Stress management

 Events : 8-Mar-2019

·       Context: Addressed L&T employees

Response: Helped employees to identify stress triggers and ways to hope up

Silk Route

Looking back at where we came from and where we stand today, it’s truly fascinating!  

There was a time when trade meant traversing vast continents on foot, braving harsh terrains, and risking lives and goods to connect with distant lands. Merchants on the Silk Route faced bandits, unfamiliar cultures, and relentless challenges. Yet, their determination bore fruit—they returned home enriched, not just economically but also with stories, knowledge, and connections that shaped civilizations.  

Now, the landscape of commerce has shifted entirely. Sitting comfortably in my chair, I can browse, click, and order almost anything from across the globe. A few days of waiting is all it takes for the item to arrive safely at my doorstep. It’s efficient, convenient, and astonishingly seamless.  

But this hyper-connectivity comes at a cost—we miss the human touch. Transactions today often lack the face-to-face exchanges that once fostered relationships, trust, and shared experiences. Perhaps, in our race for convenience, we’ve left behind the essence of connection.

The Shift

A constant complaint from parents is that their children don’t listen to them or show interest in studies. But if we dig a little deeper, we often find that the stress and tension accumulated at the office find their way home. And who bears the brunt? The children.

This is compounded by the heavy expectations we place on them. Whatever we struggle to master at work, we want our kids to excel in effortlessly. I recall attending a parent-teacher meeting where a father of a 6-year-old requested the school to start a German language course. His reasoning? He worked for a German-based company and envisioned his son acquiring the language early to secure a future in the same firm.

Perhaps it's time to pause. Let the kids play, explore, and learn at their own pace. Childhood is a journey, not a sprint toward adult goals.

Quiz time: why does the painting appear incomplete with the color spillage?

Organizational Behavior

Aim

This article studies the organizational behavior, it is implication, how HR contributes towards OB, and a detail study of an OB model.

What is Organizational Behavior?

Organizational behavior or OB in short, is about studying the interaction and dynamics of individuals, groups and the entire organization in an organizational setup.

Some of the interests to know about individuals are how a person is motivated, what is their personality, ability to learn new things, his/her interaction in the group.

Teamwork, communication style, leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution are few aspects of interest in a group.

An organizational culture, hierarchy, efficiency and satisfaction are few topics to highlight the organizational dynamics.

Why is it essential for a trainer to understand OB? 

Only after understanding the challenges faced by the organization and individuals, a trainer can effectively device a training program to address the concerns.

By knowing the motivating factors of the people, trainer can engage with modules that address different learning styles and personalities. That Paves way to better knowledge retention and implementation.

Knowing group behavior helps the trainer to guide people towards effective team building, conflict resolution, better communication. This ensure a collaborative environment.

What are the factors that influence OB? 

OB is influenced at individual, group and organization levels.

Individual

• Personality
• Perception
• Motivation
• Emotional Intelligence

Group

• Dynamics 
• Leadership style
• Communication
• Conflict
• Roles

Organization

• Culture
• Structure
• Technology
• Policies
• External environment

What is the role and contribution of HR in OB? 

HR takes an important role of setting up a work environment that brings smoothness to individual, group and organizational goals.

HR ensures increasing productivity, collaboration and employee satisfaction. This is possible by optimal settings of OB. 

Recruiting the right person, giving required training, introducing the organizational culture are part of HR activities.

HR mediates any workplace conflicts or misunderstandings. Here again the spirit of OB is retained.

Initiatives like stress management workshops, counseling services, and wellness programs improve overall employee morale and reduce absenteeism.

To summarize, HR bridges the organizational goals with individual capabilities. OB concepts are applied by HR to achieve optimal output and employee satisfaction.

Explain in detail about 1 model of OB. 

The following are five major models of OB.

1. Autocratic Model
2. Custodial Model
3. Supportive Model
4. Collegial Model
5. System Model

Let us explore the System model. It is a modern approach were organizational goals and employee needs are met in a harmonious manner. Trust, collaboration, and personal growth are integral to success.

The needs are people can be classified under physical, emotional, social and intellectual. A framework need to address these needs and provide scope for growth.  At the same time, investing in these areas ought to be aligned with the organizational goals. This approach would lead to a positive working environment.

What is your understanding of the module?

Here are the take away from this module.

• Studying OB is important to understand the individual, group dynamics.
• A trainer ought to apply these ideas to present effective trainings.
• HR's task is to align organization goals with the employee satisfaction and growth.

Calm nature

My wife noticed that I behaved in a calm manner compared to 2 months earlier.  We were going through the activities that might have caused this change.  One interesting thing is, I didn't do yoga in these 2 months. So, yoga is ruled out.

We had started a prayer practice in this duration. Four of us sing some hymns and share stories. That practice might have induced a peaceful mindset. Feels good to see some intangible changes in a short period. As I am exploring concepts on inner peace, this transformation is encouraging and motivating to take further steps.

Mere exposure phenomena

 I wrote this article on anima. In that, I made this statement.

I’ve observed instances where I found a woman unattractive at first, but over time, through conversations and shared experiences, I began to see her as beautiful or appealing.

Now, I got a proof for that. Robert Zajong had said this before.

The Gopura

The towering spire of the temple, the gopura, stands tall and proud, its intricate carvings visible from miles away. Its most striking feature is its ability to announce the temple’s presence long before one sets foot in the town. This architectural marvel serves not just as a beacon but as a symbolic guide. Even before we step into the sanctum sanctorum, the gopura invites us to glimpse the divine, manifest in the artistry and grandeur of its outer form.

There’s a deeper meaning here. In our quest for inner divinity, the journey often begins with external signs—a kind word, a moment of clarity, or an overwhelming sense of peace. These subtle markers guide us inward, preparing our hearts and minds for the sacred connection within. This concept resonated deeply with me when I painted my first canvas, capturing the essence of a gopura. It was between 1996 and 1998, during my time in Bangalore—a period marked by creative exploration and introspection.

Day and Night

Back in 1998, when I was living in Bangalore, I often found myself captivated by the beauty of nature. One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, I sketched the silhouette of coconut trees against the vibrant hues of the sunset. The tranquility of that moment stayed with me, but it also sparked a curious thought—what becomes of the beach once we leave? Do the waves still hum their endless lullaby, or does the shore grow silent in our absence? Does the night bring new stories, even without an audience?

