Cafreal

Shielding as a managerial skill?

2011-09-04T11:39:00.000+05:30

Which of the following describes your experience?

Your manager shields you believing it's part of the job description, but you think the manager is unjustified, and that you'd prefer to take on the barrage yourself. After all, exposure that doesn't kill or impair you only makes you stronger.
Your manager shields you and you are happy about it. According to you, it is part of the manager's job description. And then, you do have other important work to do than confront the negative consequences of your actions. If you expose yourself to the sun, it is sure to char you.
Your manager does not shield you at all. You are seared by the negative consequences of your actions, albeit unintentional, and are beginning to feel that you will either lose your job or lose yourself soon.
No such experience

I will share my option and perception in the next post.

CAUTION: Please do not wait for my next post. Going by my frequency or lack of it, you will have gauged by now that I take a long time (last post-when we won the World Cup!). I do love to read though! Be sure to voice your opinion for the benefit of all readers.

Tell me which option describes your situation and why. Do not hesitate to suggest scrapping these options and putting up a new set of questions, but please keep the questions in line with the theme 'shielding as a managerial skill?'

For the people who love to ramble: We can start another thread to discuss the premise that negative consequences stem from inappropriate or undesirable actions. The focus of this post is to discuss your experience.

That's wrap for me, your turn.

April 24th as Indian National Holiday!

2011-04-03T08:21:00.007+05:30

Add April 24th as an Indian National Holiday to honour Sachin Tendulkar, a person who unifies a culturally-diverse country. Honour over two decades of sweat, dedication and perserverance. How many individuals can cause an entire country to remember being an Indian first? If a mayor in Florida can honour a pop band's personal accomplishment and declare a day in their name, how easy should it be for a leader of the largest democracy (culturally-diverse and religiously-sensitive) to use this as a trump card and declare April 24th as a national holiday in honour of a person whose every accomplishment is for India first? Can we think of any Indian throughout history and present, who creates this kind of pride of being Indian?

B&W photography workshop in Calangute, Goa

2010-08-30T16:03:00.001+05:30

B&W Photography Residency Workshop

Mhadei Herpetology Camp 2010

2010-08-10T12:48:00.003+05:30

Herpactive, an initiative by Nirmal Kulkarni is organising a three-day herpetology camp in the international biodiversity hotspot, the Mhadei Bio-region.

For more details, read Mhadei Herp Camp 2010

World Seas

2010-07-06T20:09:00.000+05:30

How the World’s Most Beautiful Seas got Their Names

River Mandovi

2010-07-05T12:50:00.000+05:30

Added a new post on the Lifeline of Goa--River Mandovi

Agonda Beach on the Lonely Planet Travel Mosaic!

2010-06-20T16:07:00.000+05:30

Share your favourite travel photos with Lonely Planet and win over $170,000 in prizes! home

Pascal's Decision

2010-05-17T21:57:00.004+05:30

Pascal put together his thoughts about life and religion while he was at Port-Royal and published them under the title Pensées.

In the course of his work on that book, he filled two pieces of paper on both sides with what Ian Hacking describes as “handwriting going in all directions…full of erasures, corrections and seemingly afterthoughts.”

This fragment has come to be known as Pascal’s Wager (le pari de Pascal), which asks “God is or he is not. Which way should we incline? Reason cannot answer.” At the moment, a coin is tossed. Which way would you bet? Heads (God is) or tails (God is not)? Hacking asserts that Pascal’s line of analysis to answer this question is the beginning of the theory of decision making. “Decision Theory,” as Hacking describes it, “is a theory of deciding what to do when it is uncertain what will happen.” Making that decision is the essential first step in any effort to manage risk.

Sometimes we make decisions on the basis of past experiences, out of experiments we or others have conducted in the course of our lifetime. But we cannot conduct experiments that will prove either the existence or the absence of God. Our only alternative is to explore the future consequences of believing in God or rejecting God. Nor can we avert the issue, for by the mere act of living we are forced to play this game.

