Me

Safe Escort

2010-08-02T22:26:00.002+05:00

Carrie found the path leading away from her enclosure and knew that this was her chance. The monkeys’ enclosure had two oval islands distant five meters one from another and ten meters from the bark. One of them was about 7 x 4 m, the other one 5 x 9 m. In the bigger island there was mainly bushy meadow vegetation and a little grass field subject to seasonal flooding. The smaller island had grass fields as a major part of it and some short bushy vegetation. The enclosure housed six other young capuchin monkeys.

Carrie felt a sense of boldness that she had never felt before. Before anyone could react, she slipped out onto the path and stealthily ran outside the Central Northern Argentinia Iga municipal Park Compound which was located in an area of mixed ombrophyla forest and meadow vegetation of a river. The climate was fresh summer and temperature was 27º C.

Carrie was from the genus ‘Cebus’ and was an arboreal primate of middle height and robust body with a semi-prehensile tail. As she moved on she could see Timmy, her friend close by feeding on ants. She was in a crouched posture, head down and was pulling out pieces of soil with both hands. The ants were held between the fingers as they were being eaten. Carrie smiled. She liked eating ants too.

Suddenly Carrie felt that a fly was hovering around her. With a quick jerk, she moved her arms and caught the fly. Happy with that she moved on following the trail which would lead her out of the boundary of the Compound into a deep jungle where she could meet other primates and be free like them.

As she entered the jungle, Carrie suddenly slipped and fell into what seemed like a small pit. As she tried to get up, she felt a searing pain in her left leg. Carrie was frightened. She wondered if she had hurt herself badly. Instinctively, she looked up and suddenly saw another monkey looking at her with amusement. He was sitting on a tree branch quite close to the ground. She immediately recognized him as a spider monkey from the genus ‘Ateles’. She saw that he had slender limbs and body with long narrow hands and was medium brown in color. He too had a prehensile tail and as she looked more closely, she could see that his nostrils were far apart.
He seemed to be eating the soft mature part of a fruit which she did not recognize. He also had some leaves in his hand which he ate alongside the fruit. In between he would stop eating and look at her with a sparkle in his eyes; then he would scratch himself with his hands and one foot.

Carrie screeched out to him pleading for help from her precarious situation. Suddenly, he jumped down and came across to her.

“You don’t seem to be from around here. Else you would not have missed this little hole in the ground,” he said staring at her.

“You are right. I am from the Park where I was captive right from my birth. I envy you. You have been free all your life,” blurted Carrie.

“Envy is not such a good thing. Name’s Buck. And yours?”

“Carrie, and my left leg is really hurting.”

“Here, let me see,” said Buck.

He began blowing air on the wound and after a while started licking it. Once temporarily cleaned, he took some soil and applied it to the wound.

Carrie was beginning to feel much better.

Suddenly another monkey who looked similar to Buck joined them. He started screeching and was on the verge of attacking Carrie when Buck turned around and crouched down also screeching. The monkey turned towards him crouching face to face ready to fight. Buck jumped over him and caught his limbs. As he clasped him tightly, they started rolling together and biting each other. Buck seemed to be gaining the upper hand as the other monkey suddenly withdrew and started running away. Buck tried to grasp his legs to pull him down but he was unsuccessful as the monkey ran away and swung onto a branch.

Carrie was perspiring and was very shaken up.

“Happens all the time,” said Buck.

“Thanks, you saved me,” said Carrie gratefully.

“No sweat, after all one does not get to save a lady as pretty as you every day,” said Buck.

Carrie blushed. Her cheeks took on a crimson shade. Her eyes were downcast.

“So what brings you here,” asked Buck.

“The desire to be free,” answered Carrie promptly.

“That’s interesting,” said Buck.

“You don’t know how lucky you are to be here. You are free to roam wherever you wish!” exclaimed Carrie.

Suddenly the air resounded with the sound of musical trumpets.

“What’s that noise? asked Carrrie.

“Hey, that’s the Annual Forest Carnival, you game to see it?” asked Buck.

“I would love to,” cooed Carrie.

As Carrie and Buck entered the grounds of the Carnival, Carrie could see the flurry of other monkeys moving around. They were screeching and shouting – the environment was filled with laughter and joyous mirth. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.
As they walked past a few stalls, they heard someone shouting – “Come on, all you beautiful couples, come on in and win exciting prizes in this dance competition.

Carrie and Buck instinctively looked at each other.

“Hey, let’s do it,” said Buck happily.

Buck took Carrie’s hand and led her to the dance floor.

“You familiar with the ‘Rumba’,” asked Buck.

“Yes, a friend of mine who was captured from the forest taught it to me in the enclosure,” said Carrie excitedly.

“C’mon then, lets paint the floor red!” exclaimed Buck.

Both Carrie and Buck stepped on the dance floor and stood facing each other holding hands with Carrie’s palms facing upwards. As the music flowed, both started moving their hips side to side, torso erect, carefully executing the pattern of two quick side steps and then a slow forward step. Skillfully executing three steps to a bar, both Carrie and Buck were a delight to watch. With the music, Buck first held Carrie and then let her go, throwing her back with the musical beat. Suddenly mid-way during the dance, as Buck held Carrie and they looked deep into each other’s eyes; and when he threw her back Carrie suddenly felt very strange. As he let her go, she suddenly felt very sad with the realization that Buck and she would be separated very soon once the evening was over and they once again go their own ways. It was in that moment that Carrie realized that she had fallen in love with Buck.

Carrie was filled with a sense of exhilaration and longing at the same time. She felt pangs of fear flowing inside her like uncontrolled waves longing to reach the seaside. She felt afraid that Buck would not understand her feelings. She felt like holding Buck and telling him how much she wanted to be with him. As she looked up, she saw Buck looking at her with concern.

“You o.k.?” asked Buck.

“Yesss,” mumbled Carrie.

As they walked down the steps from the dance floor hand in hand, Carrie was already thinking of how to tell Buck that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
As Carrie glanced to her right, she saw a small dome where ‘Hanuman’ was being worshipped. She immediately nudged Buck, “Let’s go there, I want to tell you something.”

Carrie led Buck to the front of Hanuman’s idol and stood directly in front of him. She held his hands and looked straight into his eyes.

“Buck, remember the movie – “Shall we dance?”

“Yes,” said Buck, in a very serious tone.

“Buck, there was something that was said in that movie. I have always believed in that and hold it very dear to my heart. I was saving it for this moment. I want to convey that now to you…We all need a witness to our lives. There are a trillion creatures on the planet... What does one life really mean? If you and I get together in a union, in togetherness, we promise to care about everything…The good and bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things... all of it, all of the time, every day. It means that we say to each other that your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it. Your life will not go un-witnessed because I will be your witness."

Buck burst out crying.

“He put Carrie’s hand to his heart. His voice was cloaked in emotion, “Carrie, I am touched. Yes, I want to be with you too.”

Carrie smiled and they embraced tightly.

The next few weeks were filled with moments of love and togetherness. Both Carrie and Buck had never been this happy. It seemed that this golden period would never end.

One day Buck and Carrie were out looking for food.

“Buck, I am tired,” said Carrie.

“O.K. You wait here by this tree while I just move on a bit ahead. There is a place up ahead where we can get food. I’ll grab some and get it here,” said Buck.

Buck went on ahead humming. An hour passed before he returned.

Carrie was lying on the ground screeching and crying in pain. She had multiple wounds on her body. There was blood on her arms and legs. Buck could see a few black tall monkeys attacking her. Buck started screeching loudly and rushed towards Carrie.

Upon seeing him, the monkeys screeched and started running away.

“Carrie! What happened?” shouted Buck in anguish.

He jumped over and before she could say anything plucked something from a plant close by. He immediately began rubbing it over her wounds. After a few minutes, Carrie stopped crying.

Buck came over and started licking her wounds. He held her gently and said softly, “Carrie, why didn’t you defend yourself? These are Alligapara monkeys and they are cowards. They run away whenever someone screeches at them. Didn’t you know that?”

Carrie looked down shamefully.

“You know so much Buck. I know nothing. I didn’t even know which plant you used to apply to my wounds,” Carrie almost started crying again.

Buck was silent and in deep thought.

A few days passed. Carrie’s wounds were almost healed.

Buck took Carrie’s hands in his and kissed them lightly.

“Carrie, I love you very much and I don’t want to lose you. But, I have realized that it is impossible for you to survive here. I won’t be around all the time to save you. So the best thing for both of us is that you go back to the enclosure. You will be safe there,” Buck said in a heavy voice.

Carrie was very sad. She understood what Buck was saying but her heart did not want to agree. But she realized that it was the only solution. With a heavy heart she nodded.

The next day, Buck escorted Carrie back to the outskirts of the enclosure.

“We could have been each other’s witness all our lives but I guess that is not to be. God Hanuman will remain the ultimate witness forever for everyone. I guess that is the ultimate truth,” Buck said softly as he turned back and went away forever.

By Vikas and Me

4.7 seconds

2010-06-19T13:34:00.009+05:00

Rani waves her hand in consent…I jump. The icy wind whisks away my tears like a child snatching a loved toy, the only difference being that a child is innocent…It pounces upon me like a drooling predator knowing that it is only a matter of time before it will have its way…knowing that I am now committed…that there can be only one outcome... tears now come and keep coming…they create a mist around my eyes almost blinding me…but they are not afraid…maybe because they know that it doesn’t matter…not anymore…after all it was my conscious choice…to jump from the thirtieth floor and end it all…

4.7 seconds

Rani’s cold touch frightens me. ‘Mama, I feel like I am dying.’ The voice was feeble and reminded me of the ending echoes of a voice which had proudly matched itself against a gigantic mountain; reverberating again and again till it ran out. The memory is so vivid. Rani, lying in the hospital bed clutching my hand fervently…she looked so fragile in her yellow frock and green top which covered her hands only partly, exposing them; they looked so thin and vulnerable just like that of a new born baby…and her broken slippers…would she ever be able to walk in them again…to dance in them again…just as she had danced the whole night on New Year’s Eve when she was barely five years old…when the vicissitudes of life had not been able to touch her…when her vocabulary did not include pain or sorrow…when she could never imagine that one day she would be battling for her life after a tragic accident; one that might have taken her life away…but the doctors had been hopeful; they had never seen someone with such a strong will to live…she had survived. She had a will to live while I had lost mine.

The wind is unrelenting. It knows…and it knows that I know it knows…It mocks me like a hyena who mocks its prey just before the last breath…I run out of tears…I want to tell the wind that I am not a bad person; just that I could not help doing what I did…that I had no choice…that it was an error of judgment…

“I am innocent, please believe me,” the plea was so earnest…it had haunted me for so many years after I had ordered that death sentence…but the evidence was compelling and I had come to know of his innocence only later…but I could not have helped it then. I have been a judge for twenty years. Was I not allowed one mistake…though in my heart I know how costly that mistake was to the victim…?

Suddenly, I don’t feel cold anymore...Is the wind taking pity on me at last…or is it waiting hungrily just like a crocodile who knows the inevitable…I can feel my blood trying to burst out from my face…seeking release from so many years of slavery…it seems like there is no respite…like it is finally all over…as if time has stopped and now stood standstill…

Just like time had stopped then in the park on the bench when my husband had caressed my face…that one moment had sanctified my entire thirty years of marriage…Oh! It was heavenly…like all the love in the world now belonged to me…I had never been this happy…never felt so wanted…so complete…and so much in love…It was as if time had no passage…as if eternity had kissed my doorstep and all earthly boundaries had been transcended…as if life had held the greatest meaning of all time…

And now it doesn’t matter… I suddenly feel my blood swirling in my brain like a whirlpool, my cheeks flapping in protest, adrenaline searing through me, my heart pumping furiously…The wind now ceases to affect me; and like a child who has outgrown the ogre I feel relaxed…peaceful…and strangely safe…from being trapped in a world which though to me offers no reason to die yet offers no reason to live either…I have lost the will to live…but is that reason enough to die…to give up the way I did…would Rani hate me for leaving her like this…

The green mountain speeds towards her like a lover who has waited for eternity now seeking to embrace his beloved. The waiting and the anticipation has been so sweet…and so certain with the knowledge that she would come one day…The blue meadow caresses her naked feet and acts as a trampoline as she sprints to catch the red deer. She can feel the soft and soothing touch of the grass beneath her feet. Talking to the wind, she falls, gets up and falls again. The deer never seem to get closer. The orange clouds sprinkle her with yellow rain garlanding her like a to-be bride. She has never looked so beautiful before. As she gets up and yet again runs after the deer the grass beneath her lifts her like a flying carpet and whisks her towards the waiting arms of the mountain – she is their chosen one…the wind caresses her cheek like a father loving his only child…Oh it’s such a beautiful world!

