeya’s leader that arrives on an elephant, Ballaldev feels tough to attack him directly. He hits on the elephant’s head to bring him down. The Rajamatha Sivagami’s order (top management’s instruction) was to show Kalakeya’s leader in an incapacitated situation. Instead, Ballaldev proceeds to kill the Kalakeya’s leader. Though he is well aware of the work expectation from management, he goes against it just to seize the opportunity.
Ballaldev relies on unhealthy and threatening means, whereas Bahubali follows processes properly, ethically and with absolute management skills. 
Finally, the higher management recognizes Bahubali’s sincere efforts as well as the style of leadership shown in his job and announces him as the King of the Mahishmati. 
Though the clever Ballaldev knows that this decision is against him, he doesn’t respond spontaneously but waits for good timing and provokes his father Bijjaladev in ‘The Conclusion’. 
Eventually, Ballaldev weaves all possible schemes, that are actually unhealthy, to take over the throne. So why not? The final incarnation may seem like a formal victory of Ballaldev from a common man’s eye. Anybody will see him as a successful person. Then where's the catch?
After taking the crown, Ballaldev eyes on all the bonus things, and wishes to take everything away from his mother. He also dethrones Bahubali as the Commander and plans to wipe out everybody, disregarding that they are his own family members. This trait was immensely clear in the first part while the rope-leaving scene and in the second part during his attempts to kill his mother as well as choking his father also in the same. 
Ideally, one should look at the approach that he chose to obtain the target. Ballaldev always believed in sneaky approaches, which instantly result in a feeling of success and lead to a downfall in the long run.

Ballaldev vs. Bahubali

The comparison between the personality styles of Ballaldev and Bahubali is an interesting study one can do.
Both of them have fabulous potential. Both were successful in their own ways. Nevertheless, recall what Forbes states — “Success will come and go, but integrity is forever”.
Ballaldev wishes to conquer everything, which he is not actually entitled to. Mischievously he tries to seize his brother’s emperorship and empress. Dictatorial Ballaldev expects everybody to be under his feet. He never takes action when he notices things going against him. Rather, he acts innocent. He weaves conspiracies underneath to make the situations favorable to him. He is full of egos. Such mindsets are ruled out in today’s Agile environment.
On the contrary, Bahubali doesn’t deny to salute Ballaldev during the incarnation. He even caught parasol to his brother, who is in a superior position to him. The mighty Bahubali neither felt too proud when Mahishmati’s unlimited population was cheering for him nor felt super-human when elephants were saluting him on their knees.
Purity in the character is an important attribute of an ideal leader. 
On the other hand, as part of his plot, Ballaldev propagates Kumara Varma and gets hold of him. Thereafter he uses him thoroughly to achieve his ultimate aim i.e., killing Bahubali. Unless the opposite side has a weakness, Ballaldev can execute merely nothing. Whereas, Bahubali motivates Kumar Varma to a brave warrior. He never takes advantage of the weaknesses of others like Ballaldev. Notice the "two styles of managing" things.
Incidentally, the cunning Ballaldev slumps to a new low when he makes the pregnant lady Devasena stand in his assembly for hours together, claiming that everybody is equal before the law. Here Ballaldev boasts as if he is standing by the norms to the hilt. How can such hypocrisy of leaders be valued? How will his / her credibility sustain? 

Best empathizer is the leader

As Bahubali's wife Devasena reiterates the words of Martin Luther King, Silence of good people is dangerous than the brutality of bad people, Bahubali acts aggressively against anything that he finds against ethics. He believes in his own strengths and relies on it. Cruel Ballaldev tortures the public to respect him. If so, they may respect them in front of him, but they would enjoy his absence.
Coming back to Bahubali, when even closest people like Devasena’s parents try to bow before Bahubali, he unquestionably denies the act. In addition, he opines that there should be only 'abhimanam' (attachment) between relatives, but not 'abhivadam' (salutation).
The good-hearted Bahubali never hesitates to serve the public who don’t even belong to him. He respects all without any conditions, even the downtrodden masses. In return, he never expects formalities.
When Bahubali gets harmed, he never drops a tear; the citizens do. They weep hard, showing the most genuine form of respect.
Bahubali is driven by sensitivity. He follows the human heart. He always does the right thing. Even after getting expelled, Bahubali stood by Dharma. No person ever needs ‘power’ for doing what is right. Though as an excommunicated person, he works along with people to fulfill their needs.
No matter with or without the crown, Bahubali is the real king.
‘Management’ is never equal to ‘manipulation’. ‘Handling with the responsibility’ certainly varies from ‘handling with authority’, and so do right-minded approaches from self-interested approaches.
'Win-win' way always wins in all ways. 

