i.mag.in

Volume III | Issue III

| Blog: click here| email: ebiz.samwad@gmail.com | Poll: click here |

October 2009

Special Interest Articles

Apprendimento 3

ePoll of the issue 4

Last ePoll results 4

Knowledge 5

Buffetology 7

I can tell about you…….. 10

Brain Plasticity 12

Wisdom 14

Diary of a traveler 15

Love it or Hate it 17

Job interview 18

Individual Highlights

I have learned 4

I have learned 5

I have learned 6

Testing Times 7

Feedback 8

Feedback 8

Ingenuity 10

The List 11

Gadget 12

I have learned 13

Mad Cap 14

Eye of a Traveler 15

Eye of a Traveler 16

Vacation Relaxation 16

Ingenuity 17

Bookvurme 18

Bookvurme 19

About Us (Thanks & Archive) 20

Contents

Apprendimento

Dear Friends, We welcome you to the third installment of our class

magazine. The previous issue was well received, and thanks are in order for the samwad team as well as the readers of the magazine. We again pledge to bring out the best of the reading material coupled with in class wisdom to make the read fun and informative.

This month’s issue focuses on learning. Learning in its simplest definition is the acquisition of knowledge and skill. Taking it a step further it can be said to cause a change in behavior. For what use is the learning if it can’t be applied? The key difference between knowledge and wisdom is said to be the application of learning. And in today’s fast paced world, the need of the day is to be a manager who can apply all the methods learned in the college in real life situations.

There were two thoughts among the psychologists of yesteryears: One that a man is born with skills and these innate skills cannot be learned. It was what made Dhirubhai great. However later these findings were questioned and the new findings proved that skills can be learned. All that is needed is the motivation and dedication to do it. Will is greater than fate after all!

Alvin Toffler said that the illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. And it is perfectly possible to store a million facts in mind and still be uneducated according to Alec Bourne. Our world today has been so changed by the revolution in information technology and transportation that even the last generation is grappling with it. Product and idea obsolescence are measured in days, not years. Product life cycles have shortened. The globalization of the world has made the playing field level for almost all. Capital can flow with the speed of light to any deserving idea, and suddenly the death of distance doesn’t look to be stuff of science fiction. The new breakthroughs in various disciplines of science are increasing exponentially. It is said that the computer in our mobile phones is thousand times cheaper and more powerful than the mainframe computers of the 70s.

ePoll of the Issue

To take part in this month’s poll please click here, the question

is: “What does a future manager like you need to have right now

in order to be a success tomorrow?”

A good Intuition

A set of decision making tools

Luck

Wisdom

Memory

You can choose only one of the above options here.

It is in this chaotic semblance of order that we have to pursue our education and learn the skills that will be needed by the businesses of tomorrow. The old structure is dying and new structures coming up. The rise of IT industry has even foxed Warren Buffet, and he still refuses to put his money in it. But where else can you find businesses that reached 50 million consumers in two years (Facebook). That the word consumer is to be replaced by prosumers in today’s wired world.

We feel that we are fortunate to study in a college that is at the forefront of change, and which has institutionalized the idea of design thinking and innovation. A college can only act as a medium. As the Chinese proverb goes: Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself. It is in our hands to complete our education. And it is in keeping with the tune of times we have decided to cover – What We Learned. We are thankful to those who replied. Dedicating this issue to the readers…

Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man!

Atul Jindal: What I learned is that it’s very important to unlearn.

Sanket Khandelwal: We learned something, unlearned many things and relearned nothing.

Trishma Singh: How to live life…chilling even when the world would be coming down with tensions…Imbibing the spirits of Mumbai nagariya…

Lavanya Bakshi: "Dunno what i learned.....but met some characters won't 4get for life"

Lavanya Bakshi: "its confidence not competence that takes u all the way" modified

I have learned

To the last issues’ poll; “Is Gandhiji’s teaching relevant?” Among those who responded,

62% feel that to a certain extent they still hold true, 23% feel they do so in many ways

while 15% feel they were never relevant.

And no one chose the following options:

No, those died with him

Don’t know them

Ankit Malik: The conundrum whether I learnt (or one learns) anything in B-Schools is both polemical and diabolical. You bring to the table your own set of prejudices (preconceived notions) which you acquire over the years through your peers, friends family and the milieu in general and to renounce them or to give them and accept opinion and viewpoints contrary to heresy becomes very difficult. For me this has been the biggest learning that you need to work and develop a knack to honor and cherish opposing viewpoints, brook & endure irrational skein of thought coupled with whimsical ideas which does not come naturally to you and at the same time ensure peace, harmony and accord.