I instantly regain consciousness… the wind seems to be whistling loudly…ogres are never really outgrown…the wind is now no more a predator, rather it is an escort; saluting its lady like a setting sun signifying the end of an era…the end of desire, the death of will and the release of conditioned thinking…I try and peer down but my stare is blank; the rays of the sun hit my eyes at an angle preventing vision, creating a panacea for the sudden panic that is growing in me…it will be so painful…I will be hurt so badly…I curl and wrap myself like a fetus…maybe then it will pain less…my body twists in all directions…I feel disoriented…I wonder why I still cannot see the ground…I see my saliva leave my mouth and rush upwards…It flies past my nose nudging it slowly…I flap my hands like a bird…maybe I can fly…I push my dress down as it is sharply raised by the wind and then I realize it doesn’t matter…no one can see me now. I am sweating profusely…very afraid…

As I look down fearfully, I see the distant ground rushing up menacingly…is that a dark gravel road...the parked cars on the side make me hope fervently that I would miss hitting them. I shake my legs vigorously and try to steer away from the cars…but will it really matter…road, car or kerb…I am sure it would hurt…but it will be over in the next few micro seconds…

Seven...

Six...

Five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

One...

***

“Rani I still can’t understand what your mother meant when she said she had lost her will to live. She had everything – money, a loving family, a successful career, you, yet; maybe she hid something; maybe I was the reason.”

Rani peered down from the window as she looked at the road below. Today, it looked so empty, so unlike yesterday when a huge crowd had gathered within moments.

She wiped away a trickle of tear as she continued gazing down…

“You know that you could never have been the reason. She loved you more than anything. But when she lost her will to live…you know Dad, Mom was remarkable. She planned it so methodically over the last seven months. She had even researched that it would take her four point seven seconds to reach the ground. Thirty floors, four point seven seconds; how can somebody plan death so meticulously…?

“You know Rani what saddens me the most is the fact that you agreed with your mother’s decision. If you had not agreed with her, maybe…”

“No, Dad! I never agreed with her; but yes, unlike you I accepted it…”

By:
Vikas & Me

Illustrated By:
Harsh & Santosh

Teaching for Tomorrow

2009-09-23T12:42:00.003+05:00

From the day we arrive on the planet
And blinking, step into the sun
There's more to be seen than can ever be seen
More to do than can ever be done

Some say eat or be eaten
Some say live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give…

Excerpt from the song, “Circle of Life” in the movie - ‘The Lion King’

There is so much abundance on our planet that we can never have enough. Yet, our ethos is to only acquire and never give back to society. But, if this happens then society can never sustain –its fabric will eventually erode.

We talk about free education but do not have the requisite teacher base to provide that. There are simply not enough teachers and there is no way we can create that kind of number to meet the needs of the whole population. How can education therefore sustain?

It is today that we need to create an infrastructure such that tomorrow is sustainable. It is today that we need to teach our students that giving back is the only solution to the existence of tomorrow. It is today that we need to build a culture such that giving is as natural a process as taking and that it is the only way to survive and abound. It is today that we need to teach for tomorrow.

Imagine a simple scenario where every Infosys employee gives one hour per week of free teaching to a child. There are almost one hundred thousand employees in Infosys. Even if five hours are required per child per day for five days a week, the total number of children who could be then educated could be as high as four thousand. Imagine if this was mandatory by law for all organizations, then the number of children that could be taught would rise exponentially. This results in sustainability.

Imagine another scenario where there are ‘Learning Maps’ for everything. There are mentors who catalogue their experience with an activity and document it in the generic library – say ‘Learningmapedia’ on the internet. Every time someone needs to know about something, he visits the generic library and accesses this resource. He finds detailed guides on how to go about learning or doing something. It could be in the form of first watching three ‘You Tube’ videos, then listening to two audio clips and finally reading five indexed articles. The user then adds his experience to the resource and enriches it, thus giving back.

If this culture is adopted by everyone and people move from being user to mentor and then to user again, imagine the explosion in relevant and organized knowledge as against the information overload so prevalent today. This is another factor which causes sustainability.

Finally, imagine a third scenario where education is built not around subjects but around activities. Instead of a teacher teaching math or physics separately, and then organizing activities to teach the subject at a theoretical and independent level; she organizes an activity and teaches all subjects relevant to that activity.

For example, if the activity is a kitchen activity, then she could teach mathematics through selection, purchase and preparation of recipes – addition, subtraction, proportions, fractions and finance; she could teach English in terms of the vocabulary of terms used; she could teach foreign languages by asking students to interpret the English terms in other languages; she could teach chemistry by taking the microwave as an example – why steel is not suitable and why plastic burns; she could teach physics by taking the pressure cooker and the microwave as an example – convection, radiation and oxidization; she could teach biology through trying to brew (root) beer (with yeast), make yogurt (with bacteria); she could teach history through historical significance of different appliances, she could teach geography by asking the students to find out what is special about the Australian kitchen, how past immigration has changed eating habits of Australians and the native food of the Aborigines.

If she organizes a football match, she could then again explain to the students how the principles of various subjects get captured in that game. So from the composition of the football, she could teach chemistry; from the trajectory of the flight of the ball, she could teach physics; by identifying all the countries playing football in the world, she could teach geography; from the rules of the game such as obeying the whistle, she could teach manners and consequently discipline…
Another activity could be a visit to a jeweler shop where the students can see small amounts of gold ornaments being sold at high prices. Here the transactions teach them finance and when they compare this to the price of say, vegetables, they can learn economics through the concept of demand and supply.

Hence, the number of subjects that can be taught is not restricted and increase exponentially albeit now with practical relevance. After all, if a particular theory does not have practical relevance, why learn it in the first place…

If every student based on his unique learning now contributes to a generic library – say ‘Wikipedia’ on the internet in some small way, then the child from an early age learns to give back to the education system which has nurtured him. As this spans across time with every student contributing regularly, imagine the explosion in learning material. If the student’s contribution to Wikipedia is rated by people across the world; there can be no better examination system and traditional examinations will no longer be required.

Hence, the whole gamut is about ‘Community’ and sustainability therefore stems from building a culture of interdependence where taking from and giving back to society is intertwined. It is like an ethos ladder where people get pulled up by others and then pull up others in return. It incorporates the realization that it is only when this happens that the circle of life can truly be complete – where one is nurtured and then nurtures in return.

It is today that we therefore need to teach for tomorrow…

Some say eat or be eaten
Some say live and let live
But all are agreed as they join the stampede
You should never take more than you give…

By Vikas and Me

PERSPECTIVE

2009-07-30T20:20:00.003+05:00

“He seemed so sensitive, so perceptive, so brilliant – the perfect choice for an eligible girl; only if he hadn’t been a schizophrenic…” Dipti mused…

Dipti stood staring at the cover of the book lying on her desk – ‘Parallel Universes’ – the subject had long fascinated her but there was something in the author’s tone that disturbed her – was it indifference or was it something else..

As Dipti thought more of Ramesh, the more she felt uneasy. What was it that was preventing her from reaching out to him, to express her liking for him – was she afraid? Apprehensive? Did she feel that she lacked the emotional strength that would be required for a lifelong commitment to Ramesh? Would she be breaching her psychological contract with him? The answers were clearly not going to be easy…

“A parallel universe is a space – a state of mind akin to a possible psychic retreat – when the schizophrenic cuts off from secured anchors in the ‘real world’, he looks for anchors elsewhere – though those anchors may not be recognized as such by society or the ‘sane world’….” Dipti felt that an important point was emerging from the book – The psychic space of the individual was one which would define for him his ‘individual reality’ – ‘his place’ in the enmeshed interlocked interrelationships between subject and object…

Next morning Dipti met Ramesh in the yoga hall. She was also regularly attending the classes. Though she was retained by the mental hospital as a visiting psychologist, she felt that participating in certain events with her patients would help in building a stronger rapport with them. This in turn would lead to greater experience sharing and would be therapeutic for them. Today she would be meeting Ramesh again for a session and she wanted to maximize the experience for both of them.

“Hello Ramesh, How are you feeling today?” Dipti asked in a cheerful voice. “Great! It’s always a pleasure to meet you,” Ramesh said, equally cheerful.
“Excellent – Today we will work together on what is called the Inkblot Game. I will show you some pictures of inkblots and you have to tell me what they represent to you. So, lets begin!”

Ramesh looked excited. He told Dipti that she was an intelligent, caring and sensitive individual who gave him respect in spite of his situation and that he looked forward to the sessions that he had with her. He said that he felt that at a certain level she understood him.

“This picture reminds me of 2 people with a common destiny. The second one represents an empty canvas waiting to be colored with a story…” Dipti was once again reminded of his perceptiveness and it made her wonder – “How could he be here?”

Back in her room, Dipti got back to the book. “Why is it so wrong to be different, to have a different set of anchors, to have a unique sense of reality not shared by the environment – sure, it may lead to maladjustment in that situation but could there be a place, a retreat for such people where they are allowed to have their own space? A place where the different anchors are same for the people who share that space – a parallel world, a new vocabulary…? Who are we to judge people, who are we to decide who is ‘mad’ – Should we not be more sensitive as human beings and be more allowing and accepting…?”

Dipti realized that her assessment of the author’s tone had been premature. She could feel now that the author was actually a very sensitive and evolved individual. She could not help feeling admiration for him.

“Sir, I have something important to discuss with you,” said Dipti to Dr. Dhawan, the resident psychiatrist. “It is concerning Ramesh, the patient in room 202, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. Could you show me the records of his clinical picture vis-à-vis his symptoms.”

“Sure, we have noted that he is confused, is delusional, has major adjusting problems with his environment, has incoherent and disintegrated thoughts stemming from illogical beliefs, disturbed goal directed activity and emotional blunting. There is also a retreat to an inner world,” said Dr. Dhawan looking quizzically at Dipti.

Back in her chamber, Dipti was deep in thought. The inkblot test as well as other tests had confirmed that Ramesh thought very differently from the other patients with similar symptoms.

“Maybe, there should be a separate space of a more humane nature than that offered by an asylum or by a half-way home where the ‘patient’ is not cut off from society and yet is in a position to contribute to it. Maybe, there should be a different world within the same world where the ‘sane’ people take active responsibility in integrating people like Ramesh with his obvious endearing qualities into their fold…” Dipti was thinking furiously…

Dipti realized that she had a psychological contract with Ramesh because of her role and that she would have to be careful about that. How could she then address her feelings? She was sure by now that she liked Ramesh enough to make a commitment and she felt confident that she could take on this responsibility. She did not sleep that night. With the outbreak of dawn the answers came as easily as they had eluded her earlier…She knew what she had to do.

“Good morning, Dr. Dhawan.” I have some news for you, grinned Dipti, as she handed him her resignation letter.

15 minutes later, Dipti was walking excitedly towards room 202. “I have to try,” she thought…

By Me

EVICTION

2009-07-30T20:13:00.002+05:00

Ramanan was perturbed. His team and he were very disturbed with their boss, Venkat who they perceived was no less than a tyrant. Something very recent had happened that had aggravated the entire team. The boss had taken full credit for an innovative idea that was generated by three members of the team. The team was highly annoyed with this action.

“It’s really difficult to put up with him. Remember what happened last week” said Rohan, a colleague.

“Yes, he really lashed out at Rohit in front of everyone. The poor chap was so demoralized. He almost cried,” said Ramanan.

“He thinks he is very smart but unfortunately he goes way too far,” continued Ramanan.

The rest of the team murmured their dissatisfaction with the boss. Nobody was happy with him.

“This place would be so much so more peaceful without him,” said Ramanan to which the entire team agreed with a loud “We second that,” in unison…

“I guess next time there is a 360 degree feedback, we‘ll take care of him,” said Rohan.

“I don’t know how much that will help. We’ll have to do something else. I have a plan but I can’t reveal it immediately. I need all of you to do exactly as I say. Is that all right?” said Ramanan.

The team shouted out their consent – “Golly, yes!”

Ramanan smiled, “All right, here we come, Mr Venkat…”

Rajiv, who was the boss of Venkat was surprised to receive a call on Saturday morning from one of Venkat’s team members.

“How is it, Ramanan that you chose to call me today, considering Saturdays are holidays?” Rajiv said, surprised.

“Actually, sir, we were just wondering whether Mr Venkat is in a meeting with you. He has not come to office today and we were wondering where he is,” said Ramanan.

“But, why should he come to office on a Saturday,” asked Rajiv, even more surprised.

“Oh, don’t you know Sir, Mr Venkat always comes on Saturdays also to hold special training programs for us,” said Ramanan.

“I did not know that,“ said Rajiv.

“Oh! Sorry to trouble you. Thank you very much,” said Ramanan as he kept down the phone and winked at Rohan who was standing next to him.

“Now Mr Rajiv will know we are overworked,” said Rohan elated. That’s the first nail in his coffin.

“That was your ploy, Ramanan, wasn’t it,” exclaimed Rohan.

Ramanan just smiled mysteriously.

A week later, as Ramanan entered the office hall, he bumped into Rohan who happened to see Ramanan carrying a pass to an exclusive dance ball in town.

“I see you like attending balls,” said Rohan.

“Oh, this pass is not for me,” said Ramanan as he smiled at Rohan.
“This is for Mr. Rajiv,”

“Ah!” exclaimed Rohan.
“You want to get into his good books.”

“Not really,” said Ramanan.
“Just wait and see.”

Venkat was surprised. He had just received a call from his boss Rajiv who thanked him for the lovely time he had along with his wife at the ball. Although at that time, Venkat had not said anything, he was a bit nonplussed. However, he shook it aside and did not assign much weight to his boss’s words.