One night, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight, a thought struck me—what if I returned to that very spot? Would the coconut trees look as majestic as they did at sunset, or would the moonlight cast a different spell? Driven by this whim, I revisited the place. Under the silvery beams of the moon, the scene transformed entirely. The same trees, now cloaked in a gentle, ethereal light, stood as silent witnesses to the dance of shadows. That became my second image—a contrast between the fiery farewell of the sun and the serene embrace of the moon.

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The Promiscuous Man: A Jungian Perspective

Why are some men loyal while others stray? When I first pondered this question, I turned to ChatGPT for an exploration of the reasons behind male promiscuity. The responses spanned various fields—evolutionary biology, cultural norms, social psychology, and more. Each provided valuable insights into why some men might be more inclined toward promiscuity than others. However, my curiosity led me deeper, to a less conventional but psychologically rich framework: Jung's concept of the anima.

Before delving into how the anima might play a role in such behaviors, let’s first address some common critiques and misunderstandings around this theory.

Understanding the Anima

What is the Anima?  

The anima is a concept introduced by Carl Jung in the early to mid-20th century, most notably expanded upon in the 1950s. According to Jung, every man carries within his unconscious mind a feminine image—his anima. This inner feminine manifests as a collection of traits and potentials traditionally associated with "feminine" qualities, such as emotional receptivity, intuition, creativity, and sensitivity. Jung believed that the anima acts as a guide between the conscious mind and the deeper layers of the psyche, influencing how a man relates to women and even how he relates to his own inner life.

Is the Anima Scientific?  

No, the anima is not considered a scientifically validated concept in contemporary psychology. While Jung's theories have been influential, they also face significant critiques. Many modern approaches have sought to improve upon or deviate from Jung's ideas, such as:

•  Sandra Bem's androgyny theory, which suggests that individuals embody both masculine and feminine traits, allowing for a more fluid understanding of gender roles.
•  Gender schema theory, also proposed by Sandra Bem, which argues that gender is socially constructed and learned through cultural norms rather than being an inherent archetype.
•  Raewyn Connell’s work on hegemonic masculinity, which introduces the idea of multiple masculinities and femininities, shaped by social contexts.
•  Object relations theory, which emphasizes how early relationships with caregivers form internal patterns that influence future behavior.
•  Queer theory and non-binary perspectives, which challenge the notion of fixed gender identities or inherent traits, promoting a view of gender and sexuality as fluid and socially constructed.

Despite these valid critiques and alternative frameworks, I find the Jungian theory compelling for its simplicity and symbolic depth, offering a way to relate my personal experiences to a broader psychological framework.

The Anima Projected onto Reality

Jung posited that a man's relationship with his anima affects how he projects this inner feminine onto the women in his life. The anima can be clear and well-integrated or fragmented and hazy, and this internal state influences how a man relates to others.

The Loyal Man

When a man's anima is integrated and well-defined, he is more likely to exhibit qualities such as loyalty, emotional stability, and the capacity for deep commitment. In this case, his anima serves as a mature inner guide, helping him focus his desires on a single partner, often leading to monogamous relationships. Love, care, and emotional connection become central themes in his romantic life because the anima is not merely an unconscious force but an integrated aspect of his personality.

For such a man, the anima acts as a source of emotional depth, enabling him to engage in meaningful relationships. His clarity about what he seeks in a partner allows him to project his inner feminine onto one person, rather than scattering his projections across many. This integration fosters a sense of wholeness in his relationships, where he seeks not just physical attraction but also emotional and spiritual connection.

The Promiscuous Man

In contrast, a man who engages in promiscuous behavior may have an anima that is fragmented or unclear. In Jungian terms, this means his anima is less integrated into his conscious self, creating inner confusion and restlessness. The lack of a clear anima image leads to a tendency to project the anima onto multiple women, as though he is seeking different aspects of his own inner feminine in each partner. This can result in a pattern of seeking novelty and sensation, rather than deeper emotional fulfillment.

The hazy anima may compel the promiscuous man to constantly pursue new partners, as he is unconsciously searching for an ideal that remains elusive. His relationships may lack emotional depth or permanence because he is not fully aware of what he seeks. The anima, in this case, operates at a more primitive level, closer to Jung's archetype of the temptress or seductress, where the unconscious motivations are driven by the pursuit of pleasure rather than genuine connection.

It’s important to clarify that this doesn’t imply such a man is entirely without control or responsibility. Rather, his unconscious projections may lead him to see potential in many different women, blurring the line between infatuation and true attraction. The anima's unresolved state makes it difficult for him to form lasting attachments because each new encounter feels like a potential fulfillment of an inner longing that remains undefined.

Personal Reflection

On a personal note, I’ve observed instances where I found a woman unattractive at first, but over time, through conversations and shared experiences, I began to see her as beautiful or appealing. This shift could relate to the anima's dynamic nature, where initial projections may change as one’s understanding deepens. It suggests that the anima is not static; it evolves with the individual, shaped by experiences and conscious reflections.

(Refer Mere exposure phenomena)

Applying Anima Theory to Animus in Women

While this discussion has focused on the anima in men, a similar process occurs with the animus in women, which represents their inner masculine qualities. Just as the anima can influence a man's behavior in relationships, the animus can shape a woman's approach to romantic and personal dynamics. The principles of projection, integration, and the search for inner balance apply to both the anima and animus, though the specific qualities they embody may differ.

Conclusion

Jung's concept of the anima provides a symbolic framework for understanding why some men exhibit loyalty while others pursue multiple partners. It suggests that our inner psychological landscape, shaped by the integration or fragmentation of the anima, influences how we relate to others in the external world. While the anima theory is not without its critics and is not considered scientifically validated, it offers rich insights into the symbolic and unconscious aspects of human behavior.

Understanding and integrating the anima can help foster emotional balance, creativity, and deeper connections, guiding individuals toward a more holistic sense of self. Whether through loyalty or promiscuity, our behaviors often reflect the state of our inner world—a world where the anima plays a subtle but powerful role.

அப்பாக்கள் பலவிதம்

 

Mixture அப்பா 

தன் வேலையில் மூழ்கி இருப்பார்.  பாசம் கிடையாது.  யாருக்கும் பிரேசனம் இல்லை .