Pascal explained that belief in God is not a decision. You cannot awaken one morning and declare, “Today I think I will decide to believe in God.” You believe or you do not believe. The decision, therefore, is whether to choose to act in a manner that will lead to believing in God, like living with pious people and following a life of ‘holy water and sacraments.’ The person who follows these precepts is wagering that God is. The person who cannot be bothered with that kind of thing is wagering that God is not.

The only way to choose between a bet that God exists and a bet that there is no God down that infinite distance of Pascal’s coin-tossing game is to decide whether an outcome in which God exists is preferable, more valuable in some sense than an outcome in which God does not exist, even though the probability may be only 50-50. This insight is what conducts Pascal down the path to a decision–a choice in which the value of the outcome and the likelihood that it may occur will differ because the consequences of the two outcomes are different.

If God is not, whether you lead your life piously or sinfully is immaterial. But suppose that God is. Then if you bet against the existence of God by refusing to live a life of piety and sacraments you run the risk of eternal damnation; the winner of the bet that God exists has the possibility of salvation. As salvation is clearly preferable to eternal damnation, the correct decision is to act on the basis that God is. Which is the way we should incline? The answer was obvious to Pascal.

Courtesy: Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk by Peter L. Bernstein

Past Collections: Volume I

2010-02-09T21:03:00.088+05:30

An epoch in my life when words such as love, passion and faith were main stream. I am thinking aloud now because I can look back at my past and smile at it.

May 2002: Was hoping to get a medical seat, wanted to be a Neurosurgeon. I wrote this piece for encouragement. This was to be my personal oath to care for all patients alike.

Climax: I lost Medicine by seven seats.

Definition of Success

To look at life through heaven's eyes
To have faith, to value time, to be patient
To cherish memories of loved ones
To accept shortcomings peacefully
To admit faults with some remorse
To love those who hate me
To create a new world for someone whose world is ruined
To live in the present and to envisage the future with unending dreams
To dream, to build and work towards my goal
To love myself with all my heart
To embrace my enemy within
To stand up against all odds
To face adversity wit a smile
To reinforce my strengths
To enervate my weaknesses
To live my life and welcome my death
To have lived each moment through heaven's eyes...This is to have suceeded. Don't hope for a miracle...Be the Miracle!

July-August 2002: Selected Mechanical Engineering as my stream. There was an uproar outside the DTE in Porvorim (Goa). I was the first girl (and I think only gal) to have selected the stream. The officials asked me twice to ensure that I was sane at the time of decision and announced my decision again. People laughed at me when I stepped out.

A lady came up to me and said "You have proved how dumb you are to choose a guy's field. You should have taken IT or Electronics instead." I really did not care. I had lost what I was most passionate about since the age of 12. Do I repent? Not at all. Mechanical Engineering was one hell of an experience. Though I did lose something that day: Passion. Have not been passionate about anything since then. I love my life and enjoy living simple now. Wrote this piece just to comfort myself.

A Voice From Heaven

Let go the things that create desires

Stay away from relations that possession fires

Push urself hard from treasures you yearn

Stay clear of pleasures lest you burn

It may seem important right now

Still, let it go lest you later frown

All your joys would be fake if you choose this as true

Loosen ur reigns; let my voice help u sail through

Listen up, there's more to come our way

Clear the cacophony; see the true world of joy today

Let this wish from your urn of dreams

Look up child, there's a lot more of world's treasures you haven't yet seen

23rd January 2007: My first attempt in Hindi. I have written around 120 poems right from standard 7 but mainly in English and some terribly translated versions of French poems. But this piece is officially my first attempt in Hindi. Wrote this one when I was at a crossroad in my life (specifically 'a' crossroad coz there have been plenty). I hated coding. Java to me back then was only a place where Great Whites are found. It is said that if you cut yourself and fall in Australia, sharks can detect it from as far as Java.

Sorry to digress, as I said, coding sucked but I did not want to leave Cognizant as the time-clocking and money were both good. I wanted to run someplace. I did eventaully run to some of the most beautiful villages in Maharashtra and came back well, a bit decided. It was during this running that I learnt I could write. Steered my career in the realm of writing and have been there ever since.

Ehsaas was a nameless baby. I have penned down a name only recently.

