SEEING WHAT ISN’T THERE is a power that only humans possess. The source of human power is neither muscle nor mind but models. I had made a reference to mental models in one of my earlier pieces in this bulletin. TO FRAME IS TO MAKE A MENTAL MODEL THAT ENABLES US TO SEE PATTERNS, PREDICT HOW...
THE FIRST THING THAT CROSSED MY MIND when I acquainted myself with the multiple areas where Roopa Purshottaman, the recipient of the Uma Jain Young Women Achiever Award this year, has excelled till date was simply this – one can over extend oneself in different aspects of life and excel in each one of them. She...
So many of us want to see a change but very few of us can be the change. Our guest speaker this week, Amitabh Shah, founder of Yuva Unstoppable is the latter. Whilst the achievements of Yuva are well publicised and Amitabh presents his conviction very lucidly, at the core of his organisation is his...
From revolution on Twitter to romance on Tinder, we are witnessing the bewildering technological forces that are transforming the world that we live in. Our guest speaker this week, Mr. Harish Mehta, shared fascinating backstories about NASSCOM and how India found its national competitive advantage in Information Technology. He strongly believes that this leading edge of India...
Above and beyond FROM THE START OF THIS ROTARY YEAR, I HAVE EMPHASISED ACTIVE, CIVIC POWER OF ORDINARY MEN AND WOMEN. I strongly believe that a society gets better if people co-operate and co-ordinate in addressing the challenges that affect them and also those around them. Whilst governmental aids and policies could potentially influence some outcomes, it...
Take heart THERE IS CHAOS, MISERY AND INJUSTICE BECAUSE SO OFTEN WE LET IT BE SO … LET US STEP UP. But how does one bring about change(s) that are of an order of magnitude that an individual cannot even fathom where to start ? It is this assessment of inadequacy that makes many of us let...
“DISRUPTION,” Rtn. Dr. Nisheeta Agarwala said, “is a tactic which utilises innovation and unique values to change the traditional and make it relevant to the present.” This was the opening para that Nisheeta used to introduce our guest speaker last week who kept the room, filled with more than 100 members, enthralled, as he elaborated on...
Thank You – the first words that come to my mind as I look back at the last weekly meeting. I wish to thank the members of our Club for many reasons. It is my experience that the members of our great Club are always receptive to the requests that I take to them. Most...
WHY IS THERE INCREASING MENTAL STRESS IN MODERN LIVING? In several ways, post-WW2 reconstruction resulted in economic well-being that stemmed from consumption rather than contribution. The metrics that we have applied to measure well-being are GDP, per capita income and wealth. We consume from outside in whereas we contribute from inside out. It is the realisation of...
TO CREATE A CHANGE, LEADERSHIP IS MORE IMPORTANT THAT AUTHORITY. Most of us consider authority and leadership as interchangeable. The truth is that to be a leader you need not be a person-in-authority. The driver who takes your 88-year-old father to the hospital during emergency when you are on an overseas vacation with your family; the 18-year-old...
SERVING OTHERS HAS NO VISIBLE LIMIT – it is the pathway to no bigger joy, no bigger challenge, no bigger opportunity and no bigger responsibility. Often, we find the challenges surrounding our communities so significant and complex that we wonder if mere good intent and compassion can bring solutions. So, we stop ourselves from taking that...
HOW DO WE INCREASE OUR EFFECTIVENESS a group of people all of whom signed up to do good? When you and I became Rotarians we made a commitment to ourselves that we were consciously making a choice to give. It was largely a “follow my heart” calling but most will agree that it was also a...