“Boy, Mr. Venkat must have been in an awkward situation when Mr. Rajiv must have called to thank him for the pass to the ball. You do have a devious mind,” said Rohan to Ramanan as they were having lunch in the office canteen.

“I agree with you. I do have a devious mind,” said Ramanan and smiled at Rohan.

About a month later, Ramanan approached Rohit, his team member who was also incidentally the system administrator for the office.

“Rohit, I needed to speak with you. Remember, the time Mr. Venkat had lashed out at you. This is an opportunity for you to get back at him,” said Ramanan.

“Oh! That sounds good. What do I have to do?” asked Rohit.

“Nothing much, just reset his computer email password after we hack in. I need to send a mail on his behalf. Yesterday, I happened to go over to his room and happened to see him type his password. This is going to be fun,” said Ramanan.

“That’s simple, here goes” said Rohit excited as he fiddled with his system.

15 minutes later, the mail was sent and the password was reset. Rohit sent a mail to Venkat telling him that his password was reset due to technical reasons.

“I did not understand why you sent a mail to Mr. Rajiv from Mr. Venkat’s id congratulating him on acquiring a new car. Are you trying to make Mr. Rajiv feel that Mr. Venkat is buttering him all of which can go against him” said Rohit .

“Maybe,” said Ramanan.
“But then again, maybe not…” smiled Ramanan.

Finally, it was appraisal day. The team sat huddled together discussing how they would rate their boss in this 360 degree feedback.

“Let us give him an ‘F’ in all areas,” said Rohan.
“That will make our dissatisfaction clear to Mr. Rajiv.”

Ramanan was smiling.

“Give me your appraisal forms and let me handle it,” said Ramanan.

A week later the team was discussing the implications of a mail received by all of them from Mr. Rajiv announcing a meeting.

The team was excited.

“I bet he wants to discuss the bad appraisal we gave Mr. Venkat. This is going to be good,” said Rohan, smiling.

As the meeting commenced, the team was all smiles. Rajiv said that he had an announcement to make.

“After observation of the last three months and also your appraisal, I would like to announce that Mr Venkat will no longer be your boss,” began Rajiv.

The team excitedly looked at Ramanan who was smiling broadly.

“Based on everything, I have decided to promote Mr. Venkat as General Manager and shift him to the Delhi office. This is based on several factors including the strong appraisal that you have given him,” announced Rajiv as he patted a beaming Venkat on the back as he left the room.

The team was stunned and happy. Ramanan was all smiles.

As Ramanan, Rohan, Rohit and the rest of the team celebrated over some drinks in the office itself, Rohan punched Ramanan lightly, “You Devil, you set Mr. Venkat up to get promoted and in the process go far away from us.”

Ramanan laughed loudly.

“It was the only way,” he said.

“I guess this is one of those rare moments when a team has managed to get rid of their boss albeit by getting him promoted,” said Rohit happily.

“It is also one of those rare moments when a team can have hard drinks in the office itself,” smiled Ramanan.

By Vikas and Me

PREDATOR

2009-07-30T19:57:00.001+05:00

It was 7 pm. End of a hard day’s work at the office. As Rohan got up from his seat, he could see his other colleagues busily wrapping up their papers for the day. Some people were strolling in the hall all set to go. 10 minutes later, as the lights were getting turned off, Rohan along with some of his colleagues left the hall to move to the parking lot. As he revved up his bike, Rohan waved heartily to his colleagues and in a flurry, rode off quickly.

“It seems that Rohan is in a hurry to get home,” commented Mohan, a good colleague of Rohan – “He probably wants to go home and meet his wife.”

“Yes,” commented Rohan, another colleague – “They are such a loving couple.”

30 minutes later, a lone bike strolled in silently into the darkness. Rohan had returned. He had a lewd expression on his face and sported a look of anticipation. He silently came up to the office and without switching on the lights sat down expectantly at his computer.

“Time to have fun,” he thought…

Rohan hastily opened yahoo messenger and started logging in. He logged in using a female id - Aarti and immediately went to the ‘singles’ room. As he scouted around, a window popped open. A male id ‘Jonathan’ identified himself as 24/m/California and asked for identification. Aarti identified herself as 22/f/india and started talking to this unsuspecting stranger.

“Hey, Aarti, how are you?”
“Not too bad, Jonathan - how about you?”

“I am good. What do you do for a living?”
“Oh! Nothing much – I am a struggling model.”

“Ah, a model!”

Rohan could visualize Jonathan drooling. His eyes were alert as he smiled lewdly and thought,” HeHe – this is gonna be easy prey.”

“Aarti, what products do you model for?”
“Oh! For bathing soap.”

“Ah! That must be very interesting. Does that require you to…ahem…you know…kind of…be undressed?”

Rohan was high. As he read the chat, he was extremely excited.

“He’s falling for it,” he thought…

“Well, yes it requires me to be topless, you know – and I really hate that part. All the crew on the set stare at me as if…and you know what happened last time…the producer made a pass at me. I was so scared…”

“Why were you scared?”
“Well, I thought he would, you know, do bad things with me.”

“What bad things?”
“Well, you know, like …”

Rohan was on cloud nine. He was having major fun. He knew that Jonathan wanted to talk dirty with Aarti and this whole thing was giving him a major kick.

“Aarti, why do you think this is bad?”
“I don’t know – it kind of sounds so wrong.”

Suddenly, Rohan’s eyes fell on his watch.

“Oops, its 9:30 pm, Ranjana must be waiting for dinner,” thought Rohan as he hastily logged out and turned the computer off.

The next day at office, Rohan was his cool self. No one knew of his hidden world where he had so much ‘fun.’ As he went about doing his work efficiently, he was humming…

Once, while Rohan was in a chat room with Aarti’s id, he suddenly saw an id enter the room. The name seemed familiar. As Rohan inspected the name carefully and clicked on his profile to know more about him, he suddenly realized who the person was. He was none other than his colleague Mahesh who sat in the same hall with him.

Rohan was excited. He realized that he could have major fun with Mahesh without him finding out about his real identity. He immediately contacted Mahesh online under Aarti’s id with a flamboyant greeting saying that he wanted to be friends with him.

Initially, Rohan got no response, but he persisted. Finally Mahesh gave in and returned the greeting. Rohan immediately began his act of being a struggling female model and how his producer was trying to exploit him and was always trying to flirt with him.

He kept on his tirade for fifteen minutes till finally Mahesh consented to be ‘friends.’
Mahesh responded sympathetically and told him not to worry as now he was Aarti’s friend and would take care of her. He would personally visit the producer and talk to him.

Rohan was smiling lewdly knowing that Mahesh had taken the bait and fallen hook, line and sinker for this story. He knew that now he had Mahesh in his hand and could have major fun with him.

Rohan then started asking Mahesh if he had a girlfriend to which Mahesh responded negative. He then asked him whether he never felt the need to have one to which Mahesh responded that he had a strong need for a companion with whom he could share everything.

Rohan then asked him what kind of a girl he was looking for to which Mahesh responded that he was looking for a beautiful, truthful and sensitive person with whom he could spend time and share everything. Rohan was on cloud nine. He immediately beckoned Rohit who was his good friend to his computer and whispered the whole setup to him. He then winked at Rohit saying that they would take Mahesh for a nice ride to which Rohit smiled back wickedly and agreed that this was great fun.

This went on for a few days. Mostly Rohan and Rohit would have a good laugh at the end of the many sessions that had taken place.

Then something happened in office which changed things. Rohan’s boss assigned Mahesh to work with Rohan on a certain assignment. Rohan was taken aback initially but then realized that he could find out more about Mahesh’s real life through the association with him in office and could then use that information to have more fun with him.

As Rohan and Mahesh were sitting together on one occasion discussing work, Rohan casually asked Mahesh whether he ever had a girlfriend to which Mahesh replied that he had one sometime in the past. Rohan probed further and discovered that she had ditched him for someone else leaving Mahesh scarred. As a result of this, Mahesh now hated women and was very careful in dealing with them.

Rohan felt sorry for Mahesh and even felt a tinge of guilt about playing with him in the internet chat room. He resolved to use the chat room to now build back Mahesh’s trust in women through Aarti and then finally disappear after healing his wounds to some extent.

When Aarti greeted Mahesh in the chat room the next time, he noticed that she was very subdued. As Mahesh commented on this, Aarti responded by saying that she really liked Mahesh and was gradually falling in love with him. Mahesh must have immediately stiffened as his woman-hating instincts took over and he told Aarti politely that he was not interested at that point in time.

Aarti responded by saying that it was all right and that she would wait for Mahesh to give his consent. She spoke nice love words and made Mahesh feel that he was very important to her and that she would never ever hurt him. She spoke about the time when she herself was very hurt because her boyfriend ditched her and now she was looking for someone to heal her wounds.

As this continued session after session, Rohan realized that Mahesh was beginning to like Aarti. He now realized that this itself was a healing process and this itself indicated that Mahesh’s wounds were now closing and that he was now beginning to trust women again.

Rohan realized that now he had to back off in some way and bring this to a closure. He realized that the best way of doing that was to confess to Mahesh that he was actually Aarti and seek his forgiveness. Through interacting with Mahesh, he had realized that Mahesh was a very sensitive and nice person and would surely overlook this issue if confessed to properly.

Rohan had mixed feelings as he approached Mahesh. As he sat down next to Mahesh, Rohan patted him on the back and told him that he wanted to tell him something. As he was midway in the confession with downcast eyes, he suddenly looked up and saw Mahesh giving him a very keen look.

Before he could finish, Mahesh slowly rubbed Rohan’s cheeks and told Rohan not to worry. He took Rohan’s hand and told him that it was ok and that he would not tell anyone and that Rohan had succeeded in his quest of making him fall in love.

Except that since he knew it all along, it was not Aarti but Rohan whom he was in love with. Mahesh caressed Rohan’s palm and told Rohan that they would have a great life together saying that his hatred of women had made him a homosexual.

Rohan’s world shook with a thunder that he had never experienced before. He looked up with shock and stared at the ceiling.

The ceiling stared back at him.

by Vikas and Me

THE ORIENTATION PROGRAM

2009-07-30T19:45:00.003+05:00

Ram was excited. Today was the 1st of May, 2009. It was the first day of his orientation program with a leading group with diverse interests with whom he had recently secured a job. He just could not wait to meet the different department people and learn more about the Group. He had recently graduated from a leading business school where he had secured the gold medal. He was now keen to meet his new colleagues.

He shivered as he entered the conference room where people from different departments would come and deliver an introductory talk. “The air conditioning was working overtime, it seemed or was he just plain nervous,” he thought as he took his seat among ten other new recruits.

The first two sessions lasted for 3 hours. Somebody spoke on the need for current business transformation at various levels while someone spoke on future business strategy for the Group. Ram was starting to feel thoroughly bored.

“This is turning out to be worse than an MBA lecture though I guess it cannot be helped. It’s a part and parcel of the orientation program. After all, the Group does want to make a good first impression on the MBA recruits…,“ he thought…

As the talks continued, a fellow recruit asked Ram what were some of the things that he had observed in the last 6 hours. Ram was in a flippant mood.

“Well, we need to align people with business strategy and if they do not agree, then to bring them into these cold gas chambers called conference rooms, said Ram “and bombard them with fancy phrases designed to develop an inferiority complex…I guess that’s what they are trying – the pompous head of departments…,”

Rohan, another new recruit who was sitting next to Ram burst out laughing.

“What the top brass needs is a class on effective communication,” said Rohan and patted Ram on the back.

“Yes, said Ram and I bet they won’t ask for feedback. So much for effective communication…"

“Hey Rohan, did you notice something – all the department heads are male – no ladies at top positions out here.“

“That’s obvious Ram, women belong to the kitchen, don’t they,” Rohan winked.

"It’s an offshoot of the glass ceiling, Rohan and its rather sad."

"You seem to know a lot," said Rohan marveling. "Yes, we are all mostly chauvinist pigs…Well, did you notice that one of the department heads insisted on being called by first name – now that’s confidence…"

"Right," said Ram – "he is a person who has resolved what is called a power distance issue. He is non-Japanese in his approach and very American-like. Talk about cultural anomalies. The other Head who spoke on business alignment was somewhat reserved and boorish. I guess he draws his kicks from his position which he thinks he deserved because of his years of hard work – whew! talk about quantity over quality…His role has taken over his person."

"You mean like human versus robot…person and role…"

"Right!"

"That’s not too bad – but at least he is consistently robot – most people are confused midway."

"Hmmm…you have a point…"

"Hey, Ram remember that guy who spoke on transcendental meditation. What happens in that? Do people rise above their seats and float in the air?" 

"Nah! says Ram – Its about overcoming your conditioning – you transcend above your set patterns and develop an observing ego…you don’t really rise above your seat – rather, you realize that you might need to change your seat in life…from that perspective you are not rising but rather sinking because you realize that all your life has been a lie…and you didn’t even know it…"

"Gosh – that’s deep!" said Rohan…

"Deep – yes, its more of sinking below your seat than rising in the air… you know – sinking into hell rather than rising into heaven – considering that in my belief system both don’t exist…"

"You mean – you do not believe in God?"