வெளிநாட்டு அப்பா 

டெய்லி பேசுவார் (போனில்).  கேட்டதுக்கு எல்லாம் பணம் அனுப்புவார், தேவைக்கு அதிகமாகவே.  நிறைய பாசம் இருக்கிறது, கண்டம்விட்டு கண்டம் தாண்டியதால் எதையும் காட்டமுடியாது.  அருகில் இல்லாததால் பிள்ளைகளின் வளர்ச்சில் பங்கேற்பு zero

Jolly அப்பா 

இவருடன் இருந்தால் ரொம்ப நல்லாயிருக்கும்.  சிரிக்க சிரிக்க பேசுவார். நல்லா பாத்துப்பார். ஆனால் பசங்க வாழ்க்கை, முன்னேற்றம்? அது  இவருக்கு தெரியாது.

கறார் பேர்வழி 

உங்க பையன இவர் கிட்ட விடுங்க. அடிச்சு தொவைச்சாச்சும் Engineer ஆக்கிடுவார்.  பாசம் என்ன விலைன்னு கேட்பார்.

செல்வாக்கு 

பெரிய பணக்காரர். கவுரவம், அந்தஸ்து, bank balance - அடிக்கடி உபயோகிக்கும் வார்த்தைகள்.  தன்னுடைய plan முக்கியம்னு பொண்ண பாழும் கிணத்தில் தள்ளுவார் .

No choice அப்பா 

நல்லது நினைப்பார். தான் நினைப்பதுவே நல்லது என முடிவோடு இருப்பார்.

Middle class அப்பா 

நாம நிறைய பாத்து பழக்கப்பட்ட அப்பா.  பாசம் இருக்கு - காட்டலாமா கூடாதான்னு ஒரு குழப்பம்.  பசங்க பரிட்சையில் நல்ல mark வாங்கினால் நல்லா settle ஆகிடுவாங்கனு நம்புறவர்.  அவங்க முன்னேற்றத்திற்கு வேறு எதுவும் பண்ண தெரியாது.  

Super star அப்பா 

பாசக்காரர்.  சுதந்திரமா வளப்பாரு.  முன்னேற தூண்டுகோலா இருப்பார்.  அவளுக்கு ஒன்னு வேணும்னா ஊரையே புரட்டி போட்டு காரியத்தை சாதிப்பார்.

Virus

Year 2050 AD

Yesterday I started feeling strange things at house.  The microwave burnt the food, thou I set the right timing.  Couple of light bulbs are glowing dim.  Today the bathroom shower was focused towards bedroom, beds got drenched.  Even the medicine cabinet got shuffled.

I think all these things started after my son downloaded a game in the TV.  Some malware got into the home activity system. 
I don't want to call the VET(virus eradicating team).  They will seal off the house to prevent contaminating other houses.  Instead let me check if my son can fix the problem.

Hope nothing worse happens.  This is the problem connecting everything online.

Creativity

My 4 yr old daughter picked a bowling set for kids.  We started playing by rolling the ball to the pins.  After a while, she asked if we can play another game.  She defined the rules.  The ten pins of 4 different colors are placed in the floor.  First person should close the eyes.  Other person should pick any of the pins and hide it.  First person should open the eyes and identify the color of the missing pin.  We played 2 or 3 rounds of this game and it was very interesting.  It was an ah! moment to see her invent a new game.

Laptop battery maintenance

The well known tips for maintaining laptop battery is to allow full charge of the battery, and remove the power. Use the laptop till the battery is drained and recharge to full again. Watching the battery usage is difficult and hard to switch on and off. Instead the system should have taken care of this. The charging should be cut off once 100% charge is done. Same way, when the battery runs low below a threshold, power flow should be switched on.

Hope we will have this in future.

Our words over time

Happen to read a tamil saying, "KAlam pOkum; vArththai nRkkum". (reference "iniya thamizhil ilakkaNap pizhaiyinRi eluthum muRaikal" page 171). Roughly this proverb conveys "Time flies off, words stick around". What a deep sounding wisdom. When we recollect our past and experience, how true is this wordings!

Thirukural 129 gives a similar view. "Fire burn cures quickly. Hurting words leaves a scar and never forgotten."

Why are we here?

A popular and interesting philosophical question is about our purpose in the world. Why did we take this life and what are we supposed to do? Considering any living being, after birth it need to look out for food, develop skills that are passed thru gene, and find a mate. Reproduce, raise children.

Human beings are slightly complex. We not only have to find food, but find food in a sophisticated manner. Learn different fields of studies, make yourself eligible for jobs, be street smart, land up in decent paying job. Looking carefully at the job ordeal, we see that such a complex process is not only for food, but also a yardstick to reach a better mate.

Considering all angle and aspects, life seems to focus on mating and leave a good signature through your children.

Hint for sudoku

I keep playing sudoku at http://www.websudoku.com Most of the time I solve the puzzle easily. There are situation where it is difficult to make any logical move. We get stuck without able to post numbers in any of the cells.

In such cases, I usually fill all the empty cells with the probable numbers that can fit in that cell. For eg, I place the numbers 278 if these three numbers have a chance of being placed in a cell. With all empty cells having such probable numbers, it is easy to apply some deduction logic to narrow down the correct numbers.

Filling in the probable numbers is a tedious task. I came up with a simple java code that would help in filling the numbers (just the hint, not the actual answers).

Instruction to use the code:

• Install watij as mentioned at http://watij.com/webspec-api/
• Copy the java code I had placed in the comment section (placed in 3 comments due to comment size restriction)
  
• run the java code along with the classpath pointing to watij class and jars
• This will open a window and websudoku site is opened
• Settings page is accessed automatically and few settings are tweaked
• once you get the puzzle page, play it as you would do in normal manner
• When you get stuck, click on the 'Done' button in the top panel. The button name is marked as 'pauseUntil'
• we should have numbers filled now. Once that happens, continue with the game

Happy sudoku.

software for spammers

we all know about the princess with enormous wealth waiting for your help. Also the oil company needing your bank account to transfer billions of $. Wondering what kind of software tools and support these spammers use. Sure enough they have a powerful source of email ids. What is beyond them? Do they shoot out the mails and just wait for victims? How do they keep track of day to day activity with each victims?

I would suggest to go for a data managed system. Each victim is tracked stage by stage. The spammer could pull out particular record, quickly glance through the past conversation and development. Based on that, the current mediation could be exchanged. Template builders and generators could be another big plus for the spammer. Need a company establishment proof? The template engine would put appropriate date, time, place etc and churn out the required records. A visa with victim's detail is also a easy go.

Financial income from the victim could be tracked as well. This again helps in judging how much more to extract.

Data could be analyzed across the system, that is with all the victims' data. This data crunching will give interesting answers to questions like: how effective is spamming? which stage is tough to convince the victims? what strategy is working well and which is not? what is the average time to see the money? how to improve the income and increase the victims?