Hardik shah: We learnt teamwork sometimes with friends and sometimes with opposing minds to think beyond the obvious to have hell lot of arguments (read brainstorming) but always delivering before the deadline We learnt to make new friends celebrate every achievement and learn from each failure...but amongst all this chaos, we learnt to enjoy every moment of this roller coaster life @ WE... Meenal Vyas: I’ve learned that wisdom doesn’t come with age, it comes with enriching experience

Srinivas Mukku: I’ve studied

hardly in my B school even though

i learned a lot it gave me a good

ground for my future business

and also it has developed

entrepreneurial qualities in me

I have learned

Knowledge – How to prepare yourself for the Job

Remember that the business world is another entity in itself. What works in schools and colleges may not work in the business world. For it is not every time that the logical combination of education and effort bears fruit. In the normal business world sometimes the students who have been ordinary throughout their academic life perform exceedingly well and good students perform at an average. This often leads to lot of heartburn and stress. Getting ahead in the business world often has nothing to do with intelligence or exceeding a set of defined expectations. Here are few guidelines to follow:

Create a brand or marketable corporate persona:

Think of yourself as a marketer with the task of promoting yourself. Learn to capitalize on your skills, succinctly assert your achievements and competency.

Establish profitable relationships:

Networking has always been a valuable tool to gain information, increase your visibility in your field and make connections that will help you move forward in your career. Seek out new contacts and potential mentors whom you like and admire and whose interests you share. The key essentials of the yesteryears were: Yes boss. Yes boss. And yes boss. Though things have changed, but they haven’t changed that much. Determine boss’s priorities, find out what he/she wants from you, and find ways to exceed expectations.

Keep reinventing yourself:

In these turbulent times keep investing in learning new skills. Never rest on your laurels and increase yourself awareness.

Stay motivated:

There's no doubt that the business world can be frustrating, but remember that you can choose your response to your environment. There is always a gap between the stimulus and response. And in between that gap you are free to choose your response to the challenges of negativity and stagnation.

Be proactive about your career growth: Keep a diary, listing your achievements. Approach your performance review strategically by soliciting feedback on your progress, identifying new goals and growth opportunities and hammering out a long-term promotion plan. Ask for a raise when a situation arises. The diary would be helpful here with the list of contributions that have positively impacted the bottom line. Continuing in the same vein, what are the desirable skills and qualities that employers want the graduates to posses? Honesty and integrity, Good oral and written communication skills, Reliability, Hardworking and having a good work ethic, A positive ‘can do’ attitude, Punctuality, Ability to meet deadlines, & Team work and co-operation skills are few of the skills that came as common denominator across all recruiters. A detailed table is given along with to look at the skills required.

Nipun Sawhney: I learnt d various jargons used by the management graduates in corporate world and also managing people and make them 2 think frm business pt of view....

Anand Chaturvedi: What I’ve learned is that MBA College is nothing but a medium, providing us with opportunities. It’s up to us to grab them..The exams…the marks are nothing but a sham, just a formality they need to fulfill.

I have learned

Type of skill Employers' requirements - “Buzz” words

Self-reliance skills

Self-awareness - purposeful, focused, self-belief, realistic Proactive - resourceful, drive, self-reliant Willingness to learn - inquisitive, motivated, enthusiastic Self-promotion - positive, persistent, ambitious Networking - initiator, relationship-builder, resourceful Planning action - decision-maker, planner, able to prioritize

People skills

Team working - supportive, organized, coordinator, deliverer Interpersonal skills - listener, adviser, co-operative, assertive Oral communication - communicator, presenter, influencer Leadership - motivator, energetic, visionary Customer orientation - friendly, caring, diplomatic Foreign language - specific language skills

General employment skills

Problem-solving - practical, logical, results orientated Flexibility - versatile, willing, multi-skilled Business acumen - entrepreneurial, competitive, risk taker IT/computer literacy - office skills, keyboard skills, software packages Numeracy - accurate, quick-thinker, methodical Commitment - dedicated, trustworthy, conscientious

Specialist skills Specific occupational skills - specialist relevant knowledge Technical skills - eg journalism, engineering, accounting, sales

Last month’s quiz was won by Anand Chaturvedi. He gets the title of Masterbrain from our side and a surprise gift. Surprisingly no one could decipher the photo on the last page which was a picture of three dolphins in 3d hidden inside a 2d picture. This week’s quiz (as always one gets a prize for getting the correct answers):

1. In the case of good books, the point is

not how many of them you can get

through, but rather how many can get

through to you. Who said this? 2. The three characteristics- one,

contagiousness; two that little causes have big effects: and three that change happens not gradually but at one dramatic moment… Which book explores this central idea? And who wrote it?