Ehsaas

Yeh kya daur hai zindagi ka?

Kya khoya hai, kise kya pata

Bas ek ajnabi si pyaas adhuri hai kahin

Jiski talaash thi woh umeed bhi kho chali

Ab phirti hoon apni tanhayi mein

Chhod aayi hoon apni parchhayi bhi kahin

Yeh kaunse mukaam par layi hai tu zindagi?

Khudko is kadar kaise mein bhula chali?

Ab sochke kya dard kam kar paoongi main?

Kya apna wajood bhi kahin chhod kar main chal padi?

Yeh disha toh nahin thi meri nazar mein

Yeh kis chaurahe par zindagi tu mujhe chhod chali?

Yeh toh na socha tha ke tu bhi tthukra degi mujhe

Kyon is zameen ko tu is kadar banjar kar chali?

So, if you are thinking I came up with a good amateur poem, thanks. The inspiration was at the crossroads and the love part of the trio I mentioned in the start (love, faith and passion) has fueled some of the lines.

Can 3 Idiots help save our tigers?

2010-02-03T19:22:00.002+05:30

I am on my way to office. Nothing seems unusual. Greeted Roger, my neighbourhood dog. He could have cared a bit. But no, the only time he wags his tail is when he sees his owner's chickens.

I wait at the bus-stop shuffling songs on my pod. I like this 3rd generation creation of Apple. It is so sleek. Talk about great things coming in small packages, I say great things now come in nano packages.

It's awfully quiet at 7:15 a.m. Reminds me of the movie Pitch Black. Pune is very beautiful till the blaring monsters come out past 8 a.m. Anyway, I turn east to greet a red soleil and there he appears, so helpless and terrorised...

I listen harder as the words in my pod become real. Jaane nahin denge tujhe..jaane tujhe denge nahin!

A group of performers suddenly appear on stage standing in front of him with guns and spears waiting to knock him out.

Chahe tujko rab bula le, hum na rab se darne waale..raahon mein dat ke khade hain hum. Another group approaches, confronting the armed group.

What is going on? My eyes are soon going to reveal my weakness. I stand alone...he says. They say there are 1411 of us. I don't think so! I don't see nobody here. Mom just got picked by those guys there who claim to worship her. Where are they taking her?

As the words come alive, I realise I am nursing a grudge. I am angry at myself. I am a coward. Is it time already to choose between what is right and what is easy? Perhaps, it is.

When will I step out of this virtual life I created? And when I do, will it be too late? Can I do something now? Oh hell ya!

Yaaron se nazrein chura le. Chahe jitna dum lagaa le. Jaane na tujhko aise denge hum. I stand alone too..I say to him. I will talk to whoever I can. Get as many people to save you. But who am I kidding? Can I really do this?

Can I use the social media, my virtual life to stand by my little friend in real life? Can we guys? Can we still win? Can the tigers prosper again? Can that cub I see in my head grow to be a full-grown dude?

Can this song really become the Tiger Anthem? Can we promise these creatures we are standing in the way of their extinction. Kya raahom mein dat ke khade hain hum?

Can 3 Idiots really help save our Tigers?

Scope for e-tourism in SMBs

2010-01-05T19:48:00.017+05:30

Collated some basic questions to test the feasibility of ICT for SMBs in the Travel & Leisure industry:

What are the difficulties faced by SMBs in attracting and retaining customers?
What do they currently do to retain customers?
What is the impact of no-repeat customers?
Have they thought of the Internet as a medium to promote their business?
If yes, how much increase in customers have they recorded?
If agencies introduced incremental technological advancements to help SMBs, would they consider paying for it? If yes, how much are they willing to pay for such services?
If no, would they be willing to pay for the service after a demo of minimal cost?
Are they aware of CRM tools used in the airline industry? Do they think these tools can be applied to their business? If yes, how?
Are they open to experiment with CRM or DMS tools if these are offered on AMCs or for a premium?

Do we own planet Earth?

2010-01-05T19:48:00.012+05:30

This post should have been a continuation of the previous post about my home, Goa. Instead, I am writing about a thought that has been disturbing me since the day I got back to Pune.