Wish some spammer sees this blog and contact me, not for spamming but for designing this system :-)

An idiot who sold a ship

Author: Vijay Walia
Interesting book on self help, inspirational, and a text for sales person. The most I liked in the book is the simplicity. Lots of anecdotes are given from different walks of life. Pictorial presentations are nice. Each chapter is short and crisp, with continuity between the chapters.

Not sure how much depth and stuff this book contains; but definitely worth a quick read or as a light reading.

The author address himself as 'I', 'He' or 'the idiot'. Quite confusing to know which person he is addressing. 'The idiot' mentioned in so many places seems artificial and irritating.

Mangalore design

This picture is the railing we used in our home staircase. If you go around Mangalore or Udupi homes, you will find the same design. It is as thou this area people love this and imbibed in their homes. Here is the story behind the uniform installment.

When I was looking around for such design material, the vendor gave out a brochure. I carefully went through different designs, compared them each other, choose few, rejected some. After 30 mins or so, I came up with a preference list and showed them to the vendor. He was quick enough to tell those designs were not available and pointed only two designs possible. Also, out of two, he cautioned not to go for one because it was cloth unfriendly (saree or dhothi gets stuck in such design).

I came to know about another shop with wide range of selection. I approached them and enquired about few designs. They called their suppliers in Mumbai and confirmed those designs were available. However the cost quoted was double the times compared to the previous shop.

That is how I (and most of Mangaloreans) ended up with the Mangalore design railing pattern. We are waiting for one soul to purchase a new design from shop B, so that the new design will subsequently be added to the local menu. Hope that new design is cloth friendly.

official mail

I had to send an email to 10+ folks at office and gather their response. I sent one email addressing them in general and cc-ing bunch of managers. I didnt get any response.

Then I sent 10+ emails. Directly addressing them, placing their name in the subject and cc-ing none. An email was sent to one member only. I got response from all.

Just wondering what is the key behind this situation. Did they respond because they are directly responsible and hold accountable? But managers were not informed, so they could have deferred.

Anyway I got what I wanted and a new technique to apply at such scenario.

night lights

Have you taken time to notice lights? What is about lights? While strolling in the night time, watching the lights surrounding you. The hazy yellow light from a distance street lamp, dull white light from a near by shop, the head light and tail light of a passing by cars. Some funky bikes have fancy colored led lights, bright blue, green, red blinking together. Then the faithful traffic lights, mercury lamps, stadium lights, lights, lights and more lights.

One interesting facts about these lights is the way they kindle one's past life. Some of the lights brings me strange feelings inside me. They transport to a distance past, to a distance place. A place where we had been on a night, where there was a similar light glowing as a witness. A dim light from a distance carries a dimness, sadness of its own - just as a dieing star emitting out its last portion of energy.

ok, let me save this blog before the lights goes off due to frequent power cuts.

Astronomy sun vs astrology sun

Here is a thought about astrology and the symbols used in this field.

History of fore-telling ought to have been practised from pre-historic times, may be before even civilisation formed. As hunters, they would have tried to figure the future with local gods, priest; and used tools like dices, flowers, bones, bird movement, black cream on leaves etc etc. N number of devices might have been used, but their queries would have fallen into a countable categories. will I come back safe from the hunt, can we expect a good game, will my wives and kids be safe till I return, what will the enemies' strategies ... not much of today's queries.

Anyway, the tools used got sophisticated as technology improved. Crystal ball, card reader, palm leaf prediction, Nostradamus poems, computer prediction etc. One such field would have been astrology, developed when astronomy and astronomical terminology became popular. Astrology might have borrowed the terminologies and designed a confusing tables to obscure from common man. The zodiac sign in astrology may be more of symbols and notation than the actual star and planets. Something like algebraic notation like x,y used to mean something in an equation but they don't refer the actual alphabets.

So, this again boils down to constructing a sophisticated system with hify buzz words to cheat people. Weak minded folks who cant accept uncertainty fall prey to these foretelling traps.

Power of negative thinking Part 3

Here is an authenticate proof for the "power of -ve thinking".
Happen to go thru this article on
Why Positive Thinking is Bad For You.
The summary of above article is When Positive Thinking Creates Unnecessary Stress

The summary of above summary is:
Dont worry about fixing every 'problem' you come across. Most of them may not be problems. Or the fix is costlier than going thru the pain.

a farmer's suicide

I am a farmer owning a fertile land portion near a river. I remember good times when the crop yield was high and generating surplus money. Gone are those days. We, farmers, started using fertilizers and ended up with corrupt land. We spoiled the fertility with chemicals and now suffering from surprising results.

The city used to be a distance place and we had our own undisturbed life. These days the city is sprawling out of proportion and had grown very near to us. Soon it will gulp our little village. The cost of village has already started growing up. Our life style seem to modernize and improve with city air, but that is leaving a gloomy heart at the end. Even the crops, land and water are turning impure, pollination has reduced.

I had to spray chemical bottles thrice a season. Each bottle costed me Rs 300. The seed cost, preparation, labour etc ran into few thousands. The money used to be on rotation. Borrow the money from the merchant and sell the cultivated crop back to him. Good yield goes through smooth. However, difficult times like now is what mounting stress at many points.

I contemplated on selling off the land and settling the few thousand outstanding. However with improper title records, complexities of selling agricultural land, bureaucracy etc stopped me from attempting that.

I cannot hold any more. This is too much for a tiny man - to face the gigantic problems, stir through the trouble, reach a safe harbour - no, I dont think I can do. I had decided to put a stop this flow; it is just like cultivation .. you grow the crop and cut it when rip. I see my life like that. Only that I feel like going towards rotten state. Let me reap myself.

Oh river! you had breathed life into the crops year after years, generation after generation. You had given life to all of us. In return I could give only by swollen body. Be kind to shovel it off to the shores.

The water flow is calm but strong at this time of the year. I am standing at the brink of a small bridge. Last thing I want to do is pray good for my family. Let them flourish with whatever support they could get.

A car from the city stopped by on the side of the road. Had someone seen me at stopping to help me out? No, nobody is shouting or rushing. A man in thick suite got out of the car and moved towards the edge of the bridge. He dragged his heavy frame of body over the bridge railings. That is the time he saw me. I could sense his feelings through his eyes. The same destructive forces. There was a stillness in the air. He slowly started the conversation and enquired about me. I told my situation in short and asked about him.

He: I am a businessman. Thought of givings up my life due to recent transactions.