Balancing In And Out
SHORT ARTICLE
Posted in 2016

It’s been a long time since I wanted to embark on what happens to be the most essential part of a professional’s life. 

“Work-Life Balance” combines both art and science with great scope for self-realization too. Maintaining a well-balanced lifestyle reduces stress levels and increases your ability to focus on things effectively.

If you're finding it more challenging than ever to juggle the demands of your job and the rest of your life, you're not alone. There are scores in the employed world, especially Techies to that matter, who fail to balance one of the fronts and end up as a two-side loser in the process.

It all starts where you take the family for granted, assuming they’ll always be there for you. The fact here is making time for family will, in addition, remind you of what you’re working for. Being dedicated to your family, health and giving back undoubtedly gives you more energy and motivation to succeed in your work life.  

In the end, work is your bread and butter, it is undeniable. Time management is a big deal here. Working effectively with enhanced involvement throughout the work hours and accordingly budgeting time to every aspect keenly does the trick. This, in turn, leaves you with a quality time to spend wholeheartedly with your loved ones. 

Everywhere and during every moment, be sure to be fully present. The rewards you see will be priceless. 

Heading The Way To Success

MAGAZINE PREFACE
Posted on Jan 1, 2015

A Happy New Year to all. As we celebrate the start of New Year, for many reasons I feel an even greater sense of anticipation than usual. Last year’s road of transformation was a notable one for me, my family and the nation as whole. In my case, building up multiple provisions to ensure the practices sustainable was one of the major virtues that assisted me all the way.

Now the year 2015 is upon me with many aspirations. We should relish the challenges that are ahead of me both in personal and professional fronts. I am determined and well equipped to create the best possible resolutions for my company, family and for me as an individual. The equilibrium among all these streams is also a bigger mission by itself.

The aurora of this new dawn is promising.  Let me start the New Year with the concept of delivering more on the expectations from every front. The surest and effective way to meet the expectations of my stakeholders is to aim high at the results and the preparation that is done along that direction to construct an aggressive and affirmative action plan.

Wishing for rewarding moments ahead, once again let me wish you and your family members a ‘Wonderful New Year 2015’.

- Samrat Srivatsa D 

Carving the charity out
LIFESTYLE ARTICLE
Posted in 2013

Among scores of employees working in Corporate, few stand out. They strike a perfect balance between their professional life and personal interests which is most important for everybody. Mr. Rahul is of the same breed. Thanks to his heart, he is so generous on the grounds of art.

Meet Rahul D from the national capital, New Delhi.... a software engineer by profession... and a charcoal artist by passion.

As a famous study by Teresa Amabile claimed, people are most creative when they care about their work and stretch their skills. Take Rahul. Those words perfectly hold good with him.

Rahul’s strokes speak a lot. They sense a purpose; tell stories and above all a renewed sense of belonging. In Rahul’s drawings and calenders, one can see the impressive images laden with expressions trying to speak something. Grace and feelings pour out of each of the faces. Picture of girls and women staring with a ray of hope, maybe a face shaded by despair, a girl enchanted, and at times, a look that’s just lost in introspection. They speak to the observer, each explaining a saga or a situation.

And the most noteworthy part is his innovative approach to support Non-Profit Organizations through his art and wit. Every year, he makes a desktop calendar during the 'Month of Giving' and auctions the merchandise to raise big money for the noble cause.

In 2011, his efforts were aimed at spreading awareness and to raise funds for a Bangalore based NGO Vimochana, meaning ‘liberation’, that strives against violence on women and thereby creating a violence-free world for all, especially for the more marginalized and vulnerable communities. The NGO was initiated in 1979 to defend the human rights of women, whenever and wherever they are violated. 

The beautiful calendars etched by Rahul are also sold externally. They were marketed in several corporate companies every year including Microsoft, Accenture, and General Motors. 

Rahul’s art reaped more in the year 2012. His calendar for the year in support of Vimochana was widely accepted and the sales crossed the mark of 2500 copies, within the first month of its launch. With his initiatives, Rahul is also connected to many NGOs in India like Dream a Dream, SnehaNilaya and Asha Niketan.

Rahul strikes the healthy balance between his work and art life, no matter how locked he is at his job. Admiring the same, Rahul was invited to be a speaker at the renowned TED, to share his thoughts on his successful journey with art and work.

It was way back in 2005 that he has stepped into his career. All along his profession, he has been extending equally hard work for the profession and at the same time he didn’t let his interest go away. Rahul used to hit the art books, magazines, websites and various workshops. He never had any formal art training. He was always self-motivated and self-directed in his practice.