Do we own planet Earth? I mean, is this planet our property?

Why this thought? Because everyday on my way back from office, I am overwhelmed with the way green Pune is turning into a concrete jungle. Somewhere deep inside, I feel part of the problem. I ask myself this question and try to be diplomatic about it everyday. And every time I pick an answer a round of counter-questioning ensues.

What if I say yes?
"This planet is our only home, we live here. So yes, we kinda own it." Calling it my property seemed politically incorrect so I took a detour. Immediately the counter-question struck with all its might.

"Hmm.. Your Home. So is it always this shabby and uncared for? And it creates quite an impression, I must say."

"Impression? Homes are for expression not impression?"

"If you say so. In either case, you are either expressing disturbance or creating an impression of it. "

Clearly, I feel like a hypocrite. The state of my planet (if I claim to own it) is the state of my mind.

Fear of condemnation leads me to think otherwise. What if I say no. "Own a planet, are you kidding me? I don't even own a flat. And anyway, I don't know where I am heading. I am clueless about my life and its aim. I am mere traveller, a nomad."

"Mere traveller, huh. Why not mere mortal? You can exonerate yourself and shrug by saying 'we are here for a while. We cannot take anything with us.' When you visit your friends' homes, do you ask them to adjust to your whims and fancies?"

"Of course, not. You can't just barge into a bar and ask for milk. You order whatever is on their menu. You adjust to their style."

"In that case, how do you so audaciously ask your fellow species to write themselves on the journal of extinction? Leave alone adjusting to them, you ain't even giving them a fair chance to co-exist."

I am in a no-win situation right now. Can't seem to find a convincing answer. Perhaps apathy is a viable option.

"I work my butt off 12 hours a day (central air-conditioning, please). And what concrete jungle are you talking about! A man's got to rest somewhere. I did not ask for it. This concrete jungle was there much before I came here. I alone cannot be blamed for climate change and extinction. I've had a hard day's work and need some rest. And yes, I am going to the concrete jungle, wanna come?"

The conversation with myself left me quite uneasy. I won the battle but did I win the war? I do want a green planet. Honestly, I don't like living in a flat. I love bird watching and the marine life. But these do not put food on my table, development does. Or does it?

Though I've always been an ardent supporter of growth and development, I am secretly settling for a bargain called stagnation.

So, what was the cost of development? Err...Our Planet.

Parallel Thoughts in My Mind

2009-12-07T22:32:00.023+05:30

Just heard today on India TV that 70% of India will be a desert by 2025 and the Indian officials (in a summit in Copenhagen) are asking the developed countries to help us. Sunderbans is in grave danger. Is there another kind? The ganges are inching away from Patna. Kolkatta will be submerged.....What happens to Goa by 2025? What happens to the biodiversity in Sunderbans? What do you think? In just 15 years!!

Another thought that hit me is why are we in Goa, constantly talking about apeing the west? And more often than not I have the elders and the youth comparing Goa with the US, why?

USA is country for crying out loud. We are just a state of less than 4000 sq.kms of area. I have not heard anyone comparing Tennesse with Goa or Punjab. All we here is the US versus a state in India.

Are we not suppossed to be comparing nation-wise? That is if we want to compare in the first place. An observation led to another and I am thinking to myself. Wow! Is the United States united or what!! (What's in a name, you ask....It quite literally is in the name)

We compare Maharashtra with Punjab and Goa with Kerala. Its like comparing your hands and legs to determine which is the most useful part? Can't we work as a complete system wherein all parts work in coordination to keep a healthy country (Like our body parts work in coordination to keep us hale and hearty). Like Vegas is known for fun, frolic and yes, gambling, New York for being multi-cultural, Texas for the oil companies (I hope I got my facts right), can't Indian states be known for its uniqueness too? Why do all places have to the IT way? Pune and Bengaluru are great IT hubs and we should work together to manage these cities well. If Goa is known for tourism can't we keep it that way and work on Tourism Management to create employment and use IT at a small scale (by the local IT guys) to support tourism instead of creating extremists that we are currrently doing. One group in Goa opposes IT and any development vehemently and the other group without regard of our delicate ecosystem simply thinks the IT parks will solve all our employment problems.