"Nah! I am an atheist…I have transcended and I did it without meditating…" 

"That’s a mean one – you are making fun of believers – that’s not nice…"

"Hmmm…maybe not…OK I apologize….each to his own…"

(To be continued…)

By Me

FACE DESCRIPTION

2009-07-30T18:53:00.001+05:00

The beard strikes out predominantly, beautifully highlighting the roundish chin and long side locks. The ears are medium in size with beautifully curved earlobes. The nose is long and proud and reminds me of an elegant aristocrat. The hair is cropped and disciplined and lies flat upon the large forehead, reminding me of self-restraint. The eyebrows arch over the eyes in a twirling fashion. They emanate a protective bonding towards the eyes. The eyes have beautiful black eyeballs and are focused on his work. His lips are thick and his mustache almost covers them. He has high cheekbones flattening down from the eyes and rising towards the cheeks. Overall, the face reminds me of an artist focused on his painting, determined to succeed.

by Me

LONDON BRIDGE IS FALLING DOWN

2009-07-30T18:09:00.003+05:00

Most Urgent
18th March, 1952
British High Command, London

To,
Officer Wren,
Special Force,
London

Officer,

You are urgently required to report to Commander Smith at Ramasha Island regarding the strong revolutionary movement. The movement mastermind had been captured some time back and our intelligence had told us that without him the movement would be paralyzed. However, that does not seem to be the case. In fact, the movement is stronger than ever. Lord Jack Burlington has been assassinated. Please move immediately.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As I stared at the telegram in my hand having re-read it for the third time, I heard an announcement saying that we were about to land. I could see a small island seemingly broken into two parts surrounded by water on all sides.

Fifteen minutes later, as I stepped out of the jet on Ramasha Island twenty four hours after I had received the telegram, I saw a man in a brown overcoat waving at me in the distance. As I went closer, I could see that it was Commander Smith himself.

“Good to see you again detective Wren…We are in deep trouble. The Governor General Lord Jack Burlington was assassinated last week by the revolutionary movement. We just cannot understand it. We had captured Petros Guodupalla who is now imprisoned along with his five year old daughter Pauline since the last one month. We were confident that without him the movement would be severely impaired. But, the movement seems to be even more charged than ever. We have a feeling that he is still giving instructions to the movement, but we do not know how. The British Monarch is visiting the island tomorrow. We need to get this wrapped up before he arrives.”

“Does Petros have any connection with the outside world while he is in prison; any visitors? I asked.

“No, except his daughter’s governess, Mary Weber, who has brought her up since birth. She visits them once a week for an hour. I make sure that I am present in that meeting,” said the Commander.

“What happens during that time?” I asked?

“There is general talk and singing of nursery rhymes and a bit of games with the child and then the governess goes away.”

As I retired to my room, deep in thought, I felt tired. As I finished the shower, I looked into the mirror. The face that greeted me was fair and squarish, with deep blue eyes. There was a poignant look in them indicating the huge experience of solved and unsolved cases. The hair was black and curly. The mouth was large with thick lips almost sensuously boasting of a series of relationships. The frame was lanky and the slim body epitomized a high degree of fitness.

I felt a bit worried as I thought about the movement. How was Petros communicating to the movement?

I called up the Commander, “Could you give me the dossier on Petros – his background, activities, etc.”

As I browsed through the file, something unusual caught my eye. Petros was a doctorate and had taught political science at a leading University and even had a couple of publications to his credit. I was astonished that an academician could give up his career and join the movement. As I read further, I discovered that he had lost his wife tragically in an accident just a few months after his daughter was born. He was an avid reader and even a gymnast.

I called Commander Smith again.

“What incidents happened in spite of Petros being in jail,” I asked.
“There is a trail in the island surrounded by trees where the army usually marches through every Sunday. It is a connector to the other part of the island. Last fortnight, as they were marching through, within a two hundred meter stretch, huge rocks fell on them from the canopy of trees causing a stampede injuring at least three hundred of them and killing another hundred. The synchronicity with which this happened was astounding.

In another instance, a week ago, a letter bomb killed Lord Jack Burlington while he tried to open the document which contained the details of the taxes imposed on the people. I wonder what will happen next.”

I was amazed by the simplicity of the methods used by the movement.

“Tell me more about the conversation that Petros has in the cell with the governess,” I asked.

“Well, as I said earlier, Petros and the governess who he refers to as ‘doktorandin’ basically spend time with Pauline playing with her and singing nursery rhymes.

Officer Wren, this is leading us nowhere. Please hurry up. The Monarch is coming in tomorrow to address the people. We need to get to the root of this by tomorrow. Twenty hours is all you have,” the commander said.

I was thinking furiously. Something had struck me. I immediately called my friend George in London. He was the best foreign languages translator in the whole of England.

“George, give me the English translation for doktorandin.”

“That’s simple. It means a doctorate student in german,” said George immediately.

“Thanks, George,” I said as I put the receiver down.

My mind was racing. On a hunch, I called up the librarian at the National Library in London.

“Hi, John, Wren here. Is there any publication by Mary Weber in your records,” I asked.

“Hold on, I’ll check and get back to you,” John replied

Twenty minutes later, John called up excitedly, “Wren, I got something. There is a small publication – ‘German guerrilla warfare techniques during world war 1’ by Weber Mary”

“Thanks a ton, John. Please fax me the manuscript,” I said.

As I browsed through the manuscript, my eyes fell upon the acknowledgement page. My hunch was right. There was a fond acknowledgement to Professor Guodupalla for having guided her in this project.

I suddenly came upon a chapter – ‘History and significance of nursery rhymes in communication during wartime’. I startled and almost fell from the chair. The chapter was detailed and very fascinating. It explained the historical meanings of nursery rhymes and how they were codes in communication.

Things suddenly became clear to me. “Oh Lord! So that’s how they are communicating.”

I almost ran to Commander Smith. He had just reached the army headquarters after having received the Monarch who had just arrived.

“Tell me Commander,” I asked hurriedly, “do you remember which nursery rhymes they sang during the governess’ visit?”

“Yes,” said the Commander. “I do recall somewhat. In fact they sing the same rhyme over and over again throughout the hour. The first time they sung -

‘Rock-a-bye-baby
On the treetop
When the wind blows,
The cradle will rock.
When the bough breaks,
The cradle will fall
And down will come baby
Cradle and all”

I grabbed the Commander’s shoulder.

“Don’t you see – the way they communicated. That was an instruction to ambush the army where there is a canopy of trees. They probably placed the rocks in some containers over the entire stretch which sat on the treetop like cradles. When the army passed that way, through some mechanism, they made the rocks fall causing a stampede. That is exactly what happened. It is a guerilla technique.

Quick, tell me the other rhymes,” I almost gasped.

The Commander’s face turned red as he realized how he had been fooled. He tried recalling the second rhyme –

‘Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner…”

“Eating a Christmas Pie
He put in his thumb
And pulled out a plum
And said
"Oh, what a good boy am I!’

I finished the rhyme and jumped up. “Commander, ‘Jack’ here could refer to Lord Jack Burlington. Tell me, what was the content in the letter?”

“Well, every quarter, heavy taxes are levied on the people of the island. As per the rumor, Lord Jack Burlington used to receive the letter himself and then would go into his chamber and make changes in the figures before sending it to the Monarch,” explained the Commander.

I recalled the chapter in the manuscript and excitedly turned towards the Commander.

“Yes, it refers to him all right. The ‘plum’ refers to the tax on the land and the ‘pulling out’ refers to the letter bomb. The ‘corner’ refers to his chamber and ‘good boy’ to his impression on the Monarch.” It has a political and historical significance. Petros is really smart.

What was the next rhyme?”

“The last rhyme,” said the commander,“ which he said yesterday was -

“Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the ……”

“Oh Lord, I almost shouted. The main cannon! Historically, the biggest gun of the army was brought down by the enemy. The biggest gun here can only mean the Monarch. They are going to try and assassinate him, but when?

Where is he right now?”

“What? He is about to reach the ‘Divison Wall’ – the palace courtyard, where there is a wall, where the army stand on one side and the people of the island on the other. The Monarch stands in the middle to address the people. This is a tradition which signifies the division between the colonized people and the army. This happens every year. It’s a special day for the British army signifying their triumph.

Wait a minute! Oh I see! That’s where they will get him!!! We have to rush,” the Commander exclaimed as he made a quick call and then ran out towards his car. I followed quickly.

We reached the Division Wall in ten minutes. The people of the island had already gathered and were now getting impatient as time flew by for the Monarch’s address. The army had been warned and it had cordoned off the wall area and was physically searching the area and the people for signs of any weapons.

An hour passed. As we continued to wait, nothing happened. The Army Chief came back to us and said that they had found nothing. I was confused. Could I have understood wrongly?

I turned to the Commander, “Was there any other nursery rhyme that you did not recall or did anything else happen yesterday at the prison?”

After a brief thought, Commander Smith replied, “No, there wasn’t any other rhyme but something else did happen. It seems insignificant but Petros showed everyone present a magic trick. In fact, he called out to the guards and said he would make two fingers disappear. Then, after using his spit to mark the fingers, he put his hand behind his head and when he brought it back in front, it seemed that the two marked fingers were actually missing. Pauline and the Governess were clapping continuously.

I stood up and shouted hoarsely, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? This magic trick indicated the final nursery rhyme. The Humpty Dumpty rhyme was a red herring to fool us. The two fingers indicate two little dickie birds. The rhyme goes like this –

Two little dickie birds,
Sitting on a wall;
One named Peter,
The other named Paul.
Fly away Peter!
Fly away Paul!

Peter refers to Petros and Paul refers to his daughter Pauline. Call the prison. Petros is planning to escape with his daughter. I hope we are not too late.”

The ropes which hung from the ceiling of the empty prison cell gaped at us in arrogance. There was a hatch window at the far top which was half-open. It seemed too high for anyone to climb. Petros had used the ropes smuggled in by the movement to climb up and literally fly away. I remembered now that he was also a gymnast. It was ironical. He had kept the easiest nursery rhyme for himself. The nursery rhyme which had been used as a magic trick for centuries had been used by Petros to make a fool out of me.

As I sunk down on the floor resigned and outwitted, I look up again at the hatch window. As I imagined the next instruction from the monarch relieving me of my services or maybe even my life - the words automatically formed in my mouth completing the nursery rhyme:

‘Come back Peter
Come back Paul!’

by Vikas and Me

CATHARSIS

2009-07-30T18:01:00.004+05:00

“Come in Radhika, how are you today?” the psychoanalyst asked. He had a sober expression on his face and was gently smiling.

Radhika looked troubled. She winced at his greeting and quietly sat down, hands folded over her lap. She said nothing.

10 silent minutes passed before Radhika spoke, “Last time we discovered that I have a problem with experimenting with new things. I would like to explore that further. I am 40 years old and there is so much to do, but its just that I have this strange fear…I can’t explain it.”

“What happens to you when you think of experimenting with something?” the analyst asked.

Radhika thought for a while. “Well, I experience a strange sense of sadness…a sense of fear that something bad will happen.”

You know, this morning as I thought about all the therapy sessions that I have had with you, I felt a little worried. I experienced that same sense of sadness…that same sense of fear…I don’t know…It’s just that we have spent so much time already; I hope you won’t give up on me.”

“If that were to happen, what would it mean to you? the analyst asked quietly.

“I don’t know…I guess it would be a sense of loss, a sense of losing someone I trust…” Radhika stuttered.

“Can you recollect a time when you lost someone whom you trusted?” the analyst asked.

Radhika was quiet. Suddenly tears welled up in her eyes and she started sobbing. After a couple of minutes she composed herself and said in a broken voice, “Rachita, my close friend, whom I lost when I stole her bike and banged it into a car. She has never spoken to me after that. And I have never ridden since then.”

The analyst did not say anything. After about 10 minutes, he asked, “You love your friend very much?”

Radhika nodded slowly. “Yes, she is very valuable to me.”

The analyst nodded, “Just as this therapy is valuable to you.”

Radhika looked up confused.

“Do you think it is possible that the loss of your friendship has affected you so deeply that you now deeply fear losing anything that is valuable to you? Do you think this is a pattern now with you? the analyst asked softly…

There was a deafening silence…as the session ended.

The next day Radhika mysteriously quit therapy.

It was almost a year since then when Radhika bumped into the analyst in a mall. She was accompanied by a tall lady.

“Hello,” she greeted him warmly.

“Hello Radhika, how are you? the analyst asked.

“I am great. I want to apologize for just leaving therapy like that but I guess I was very threatened with your observation. But in course of time, I realized that you were right and that I had an unconscious pattern. So, I patched up with Rachita. This is her,” she bubbled pointing at the tall lady.

The analyst beamed. “I am happy for you, Radhika. All the best! I have to leave now for a session.”

“Just a moment,” said Radhika as they stepped outside the mall. “Can I give you a ride?” she smiled pointing at her new bike.

by Vikas and Me

Cognitive Biases

2009-01-24T15:57:00.003+05:00

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

I picked this up from the above source. Amazing list. Questions one's own belief system and decision making ability. Food for thought... :-)

Decision-making and behavioral biases

Many of these biases are studied for how they affect belief formation, business decisions, and scientific research.

Bandwagon effect — the tendency to do (or believe) things because many other people do (or believe) the same. Related to groupthink and herd behaviour.