3. Who is considered the father of Sudoku?

4. Who coined the term, “survival of the fittest”?

5. What are Howard Gardner's seven (original) Multiple Intelligences?

6. Though he was the heir to his family's rice wine brewing business, he decided to pursue his interest in consumer electronics and was the co-founder of the Tokyo Tshushin Kyogu company.

7. A form of piracy where the pirated product is similar in appearance, phonetic quality or meaning (of its name) to the original product is known as _________.

8. Which is the world’s biggest stock exchange (value of shares traded)?

9. Hindustan Motors' Ambassador adopted its model from Which British car model?

10. The name of the company he established, when he was only 17 years old, is made up of the first letters of his name, the first letter of the name of the farm he grew up on, and the first letter of the name of his home village. Hint 1) He introduced flat-pack (self assembly) furniture in 1956, so that the furniture could easily be packed into the cars.

11. What is Kyoto summit all about? 12. Which man of Indian origin won a

Nobel this year? And for what?

Testing Times

Buffetology

I think Business schools should refrain from teaching their wards about profit making and profit making alone, it gives a sense of one dimensional outlook to the young students that loss is a curse. In reality, in the corporate world, failure and loss making are inevitable. The capital market without loss is like Christianity without hell. I think they should teach the student on how to buy a business, how to value a business? Not just on how to determine the price of a business. Because price is what you pay, value is what you get. (On what things are taught wrong in B schools and corporate world) Neither. Success in investing doesn’t correlate with I.Q. Once you have ordinary intelligence, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that gets other people into trouble in investing. (Whether brilliance or smartness makes a successful investor) I don’t look for the usual credentials such as an MBA, a pedigree (Harvard, Wharton), or cash reserves or market cap of their firm. What I look for is just a passion in their eyes; I think that’s the key. A person who is hungry will always do well. I prefer it when people even after selling stay on and work for the firm; they are people who can’t wait to get off their bed to get to work. Passion is everything; there is no replacement for innate interest. (What does he look for in people who come to sell their firms to him?) Up until a few years back I had more ideas than money. Now I have more money than ideas. (Why doesn’t he invest more often?) I love my job; I love it so much that I tap dance to work. Mrs. B, the founder of Nebraska Furniture Mark worked until she was 104, she died within 6 months of her retirement, that’s a lesson to all my managers, don’t retire! I personally am going to work 6-7 years after I die, probably that’s what they mean when they say- “Thinking out of the Box”!! (About his retirement plans) Reading is the best habit you can get. Well, you can learn from teachers too, and have mentors but there are so many constraints attached- they will talk fast, talk slow, they might talk like a pro or they might be terrible communicators. Books are a different animal altogether, I love reading! The beauty about reading and learning is that the more you learn the more you want to learn. (About reading)

I try to get quality people. I always say - Hire someone in your organization who is better than you are. If you do that, you build a company of giants. If you get people worse than yourself, you build a company of dwarfs. And do not try to do everything yourself. Delegate the jobs and look out of the window. The results will come. That’s how you build institutions. It happens only when you empower others, believe in others. An investor, very secured at that, I have no clue how to make Coca-Cola or how to dole out credit cards (Mr. Buffett owns 8% of Coca-Cola and 13 % of American Express). I understand the wisdom of the aphorism that you cannot please all the people all the time. Of Course, you will always find qualities that you don’t like in people around you, but if you observe carefully the love of the work unites you both. There is no point in being obsessive about a bad quality in a person, whom you otherwise respect. (As to how he retains people and he gets along with them) Be patient, Achieving your financial goals and dreams will not happen overnight. As much as we would all really love to accomplish our goals in a few years, this is an ongoing process. Defining your financial goals is not a one-time task; you need to keep adding new plans at different stages in your life. We all admire the skills of Olympic ice skaters, pro golfers, and concert pianists. But do we remember that they didn’t acquire their skills overnight? They had to practice hours on end for years to achieve their dreams. The key to success is to continue learning throughout your life with a voracious appetite. (Advise on making it big) My rule is to be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful. Besides, I call investing the greatest job in the world because you never have to swing. You stand at the plate; the pitcher throws you General Motors at 47! U.S. Steel at 39! And nobody calls a strike on you. There’s no penalty except opportunity lost. All day you wait for the pitch you like; then when the fielders are asleep, you step up and hit it. Stay dispassionate and be patient. You’re dealing with a lot of silly people in the marketplace; it’s like a great big casino and everyone else is boozing. If you can stick with drinking Coke, you should be OK.

First the crowd is boozy on optimism and buying every new issue in sight. The next moment it is boozy on pessimism, buying gold bars and predicting another Great Depression, most people get interested in stocks when everyone else is.

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!!

Hi ppl, I have never read such a beautiful version of a college magazine since quite some time now.... this one is just awesome...every article is so genuine.i jus couldn’t stop reading it... I liked the dreams section too... great work guys...hats off.