IT is neither a boon nor a bane. IT is a simply a great support to the current way of life. A state like Goa may not be able to cope even a percent with the rampant upsurge that IT parks demand but it definitely can leap great bounds and take tourism in Goa to a different level if supported wisely by the IT guys already in Goa. Knowledge Management in particular can help create jobs not just for IT pass-outs but also for students in other fields.

A simple example: Let's say we decide to promote ecotourism, we would first have know what it is all about (Subject Matter Experts in fields of Zoology, Botany, Geology, Marine Biologist, etc) then capture the knowledge (here a multiple hat guy helps a lot...a biologist with great technical writing skills) and finally the IT guys who create knowledge portals and help develop analytical tools and lots more that I may not even be aware of. This simple initiative brings about creation of jobs and promotes entrepreneurship in Goa.

Rediscovering Goa

2009-12-02T23:07:00.004+05:30

My very first web log and what do I write about...Rediscovering Goa....Ma Home!

It sounds weird to my ears but that is exactly what I am gonna be doing from the 4th of Dec till the 12th. Please condone my grammatical errors. I am new to this whole blog thingy.

If you've ever felt like you've wanted to travel the world's exotic places but did not have the time to visit your own backyard, you will know precisely how I feel right now. A quarter of my life is almost over and I have not yet valued what I had all this while. I have lived, ate, studied and played in Goa, and seen almost every nook and corner of my very own Tiswadi Taluka but not once in these 24 years have I looked. Yeah all my literature frollegues would be scrutinizing this to know if I got the difference between seeing and looking. Please let me know if I got it right. Anyway, it has finally dawned on me that the ice melt in its own water (courtsey Swades--the movie). So this time around I have resolved to put a pause on my exotic escapades and go visit my backyard. And see what it looks like now.

I should have titled this entry as the Homecoming coz that is what it is. But I'll humor myself and keep the current name. Rediscovery is what it seems to me. A rediscovery of myself and my roots. Follow me as I tread along and find out what it truly is to be a Goan.

A sneak peek on my itinerary:
First stop...Goa Chitra, an ethnographic museum in Benaulim. From what I have seen on their site, I am already all eyes. Post that I would be visiting Big Foot in Loutolim. Yeah I know what you are thinking but I think the best way to learn and grow is to first unlearn everything and then write on the clean slate. These museums are a centre for preservation of Goa's heritage. Ain't that the best place to start looking at what your ancestors were like. I know where I want to go when I can tell where I came from. Disagree, tell me what you think. I would love to hear some of the world's tried and tested strategies. All my youth I have been running away from Goa and have ardently denied being a Goan. I, now, am prepared for the Homecoming.

In addition to the museums, I plan to visit a local favorite when it comes to words like wildlife and ecotourism. These guys, I am told, know their land and their ecosystem like no one else. Southern Birdwings....Nice name. I sure want to go see our very own 'Mugger'. For the benefit of the english speaking crowd, I am referring to our old survivors--the crocodiles. Mugger is a corruption of the Hindi/Urdu word 'Magar' which means 'water monster' (Courtesy Wikipedia). Water monster, why? All I know is that these guys are quite an inspiration if you wanna be crowned as the survivor. Back home in Goa, we worship the Mugger in Ponda. I am quite nervous and excited about the face-off.

Yeah, there's more. I would be visiting some beaches as would be the obvious choice for most. But only with a different aim this time around. I have always been a water baby. Incidently, my birthday coincides with the World Water Day. So yeah, I love H2O, l'eau. But while I was growing up I overlooked the importance of the sand dunes. Last time I went back home only to buy this great book by Claude Alvares (Fish Curry and Rice). I had heard a lot about it and finally, after the purchase I must say I am glad to have laid my eyes on it. The book is for the keeps. It is elaborate and very informative. It is in this book that I came across the sand dunes once again and this time I looked and read. Not just skimmed through like I did umpteen number of times before. So this trip back home is crucial for all the right reasons.

My next post will contain thoughts and experiences of my journey back home. It is time to reconnect, to re-member. Au Revoir!