Me: Lot of loss?

He: No, it should be a profit.

Me: How much?

He: Petty. Should be near 15 million.

Me: WTF?!!! Then why?

He: Well, it is not the kind of money I used to make. These days I am doing bad enough to get into deep depression.

I started walking back to my home.

Power of negative thinking Part 2

This is an extension theory of part 1. A broader application.

Many people complain about life in this manner, "I have been good to everyone, I dont know why things like this happen". They imply that by being good (as per their own measurements), they are bound to be showered with goodness. The expectation is that by default the system they are in ought to be nurturing their current needs and demands. Any deviation from their mind plan is considered as unfair.

Let us wear our negative hat. See the world as a horrible place with vicious people around. We will never have problem dealing with one or two bad events. It is not that we will have to be pessimistic that the system will be always bad. There would be patches of goodness, but dont expect to have it at all place, all times.

Here is the above point illustrated with an analogy. By nature a land would grow out useless weeds and harmful thorns. Manual efforts like ploughing, sowing, watering, etc would give useful yield. Same way the default behaviour of the surrounding system is not conducive for our life plans; hard work is required to turn negativity into positive results.

Thank god, got the long awaited government job

That is the title of the story.

Story:
14th Aug 1947 11am IST

Power of negative thinking

I was waiting for a craftsman to show up. This type of craftsmen are notorious to break their words and discard the appointments. They dont meet; puzzling thing is .. why dont they deny service instead of making false promises. Even if they start, they seem to drag the work and borrow more time. Had this experience four or five times with this particular workmen, also heard from others. They are branded for this attitude.

Anyway, here I am waiting for one of them. The time starts to slip. I could either tune up some positive thinking or negative thoughts. I choose to think negative. I thought the chap wont turn up. Odd things happened inside me. A lighter sense of being, with less tension and pressure developed. Turning off the expectations reduced the stress level. It was good at that time.

To keep up his clan's tradition, he didnt turn up. That didnt affect me as the negative aurora insulated me from the harsh externals.

Modern life

Delhi was chilling by the Sunday early morning fog. Grandma was shiveringly waiting at the bus stop. A skoda car skid through the wet road and stopped in front of her. Grandma was glad her grandson, Aditya, came on time to pick her. She had quite a good amount of luggage from the far off village, mainly eatables for Aditya's family. Also as this is her first trip to the metro, she had equipped herself with enough clothing to sustain winter climate.

Aditya and the car gave a warm welcome to the guest and they were on their way to home. Aditya's home is a mini villa tucked in a quite corner of the city. Few minutes of distance from the buzzing main road gives them enough silence amidst the crowd. An architect designed compact house with all essential features and tipping towards luxury.

Aditya's wife Sinu received them well. Thou married for 5 months, she had interacted with Aditya's relatives over phone and jelled nicely with them. Sinu took grandma to guest room and showed her the house. Breakfast was ready in short while and they were enjoying the day.

Grandma was quite comfortable in two day stay and got to know much about the new member of her family. One thing started bothering grandma in her visit. The bedroom. She happen to notice that Aditya and Sinu happen to come out of different rooms in the morning. Aren't they sleeping together?!! This was a shock and worried if there is a drift between the newly married couple.

Thou an experienced women, grandma was hesitant to raise the matter to the city girl. She was afraid of the repercussion of a straight talk. However she couldn't take the matter lightly. Things were bothering and clouding in her mind.

As she was helping Sinu in the kitchen (when Adi was not around), slowly grandma brought up her doubt. She politely asked without being nosey, to find why they sleep in separate bedroom. Sinu burst out a spontaneous laugh upon hearing grandma's disturbing question. She controlled her laughter and answered to puzzled grandma, "No ma, there is no friction between us; except that I need a bed lamp while sleeping and Adi want pitch dark room, he cant sleep with light. So, when we feel really sleepy, he goes to the other room!". Grandma responded with a relief, embarrassingly smile.

Stocks for the long run

When we think about stock market, immediate images that comes to our mind are ups and down of daily graph, quick money, double in short etc ... also the sad face after the bear attack. Herd mindset rules while chasing the brands and over priced items. The events are perceived more as a random act and hence reducing the trading to that of gambling.

Rare are those try to deduct some sense out of the rush. Observing the money flow and the trend. Those are the ones looking into the fundamentals and the technicals, choosing a method for their own style. They do invest wisely and be peaceful.

The book "Stocks for the long run" is for a person looking for ways to have a smooth sail through the market. The language is very simple for anyone to understand the concepts. Lots of sample data, historical facts, well researched ideas are presented throughout. Author Jeremy J Siegel puts forward many case studies of rise and fall of companies, market crashes, predictions etc.

Ever wondered how the stock exchanges list the companies and categorizes them? This is explained in a nice manner. Also there are methods for filtering out good companies. Those methods are explained along with comparison. The book touches upon other investing tools and checks the historical returns derived from them. Thou major discussion of the book happens at the American financial backdrop, there is a chapter devoted for Indian and Chinese markets and how we will be influencing the world economy.

Would recommend this book to anyone interested in making money through trading.
Btw, by 'long run', the author hints 15 to 20 years :-)

film network

Here is a recipe for social networking website for film fans. The core site is a canvas board where users can drop an item. Item could be a movie, actor, director, musician etc. These items may be interconnected to each other. For eg, an actor connected to movies he acted. From the same movie, there may be connections to director and so forth. The items may have properties, like when the movie was released, dob of the actor etc. Also, item could point to a wiki page for users to update and post their comments.

The end result would be a one big mess of complex connected graph. The beauty of this structure is that the data is generated by the users from scratch. Moderators could help in trimming the data and avoid duplication.

Tags on language or imdb style of genre could help in quick search.

Subjective queries like movies by particular actor+ actress, or Chinese romantic movies of 80s could be attempted.

group kelasa

When we think about farmland, most of us would get the picture of a landlord in pure white and white traditional dress, holding an umbrella and supervising scores of workers in the field. Gone are those good old days. Now workers had migrated towards city for better job, in whatever betterment that is.

The current landlords are different. They wear dirty khaki clothes, may be bare chested and plough in the muddy field. Farm operations are labour consuming, requires lots of man power. In order to resolve the issue, the land owners team up. They form a group of about 5 and combined effort. They usually meet once in a week, put their effort in one of their land. Round robin method is attempted.

Synergy wins.

Manage your investment risks and returns

Good old book from early 90s. Concepts and topics discussed are relevant till date. The main theme of the book is to walk through different investment vehicles and study the different types of risks involved in those.