The work that has been put forth is phenomenal and I really appreciate the hard work that has gone behind it.

Hats off....Am in loss for words..gr8 work guyz...hope v continue with this magazine even 20 years after our MBA....undisputed effort and attitude...ebiz rulz…

Nice work!!!

its freakin.... ..its just outstanding work out of creativity and love

Feedback

The time to get interested is when no one else is. You can’t buy what is popular and do well. (What makes him a successful investor?) If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians. Every scenario is different. But always remember, Tough times do not last. Tough people do. (About facing recessions) If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians. Every scenario is different. But always remember, Tough times do not last. Tough people do. (Advise to young investors)

I like sharing my ideas but don’t like imposing my ideas on anybody. It doesn’t make sense and is a waste of time. If somebody has decided that they know everything that is there to know, nobody can help them. The best way to learn and succeed is to know that we know nothing. There is an entire universe out there and still some of us think we can know everything. In the world of investing a few people after making some money tend to imagine they are invincible and great. This is the worst thing that could happen to any investor, because it surely means that the investor will end up taking unnecessary risks and end up losing everything - arrogance, ego and overconfidence are very lethal. Personally I don’t feel too comfortable with too much extravagance, because I always think like an investor. My thought process doesn’t see a lot of value in a fancy car or a designer suit. Thinking like an investor always is very important to bring in a sense of discipline and focus. Before reading balance sheets and investing you need to make sure your outlook and mindset is that of an investor. Never let ego, arrogance and over-confidence control you - not just as an investor but also as a human being. You will never have internal peace if you are unable to look at everybody around you with love, compassion and understanding. Irrespective of who the person is, he or she can teach you something you don’t know. I have learnt so much from people all around me and I wouldn’t have been able to learn all these wonderful things if I had not spoken to them with a smile. To quote Sir Isaac Newton- If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants. (About why he doesn’t advise the financial executives of Wall Street and his thoughts on the astronomical salaries)

“Rule No.1 - Never Lose Money. Rule No. 2 - Never Forget Rule No. 1″

Awesome guys...it looks amazing and impressive as well...keep up the good work...its rocking..!!

Thts awsm guys.. kep it up..

seems like a lot of hardwork has gone in it.Looks fab!!!! Keep up da great work!!!!

Really wonderful work done by your guys. Itz a very good work and the topics u r discussing are really making sense. keep it up

Great Job guys....Massive improvement over the first issue....I especially liked the idea of " I have a dream..." slogan thing...coz it gets everyone attached...Also the social diary, tweet of the week and caption contest gives a completeness to this issue....

Feedback

I can tell all about you without seeing you

Everyone has, at some point of time in his life, been interested in psychics and astrologers and their ilk. What if I were to tell you that I am the biggest psychic? That I can tell all about you without seeing you? Not possible, is it? Well here is a sample:

“You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Your sexual adjustment has presented some problems for you. Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others” statements without satisfactory proof. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. Security is one of your major goals in life. “

Surprising! Isn’t it? Well if you are thinking as to how I got the facts right, you wouldn’t be after the explanation. The art of making highly generalized predictions about the subjects is a science in itself and is known as cold reading. Cold reading has long been put to profitable use by fortune-tellers, clairvoyants, tarot card readers, astrologers, tea leaf readers, spirit mediums, and others who wish to convey the impression that they possess paranormal insight into the client’s personality, current life situation, and future. William W. Larson, a proponent of the science says: “The average person will accept anything you tell him or her, and apply it personally. In other words, they’ll make your reading fit themselves. As a psychic, people want to believe you.”

So what are the skills required to do the job? To surprise your friends and acquaintances and family with your new found psychic skills? Here is the secret to great readings:

Main Page:

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Unclopedia.org has the following lofty goal: "to provide the world's misinformation in the least redeeming and most sneeringly sarcastic and humorous way possible, through satire

This site ensures entertainment as various articles on this site spoof real world topics. Parodies rule the day with various 'serious' sections like "On this day", "In the news", "Featured articles"

Uncyclopedia currently contains over 22,000 articles that range from The Simpsons to Nuclear Power and are available in over 40 languages.

Information Anxiety is a common affliction of our times. With this site, however, one can just sit back, read, knowing there is no knowledge to be gained, only a fun time to be had.

