I bumped into this speech by Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis in Outlook Business. I would rate this speech on par with the one that Steve Jobs gave at Stanford a while back.
Archive for August, 2008
Find the spark, A billion sparks could mean something.
August 21, 2008What is Objective of Education ? Learning or Teaching.
August 21, 2008(via Knowledge at Wharton) Oscar Wilde once quoted, ” Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth learning can be taught. “
In their book, Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back on Track, authors Russell L. Ackhoff and Daniel Greenberg point out that today’s education system is seriously flawed — it focuses on teaching rather than learning. “Why should children — or adults — be asked to do something computers and related equipment can do much better than they can?” the authors ask in the following excerpt from the book. “Why doesn’t education focus on what humans can do better than the machines and instruments they create?”
Raising A Toast in India
August 19, 2008We are very boring people. We have no Indian expression to raise a toast for friends and family. (via business outlook) Vikram Achanta CEO of Tulleeho talks about how various cultures raise a toast.
In Russia, they say za zdaraovje, with three toasts being raised, the first in honour of the occasion, the second, to friendship, za druzhbu and the third, my favourite, is to love, (za l’ubof).
A favourite from around the world is an Irish drinking toast, which I leave you with: “May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.”
Cheers! from around the world
A votre sante : France, Salud : Argentina, Ganbei : China, Kanpai : Japan, Na Zdravi : Poland, Skaal : Denmark, Sl-inte : Ireland, Prost : Germany, L’chaim : Hebrew, Oogy Wawa : Zulu
our group has a good one too : Sex, Success, Survival
Step off the Conveyor Belt
August 18, 2008(via Tehelka) Jenny Pinto discusses how she took her daughter off the conveyor belt with some brilliant results. She further concludes
A child comes into the world with her or his unique intelligence and it is up to parents and educators to allow children to explore their unique view of the world. Education is not just about gathering information and collecting degrees but also developing, among other things, integrity and fearlessness. That, unfortunately, doesn’t come automatically with a college degree. Imposing narrow definitions of success on our children only leads to frustration, anger, fear, low self-esteem and imbalances.
They inherit a very complex, unkind, unequal world from us and it may just be better to let our children find their own answers. Ours was happy ending, but I know that there are a lot of educators, parents and children out there in similar situations. I can only share my story and hope that they see that sometimes the answers lie in taking that important, timely pause. Dealing with Diya’s situation taught me that it’s important to be able to step back and look at our children for who they are and not as cogs in a wheel.
India a Difficult Business Destination
August 17, 2008India is not an easy place to either start or run a business. The number of permissions and approvals by government is astounding. It took me 7 months to get a passport the straight way. In an interview with Indian Express Swraj Paul talks about some of his frustrations that I relate with. Some of his observations
India is still the most difficult place in the world to do business.
Never trust what they tell you whether it is the government or trade organizations.
We think India can be the only competitor to China in the manufacturing segment. But if India wants to compete with China, it needs to overcome this obstructionist attitude that come from politicians.
Communities vs Hierarchies
August 17, 2008via Thomas Dreller the differences in a community and hierarchy. To be honest in India it is difficult to build a community for the most part because as a society we are very feudal. This makes a peer to peer relationship extremely difficult.
The below is a very good explanation.
Recently I received feedback on reviving a starving community from one of the higher ranks:
“Based on what I have seen happening, the community could be successful in establishing its identity if there is some regular communication flowing from the top, for ex. a monthly summary.“
Somehow I felt there is something missing, or even wrong with this statement, and it took me some time for figuring out what it could be. I think I’ve got it now: It’s the top-down approach for establishing an identity, which I believe won’t work.
Gary Hamel once (The Future of Management) raised an interesting question:
“When in your life have you felt the most joyful and the most energized by work?… I bet it involved a group of people who were bound by their devotion to a common cause, who were undeterred by a lack of resources and undaunted by a lack of expertise, and who cared more about what they could accomplish together than how credit would be apportioned. In short, you were part of a community.“
Completely agree: It’s the common cause which forms the identity of the community, not the directed information flow, not the structured meeting place, not the existence of specific roles. Looking around, I see too much hierarchy, too many policies, and too little community. And, digging further, I found this little jewel that precisely explains why I didn’t feel well about this statement. The piece positions bureaucracy versus community:
Hierarchies are good at aggregating effort. Communities are good at mobilizing effort.
In a community, the interaction and exchange is voluntary – you give your skills, experience, bandwidth in return for the chance to make a difference, or exercise your talents. In a hierarchy, you get paid for doing what is assigned to you. It’s a contractual exchange.
In a bureaucracy, you are a factor in production. In a community you are a partner in cause.
Communities depend on norms, values, and gentle prodding of one’s peers. Bureaucracies rely on multiple layers of management and a web of policies.
In a bureaucracy individual contributions are circumscribed. Financial people work on finance. Marketing people market. In a community, capability and disposition are more important than credentials and job descriptions.
In a bureaucracy rewards are financial. In communities, the rewards are emotional.
Mull over it and please share your personal experiences
What is Affluenza ?
August 6, 2008Mental health professionals are now calling “affluenza,” a social pathology that, they say, is rampant at a time when getting and spending — a lot — have become our nation’s most cherished activities, and when purchasing power has become, to an unprecedented extent, almost the sole source of many people’s status and identity.
Save the Girl Child : An Idea
August 5, 2008Indians and Chinese have a fascination for male children. They believe having a male child keeps the lineage alive and continuation of the family name. They are using modern technology like scanners and sonogram machines to get rid of female children. We have to come with ideas and programs to make the girl child more viable than a male child.
I heard this story of what the communists did in West Bengal many years ago. Not sure whether this story is true nevertheless a superb idea. For every girl child born the government helped the family plant a Teak tree near their house or in their fields. In 20 years the tree was large enough to provide for the family to peacefully marry off the girl child.
Like a bank where you can keep money, the government should provide tree banks where these trees are planted and protected.
Understanding Vengeance
August 1, 2008What can tribal societies tell us about our need to get even ? In the Highlands of New Guinea, rival clans have often fought wars lasting decades, in which killing provokes one another.
State societies and their associated religions and moral codes teach us that seeking revenge is bad. But, while acting on vengeful feelings clearly needs to be discouraged, acknowledging them should be not merely permitted but encouraged.