Some of investments analyzed are bonds, preferred stocks, stocks, securities, tangible assets, non marketable investments.
These investments are analyzed from risk point of view, like purchasing power risk, interest rate risk, business risk, financial risk, liquidity risk, reinvestment risk, market risk.

The dynamics of these risk, controlling means, are touched upon.

As a case study, three different motivated investments compared. Emergency fund accumulation, saving for major expense, retirement investing require totally different style of planning and process.

Very good read for anyone into investment. Would suggest to read basic materials and then read this book for risk handling.

Water tap terminologies

Construction materials provide array of options to choose. That invites lots of confusion, particularly if we don't understand the terminologies used by the manufacturers, dealers, mason etc. The following list is a jump start and not a complete one.

An aerator spreads water stream into many little droplets. This helps save water and reduce splashing.

Screw type normal water tap provides some kind of resistance to the flow at the point of tap junction. Gate valve has a vertical metal plate (perpendicular to the flow) to open the tap and hence doesn't provide restriction to the flow.

Bibcock prevents water to overflow into house or any desired point in the water piping system.
For eg, a strong valve is placed at the pipe connecting the outlet of the overhead water tank to the rest of the inlet pipe into the house. This valve can be operated while fixing the pipe or tap in the house.

pillar taps are usually found in basins and sinks. They are attached to the floor instead of fitted from the wall.

spout is an outlet part of the tap. Can be for hot or cold water.

mixer tap combines hot and cold inlet and releases a desired combination into the outlet. thermostatic mixer controls the outlet temperature.
The mixer tap requires two types of control, ie increase/decrease temperature and increase/decrease water flow. A simple way to get this is to have two knobs and control these two factors. A single lever mechanism provides a single lever to the above situation - turning the lever left to right would alter the temperature and lifting the lever outwards will increase the water flow.

Divertor helps in channelizing the water. For eg, we can turn the knob to get water in the shower or bath or to the hand shower etc.

pop up - a control on the tap opens and closes the waste, with the mechanism hidden behind the bath or basin.

Traditional tap has a head or knob which should be turned one or two+ full turns (rotations) to get full water capacity. A quarter turn tap requires to turn the knob or lever in a much less distance to get full flow. (Traditional tap uses washer mechanism, quarter turn uses ceramics). The later has many advantages.
Guess half-turn tap is similar version.

flanges - a protective metal sheet holding the tap connection away from the wall. (I am not sure about it .. couldn't get a reference on a quick search)

Baby's smile

Like all kids, Varsha kicks, cries and smiles.

Like all fathers, I feel her kicks, cries and smiles are unique and special.

Kural 35 - Righteousness

Righteous is not to yield towards jealousy, greed, anger and using harsh words.

Social equality

When we hear the word 'social equality' general thought we get is something like uplifting poor, education, land for all, healthy consumable at affordable price etc. However Indian politicians have found shorter means of achieving equality. To bring down the rich to the beggar's poverty, eradicate good education for all, etc.

The latest such measures were implemented in the railway dept. Few years back the train transactions were automated and made accessible through internet. People need not have to stand in queues, they could just click few pages and book the tickets or ask someone to click those few pages. Saved lot of time and effort; I am sure the dept would have benefited very much with the reduction of work load.
New minister took in charge. Somehow she found online utility as inequality to poor. Hence brought in many changes to the system - mainly to cause inconvenience to the online commuters. For eg, when you query for seat availability, you are put in a virtual queue for few minutes before the page gets loaded!!

Most likely the word bureaucracy was coined after seeing the Indian administration. God save our country.

Kural 28

The greatness of a person can be gauged by the wisdom/books he or she leaves behind.

Puppies got a home

There is a sad and a horrific story behind these puppies. On the seventh day of their birth, a visitor came and took special interest in them. With a hood, fang and a lengthy body .. a cobra!! The mother dog tried its best to chase away, but its barking failed to drive out the snake. It stood one feet from the ground with a big hood. It was able to catch a puppy. Hearing the continuous barking, people gathered and drove away the cobra.

After that the dog family got a new home. One less puppy the family became. They are resting under a shelter. Hopefully the puppies would grow up and stand tall.

Kural 12

Second chapter is about necessity of rain, titled as "Glory to rain" aka "the rain dance".

Second kural of this chapter is a nice tongue twister, with repetitive words. Many would recite this fast but may not know the meaning. Here it goes .. The rain involves in the process of generating food for all consumers; to add to that, the rain becomes food in the form of drinking water.

btw, this site has the English translation which is most apt and clear. Instead of doing a literal word to word translation, an attempt is made to convey the original message.

Kural 6

I used to read a page from my Kural book. Trying to make it a daily habit. (I remember my grandpa used to do that). Thought I can share 1 kural out of 10 each day. It would be a random one among the 10.
The thing I like in Kural is the abundant wisdom packed in a concise format. Apart from this, we will be able to pick up a subtle message or context out of it. It would be a new dimension to look upon and enjoy. Let me try to show such cases here.

The first chapter is devoted to the god. The sixth couplet talks about virtue and abstainism. May be interpreted as a definition of god, one who has control over the senses and with pure virtue; folks who adapt god's path will have a great life.
Another way to look at this kural is, one who controls the senses and leads a virtuous life will enjoy a prolonged joyous life.

Handling washing machine outlet

The outlet of washing machine machine is supposed to be let out through the drain pipe - either loosely placed or properly fit into the drain. However, if we happen to place the machine outside the bathroom, we end up without having proper exhaust for the dirty water. We end up throwing the pipe into the near by wash basin.

One problem with this is the retractory force of water and the outlet pipe gets dislocated. The water floods the room. Tying the pipe to the tap or other object doesn't give a convenient solution. Here is an alternate way that works. Tighten a t-connection pipe at the end of the outlet (see photo).

This solves the problem as the water is split between the two ends of the T. Also the metallic T is heavy enough to hold the pipe close to the bottom of the basin sink.

The rice hunter

I dont fit well in the purchase department, but my wife thrust the task into me. I get the grocery list and need to get it home. Most tricky item is the rice. Guess the confussion comes with the wide range of choice available.

At some point of time, I was buying only red rice. Folks started complaining and demanded white rice. Next time I picked the white bag. When we opened the bag ... the red rice was smiling at our face!! I sincerly believed that white bag will have white rice. Who the hell placed red rice in white bag?