It’s a little known fact but "Wikipedia is a satirical parody of Uncyclopedia". Don’t believe me? I read it online at http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia By: Mr Hardik Shah

Ingenuity

Books 1. The 7 habits of highly effective

people

2. Good to great by Jim Collins

3. The one minute manager

Kenneth H. Blanchard

4. How to win friends and

influence people by Dale

Carnegie

5. Man’s search for meaning by

Viktor Frankl

6. Crossing the Chasm: Marketing

and Selling High-Tech Products

to Mainstream Customers

Geoffrey Moore

7. The Effective Executive by

Drucker

8. The 16 Personality Types,

Descriptions for Self-Discovery

(English)

By LindaV.Berens, Dario Nardi

Movies

1. The boat that rocked

2. Perfume

3. Closure

4. Eternal sunshine of the spotless

mind

5. The bridge on the river kwai

6. The graduate

7. Good will hunting

8. Life is beautiful

9. Back to the future

10. Jaane bhi do yaaro

The List

Indirection. The vagueness of many of your descriptions, allowing the client to “discover” a meaning or connection for himself. Good teachers everywhere know that it is more effective to set up a situation where students think through to a correct answer for themselves, than simply to hand out information. For example, you can tell a young person that you “see a good-sized open suitcase.” If the caller has traveled anywhere recently, or is planning to go somewhere, or is even just thinking about the prospect, you will have scored a hit. If it doesn’t fit, you can explain to the person that the suitcase meant that he/she ought to take a trip to overcome the stress.

Show that you seem to know more than what you actually say, be modest about your abilities, and put to use a thorough knowledge of population stereotypes.

Develop acute listening abilities. Exude great self-confidence and be always willing to flatter your subject, or their relatives.

Follow Hyman’s “golden rule”: tell them what they want to hear. The stress is short term. The troubles will fade away. The financial difficulties will go away soon but one must control expenses. The dead are quite happy and contented on the “other side,” feeling pain no longer, and enjoying the companionship of other deceased friends and relatives.

Slick tongue - your capacity to make the reading flow is very important to maintain appearances. It's better to have 10 hits and 40 failures than 2 hits and 6 failures, if only because of the power of selective thinking (people tend to remember big hits and ignore big misses as a general rule).

Here is another reading to finish this article with:

“People close to you have been taking advantage of you. Your basic honesty has been getting in your way. Many opportunities that you have had offered to you in the past have had to be surrendered because you refuse to take advantage of others. You like to read books and articles to improve your mind. In fact, if you're not already in some sort of personal service business, you should be. You have an infinite capacity for understanding people's problems and you can sympathize with them. But you are firm when confronted with obstinacy or outright stupidity. Law enforcement would be another field you understand. Your sense of justice is quite strong.”

Hope we will keep our minds open after this article!! And don’t fail to write about whether the article was to your liking or not.

Brain Plasticity - neuroplasticity

The human brain has always fascinated the scientists, and with the new tools of brain imagery and the onset of computers, scientists have starting unlocking the various facets of our brain. E.g. an average person’s brain weighs 1300-1400 gm and consists of 80% water. It consists of over 100 billion neurons and it stops growing after the age of 18. By the age of 35, a person starts losing about 7000 brain cells a day, which never get replaced.

Brain plasticity, the newest branch, according to neuroscientists, refers to the brain’s ability to change throughout life. Brain plasticity, also called neuroplasticity, is a concept that is at once very simple and extraordinarily complex. It is not static; it responds to circumstances and to new learning.

Brain plasticity is a physical process. Neural connections can be forged and refined or (conversely) weakened and severed. Changes in the physical brain manifest as changes in our abilities. Learning a dance step requires change in our physical brains: new “wires” (neural pathways) that give instructions to our bodies on how to perform the step. Each time we forget someone’s name, it also reflects brain change— “wires” that once connected to the memory have been degraded or even severed.

Often, people think of childhood and young adulthood as a time of brain growth and older adulthood is often seen as a time of brain decline, with people becoming more forgetful, less inclined to seek new experiences, more “set in their ways.” But what recent research has shown is that under the right circumstances the older brain can grow, too. Although certain brain machinery tends to decline with age, there are steps people can take to tap into plasticity and reinvigorate that machinery. We just have to “exercise” the brain in the right way.

So what should one do?

Keep learning is the panacea to the decline in brain power. Eat more healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, fish etc. Exercise regularly. Learn to meditate for getting out of stress. And while acquiring new skills keep in mind that:

StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you

click Stumble! It delivers high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of 8 million+ other web surfers with interests similar to you. Rating these sites

you like ( ) automatically shares them with like-minded people – and helps you discover great sites your friends recommend.

How does it Work?

StumbleUpon uses / ratings to form collaborative opinions on website quality. When you stumble, you will only see pages that friends

and like-minded stumblers ( ) have recommended. This helps you discover great content you probably wouldn't find using a search engine.

Searching vs. Stumbling:

Using search engines to locate relevant content typically means hunting through pages of results. Rather than searching for quality web sites, StumbleUpon members are taken directly to web sites matching their personal interests and preferences.