Base rate fallacy — ignoring available statistical data in favor of particulars.

Bias blind spot — the tendency not to compensate for one's own cognitive biases.

Choice-supportive bias — the tendency to remember one's choices as better than they actually were.

Confirmation bias — the tendency to search for or interpret information in a way that confirms one's preconceptions.

Congruence bias — the tendency to test hypotheses exclusively through direct testing, in contrast to tests of possible alternative hypotheses.

Conservatism bias — the tendency to ignore the consequence of new evidence. (Related to base rate fallacy.)[1]

Contrast effect — the enhancement or diminishing of a weight or other measurement when compared with a recently observed contrasting object.

Déformation professionnelle — the tendency to look at things according to the conventions of one's own profession, forgetting any broader point of view.

Denial[verification needed] — the tendency to disbelieve or discount an unpleasant fact.

Distinction bias — the tendency to view two options as more dissimilar when evaluating them simultaneously than when evaluating them separately.

Endowment effect — "the fact that people often demand much more to give up an object than they would be willing to pay to acquire it".

Experimenter's or Expectation bias — the tendency for experimenters to believe, certify, and publish data that agrees with their expectations for the outcome of an experiment, and to disbelieve, discard, or downgrade the corresponding weightings for data that appears to conflict with those expectations.

Extreme aversion — the tendency to avoid extremes, being more likely to choose an option if it is the intermediate choice.

Focusing effect — prediction bias occurring when people place too much importance on one aspect of an event; causes error in accurately predicting the utility of a future outcome.

Framing — by using a too narrow approach or description of the situation or issue.

Also framing effect — drawing different conclusions based on how data are presented.

Hyperbolic discounting — the tendency for people to have a stronger preference for more immediate payoffs relative to later payoffs, where the tendency increases the closer to the present both payoffs are.

Illusion of control — the tendency for human beings to believe they can control or at least influence outcomes that they clearly cannot.

Impact bias — the tendency for people to overestimate the length or the intensity of the impact of future feeling states.

Information bias — the tendency to seek information even when it cannot affect action.

Irrational escalation — the tendency to make irrational decisions based upon rational decisions in the past or to justify actions already taken.

Loss aversion — "the disutility of giving up an object is greater than the utility associated with acquiring it". (see also sunk cost effects and Endowment effect).

Mere exposure effect — the tendency for people to express undue liking for things merely because they are familiar with them.

Moral credential effect — the tendency of a track record of non-prejudice to increase subsequent prejudice.

Need for closure — the need to reach a verdict in important matters; to have an answer and to escape the feeling of doubt and uncertainty. The personal context (time or social pressure) might increase this bias.

Neglect of probability — the tendency to completely disregard probability when making a decision under uncertainty.

Not Invented Here — the tendency to ignore that a product or solution already exists, because its source is seen as an "enemy" or as "inferior".

Omission bias — the tendency to judge harmful actions as worse, or less moral, than equally harmful omissions (inactions).

Outcome bias — the tendency to judge a decision by its eventual outcome instead of based on the quality of the decision at the time it was made.

Planning fallacy — the tendency to underestimate task-completion times.

Post-purchase rationalization — the tendency to persuade oneself through rational argument that a purchase was a good value.

Pseudocertainty effect — the tendency to make risk-averse choices if the expected outcome is positive, but make risk-seeking choices to avoid negative outcomes.

Reactance — the urge to do the opposite of what someone wants you to do out of a need to resist a perceived attempt to constrain your freedom of choice.

Selective perception — the tendency for expectations to affect perception.

Status quo bias — the tendency for people to like things to stay relatively the same (see also loss aversion, endowment effect, and system justification).

Von Restorff effect — the tendency for an item that "stands out like a sore thumb" to be more likely to be remembered than other items.

Wishful thinking — the formation of beliefs and the making of decisions according to what is pleasing to imagine instead of by appeal to evidence or rationality.

Zero-risk bias — preference for reducing a small risk to zero over a greater reduction in a larger risk.

Biases in probability and belief

Ambiguity effect — the avoidance of options for which missing information makes the probability seem "unknown".

Anchoring — the tendency to rely too heavily, or "anchor," on a past reference or on one trait or piece of information when making decisions.

Attentional bias — neglect of relevant data when making judgments of a correlation or association.

Authority bias — the tendency to value an ambiguous stimulus (e.g., an art performance) according to the opinion of someone who is seen as an authority on the topic.

Availability heuristic — estimating what is more likely by what is more available in memory, which is biased toward vivid, unusual, or emotionally charged examples.

Availability cascade — a self-reinforcing process in which a collective belief gains more and more plausibility through its increasing repetition in public discourse (or "repeat something long enough and it will become true").

Clustering illusion — the tendency to see patterns where actually none exist.

Capability bias — The tendency to believe that the closer average performance is to a target, the tighter the distribution of the data set.

Conjunction fallacy — the tendency to assume that specific conditions are more probable than general ones.

Gambler's fallacy — the tendency to assume that individual random events are influenced by previous random events. For example, "I've flipped heads with this coin five times consecutively, so the chance of tails coming out on the sixth flip is much greater than heads."

Hawthorne effect — the tendency of people to perform or perceive differently when they know that they are being observed.

Hindsight bias — sometimes called the "I-knew-it-all-along" effect, the inclination to see past events as being predictable.

Illusory correlation — beliefs that inaccurately suppose a relationship between a certain type of action and an effect.

Ludic fallacy — the analysis of chance related problems according to the belief that the unstructured randomness found in life resembles the structured randomness found in games. Ignoring the non-gaussian distribution of many real-world results.

Neglect of prior base rates effect — the tendency to neglect known odds when reevaluating odds in light of weak evidence.

Observer-expectancy effect — when a researcher expects a given result and therefore unconsciously manipulates an experiment or misinterprets data in order to find it (see also subject-expectancy effect).

Optimism bias — the systematic tendency to be over-optimistic about the outcome of planned actions.

Ostrich effect — ignoring an obvious (negative) situation.

Overconfidence effect — excessive confidence in one's own answers to questions. For example, for certain types of question, answers that people rate as "99% certain" turn out to be wrong 40% of the time.

Positive outcome bias — a tendency in prediction to overestimate the probability of good things happening to them (see also wishful thinking, optimism bias, and valence effect).

Patternicity effect — the tendency to find meaningful patterns in meaningless noise.

Primacy effect — the tendency to weigh initial events more than subsequent events.

Recency effect — the tendency to weigh recent events more than earlier events (see also peak-end rule).

Disregard of regression toward the mean — the tendency to expect extreme performance to continue.

Reminiscence bump — the effect that people tend to recall more personal events from adolescence and early adulthood than from other lifetime periods.

Rosy retrospection — the tendency to rate past events more positively than they had actually rated them when the event occurred.

Selection bias — a distortion of evidence or data that arises from the way that the data are collected.

Stereotyping — expecting a member of a group to have certain characteristics without having actual information about that individual.

Subadditivity effect — the tendency to judge probability of the whole to be less than the probabilities of the parts.

Subjective validation — perception that something is true if a subject's belief demands it to be true. Also assigns perceived connections between coincidences.

Telescoping effect — the effect that recent events appear to have occurred more remotely and remote events appear to have occurred more recently.

Texas sharpshooter fallacy — the fallacy of selecting or adjusting a hypothesis after the data is collected, making it impossible to test the hypothesis fairly. Refers to the concept of firing shots at a barn door, drawing a circle around the best group, and declaring that to be the target.

Social biases

Most of these biases are labeled as attributional biases.

Actor-observer bias — the tendency for explanations of other individuals' behaviors to overemphasize the influence of their personality and underemphasize the influence of their situation (see also fundamental attribution error). However, this is coupled with the opposite tendency for the self in that explanations for our own behaviors overemphasize the influence of our situation and underemphasize the influence of our own personality.

Dunning-Kruger effect — "...when people are incompetent in the strategies they adopt to achieve success and satisfaction, they suffer a dual burden: Not only do they reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the ability to realize it. Instead, ...they are left with the mistaken impression that they are doing just fine."[9](see also Lake Wobegon effect, and overconfidence effect).

Egocentric bias — occurs when people claim more responsibility for themselves for the results of a joint action than an outside observer would.

Forer effect (aka Barnum Effect) — the tendency to give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically for them, but are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. For example, horoscopes.

False consensus effect — the tendency for people to overestimate the degree to which others agree with them.

Fundamental attribution error — the tendency for people to over-emphasize personality-based explanations for behaviors observed in others while under-emphasizing the role and power of situational influences on the same behavior (see also actor-observer bias, group attribution error, positivity effect, and negativity effect).

Halo effect — the tendency for a person's positive or negative traits to "spill over" from one area of their personality to another in others' perceptions of them (see also physical attractiveness stereotype).

Herd instinct — Common tendency to adopt the opinions and follow the behaviors of the majority to feel safer and to avoid conflict.

Illusion of asymmetric insight — people perceive their knowledge of their peers to surpass their peers' knowledge of them.

Illusion of transparency — people overestimate others' ability to know them, and they also overestimate their ability to know others.

Illusory superiority — perceiving oneself as having desirable qualities to a greater degree than other people. Also known as Superiority bias.

Ingroup bias — the tendency for people to give preferential treatment to others they perceive to be members of their own groups.

Just-world phenomenon — the tendency for people to believe that the world is "just" and therefore people "get what they deserve."

Lake Wobegon effect — the phenomenon that a supermajority of people report themselves as above average in desirable qualities (see also worse-than-average effect and optimism bias).

Money illusion - an irrational notion that the arbitrary values of currency, fiat or otherwise, have an actual immutable value.

Notational bias — a form of cultural bias in which a notation induces the appearance of a nonexistent natural law.

Outgroup homogeneity bias — individuals see members of their own group as being relatively more varied than members of other groups.

Projection bias — the tendency to unconsciously assume that others share the same or similar thoughts, beliefs, values, or positions.

Self-serving bias — the tendency to claim more responsibility for successes than failures. It may also manifest itself as a tendency for people to evaluate ambiguous information in a way beneficial to their interests (see also group-serving bias).

Self-fulfilling prophecy — the tendency to engage in behaviors that elicit results which will (consciously or not) confirm our beliefs.

System justification — the tendency to defend and bolster the status quo. Existing social, economic, and political arrangements tend to be preferred, and alternatives disparaged sometimes even at the expense of individual and collective self-interest. (See also status quo bias.)

Trait ascription bias — the tendency for people to view themselves as relatively variable in terms of personality, behavior and mood while viewing others as much more predictable.

Ultimate attribution error — Similar to the fundamental attribution error, in this error a person is likely to make an internal attribution to an entire group instead of the individuals within the group.

Memory errors

Consistency bias — incorrectly remembering one's past attitudes and behaviour as resembling present attitudes and behaviour.

Cryptomnesia — a form of misattribution where a memory is mistaken for imagination.

Egocentric bias — recalling the past in a self-serving manner, e.g. remembering one's exam grades as being better than they were, or remembering a caught fish as being bigger than it was

False memory — confusion of imagination with memory, or the confusion of true memories with false memories.

Hindsight bias — filtering memory of past events through present knowledge, so that those events look more predictable than they actually were; also known as the 'I-knew-it-all-along effect'.

Self-serving bias — perceiving oneself responsible for desirable outcomes but not responsible for undesirable ones.

Suggestibility — a form of misattribution where ideas suggested by a questioner are mistaken for memory.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cognitive_biases

Literary Technique

2009-01-10T15:14:00.004+05:00

Hey, I picked this up from Wikipedia - Amazing stuff...If you visit the link below you will also find sub-links to the techniques.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_technique

A literary technique or literary device is an identifiable rule of thumb, convention or structure that is employed in literature and storytelling.

Literary techniques are important aspects of an author's style, which is one of the five elements of fiction, along with character, plot, setting and theme.

Literary devices refer to specific aspects of literature, in the sense of its universal function as an art form which expresses ideas through language, which we can recognize, identify, interpret and/or analyze. Literary devices collectively comprise the art form’s components; the means by which authors create meaning through language, and by which readers gain understanding of and appreciation for their works. They also provide a conceptual framework for comparing individual literary works to others, both within and across genres. Both literary elements and literary techniques can rightly be called literary devices.

Annotated list of literary techniques

Alien space bats
A plot device sometimes used in alternate history to create a point of divergence that would otherwise be implausible.

Anthropomorphism
A form of personification, taking human-like characteristics to both living and non-living objects.

Author surrogate
A character who acts as the author's spokesman. Sometimes the character may intentionally or unintentionally be an idealized version of the author. A well known variation is the Mary Sue or Gary Stu (self-insertion).

Back-story
The story "behind" or "before" the events being portrayed in the story being told; past events or background for a character that can serve to color or add additional meaning to current circumstances. Provides extra depth to the story by anchoring it to external events, real or imagined.

Breaking the fourth wall
When the author or a character addresses the audience directly (also known as direct address). This may acknowledge to the reader or audience that what is being presented is fiction, or may seek to extend the world of the story to provide the illusion that they are included in it.

Chekhov's gun
The insertion of an object of apparent irrelevance early on in a narrative, the purpose of which is only revealed later on in the story. See also foreshadowing and repetitive designation.

Conceit
An extended metaphor associated with metaphysical poetry, designed to push the limits of the imagination in order to portray something indescribable.