Every winner perhaps has a role model behind him. In Rahul’s case his work has been greatly influenced by artists belonging to Medieval and Renaissance periods such as Leonardo da Vinci and at the same time that of Modern Surrealists such as Salvador Dalí.

At the end of the day of profession, we all are human beings. We should never forget our hobbies and interests, as earning gratification is equally important to earning money.  

Nasha ye nasha ka
FEATURE ARTICLE
Concept and title: Akhira Chakrasena
Article Development: Samrat Srivatsa
Posted on 25/8/2010

Anytime is good to hit a hookah lounge.

Go in. Slide into a stream of placid thoughts. A deep puff of Hookah has it all! Chill your neuro-circuits with ice-cool smoke passed through water. Have a serene settle down.!

Brought the past glory back.. Hookah remarkably penetrated into metropolitan youth, to become a slice of their culture. The last couple of years has seen rapid growth in its using-up. Coming to our city, the trend erupted just months back. The long-stemmed wedge joined the conservative cigar, cigarette, blah blah blah...

Hookah, also called Sheesha, has its roots on our own ground. The history goes way-back to Mughal’s era. Asserted the writer Cyril Elgood that Akbar’s physician Hakim Abul Fatḥ Gilani initiated the idea. Subsequently, it crawled to Iran, Persian and other middle-east countries. Lebanese people have been citing it as Nargileh.

This ancient water pipe has been used for centuries to smoke away from the day's stress while relaxing with friends and relatives.

Consumer: “Earlier I used to see this hookah in folk movies. And just recently I have come to know about a hookah lounge here. One of my friends introduced this to me. Now I am frequently enjoying this, along with my friends” 

Say experts, the Hookah smokers have a much more balanced approach to life than cigarette smokers do. Surprisingly, their study discloses that hookah has a relatively smaller effect on health compared to other tobacco products. Some even say that the impact is almost negligible.

Before long, the water begins to turn brown; smokers say it is filtering out many of the harmful substances that they would otherwise be inhaling. Technically speaking, water takes away approximately 90% of harmful chemicals and so a pipe contains merely 0.5% nicotine and 0% tar. Also, if it’s inhaled, there is no danger of lung cancer, doctors assure.

The sect of youth who are typically health-conscious have something to say, Mr.healthies are making a point that the smoke is lightly intoxicating than cigarette smoke. And adding that as the smoke is noticeably cooler, it doesn’t cause throat irritation as dry tobacco does.

Four are the parts of the water pipe. The bottom one is made of glass where the water is contained. This part is connected to a brass figure top which is the heart of hookah. This regulator takes the smoke from the tobacco when the person inhales from the "lai" which is a flexible tube that ends with a mouthpiece. The whole apparatus, made of a variety of materials is also richly decorated.

The frozen breeze of tobacco has different avatars. Besides its natural plain form, it comes in various flavors like apple Tofahah, which is the most popular, strawberry, mint, rose, apricot blah blah.

Hookah’s menu shows figures starting from Rs.150 per hour. Elite flavors go up to Rs.800 too. Sales figures in the recent past stood tall showing the culmination. It is hard to imagine a buff’s day without an hour-full hookah.

Riding the hookah wave, the means exudes an unmistakable ambiance: languor, indulgence, and a sense of past opulence. And this is the ecstasy bestowed by the drift of hookah lounges.

Nestled in road number seven of Banjara Hills, Mocha lounge gives scope to puffs of Hookah along with sips of coffee amidst manicured gardens. Cafés with hookahs are big crowd pullers. Sheesha & Kebabs of road seven offers the joy of hookah added with kebab bites as well. These are what seems as the most happening places, letting the freaks hook to hookah!


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The "HOLE" Story
FEATURE BRIEF
Posted in August 2010


Remember Hrithik’s show in Dhoom 2?
His moves for Dominique Crezo’s number rocked the youth everywhere.
The trendy star’s macho torso had driven lasses crazy.
Recollect his looks, especially his “torn” jeans!
Everyone who noticed Hrithik, in all likelihood would have noticed the 'holes' too.


Holes may have nothing in them, yet they add a unique attitude to wearers.
Youngsters feel turbulent in such attire.
Those jeans give them a bold stance that is perhaps wild.
Donning these jeans is like clearly sporting ‘I don’t care’ look.
Ripped jeans is what they are called as and they come as the apex of funkiness.


The holes on jeans could be new for us, but,
Our dads might have seen it on rock stars of the 60s.
And now be the comeback of the same fashion after Britney’s Las Vegas wedding.
The frayed jeans make the wearers stand out of the crowd, give a prospect to get noticed.
That is why more and more celebrities today are seen having on these jeans with holes.