A Personalized Browsing Tool:

StumbleUpon offers nearly 500 topics which users may choose to indicate their interests and preferences so each Stumble produces only the most relevant content. StumbleUpon delivers increasingly relevant content as the Toolbar learns what the user has liked in the past and continues to

present quality web sites in the future.

Gadget

Rahul Kanungo: Excelled in making

and giving PowerPoint presentations,

many a times at the last minute. Got

to know a lot many people and have

been learning from those experiences.

I have very cherish-able memories of

time spent with people and will

remain with me.

Rahul Sharma: I feel that education at

this point of time is highly individual

specific. I have learnt to live in

practical environment, to interact in

group, to listen, to give presentations.

My personality has become more

rounded as a result.

Alok Abhijit: I have learned

tremendously in this college, not

because it has been taught to me, but

because it has been pointed out to

me. Be it the first trimester when we

were encouraged to develop our

perspective, or the vedanta class, or

yoga, or the holistic development

class, or the various guest faculty

lectures the idea always has been to

provide a spark apart from the

normal curriculum teaching. We have

been provided with the freedom to

develop our own personality, in our

own way, at our own pace. I learned a

lot from my classmates also, each of

whom is a gem of a person, and has so

many things to teach. I have learned

the values of sharing, the dynamics of

communication and cooperation,

humility, and above all belief in self as

well as other people.

I have learned

1. They should teach you something new. The brain is a learning machine. To keep it strong, you must continually develop new skills.

2. They should be challenging. Activities should command your full and close attention to drive chemical changes in the brain.

3. They should be progressive. You can begin a new activity at an easy level, but continuously challenge yourself to stay on the edge of your performance abilities—at your “threshold”—so that you improve. This goes for old activities you enjoy, too: pushing yourself to improve will help your brain.

4. They should engage your great brain processing systems. Tasks in which you must make fine distinctions about what you hear, see or feel and use that information to achieve complex goals drive the brain to change its abilities on different levels.

5. They should be rewarding. Rewards amplify brain changes, leading to improved learning and memory. They turn up the production of crucial brain chemicals that contribute to learning, memory, and good spirits.

6. They should be novel or surprising. New, positive and surprising experiences exercise the brain machinery that makes you bright and alert.

7. Ex- try a series subtracting 7 from 200 (200 193 186 179…), or a series involving multiplication (2,3 4,6 6,9 8,12…) or exponential series (2 4 8 16 32 64…) the goal is not to be a math genius, simply to train and improve our short-term memory. Another way is to try and remember our friends’ telephone numbers.

In general: try something different every day, no matter how little. Take a different route to work. Talk to a different colleague. Ask an unexpected question. Approach every day as a living experiment, a learning opportunity.

Try reading out loud the colors in which the words are written. What do you feel? Remember that the three key principles for good brain exercises are: novelty, variety and constant challenge.

Yellow Blue Orange White

Red Green Purple Yellow Red

Orange Green Black Blue Red

Purple Green Blue Orange

Wisdom

Education is not the amount of information that is put inside your brain and runs riot there, undigested all your life. We must have life building, man making, character building assimilation of ideas…If education were identical with information, libraries would be the greatest sages in he world and encyclopedias the Rishis.

The very essence of education is concentration of mind.

No good comes out of the man who day and night thinks he is nobody. We are what our thoughts have made us. Each thought is a little hammer blow on the lump of iron which our bodies are, manufacturing out of it what we want it to be. Words are secondary.

Mad Cap

Thoughts live; they travel far. And so take care of what you think. Good and evil have an equal share in molding character and in some cases misery is a greater teacher than happiness. It would be found that it was misery that taught more than happiness, it was poverty that taught more than wealth, and it was blows that brought out their inner fire more than praise.

So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every man a traitor who, having been educated at their expense pays not the least heed to them. Our great national sin is the neglect of the masses and that is the cause of our downfall. No amount of politics would be of any avail until the masses in India are once more well educated, well fed and well cared for. Every nation, every man and every woman must work out their own salvation. Give them ideas that is the only help they require and then the rest must follow as effect.

eye of a traveler

Diary of a traveler

What is it that motivates people to travel? Is it the yearning of the soul to see new sights, new cultures, the diversity of God’s creation, or merely to run far away from the madding crowd, to seek harmony in nature? What motivated a few among us to travel to Mahabaleshwar? Maybe we can quote RL Stevenson, who said,” For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.”

So, a few of us decided to take a weekend trip to Mahabaleshwar. And like all things in life, the start was not flawless. The starting time of 4am got delayed to 5:30am as the driver was not available. Then one of our colleagues fell ill, (suffering from a mysterious bout of unconsciousness), and cancelled his trip at the last moment. But undaunted by these minor irritants we decided to proceed. And we were rewarded by the trip, much beyond our wildest imagination.