Defamiliarization
A technique of forcing the reader to recognize common things in an unfamiliar or strange way, in order to enhance perception of the familiar.

Deleted affair
Telling of a romantic relationship, but not referred to in the current story.

Deus ex machina (a god from the machine)
A plot device dating back to ancient Greek theater, where the primary conflict is resolved through a means that seems unrelated to the story (i.e. a God comes down out of nowhere and solves everything, saving the character from peril). In modern times, the Deus ex machina is often considered a clumsy method, to be avoided in order not to frustrate readers or viewers.

Dramatic visualization
"the representing of an object or character with an abundance of descriptive detail, or the mimetic rendering of gestures and dialogue in such a way as to make a given scene 'visual' or imaginatively present to an audience". This technique dates back to the Arabian Nights.[1]

Epic Theater
A technique popularized by 20th century playwright Bertolt Brecht, in which the audience is "alienated" or "distanced" from the emotion of the play.

Epiphany
A literary work or section of a literary work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

Epistolary novel
A novel in the form of a series of documents, usually letters exchanged between the characters. Classic examples include Pamela by Samuel Richardson (1740), The Expedition of Humphry Clinker by Tobias Smollett (1771), Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos (1782) and Dracula by Bram Stoker (1897).

False documents
fiction written in the form of, or about, apparently real, but actually fake documents. Examples include Robert Graves's I, Claudius, a fictional autobiography of the Roman emperor, H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon, and the Flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser. The short stories of Jorge Luis Borges are often written as summaries or criticisms of books that in actuality do not exist.

Fictional fictional character
A character whose fictional existence is introduced within a larger work of fiction, or a character in a story within a story. Early examples include Panchatantra and Arabian Nights. See also frame story.

Finger Posting
Where casual details are inserted so that a revelation will not seem disconnected from the story.

Flashback (or analeptic reference)
General term for altering time sequences, taking characters back to the beginning of the tale, for instance.

A Flashforward, also called prolepsis
It is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future. They may also reveal significant parts of the story that has not yet occurred, but soon will in greater detail. This can be seen in the television series Lost.

Foreshadowing
Hinting at events to occur later. Giving an idea to what's going to happen in the upcoming events. See also formal patterning, repetitive designation and Chekhov's gun.

Formal patterning
"the organization of the events, actions and gestures which constitute a narrative and give shape to a story; when done well, formal patterning allows the audience the pleasure of discerning and anticipating the structure of the plot as it unfolds". This technique dates back to the Arabian Nights,[1] and is also used in Romeo and Juliet. See also foreshadowing.

Frame story
A story within a story, where a main story is used to organize a series of shorter stories. Early examples include Panchatantra, Arabian Nights and The Decameron. A more modern example is Brian Jacques The Legend of Luke.

Framing device
The usage of a single action, scene, event, setting, or any element of significance at the beginning and end of a work.

Incluing
Gradually exposing the reader to background information about the world in which a story is set. The idea is to clue the readers into the world the author is building, without them being aware of it such as Brave New World. Opposite of Infodumping.

Infodumping, (Also, plot dump)
Where a concentrated amount of background material is given all at once in the story, often in the form of a conversation between two characters, both of whom should already know the material under discussion. (The so-called "As you know, Bob" conversation.) Opposite of Incluing.

In medias res
When the story begins in the middle of an intense action sequence.

Irony
A discrepancy between expectation and reality. The three forms of irony are: situational irony, where a situation features a discrepancy between what is expected and what is actualized; dramatic irony, where a character is unaware of pivotal knowledge which has already been revealed to the audience (the discrepancy here lies in the two levels of awareness between the character and the audience); and verbal irony, where one states one thing while meaning another. Verbal irony is the lowest form of irony. The difference between verbal irony and sarcasm is exquisitely subtle and oft contested, but exists nonetheless. The concept of irony is too often misunderstood in popular usage. Unfortunate circumstances and coincidences do not constitute irony (nor do they qualify as being tragic). See the Usage controversy section under irony, and the term tragedy.

Juxtaposition
When the author places two themes, characters, phrases, words, or situations together for the purpose of comparison, contrast, or rhetoric.

Lampshade hanging
A technique used in many forms of fiction to deflect attention from implausible or just plain bad writing by having a character point out how strange or unlikely it is. Once acknowledged in-character, the audience accepts it.

Leitwortstil
The 'the purposeful repetition of words' in a given literary piece that "usually expresses a motif or theme important to the given story". This dates back to the Arabian Nights.[1]

Magic realism
A form particularly popular in Latin America but not limited to that region, in which events are described realistically, but in a magical haze of strange local customs and beliefs. Gabriel García Márquez is a notable author in the style.

Narrative hook
Opening of a story that "hooks" the reader's attention so he or she will keep reading

Narrative letter
Overstatement, exaggeration of something, often for the purpose of emphasis (also known as a hyperbole).

Onomatopoeia
A word that sounds the same as, or similar to what the word means.

Oxymoron, when two opposite terms are used together.

Parody
Ridicule by imitation, usually humorous, such as MAD Magazine.

Pastiche
Using forms and styles of another author, generally as an affectionate tribute, such as the many stories featuring Sherlock Holmes not written by Arthur Conan Doyle, or much of the Cthulhu Mythos.

Pathetic fallacy
The reflection of the mood of a character (usually the protagonist) in the atmosphere or inanimate objects. A good example is the storm in William Shakespeare's King Lear, which mirrors Lear's mental deterioration.

Pathos
Emotional appeal, one of the three modes of persuasion in rhetoric used by the author to inspire pity or sorrow in the reader towards a character; pathos typically does not counterbalance the suffering of the target character with a positive outcome, as in Tragedy.

Personification
The use of comparative metaphors and similes to give living characteristics to non-living objects.

Plot twist
A change ("twist") in the direction or expected outcome of the plot of a film or novel.

Poetic justice
When virtue is ultimately rewarded or vice punished, often in modern literature by an ironic twist of fate intimately related to the character's own conduct.

Predestination paradox
A paradox of time travel when a time traveler is caught in a loop of events that "predestines" him or her to travel back in time.

Quibble
One of many plot devices, is an argument that the intended meaning of an agreement holds no legal value, as only the exact verbally specified conditions are those which were agreed upon.

Repetitive designation
"repeated references to some character or object which appears insignificant when first mentioned but which reappears later to intrude suddenly in the narrative", a technique which dates back to the Arabian Nights.[2] See also foreshadowing and Chekhov's gun.

Self-fulfilling prophecy
A prediction that, in being made, actually causes itself to become true. Early examples include the legend of Oedipus, and the story of Krishna in the Mahabharata. There is also an example of this in Harry Potter.

Sensory detail or Imagery, sight, sound, taste, touch, smell.

Side story
A form of narrative that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. Examples include Mahabharata, Ramayana, Gundam, Doctor Who and The Matrix.
Story within a story, where a story is told within another story. An early famous example of this is the Arabian Nights. See also frame story.

Stream of consciousness
A special form of interior monologue characterized by leaps in syntax and punctuation that traces a character's fragmentary thoughts and sensory feelings.
Symbolism, the applied use of symbols: iconic representations that carry particular conventional meanings.

Thematic patterning
"the distribution of recurrent thematic concepts and moralistic motifs among the various incidents and frames of a story. In a skillfully crafted tale, thematic patterning may be arranged so as to emphasize the unifying argument or salient idea which disparate events and disparate frames have in common". This technique dates back to the Arabian Nights.[1]

Ticking Clock
The threat of impending disaster. Often used in thrillers where salvation and escape are essential elements.

Tone
The overall attitude that an author appears to hold toward the work—a novel such as Candide makes fun of the sufferings of its characters, while The Sorrows of Young Werther takes its protagonist's suffering very seriously.

Unreliable narrator
A technique in which the narrator of the story is not sincere or introduces a bias in the way he tells it and possibly misleads the reader, hiding or minimizing some events, characters or motivations.

Word play
When the nature of the words used becomes an aspect of the work.

Writer's voice
A combination of the various structural aspects of an author's writing style.

Note: In the context of a play literary devices are referred to as dramatic devices which are used to add interest and tension.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_technique

Some useful links:

http://greek-myth.com/Novel_Writing/novel_writing.htm

http://www.jobprofiles.org/library/students/50_awesome_open_source_resources_for_online_writers.htm

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=2748

http://www.freeonlinereading.com/links.htm

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Creative_Writing/Fiction_technique

Container-Contained

2008-09-12T15:35:00.004+05:00

I am struggling with a certain concept and welcome inputs:

Background:

The container-contained dynamics - the person or group with unmanageable feelings is the contained and this is put into the container who takes on these unmanageable feelings and is affected but yet in control...then the container detoxifies these unmanageable feelings and returns it to the contained in a much more manageable form leading to healing and integration within the contained. Intuition and insight within the contained is enhanced and tolerance of frustation increases...

My queries:

1) How does the container dynamics work post-containment? Is is
possible that the container may burst much after the dynamic
interplay of projective identification?...during the interplay
when the container has reasonably digested and detoxified the
unmanageable feelings and returned it in a manageable form, it has
done its job...

But what happens after that to the container? Suppose the
contained was severely depressed, and the container takes on the
depression...can it reel under the impact later and burst? What is
the potential damage that can be caused to the container?

2) How does the micro-process of detoxification and digestion of
unmanageable feelings work?

On Leadership

2008-07-17T20:15:00.004+05:00

These article are very informative and bring in a totally new approach...

1)
http://www.ispso.org/Symposia/Paris/2001french.htm

The above is on 'negative capability' An excerpt from the article is as below:

"Negative Capability suggests a peculiarly human capacity for ‘containment’: that is, the capacity to live with and to tolerate ambiguity and paradox, and to ‘remain content with half knowledge’ (Ward, 1963, p. 161), ‘to tolerate anxiety and fear, to stay in the place of uncertainty in order to allow for the emergence of new thoughts or perceptions’ (Eisold, 2000: 65). It implies the capacity to engage in a non-defensive way with change, without being overwhelmed by the ever-present pressure merely to react. It also indicates empathy and even a certain flexibility of character, the ability ‘to tolerate a loss of self and a loss of rationality by trusting in the capacity to recreate oneself in another character or another environment’ (Hutter, 1982: 305)."

2)
http://www.zulenet.com/vladimirdimitrov/pages/Leadership-and-Change.html

The above is a complexity perspective on leadership and Change. An excerpt from the article is as below:

"What is possible for a leader to achieve, through earnest individual efforts, it is knowledge and practical skill how

- to lead oneself through the labyrinth of life while nourishing and realising his/her creative potential;

- to become self-aware: alert of what s/he feels, thinks, experiences and intuit;

- to be responsible for his/her own thoughts and feelings, words and deeds;

- to live in the present – to see the world with unprejudiced and open mind as it is now , and not as it was in the past or as it might be in the future,

- to strive after wisdom – the faculty of seeing the whole in the ‘parts’ and the infinite in the finite, – harmony – the faculty of experiencing the unity of the existential forms and the eternal rhythm of their dynamics, - and freedom - the faculty of self-finding, self-expression and self-realisation within the universal laws of the existential dynamics operating at each and all scales of manifestation: organic and inorganic; animate and inanimate; physical and psychic; individual and social; outer and inner; micro and macro."

BUFFETOLOGY

2008-04-29T17:04:00.004+05:00

BUFFETOLOGY

Hey! I just finished reading this. Sounds good to me… My partial interpretation is as below:

• Buying shares of a company is equivalent to partial ownership and the company should be analyzed as if one is buying a business.

• The product should never get obsolete, be simple to produce.

• Look at a stock as a bond with varying rates of return.

• Look at quality of management and their integrity towards maximizing shareholder value – e.g. buyback of stock, profitable acquisitions and investments…

• Look at reserves of the company and how it can be employed. Is dividend the best way of allocating the surplus or are investments better? See history of profitable investments of the company.

• Always look at annual compounded returns for a period of many years – really long term to get maximum benefit of compounding.

• Buy businesses with superior economics and having expanding value.

• Buy businesses which have a consumer monopoly or exceeding high brand loyalty – for e.g. Coca Cola. The brand will outperform the market in spite of highs and lows and is therefore excluded from the vagaries and volatilities of the stock market.

• BEWARE of commodities since usually it is the low cost producer who has maximum market share and since margins are thin profitability is eroded. Also if there is dependence on plant and machinery one can observe that periodically a large portion of reserves goes to maintain or upgrade them. Hence there is loss of opportunity
wherein the company could have invested that money and got a higher rate of return.

• Avoid companies that have low profit margins, low return on equity, poor brand loyalty, competitive pricing, excess production capacity, erratic profits and whose profitability depends on fixed assets.

• Look for companies that have consumer monopolies, brand loyalty and high goodwill. The industry should be largely unregulated in terms of pricing. Largely free from debt i.e. conservatively financed. Earnings should have an upward trend. High return on shareholder equity. Not Occasional but Consistent. Check who is giving higher returns having the same equity base.

• Look for cash cows.

• Is the company free to adjust prices to inflation without fall in demand?

• Check for Increase in Net Worth.

• Does the state of economy affect the stock?