After that incident I became wiser. I make sure I buy rice in transparent bags. No more taken for a ride. This month order for rice was heavy - my mom asked for 2 bags and wife wanted 1 bag. I picked the usual set of bags. Apart from this, they wanted idli rice too. That ought to be from a different store; went there and got smaller bags of different rice.
with distribution of the parcel, then came the news .. they are not boiled rice, just the raw type. In total 20kg of rice which was not liked by any. The next surprise was with the idli rice which had the similar defect. Thus we ended up with bags of rice with different orientation.

Dear wife, I know the job allotment happened due to the shortage of man power and increase of work load with the new born. I suggest you relax your hiring policy so that I may get a suitable assistant. I will make sure that she will fit in our family :-)

social reform

another haiku passed thru me.

Let us change the society,
Remove dowry
after my son's wedding

Dont beat us; we will beat ourselves

There is a desi bashing going on in Auz. It is a hot news and many desi leaders are condemning against such barbarian act. Auzzies are branded as racists. Prominent figures, actors etc voiced in supporting Indian students in Auz. Good to know our leaders support us.

What happens when the inter-state violence takes place in the country? Maharastrians thrash Biharis, Kannadiagas beat-up Tamils, Assamese punch out the Hindi-speaking crowd. Hardly we hear anything from the leaders. They silently watch the local violence. They dont see any racism here, in fact .. from their perspective everything is normal in the inland.

Information handling

My wife was telling that I will resume blogging only after our kid is born. Seems to be true, as I feel like blogging after ShreeVarsha is born.

Most folks call friends and relative during that moment to share the news. I controlled the urge. Thou my wife asked me to inform my relatives, I didnt. Somehow I didnt get an answer to 'why we need to tell everyone immediately? why not after two days?'

Before we go further in this discussion, let me list out the advantage of delayed broadcasting. I didnt get any in call on that day; also I sparsely used my phone. I was able to focus on the tasks I had to do at the hospital. More than anything, I had lots of precious moments with the baby.

ps: After two days, when I relaxed myself, I called everyone in my contact list to share the news. Most of the people were just happy and didnt mind the delay. Very few questioned why I didnt inform them at the earliest.

80 year old house

Could be more than that. (Localites claim that major renovation took place 80yrs back, house might have been constructed in the end of 19th century). The house is located in our farm. Compact one with required space for a couple to stay. The house looks rich thou the roof is tiled.

The wood work are unique and antique. The doors and windows are crafted carefully. The door is 'inserted' into the door frame rather than sticking out like modern day one. The keys are stylish and awesome.

The Main attraction is the entrance. There are three! For a house of such size, three doors seem to be a lot. Apart from the main entrance, there are two in the side. Opening all the doors give a nice ambiance.

Job you dont like

Let us say, you work for a company. As part of the job, you are asked to withdraw money from the bank. You collected the money in a suitcase and on the way back to your company. Now, all of a sudden, you got an enlightenment. You understood that you are working for a wrong company or a wrong cause!! You decide to quit.

Question here is, what do you do with the suitcase? Option 1: go back to the bank and deposit money to the company's account. Option 2: reach ur company, hand over the money to your manager and resign officially. Option 3: What if you decide to quit immediately upon enlightenment? How about leaving the suitcase on the middle of the road and going to your home?

The last option is what my wife did. She doesnt know what is wrong about that option.

Green sapling in drought condition

Just wondering what long term effect will inadequate resource on a young plant result into. Will the tree grow tough and strong against any environmental fluctuations or the tree will be weak and powerless on external factors? Guess there might be few more details and factors influencing the above case. For example, how much resource constrain is placed on the sapling? Is it about to die? What is the benchmark to compare against or in other words, what is the right tree growing conditions?

Would be interesting if there is a study in this line.

Morning walk

Today I thought of going out for a stroll. Didn't want to go for the long route, instead walked into near by area. That is the place I had been many times. It is a road winding down in the hilly area into a bunch of houses and a temple. Usually we go to the temple and return back. Never seen anything further. This morning I found that the road was cleared further after the temple. There was a road.

Walking through the road, I found many more houses that side, which were out of sight earlier. Further I went into the woods. Saw a group of peacocks, some six of them. Quiet a near sighting. While watching the peacocks, someone else was standing by and watching. It was a mongoose! When I saw it ran away.

A thrilling way to start the day.

the perception

While going through tough times, it helps a lot to have a positive mind set. If we bury ourself with all sort of negativity energies like anger, depression, repeated thought pattern, emotional break-down, worries etc, we are doing more harm to our mind and complicating the situation.

Instead, a positive frame of mind pushes us out of the situation fast. Winning or losing the situation depends on the strategy and many other factors. But having the right attitude acts as a shield to protect ourself from negatives. It helps to come over from sore heart and recover fast to normality.

Any more thoughts?

strange experience

How would you feel when you have to ask a favor from a person you lost touch for a long years? And that person in the foregone years, had expected something from you and you had refused at that time. That becomes tricky.

After going through such interactions, I feel how we view situation when we are at giving end and how we see things while asking or receiving. It is strange.

If god was a banker

Very few books fall in the category read-through-in-the-night. This book made it. I thought of reading couple of chapter before sleep, but ended up reading the whole book in the night. The story line was so catchy that there was no break point to leave the book down. Great book!!(Note to self: Never ride bike after a night out; couldn't open eyes while riding)

The book narrates the corporate world and the power struggle in it. Each chapter takes a twist+turn and carries a suspense till the last page. We feel sorry for Swami at many instances. Real life business practises are narrated when required. Adequate eroticity sprinkle to turn the heat on.

As with the recent book, the author, Ravi Subramanian, made his story run through Marina beach and Nariman point - which makes the Indian readers at home.

Few points that didn't vibe well in the book:

• Lack of Stability in characterization. All folks in the play are quite clear, except Sundeep. He swings between extreme intelligent, aggressive guy to a total stupid. Many a time he does senseless deeds and foolish decisions out of greed. All of a sudden, indication about his intelligence, skills of past or present are highlighted - as thou to compensate the black image furnished in earlier chapters. Then again it goes down and starts showing a foolish Sundeep. Not sure if this see-saw effect was intentional by the author.
• Too many names to remember. Most of the chapters introduces a new character. Some of them dont last over a para or two. Too many such names made me to skip all names and it was difficult to keep track of who is who.
• Flimsy ending. The last few pages were far from reality. An ex-employee, Aditya, being invited (he was flown from Mumbai to NY) to go through a sensitive case. Also Tedd & management confronting Sundeep and then giving options for his exist.As I haven't climbed any corporate ladder, I cannot confirm if these are feasible or not.