Situated at about 220 kms (via Mahad), or 300 kms (via Pune) from Mumbai, the climate of Mahabaleshwar is very soothing. Its climate is moderated by its height (4500 ft) and it’s nearness to Arabian sea. The 150 km square plateau is covered by dense green trees and is any traveler’s delight.

We had made no reservations from Mumbai and saw 4-5 hotels on the fly and what they had to offer. We settled for a place which offered a grand view of Venna Lake and the surrounding greenery. It being an off peak season we got pretty good rates too. The hotel we decided to stay in was made during British times, and the rooms were huge, a rarity these days when everyone is looking at optimal utilization of land.

The evening was spent strolling through the market, going to Venna Lake, and having the famous corn roast. The strawberry cream was the other delicacy that we tried on both days of our stay. We would recommend anyone heading that way to have the strawberry cream at the mapro garden, situated about 11 kms from Mahabaleshwar. Late evening was spent outdoors sitting on the big armchairs talking about anything and everything with mock tails prepared by Prashant giving us the energy.

The various points located in Mahabaleshwar offer a breathtaking view of the valley, prominent among them being the kates point, Wilson point and Arthurs seat.

The panchganga temple, said to be the source of five holy rivers krishna, venna, koyna, Savitri & gayatri is also a place to visit for the spiritually oriented. Near to the panchganga temple is located lord Shiva’s temple where the linga is rudraksha shaped and is believed to be swayambhu. About 25 km from the city is located the famous and majestic pratapgarh fort which houses the temple of Bhavani mata made by Shivaji. The view from the top of the fort is amazing and one can see miles around with peaks and valleys from it.

Overall the trip was an amazing experience where we came in touch with history, beauty, nature, culture and ourselves. And as Lao Tzu says: a good traveler has no fixed plan and is not intent on arriving. We were in that frame of mind there, but alas, the call of civilization and duty is a hard call to ignore, and we had to return back.

Standing at the edge thinking how to take

off

Wondering what it takes to reach the sky

Dreaming of days when I would touch the

horizon

So Pious, so Beautiful, so gratifying….

I’m still learning how to fly

Before I’m pushed off the edge and

wouldn’t realize

I see others around me flocking together

Searching for ways to achieve their

echelon of success….

Blinded by the glitzy colorful fresco

enticing them

Its funny how I see so much, but can’t find

a way..

Maybe I’ll take some time to get there and

have my share.

As I’m still learning to how to fly

But will reach abode at last for sure

Uncertain, elusive, blurry little souls gazing

at the seamless sky

Gawking at living sagas of greatness

weaving the future of the world

And as the final flight is inching near

My mind wonders if this is a last leeway

Or just a means to nurture my yearnings

As I’m still learning how to fly……

By: Ms. Meenal Vyas

Ingenuity

“Love it or hate it” – You need to know it

Demographics 0-14 years 31.1% 15-64 years 63.6% 65 years and over 5.3%

Hindu 80.5% Muslim 13.4% Christian 2.3% Sikh 1.9% Other 1.8% Unspecified 0.1%

GDP Composition Agriculture 17.6% Industry 29% Services 53.4%

Labor Force 523.5 million

Export 176.4 bill ion (2008 est.) US 12.9% China 11% UAE 8.8% Singapore 4.1% (2008)

Import $305.5 billion (2008 est.) China 11.8% US 6.8% Singapore 4.4% Germany 4.3% Australia 4.1%

Total Telephone subscriber base reaches 509 Million Tele-density reaches 43.50 Broadband subscription is 7.21 million

Rs. Crore US$ Mn.

Total Reserves 13,53,607 280,770

(a) Foreign Currency Assets + 12,73,653 264,353

(b) Gold 48,041 9,828

(c) SDRs @ 25,336 5,224

(d) Reserve Position in the IMF 6,577 1,365

Job interview

What is Your Greatest Weakness?

When you're asked what your greatest weakness is, try to turn a negative into a positive. For example, a sense of urgency to get projects completed or wanting to triple-check every item in a spreadsheet can be turned into a strength i.e. you are a candidate who will make sure that the project is done on time and your work will be close to perfect.

Note that the term "weakness" isn't used in the sample answers - you always want to focus on the positive when interviewing.

Sample Answer

When I'm working on a project, I don't want just to meet deadlines. Rather, I prefer to complete the project well ahead of schedule.

What Motivates You?

There isn't a right or wrong answer to interview questions about what motivates you. The interviewer is trying to understand the key to your being successful in the job he is interviewing for, and wants to make sure it's a good fit. Consider, in advance of interviewing, what actually does motivate you and come up with some specific examples to share during the interview.

