Phillipe Starck ! ~ Wanna Shake Your Hand ! 

Read this French Creative Genuis Product & Project Designer’s Interview in the latest HBR

http://hbr.org/2013/04/philippe-starck/ar/1

Hey Phillipe ! ~ admire your creative genius and passion and  that you live for what you stand for ! ~ Living Life on Your Terms !~treading that path myself… 

Some quotable extracts

•  I don’t use my energy on other people. I just work and read. I live with myself in front of my white page
• But from the 15th of June to the 15th of September, I live completely secluded, locked in one of my houses, working from 8 in the morning to 8 at night, or making my own biorhythm: work three hours, sleep 45 minutes, work three hours, sleep 45 minutes, for 24 hours, without eating. It’s a little sick. But I’m like Dr. Faust. I signed a contract with the devil to sell my life for creativity
• I never collaborate—not because I don’t like other people but because I am not able to do it. I’m one of the fastest organic computers on the market, but I need to be alone
• I am a lonely guy—earnest, rigorous, an incredible worker—and I just make what I can, how I can, when I can
  
• My way is to not delegate. I design everything very precisely, so when I give my team a project, nothing is in doubt. They receive it completely finished; there is nothing to do except crystallize it: put it on the computer—because I work with only paper and pen—and make the prototype. Then I see the prototype, and I check everything. I’m sort of a control freak. I have a very, very precise idea: the shape, the weight, the texture, the cost. And until an engineer explains to me that for technical reasons there is a problem, I don’t change a thing. Of course, if there is a real technical problem, I do change. I come back home, alone, and naked in my bedroom where I work, I redo it. I have no problem with that. But I don’t accept it if somebody tells me: “Oh, you did it in pink, but my wife prefers green.” I say, “I’m sorry. I’m not your wife. You pay me for my know-how. If I think it has to be pink, it’s pink, and here’s why.” I explain the difference between pink and green, and all the types of pinks and all the types of green, because I know my job
• I have very few people—a nanoteam—because I believe in staying as light as possible. Creativity is something light. Some people I’ve had for 30 years, and I chose them first just by intuition. I love something inside them. They might have no background in design, but they have an intelligence, elegance, honesty. I just took on a new guy I met on the sidewalk. He came up and said, “Mr. Starck, can I shake your hand?” like a thousand people every day. But I got a feeling. I said, “What do you do?” He said, “I’m an architect.” I said, “Come tomorrow to my office and we can speak.” And I gave him a project worth $1 billion without checking if he was good or not
• I manage by absence. I go to the office two, three days a month, and those are the worst days for me. So the people on my team do what they want, when they want, but the results have to be perfect, crystal perfect. I cannot accept laziness or something that is not intelligent or any type of delay. If we say we will deliver a project on the 20th at 5 PM, on the 20th at 5 PM we shall blow the minds of the people we’re presenting to
• First, ethics. Thirty years ago, when ethics was not so fashionable, I decided that I wouldn’t work for weapons, alcohol, cigarette, tobacco, gambling, or oil companies or religious organizations. That’s a hard position to take, because it’s a big group, and they’re the people with the money to buy you—to buy your virginity. You can’t imagine how much money I’ve lost because of it. But I shall not change. Second, the project has to be good not just for me and the client but also for the final user. When you work for that human profit, you will have success. Third, I have to fall in love with the client. If you want beautiful children, the parents must be in love

I was born in 19-62 and so these 62 Tips by Robin Sharma have some connect ! ~ I had the great fortune to meet up with him in Mumbai a few years ago

I’m sure you too,like me, would already be living some of these tips already ~ add those that you don’t, as I plan to, and simply kickstart an energetic and fulfilling 2013 ~ Like I already Live No 6 in Office ! and I plan to Live No 38 in it’s full essence !

