A COVID STORY

 

A COVID STORY

Covid came unannounced. Lock Down confined people to their residences. You were punished if you had ventured out. There were arrests. Beatings by the law enforcers. And stiff fines.

Those who had permanent jobs had nothing to lose. Their salaries were promptly credited to their accounts.

Others had it tough. Daily wage earners had their source of income dry up. Shops that sold essential supplies were permitted to operate within a limited time frame. Those who failed to shutter their shops in the given time were either beaten up or were showered with the choicest expletives the enforcers threw at them with gusto. Small time entrepreneurs had no other go but to close down their ventures.

Manoj had a Workshop where he had employed seven workers. He was repairing all kinds vehicles that plied on the roads.

Well, Manoj had to retrench all his employees. He was sitting the hard times out at home.

One day a Civil Police Officer came to his house on a motor cycle. The Police had a broken down Vehicle at the local Police Station that had restricted the mobility of the Police. Manoj  was ordered to reach the Police Station at once and repair the Vehicle.

Manoj rode to the Police Station on his own  motor cycle along with the Civil Police Officer. Fortunately he could repair the vehicle in quick time. The Police paid him his charges for the work.

Manoj was happy he had some money in pocket after quite a long time. He thought he could pick up essential supplies for his people at home. 

As Manoj was riding back to his place the Police from another Police Station stopped him on the road. He was accused of breaking the law by venturing out during Covid times. 

He was fined Rs..2000.00 for the cardinal offence. He explained to the Officer that he was requisitioned by the local Police to repair their vehicle. The Officer did not relent.

Cornered, Manoj rang up the Civil Police Officer and appraised him of the predicament.

The response was in Malayalam, “Avaru fine adichathalle, nee athu kodutheru”. Roughly translated into English, the universal language, it would be, “As they have charged you with the fine, you better pay it up.”

Manoj paid the fine and rode home minus the essentials his wife badly needed.

 

India is not the India of the 50s and 60s

 Someone wrote from abroad

Given the political unrest in India, is it better to stock up on some dry food - just staples like rice / atta/ pulses / tea etc? Just a thought.  + oil

I replied

 There's no political unrest here. Your perception is wrong.

BJP is in full command. They are doing a good job.

And they're going to stay there for the next ten years, if not for more, for the simple reason, there's no credible alternative.

War is a distinct possibility, but it'll never be prolonged.

India is not the India of the 50s and 60s.

It has  adequate stock of basic essentials.

Stocking up at the current juncture would be like climbing up the wrong tree

A Twisting Tale

 A TwistingTale

One day I looked on quietly when Ameya was going through motions of sweeping the dry leaves off - the broom was on the move, but the leaves stayed static -  just as she was carrying on animatedly on her phone. It was loud. It centered on the impending marriage of her elder daughter.

Later I told her to put the phone away when she was on her job.

Today I called her for some task. I heard her conveying  on the phone she was concluding the conversation.

I asked what it was about.

She said it's about the marriage of her elder daughter.

When I probed she said an Engineer, a Nair, from Palghat was  marrying her daughter.

She elaborated, "They came and they had no demands. They were happy with the girl."  The prospective groom was found through instagram reels of her daughter, she added.

It was greek to me.

She said the marriage would be held at Guruvayoor. It'd be a Hindu Marriage. She was running around to raise Rs7 lacs for that. 

I said I thought she was from the predominant community around. She said no, she was a Nair and that as per records she was a Hindu. But she confirmed she had embraced Christianity  and she followed the Christian faith .

I was perplexed.

Truly twisting.

CEO has to bat for the company

 

CEO has to bat for the company. But if things are not working he must get rid of the baggage. 

He must ensure that the company breaks out of the formal, hierarchical mode. Then he has to  transform the brand strategy. Let people choose.Make what sells rather than letting  people buy what you make. 

Do something you are really interested in. Have the courage to make bold decisions and go all in on it. There will be moments in your life where you will have to make super big decisions. Never hesitate.

Innovation has multiple roles. Serve unmet needs. Expand the universe. Look for salience around big ideas. But when you have more ideas than work you can be certain you are reaching nowhere. You have to decisively act and discard the flab.

In Homer's epic Odyssey,  Zeus, the king of gods laments, " Men are fools.... They blame the gods for their misfortunes, ignoring our advice. They don't accept that their own foolish actions lead to their downfall"

Stay completely in the moment as you speak with another person. Look them in the eye. Observe their facial expressions.

Do things unhurriedly. Unhurriedly, not slowly.

THE LAW OF INCREASE

 

THE LAW OF INCREASE

The law of increase states that that which we truly appreciate and are grateful for will increase in our life.

When we can focus on something and appreciate it with all our heart and the gratitude for having it in our life wells out and overflows, we will find that more and more of it will automatically appear in our life.

Stay completely in the moment as you speak with another person. Look them in the eye. Observe their facial expressions.

Do things unhurriedly. Unhurriedly, not slowly.

You don't have to be Ivy League educated.

 To be successful you don't have to be Ivy League educated. 

Normal people with normal backgrounds and difficult childhoods can achieve their dreams.

 The best companies reinvent themselves multiple times. 

They make fundamental changes across all aspects of business.

Risk is not external. It is self  generated.

The ultimate test of leadership is for teams to harness the opposing forces of humility and relentless drive.

Harness market intelligence.

Versatility is most essential in management

"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness."

Dalai Lama

No marriages are made in heaven

No marriages are made in heaven. They need very down to earth adjustments. Make them.

 God does not change the condition of any people until they themselves resolve to embark on that change.

The parents  should never meddle in the least to narrow their children's choices. No tyranny of expectation should be exercised.

Marriage calls for  spontaneous appreciation and fondness in interactions.

I wouldn't have been what I am, if Lila, had not conspired to make it happen or gave me the energy to go ahead. She beaurifully  managed everything at home.

It began since we came together.

Our children encourage me to keep going. All the three of them, Lila, Anoop and Ashwin, exemplify hardwork.

God has blessed us with grandchildren. They are bundles of joy and the epitome of boundless energy. We praise God for the priceless gifts.

"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness."

Dalai Lama