Largely, the idea is to have a really long term view which is possible only if one really assesses the business as if one is buying it. Diversifying your portfolio is usually done when one is unsure of one’s choices. Just as you would never sell your profitable business, similarly never sell your shares. If one has this perspective one can really benefit from annual compounded growth.

Variety Seeking Behavior and Brand Switching

2008-04-17T16:14:00.003+05:00

HOW does one target the brand switching segment especially in low-involvement products? What are the primary agents which influence brand switching?

A person has extrinsic as well as intrinsic motivations to behave in a certain way. The primary reason to brand switch is based on the need for variety (intrinsic motivation) and therefore satisfy higher stimulation levels. However at a certain level it is the extrinsic factors which have led to a stable intrinsic mental model. Once the extrinsic factors which lead to sequential formation and reinforcement of the perceptual processes of the variety seeker are identified the mental model can be better understood and subsequent behavior to stimuli analyzed.

According to Cognitive Evaluation Theory, the effects of extrinsic motivation on the initiation and maintenance of intrinsically motivated behaviors depend on the psychological meaning consumers attach to the choice context. If these are perceived as controlling, they tend to undermine the initiation and maintenance of intrinsic motivation. If they are autonomy supportive they enhance intrinsically motivated behaviors.

Variety seeking behavior is not likely to occur when there are specific extrinsic motivational requirements on the choice task. Since extrinsic motivations involve stimulation of considerable intensity and meaningfulness, variety seeking behavior occurs in the absence of strong specific motivation. This is typically reflected in low-involvement situations.

In the fast-food context the operating paradigm for variety seeking is ‘people’ and not ‘food’ for a satisfying overall experience. The constructs therefore hold good within the variable-determined aspects of this ‘people boundary’. The variables are self-concept, ideal self-concept, ego, individuality, values, attitudes and lifestyles. Only once these variables are conformed to and a comfort zone reached will the need to variety-seek arise.

Based on questionnaire A, the typical variety-seeker was identified based on frequency, recency, comparative choice and preference for attributes and desire for people proximity. Questionnaire B sought to understand personality, self-concept, value systems, attitude and motivation. Once the customer’s view of the world in terms of his mental models were mapped, the variables were put at certain points in his cognitive sequence and the perceptual process was constructed. The marketing mix was then designed to trigger points in the perceptual process also using specific extrinsic aspects within the fast food offering set keeping in place the constructual elements of the operating paradigm and concept of self in terms of variety seeking behavior was reinforced leading to the possibility of a repeat purchase.

The technique used was ‘laddering’ carried out by a means-ends chain analysis through an understanding as to how elicited chains related to specific brands or socio-demographic characteristics. The summary implication matrix was formed by forming ladders from each respondent’s questionnaire and combining them to form chains such that it became possible to trace the post-purchase assessment process in the mind of the customer. A hierarchical value map was then constructed by tracing the effect of extrinsic influences through product attributes and their effect on psychological systems of the customer.

A communication strategy was designed so as to trigger those specific points in the customer’s mind through satisfying his higher stimulation levels. Words, Images and symbols were developed that created the desired connections in the customer’s mind leading to the possibility of a repeat purchase and consequently BRAND LOYALTY.

*This was written at MDI Gurgaon during MBA

Paul - Doing great work

2008-04-11T17:43:00.002+05:00

Mr Paul Siromoni in Kolkata is doing some wonderful work in the context of 'Human Training.' He works with individuals and groups including large Organizations.

Outlined below is an example of the kind of work he does.

Purpose of training: To build the participants, from a formal functional group in the organisation, to becoming a well knit community who will relate to each other more and more as open, authentic and caring persons which will enable them not only to cope with the normal stresses in their day-to-day work but in the strength of their team relationships find freedom and opportunity to be their true creative selves. This will lead to a motivated work force and a more effective organisation. Human beings, to give of their best, need to find and be their true selves in their individual work and in their relationships while working with others.

The method used will help the participants to become aware and internalise the importance and value of the different aspects of understanding, relating and working together. The different dimensions include:

*Becoming aware and accept the Person in the Self, as different from the functional Role or Task.

*Understanding and Relating to the Person in his/her total Self, including feeling, attitude, values and self concept.

*Understand through simulated experience and concepts the importance of accepting and valuing differences between individuals and groups (including departments), and how to develop effective communication, decision making and managing of conflict.

*Looking more deeply into aspects like motivation, values, and leadership styles that lead to positive attitudes in people and facilitate co-operation.

*To learn to allow for greater Creativity in their work place, so that they may be sensitive to the changing environment, and be equipped to seek for new ways of both coping and engaging with it.

*Understanding and experiencing the processes relating to Helping others in their functional roles, where emphasis is not only on getting a task done but in getting the sub-ordinate or colleague to effectively grow in the process and become self-dependent.

*Overall, to develop a perspective on him/her self and the work life beyong oneself to the team, organisation and larger community.

Emotional Intelligence and the T-Group

2008-04-11T17:33:00.002+05:00

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE T-GROUP

Some Emotional Intelligence Objectives:

Self-Awareness: Aware of own feelings, Recognition and management of feelings and able to control their impact.

Emotional Resilience: Consistent performance under pressure, Balances individual and team needs with task needs, Retains focus in spite of criticism.

Influence: Appreciation of different perspectives and alternative positions, persuades others and provides rationale for change.

Motivation: Drive/Energy to achieve clear results, Balances short and long term goals, Pursues demanding goals in the face of rejection or questioning.

Intuition: Makes sense of incomplete and ambiguous information to see a pattern and arrives at decisions that can be implemented.

Interpersonal Sensitivity: Takes account of others before coming to a decision, builds awareness and takes others along with self.

Conscientiousness: Commitment, consistency in thought, word and action, Encouraging of others, ethical.

Some T-Group Objectives:
To know self, to know the others in the group, to understand the interpersonal processes that take place between self and the other, to understand the impact of one’s behavior on others and the impact of other’s behavior on self.

My Objective:
To trace the development of Emotional Intelligence through the T-Group – To understand how participating in the T-Group experience develops one’s emotional intelligence. Developing and understanding inner purpose, personal goals, setting personal standards, self regulation and self development in terms of the emotional intelligence objectives as stated above.

This is structured based on 2 modes as below:
Participant Mode: (PM) – As a participant in the group process
Observer Mode : (OM) – Reflections on the participation

Excerpts from the T-group:

(PM) - Initial excitement – wanting to learn – wanting to know people, willing to be guided yet wanting to impress others…

(OM) – Concern for inclusion – do not know what role to play, depending on facilitator for inputs, fear for adequacy – through wanting to impress…Low on emotional intelligence – low on self awareness, self and relationship management since there is a desire to impress and therefore one is not secure about self and about being perceived by the other.

(PM) – “I am DEF. I work with ABC company in the designation of XYZ. My hobbies are UVW…”

(OM) – Role centered – need for status – façade building as in creating an image of self to others – sense of caution…playing safe…….

(PM) – “Excuse me facilitator Sir, but you are not providing any inputs, what are we supposed to do now?”

(OM) – concern over motives, cynicism, conformity to a set pattern of teacher-student, need to define role, false assumption that the facilitator will bail me out in my confusion over what is happening… In terms of Emotional Intelligence: confused over influence issues i.e. unable to appreciate an alternative position, lacking in intuition, lacking in motivation to take lead and explore…

(PM) – Mr X is trying to play leader, he is trying to hijack the group – What will happen to my power status? He is more popular and is trying to win over everybody…

(OM) – False assumptions stemming out of insecurity, facade being threatened, projection, paranoia, resistance, diffused goals, power struggle. Needs to accept motives, trust, let be, allow role to be irrelevant, just be, reduce façade and be realistic. Emotionally needs to be more aware of what is happening to self, why it is happening, build emotional resilience in terms of balancing individual and team needs, appreciate alternative positions in terms of influence, allow for different perspectives and allow for others’ needs.

(PM) – “I understand that you are trying to tell me that I am not spontaneous and think before I talk but I fail to see why you feel that. Could you tell me something more? You feel I have other motives?”

(OM) – A positive step. Confronting. Seeking Feedback. Could have irrational fears. Taking the risk of being challenged. Awareness of interdependence. Retaining focus in the face of criticism. Willing to listen to a different perspective. Interpersonally sensitive.

The above are examples of how emotional intelligence is reflected and developed through the T-group process...

In a group, moving away from and moving towards...

2008-04-09T22:17:00.002+05:00

I picked this up from the net. I want to share it here. I think it is beautiful. Possibly we can move away from some behaviors and move towards other behaviors which can make life more meaningful and relating more satisfying...

BEING WITH A GROUP

1)I move away from fulfilling more ROLE as parent, teacher, or therapist.
I move towards being a full person.

2)I move away from doing what is helpful (my role prescription)
I move towards responding to my feelings and perceptions (showing me)

3)I move away from focussing upon relations between role and role (leader-member)
I move towards focussing upon relations between persons

4)I move away from modeling appropriate or professional behaviors
I move towards sharing all of me (showing)

5)I move away from responding to the other as client, student, child
I move towards responding to the other as a unique, special person

New Year Resolutions !!!

2007-05-28T12:13:00.001+05:00

NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS - Sent by Sukhi to the ISABS e-group

Did I express love this year, real love? The kind of love that doesn't announce itself in flashy circumstances or structured conditions - but an authentic, quiet, internal love? The kind of love that bubbles to the surface when I gaze at another with understanding, a love that places me in their shoes, granting freedom from judgment and deepening my compassion? A philanthropic love that expresses because it simply feels compelled to, because it knows there is more than enough and everyone can benefit. If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my authentic loving.

Did I forgive this year, really forgive? The kind of forgiveness that cracks open my heart, peeling away one more layer of righteous indignation, thus allowing my soul to breathe? The kind of forgiveness that loosens my clinched fists held high at a situation so that I don't enter into the next one with guarded mistrust? The kind of forgiveness that comprehends there is a difference between understanding a
behavioral choice and condoning it? If not, then resolve to be and do better in my forgiving.

Did I stop this year, really stop? The kind of stopping that can't help but make me vulnerable by becoming more familiar with who I am without distraction, smoke screens, excuses or self-imposed numbing? The kind of stopping that turns me, naked, towards my feelings, giving them permission to express? No right or wrong - a stopping that simply lets me hear what I need to hear so that I can live more effectively? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in allowing myself to stop.

Did I seek adventure this year, real adventure? The kind of adventure that requires me to not only take a leap of faith off my cliff of familiarity but actually sends me back to get a running start? The kind of adventure that shakes the dust off my capable but underused wings and gives them an opportunity to catch the gorgeous wind of change? The kind of adventure that knows there is no outside safety net in this physical world, only an internal one? The kind of adventure that shouts, "I choose to live fully!" If not, then I resolve to be and do better in seeking adventure.

Did I seek wellness this year, real wellness? The kind of wellness that requires me to be fully conscious of what I put in my body - the kind of wellness that requires me to practice what I preach when it comes to self-love while understanding that the power to dissolve poor habits starts by simply choosing to change? Wellness that says, "This is the only body you've got. Treat me with respect, praise me daily and honor me as the holy temple that I am?" If not, then I resolve to be and do better in allowing wellness in my life.

Did I play this year, really play? The kind of play that gives value to the heavenly activity of fun - knowing that fun is sacred, that play is the equivalent of work and that during play -renewal and relaxation usher in the newest ideas and the clearest choices for better manifestations? Did I view play as a necessary life function and not a debatable luxury? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my relationship to playing.

Did I set a goal and see it to completion this year, really complete it? The kind of completion that lets the vibration of satisfaction and confidence in my abilities heal any opposing ideas of not being good enough? Did I honor my life and its sacred purpose by utilizing my time with forward thinking and letting my mistakes be motivators not antagonists? Did I dissolve my insecurities and procrastination by understanding that my untapped genius has but one mode of ex-pression and that is through idea, thought, word and action? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in setting and completing my goals.

Did I open myself up to learn this year, really learn? The kind of learning that entices me to enroll in being a student of life with thirst and enthusiasm? Did I set an intention for uncovering more of my potential, letting divine intellect eat from my plate and stepping deeper into the waters of wisdom? Did I open a book, take a class, study a language, learn an instrument, write a poem, visit another culture? Did I learn to surprise and thrill myself with the infinite capacity I have to master more than I thought I could? If not, then I resolve to be and do better on my personal path of learning.

Did I clean up my relationships this year, really clean them up? The kind of cleaning that requires me to break open the lock, pull back the curtain, throw open the window and start removing the dust of harsh
words, grudges, false accusations and misguided choices that have layered my heart? Did I make amends for the fearful ways that disheartened another, for neglecting to honor their point of view? With careful examination, did I communicate my truth, understanding that sometimes all we may be able to do is agree to disagree and to do so without judgement or malice? If not, then I resolve to be and do better on cleaning up my relationships.

Did I share my good this year, really share? The kind of sharing that comes from the pure joy of seeing another succeed, not from what I think they can or will do for me in return? Did I tithe back to where I was spiritually fed, transformed and inspired? Did I practice random acts of kindness and give of my time, talent, and treasure realizing that my good is a part of a never-ending wellspring that cannot run dry - whose source is and always will be the infinite wellspring of the Divine? Did I commit to walking the altruistic path, remembering that every step brings healing and enlightenment to the world? If not, then I resolve to be and do better in my sharing.