Overall, if you like a story line on money, power, sex .. this is a good book to read.

Magical eraser feasible

Looks like Science is in the right path towards human imagination. Whatever we could think about, technology pounce on that and makes it possible.

The selective memory erasure I blogged about is feasible, it seems.

http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22187/

Freakonomics

I wanted to read this book for a long time and happened to buy this recently. Real life scenarios are narrated in puzzle like manner and the answers surprise us. To apply our scientific mind on trivial matters produces interesting results. For example, to study the business dealers' business or a sumo wrestlers' life style etc are nicely covered in this book.

For a long time I was suspicious about the manner society names their children. Example, a name Ramalakshmi Ammal seems to be from a far gone era. May be a catchy name at that time. Many of the upper society folks named their daughters, later on the lower sector started using that name. Upper society had to move to a new set of hype names, say Lakshmi or something.

Freakonomics explains the naming trend and many other topics. Good read.

Barbers change

Heard about latest SRK movie? It was named 'Billu Barber'. The barbers' association demanded the name be changed on the context that the word 'barber' is derogatory. They prefer to be addressed as hair stylist or hair dressers. (Not sure what they call their association).

The word 'barber' seem to have gone through a phase of euphemism. It is going out. The word got enough negativity that it got to be pulled off. Another classic word in Indian context is about addressing the SC/ST community. Olden day nomenclature went with 'Sudras'. That is a big no no. Gandhian era gave a name as 'Harijan', to mean god's people. These days people get offended with harijan. Preferable word today is 'dalits'.

I guess there is nothing wrong in words. It is the context and meaning we fix the words. Many neutral words gather negativity and slowly the neutrality usage drops out. Only negative context associates with the word. After a while, we start looking for a new word to mean the old thing.

It is highly probable that the word 'style' becomes negative charged because of these barbers, oh sorry .. the hair stylists.

The Transport office saga continues

The officer asked me to come and collect the letter for the followup from City A. However the concerned officer was not in the office when I went there. That was a lucky thing to happen, as they skipped the letter part. Now they dont need the letter from city A!! I had to carry the paper from one building to another. There was a small record verification in the other building. Not sure how they managed to store info in a slim register. After few signatures, rubber stamps there, I came back to first building. Submitted the documents. I have to go there in 15 days to see if things are done. I cant check the status through phone or through agents. My physical presence is wanted.

Hopefully I dont have to go there further on.

Searching at RTO

After buying an other state vehicle, we started the vehicle transferring ritual. City A (which in other state) had to issue no objection and other artifacts. After going through many to and fro transaction, we are almost in the final stage. The last task is to apply for a vehicle number change.

I took all required documents and originals. The officer went through the papers and told that he would have to look for the acknowledgement card from City A office. He was going through a bundle of postcards. Then another. I couldnt compare his search with the database queries and indexing techniques. After failing to find, he shifted his focus on one or two office files. I was hoping that we wouldnt have to dig through the pile of sacks that were tied up.

Since he couldnt get that postcard, he is going to write a letter to City A office. I am suppose to follow up with that office to get this acknowledgement.

This office was quite a big one to hold lots and lots of files, bags, and more files. I am sure they have not heard about the words like work flow model, computers, paper-less office etc.

How sprinkler works?

For those who are interested to know the working mechanism of a water spraying sprinkler. You might have seen this in the gardens where these sprinklers keep rotating and water plants in its surrounding.

The last pic has the close-up shot. There is a central axis holding the apparatus (the axis is protruding in the top as a small white pyramid). Two nozzles are provided to throw out water. (The nozzles have bolts and the main nozzle can be seen with the inscription '27'). Above the nozzle is a strange spoon like structure; this lever is attached to the axis and allowed to rotate around the axis. The lever is bound by a spring.

Ok, let us check them in action. Water flows with considerable pressure from the bottom of the tube and comes out through the nozzles. The main nozzle, which is the bigger one, does the important task. While pumping out the water, water splashes on the edge of the lever. As per the design, the water force makes the lever move away in anti-clock direction. Due to the coiled spring, the lever is pushed back its original position. When the lever comes back, it hits the frame of the nozzle .. making the nozzle structure to move clock wise. This completes one particular angular motion. Again the water is sprayed on the lever, again the lever winds back and springs forward .. this continues to make the sprinkler rotate.

It is amazing to see it in action.

bug in minesweeper

Found an interesting bug. After I completed the game, the clock was still ticking. The scoreboard had gone to -1 instead of 0. Somehow the counter had gone wrong.




Do I qualify for a game tester? :-)

Eleven minutes

This book is about how an innocent girl morphs into a prostitute. The author, Paulo Coelho, explores about the world of the prostitutes, how makes them keeps going, the dreams they carry etc. Through the lead, Maria, we come to know about the customers she has. In spite of being in high post, earning good or well to do status, men have the fear of failure and fragile inside.

We had read about love and sex in many books before. Here is yet another view.

(Not sure how many google searches will be wrongly directed to this blog due to those two famous and looked out words)

Retreat

The revenge of the nomad
Chapter 3. Retreat

Ramraj slowly healed out of the trauma. Took months for him to move around. All emotional feelings had died away from him. He became analytical and view his life from different perspective. He realized someone with muscle power is going to dominate. At the same time, he can sharpen his intellect to overcome the physical forces.

With that in mind, he schemed a master plan. As a first step, he wanted to eliminate Mr Rao's right hand, Das. Das is the brain of Mr Rao. Rao consults him for all activities and executes his task thru Das.

Ramraj started to observe Das's routine. Instead of trying to bring down Das by himself, Ramraj was passing the information to Rao's arch-rival. Weak moments of Das were studied and on a chosen day, men surrounded Das to hack him down.

The arch-rival, Mr Valliesh, was happy to hear about this. As per his estimate, Mr Rao would soon fall apart from his business empire.

Mr Rao was also analyzing the events. He happen to know that Ramraj had helped Valliesh.

Ramraj expecting trouble, travelled to a far place.

End of chapter 3 out of 7.

To be continued.

Magical eraser

What if our brain memory is erasable. If we can opt for selective cleansing. For example, all my experience of being in a beach are removed. Now my visit to a beach would be very fresh and new. The first time experience in a beach would be relived. That would be awesome.

People may use it to clear off their traumatic experiences. That is a double edged sword, with advantage and disadvantage. The issue is to loose such experience and being vulnerable to go through again.