Your response will vary based on your background and experiences, but, you will want to share your enthusiasm and what you like (d) best about your job. Here are some examples:

I was responsible for several projects where I directed development teams and implemented repeatable processes. The teams achieved 100% on-time delivery of software products. I was motivated both by the challenge of finishing the projects ahead of schedule and by managing the teams that achieved our goals.

The One Minute Manager By Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

The One Minute Manager reveals three secrets to productive and efficient managing as told through a young man's search for the perfect managing and leading skills. The One Minute Manager is focused on, not surprisingly, a one minute manager. The man is a venerable leader that is highly spoken of by his employees, his three secrets being the key to his success.

The first secret is One Minute Goals. This involves a meeting of the manager and the employee where goals are agreed on, written down in a brief statement, and occasionally reviewed to ensure that productivity is occurring. This whole process takes a "minute", which truly means it is a quick meeting, however it is not limited to just sixty seconds. The purpose of one minute goal setting is to confirm that responsibilities of each working is understood, understanding that confusion leads to inefficiency and discouragement.

The second secret to one minute managing is one minute praising. This involves being open with people about their performance. When you catch someone doing something right, a goal of the one minute manager, you praise them immediately, telling them specifically what they did correctly. Pause to allow them to "feel" how good you feel regarding their importance to the organization, and finish by shaking hands.

The third…………… (Read yourself)

The One Minute Manager is a quick read that emphasizes key points throughout. The message is clear, and implementing the ideas is straight-forward and laid out in the book. This makes it simple to utilize the knowledge and techniques that the one minute manager style offers. Due to these factors, I find The One Minute Manager an effective tool for developing leadership.

Bookvurme

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This is one of the best books to come out on the topic of personality development. Mr Covey talks about living a life based on principles, and how the seven habits can lead one to be highly effective. The central idea that there is always a gap between the stimulus and response, and that we can choose this gap to make our decisions and life better, may sound simple to some, but is life altering if followed religiously.

This is not a book to skim over. It works on a deeper plane, and if understood and applied in our day to day life, is sure to make us more effective. Its importance can be gauged by the fact that even after 19 years of being published it is still very popular and much recommended.

The first habit is “Be Proactive”. The term “proactive” means “acting in anticipation of future problems”. We are not a product of our upbringing, circumstances, or events but we are who we choose to be. We choose to respond rather than react, to influence events rather than complain about them. The second habit is “Begin with the End in Mind”. It is the habit of personal leadership - leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful. Habit three is “Put First Things First”. Time management is crucial. How we allocate that time defines our destiny. Define what is most important to you. Make space for the big things, then we easily have time for the smaller things.

Habit four is, “Think Win-Win”. This is the habit of interpersonal leadership, necessary because achievements are largely dependent on co-operative efforts with others. He says that win-win is based on the assumption that there is plenty for everyone, and that success follows a co-operative approach more naturally than the confrontation of win-or-lose. Habit five: “Seek First to Understand, then be Understood”. By genuinely caring to put our needs and wants second and understand another’s needs and wants, we bridge the gap of misunderstanding and accomplish more than we would have by ‘winning’ a dispute. (For next two read the book)

Bookvurme

Tell Me About Yourself?

You walk into the interview room, shake hands with your interviewer and sit down with your best interviewing smile on. Guess what their first question is? "Tell me about yourself."

Do you "wing it" and actually tell all manner of things about yourself? Will you spend the next 5 minutes rambling on about what an easy-going, loyal, dedicated, hard working employee you've been? If this is the case, you stand a good chance of having bored your interviewer to death thus creating a negative first impression.

Because it's such a common interview question, it's strange that more candidates don't spend the time to prepare for exactly how to answer it. Perhaps because the question seems so disarming and informal, we drop our guard and shift into ramble mode. Resist all temptation to do so.

Your interviewer is not looking for a 10-minute dissertation here. Instead, offer a razor sharp sentence or two that sets the stage for further discussion and sets you apart from your competitors.

What will you do if you don't get this position?

When you're interviewing for an internal position within your company, you may be asked what you will do if you don't get the job. The interviewer wants to know whether you are concerned about just the advancement opportunity or the company.

Best Answer

I am committed to this company and its advancement so, should I not be selected, I will work with and support whoever might get selected. However, I do feel that my experience in the department and with the team would make me the best candidate.

***Starr of the issue (Mr. Alok Abhijit)

Find us on the Web: Welingkar eBiz Linkedin Blog ebiz.samwad@gmail.com Please feel free to email us any time (for praises, complains, suggestions or any other matter related to our efforts)

The Team: Mr. Alok Abhijit Mr. Akshay Aggarwal Mr. Ankit Gupta Design, concept, editing and copyright by and of e-Biz Samwad Council

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Archive:

If you missed our September 2009 Issue II read it online here.