Did I pray this year, really pray? The kind of prayer that is spoken not to God but AS God - prayers that affirm rather than beseech, are pregnant with knowing rather than bloated with doubt? Did I make my every day activities a prayer - realizing that every thought I think carries with it the responsibility of an effect on the world? Did I remember how truly powerful my own prayer actually is and that by simply devoting myself to the practice of it, I become the change? Did I remember that my prayer takes what I seek and introduces it to me, the seeker? If not, then I resolve to be and do better with praying.

Did I do all these things because deep down inside I fully understand how precious I am and that these activities will help me to see that I am held in the light as a perfect idea? Did I remember that I have been perfectly conceived and am always held in the perfect mind of God as perfect being? Did I know that there is nothing that I can ever say, nothing I can ever do that will separate me from the love of God? If for any reason, I forgot my divinity this year, then I resolve to be and do better in my knowing of it, to fully understand and embody the truth that it is done unto me as I believe. And I believe in the power of Good, for me, for you, for all.

(c) Rev. David Ault

Important Phases in my Life

2007-05-26T11:24:00.000+05:00

I encountered phases 1 and 2 in my life. These phases made me realize that there was more to life than the conventional route we are conditioned to follow. I began to discover myself in relation to the Universe and my place in it. I introspected a lot and reflected on life. I will briefly state what I learnt in phases 1 and 2 when I was not working but was trying to get in touch with myself, reflecting and introspecting…

Phase 1

My desire to search for ‘answers’ led me to various metaphysical areas. I quit my job and began the process of self-discovery where I strived to connect to something higher to me – the Universe. I had an intrinsic desire to explore myself in context to my environment and I set forth to understand whether life is deterministic or whether I have the power to recreate my Universe through enhanced awareness. I concluded that it is indeed possible to overcome one’s conditioning and change one’s cognitive map and ‘world view’ and create purpose for oneself in life which may be different, unique and more meaningful than what religions or cultures claim to prescribe. One outcome was that I was able to transcend organized religion. I was also able to transcend societal shared values and developed my own individuality leading to a much more integrated me.

Phase 2

While in phase 1, I had looked at Universal and societal laws to modify my world view and had come to the conclusion that Man had the power to recreate his universe; I realized to truly become free, I had to overcome the deterministic forces which guided my own psyche to some extent. This led me to the realm of self-analysis. I endeavored to understand my unconscious. Why do I perceive and respond the way I do? What is the content within me which is repressed and seeks expression? What are my defense mechanisms and how do they operate when confronted with threatening environmental stimuli? How strong is my sense of self? How powerful is my self-esteem? What motivates and stimulates me? How am I to realize my true potential? I realized that I had to get rid of my excess baggage and move towards differentiation, thus achieving a strong enough individuality to enable me to re-create my own reality and develop my unique purpose. Once sufficient differentiation was achieved, I strived to re-integrate so as to achieve a holistic perspective, yet maintaining my individuality.

I was thereby able to conclude that what I really want to do is continuously extend myself for the continued mental and spiritual growth (evolution) of myself as well as willing others, to help people move towards realizing their true potential, to live a life of introspection, reflection, action and continuous growth such that meaning is derived through loving interchange between self and environment where both nurture each other.

MASKS We All Wear !!! by ANONYMOUS

2007-05-22T18:29:00.000+05:00

THE MASK I WEAR

Don't be fooled by me.
Don't be fooled by the face I wear
for I wear a mask. I wear a thousand masks-
masks that I'm afraid to take off
and none of them are me.
Pretending is an art that's second nature with me
But don't be fooled, for God's sake, don't be fooled.
I give you the impression that I'm secure
That all is sunny and unruffled with me
within as well as without,
that confidence is my name
and coolness my game,
that the water's calm
and I'm in command,
and that I need no one.
But don't believe me. Please!

My surface may be smooth but my surface is my mask,
My ever-varying and ever-concealing mask.
Beneath lies no smugness, no complacence.
Beneath dwells the real me in confusion, in fear, in aloneness.
But I hide this.
I don't want anybody to know it.
I panic at the thought of my weaknesses
and fear exposing them.
That's why I frantically create my masks to hide behind.
They're nonchalant, sophisticated facades to help me pretend,
To shield me from the glance that knows.
But such a glance is precisely my salvation,
my only salvation,
and I know it.

That is, if it's followed by acceptance,
and if it's followed by love.
It's the only thing that can liberate me from myself
from my own self-built prison walls.

I dislike hiding, honestly
I dislike the superficial game I'm playing,
the superficial phony game.
I'd really like to be genuine and me.
But I need your help, your hand to hold
Even though my masks would tell you otherwise
That glance from you is the only thing that assures me
of what I can't assure myself,
that I'm really worth something.

But I don't tell you this.
I don't dare.
I'm afraid to.
I'm afraid you'll think less of me, that you'll laugh
and your laugh would kill me.
I'm afraid that deep-down I'm nothing, that I'm just no good
and you will see this and reject me.

So I play my game, my desperate, pretending game
With a facade of assurance without
And a trembling child within.
So begins the parade of masks,
The glittering but empty parade of masks,
and my life becomes a front.
I idly chatter to you in suave tones of surface talk.
I tell you everything that's nothing
and nothing of what's everything,
of what's crying within me.
So when I'm going through my routine
do not be fooled by what I'm saying
Please listen carefully and try to hear
what I'm not saying
Hear what I'd like to say
but what I can not say.

It will not be easy for you,
long felt inadequacies make my defenses strong.
The nearer you approach me
the blinder I may strike back.
Despite what books say of men, I am irrational;
I fight against the very thing that I cry out for.
you wonder who I am
you shouldn't
for I am everyman
and everywoman
who wears a mask.
Don't be fooled by me.
At least not by the face I wear.

ANONYMOUS

My personal location

2007-04-21T17:30:00.000+05:00

I feel connected...am rediscovering myself with respect to my relationships...I feel enlargened...more clarity and yet more questions...with an intent to understand more - there is enhanced stability...there is excitement - there is great hope...there is a sense of possibility - a sense of success...a feeling of growth - enhanced responsibility, enhanced motivation - love and care...a sense of floating yet firmly anchored...change and transformation... :-)

I feel that I am moving ahead yet very much in the present...Life is better and more inclusive...

STOCK MARKET STRATEGY

2007-04-21T17:18:00.000+05:00

Stockmarket Investing

Below I have in my own amateurish way attempted to formulate a framework for investing in the Stock Exchange. I invite all interested visitors to add to the below and comment on those points which are not required or are erroneous...Thanks!

· Identify the right industry based on
o growth prospects
o valuation
o risk
o return
o short term(less than 6 months), midterm(6-24 months) or long term(2 year + )

· Identify the firms in the industry and understand
o The economics of the industry – whether oligopoly, monopoly, perfect competition etc
o Degree of concentration and /or fragmentation
o Porter model of 5 forces – rivalry, bargaining power of suppliers and buyers, threat of substitutes, barriers to entry
o Current segment of operation and possible new segments
o Supplier and customer industry study
o Govt policies regarding industry
o Life cycle of the industry
o Dependence on inputs like capital, labour, R&D, energy etc
o Dependence on economy – interest rates, inflation, CRR, GDP, trade, Strength of rupee, etc
o Benchmarked status against market leader on various parameters

· Whether that particular stock is
o Undervalued or overvalued
o Annual report analysis
o Financial Ratios
o Any other Correlations for eg. sensitivity to other indices etc

· Investor rationality index regarding a particular industry - how rational is the investor for infrastructure industry and how rational for IT industry? What is the investor profiling when it comes to risk taking and for what duration? etc...

Consonance to future trends - There could be an energy crisis in the future so renewable energy could be a good bet. To understand which industries have a greater dependence on those inputs which would be in short supply in the future for eg. power. What other future trends do we forsee?

Some interesting links:

http://metalinks.metaculture.net/science/fractal/applications/default.asp

http://www.wallstreettape.com/tutorials/ta/

http://www.sigma-research.com/bookshelf/default.htm

http://www.carleton.ca/cifp/descriptions.htm

http://www.adb.org/Economics/jel.asp#C

http://www.dailyfutures.com/links2/

http://www.performancetrading.it/Documents/HpSwingtum/HpS_Books.htm

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/JELJOUR_Results.cfm?form_name=journalbrowse&journal_id=200688

http://www.psychonomics.com/research/a&s/bfinancelinks.html

http://people.few.eur.nl/djvandijk/nltsmef/nltsmef.htm

http://uoutperform.com/

http://www.investopedia.com/university/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_finance_topics#Valuation

http://bigpicture.typepad.com/

http://seekingalpha.com/article/3033

http://www.fool.com/school/basics/basics06.htm

http://www.ciionline.org/default.aspx

http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml

http://www.indiastockmarket.com/ISM/

http://www.indiainbusiness.nic.in/

Some reflections on psychoanalysis!

2007-03-01T16:50:00.001+05:00

Intuition and its development is continuously evolving towards resolution of time/space structural thinking forward into infinity – To move into higher states of resolving the Oedipal triangle.

On the contract between therapist and client

The therapist should maintain a stand with his clients that they should pay for the 50 minutes for him to be available to them. How he choses to respond in those 50 minutes is up to the therapist.
At times when the client is silent in spite of being invited to speak it might be useful to use a process comment and draw attention to what is going on between them – the silence…This could be supportive but it is also a form of rescuing and giving reassurance and therefore fostering dependency.

Therefore do not offer reassurance or self-disclosure – this may lead to anger in the client who may feel that the therapist should speak because he has exclusive rights to him. This is narcissistic. This is necessary to be thwarted through successful containing - then movement from 2D to 3D is possible which in itself would be a growth process for the client. As the process continues the client should develop containing abilities in combination with insights which would lead to development of intuition.

Zero Hour is the ultimate case which proves that laziness does not exist.

Containing the client beyond a certain point might be harmful to the client because the client may feel that it is OK to do anything with the therapist which will lull the client into a false reality. This may also make the therapist not genuine as he would be obviously repressing his feelings of anger and hurt. This could be harmful to the therapist as he deals with this through rationalization and denial leading to displacement. Therefore, conscious sublimation is required for the therapist such as physical exercises and support systems.

Typically the therapist is looked upon as an authority figure so a power equation definitely exists. This looking at a person as an authority figure could stem out of respect which is fine or it could stem out of conditioning (through the process of introjection). Therefore the client looks at the therapist as an extension of his own superego and in the process blurs his own identity (the reverse of differentiation)

For people with a fragile sense of self or low self-worth they are unable to accept that they are good and therefore consider it totally unacceptable which they then project onto the therapist thus idolizing him. (A form of ‘reverse projection’) where the good part because of its unacceptability to its host has been projected onto the other.

Benign Projective identification may result in a transformation which includes highly increased empathy which is the ultimate basis for a paradigm shift especially in the ability to contain.

You cannot glimpse the future because that would assume that time is apriori.

Random Thoughts !!!

2006-09-23T14:02:00.000+05:00

What is life all about? Is it about acquiring or is it about releasing? Is it about movement or is it about stillness? Am I an island or am I a node in a network? Is life about rigidity or is it about perspective? What is happiness? Is it a transient feeling or a state of permanence? How can one define it? When I say I am happy what am I actually saying? Am I saying that everything is under control or am I saying that control is not an issue? What do relationships mean to me? Am I just me or a product of my relationships? What does security mean to me? Does loneliness scare me? What does approval mean to me? Do I feel deprived without it or does my concept of self allow me to truly be myself without needing approval?

As I ask myself these questions today, I wonder, and I am grateful that I can wonder - As I reach out to the core of myself, I feel like a seeker and a novice, approaching life with flexible boundaries, allowing myself to wander in the stillness of life where beauty and love abound - where I just am, just being, waiting and yet realizing that there is nothing to wait for, that the present is now, and all that can happen is happening now...already..

I feel like sharing this moment with all of you - and hope that you will share your moments with me... and together let us connect to be all that we can, all that which is possible, all that and more...

Where I am now...

2006-05-20T00:57:00.000+05:00

Where I am now...my personal location...

I am happy, relaxed, hopeful, filled with awe about life, feel good about myself and filled with love...

I try to be true to myself and others yet I feel that I can still do better - be truer - be more authentic than I already am...and how is that possible...it is only through continuous reflection, experimentation and feedback that I can become more integrated, more honest and more 'me...'

I have discovered that for me happiness is not elusive - it is the aspirations that I have that may be elusive...and if I link those aspirations to my happiness then yes, happiness can be elusive...but I don't do that and so for me it is not elusive...:):):) and I thank life for that...

I feel deeply and passionately, and this sometimes leads me to introspection - to examine my feelings in relation to myself and my environment...I am because I feel...

I feel the need of a companion with whom I can be intimate, but the need is not compelling...or is it?...I need to look more carefully at it...

I realize that I am unique just like everyone else and that I can do things because I want to do them irrespective of what other's think...this lends further to my uniqueness and makes me more of what I am...

I am lazy at times - I need to look at that and understand whether it is habitual or whether at points I lack motivation...

I am grateful to life and to all people who have in so many ways enriched my life and I salute them...

I believe in myself and that is the most important thing...