Ripped jeans are on high demand among both sexes.
Rebellious is the look they impart to men, seductive is what the dames look like.
Not only blue denim, ripped jeans come in sundry colors and sizes... White and black as well.
For a casual look, it has to be worn with a plain tee and thrown on a blazer, which appears fancy.
Next up footwear, heels or boots pair well with them...

On the ‘hole’, if you wanna be a rockstar, just buy a couple of ripped jeans. And it will do the magic.

But be careful. Don’t try tearing your jeans at home. It won’t give a worn-out look.
In lieu, rush to the nearest store and pick a pair. And It’s economical.
One-piece costs just more than that of ordinary jeans
Still fetching good turn-outs for mills, adding appeal to wearers..!



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Urban  Lingo
LIFESTYLE FEATURE
Posted in July 2010

"OMFG.. im n luv wid dis gurl"
"Are you retarded? Gurl isn't even short for anything. You just spelled it wrong for the sake of being a dumbass. You need to ditch the ebonics."

Communication among most of the typical youngsters today goes this way. This kinda lingo is the hot stuff at this moment. Of late, our metropolitan youth totally adapted this crazzy slang. The language has more to do with context and content, than with the verbosity.

No rulezz..! The slang doesn't care grammar n syntax.

Focus is just on carryover of info.

The slang uses f*nky articulates and mostly shortcuts.

Greeting “Howz u?” need not follow Wren and Martin's High School English Grammar Book.

ASAP couldn’t be a word by itself as it came as a simple substitute for As Soon As Possible.

4Q, WTF, BITFOB

4Q is no way related to forks and WTF has nothing to do with World Trade Center.. and BITFOB is not a sequel to BITSAT. These words are purely offensive expressions, cut short.

Here are some crazy shortcuts

LOL= Laugh out loud / lots of love
ROFL= Roll on the floor laugh
BS= Bull shit
Gr8= Great
FYI= For Your Information
G2g= Got to go
Brb= Be right back
TTYL= Talk to you later

The Y2k not only set off a new century but also surging internet reach as well. And so was the mobile usage.

Instant Messaging on the net, texting thru mobilezz needed crispness.

Thus evolved a smarter choice…

This slowly turned out 2 b a distinct jargon.

Corporate culture chipped in for the lingo.

The globalization n western impact also played a key here.

Yup nope, kewl, chweet, done with, guys, buddies


On the flip side, analysts are on their feet warning that urban lingo, on the whole, could result in people’s growing ignorance of proper grammar and punctuation. So, mind it!

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Shame Behind The Game
NEWS & ANALYSIS
Posted on August 25, 2010

Orphan Yadaiah’s death incident is not so easy one to forget and so are the questions that are emerging from it. The 21-year-old’s job in a restaurant, his hopes for a better tomorrow; his prayers at Yadagiri Gutta; his incapacitated final words, concern about fellow sufferers drawn pity everywhere.

Chronicling info about him erupted after his death has doubled the pain everywhere. His uncle came forward informing that Yadaiah aka Yadagiri used to donate half of his regular income to the blind children in orphanages. A few from his classmates told about his wit and excellence in academics. He purportedly stopped his education after his parents' death and subsequently started working as a photographer in Dilsukhnagar.

On the flipside, Yadaiah’s suicide has become big news to the regional media for wrong reasons.
Even after the incident, the channels vied for airing the ineffective “Stop Suicides” message. The political leaders also lined up for stating such lines, but not focusing on the root cause. Unfortunately, neither politicians nor the media seemed to be playing a fair role during such untoward incidents.

As a whole,  the sensitive issue on which the people are fighting is not a mysterious movie to thrill the audience keeping the decision under suspense until the climax. Deploying brutal forces and leaving them onto peaceful protestors on a false basis would be a sheer suppression. None of the politicians could understand the emotions of Yadaiah in flames churning up on the cops in a helpless state. His heading towards the sleuths with fire certainly indicates the retaliation of fury.

Unhealthy competition revved up among the visual media, leading to cheap tactics to gain the market. A couple of them often display themselves to be possessing the utmost interest in the public. Despite strict rulings from the law benches, airing raw footage has become a regular business.

The primary question is about the attempts that were expected from the “humanistic” media representatives to save the young man in the fire on the spot. At that moment, their entire struggle was to just capture the “burning” news and to stand first in telecasting it with a “FIRST ON OUR CHANNEL” label. Effort was put neither by journos nor khakis present there, who later appeared on the screens saying “No Suicides Please”.