With the Motivating 'Monk' Robin Sharma in Mumbai

62 Tips to Get Unstuck in 2013 ~Robin Sharma

Author of the #1 Bestseller “The Leader Who Had No Title”
I’m amped to do everything in my power to help you kickstart 2013 strong so you install superb habits of the mind, body and behavior.
Today is all about 62 quick, actionable and unforgettable tips that will move you to break free of old patterns, stop being the victim and leap into high gear to get your giant goals done.

1. Believe in your vision and gifts when no one else believes in your vision and gifts.
2. Start your day with 20 minutes of exercise.
3. Make excellence your way of being (versus a once in a while event).
4. Be on time (bonus points: be early).
5. Be a celebrator of other’s talents versus a critic.
6. Stop watching TV. (Bonus points: sell your tv and invest the cash in learning and self-education).
7. Finish what you start.
8. Remember that your diet affects your moods so eat like an athlete.
9. Spend an hour a day without stimulation (no phone+no FaceBook+no noise).
10. Release the energy vampires from your life. They are destroying your performance.
11. Write in a journal every morning. And record gratitude every night.
12. Do work that scares you (if you’re not uncomfortable often, you’re not growing very much).
13. Make the choice to let go of your past. It’s dusty history. And polluting your future.
14. Commit to being “Mozart-Level Good” at your work.
15. Smile more (and tell your face).
16. Do a collage filled with images of your ideal life. Look at it once a day for focus and inspiration.
17. Plan your week on a schedule (clarity is the DNA of mastery).
18. Stop gossiping (average people love gossip; exceptional people adore ideas).
19. Read “As You Think”.
20. Read “The Go-Getter”.
21. Don’t just parent your kids–develop them.
22. Remember that victims are frightened by change. And leaders grow inspired by it.
23. Start taking daily supplements to stay in peak health.
24. Clean out any form of “victimspeak” in your vocabulary and start running the language of leadership and possibility.
25. Do a nature walk at least once a week. It’ll renew you (you can’t inspire others if you’re depleted yourself).
26. Take on projects no one else will take on. Set goals no one else will do.
27. Do something that makes you feel uncomfortable at least once every 7 days.
28. Say “sorry” when you know you should say “sorry”.
29. Say “please” and “thank you” a lot.
30. Remember that to double your income, triple your investment in learning, coaching and self-education.
31. Dream big but start now.
32. Achieve 5 little goals each day (“The Daily 5 Concept” I shared in “The Leader Who Had No Title” that has transformed the lives of so many). In 12 months this habit will produce 1850 little goals–which will amount to a massive transformation.
33. Write handwritten thank you notes to your customers, teammates and family members.
34. Be slow to criticize and fast to praise.
35. Read Walter Isaacson’s amazing biography on Steve Jobs.
36. Give your customers 10X the value they pay for (“The 10X Value Obsession”).
37. Use the first 90 minutes of your work day only on value-creating activities (versus checking email or surfing the Net).
38. Breathe.
39. Keep your promises.
40. Remember that ordinary people talk about their goals. Leaders get them done. With speed.
41. Watch the inspirational documentary “Jiro Dreams of Sushi”.
42. Know that a problem only becomes a problem when you choose to see it as a problem.
43. Brain tattoo the fact that all work is a chance to change the world.
44. Watch the amazing movie “The Intouchables”.
45. Remember that every person you meet has a story to tell, a lesson to teach and a dream to do.
46. Risk being rejected. All of the great ones do.
47. Spend more time in art galleries. Art inspires, stimulates creativity and pushes boundaries.
48. Read a book a week, invest in a course every month and attend a workshop every quarter.
49. Remember that you empower what you complain about.
50. Get to know yourself. The main reason we procrastinate on our goals is not because of external conditions; we procrastinate due to our internal beliefs. And the thing is they are stuck so deep that we don’t even know they exist. But once you do, everything changes.
51. Read “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”.
52. Know your values. And then have the guts to live them–no matter what the crowd thinks and how the herd lives.
53. Become the fittest person you know.
54. Become the strongest person you know.
55. Become the kindest person you know.
56. Know your “Big 5″–the 5 goals you absolutely must achieve by December 31 to make this year your best yet (I teach my entire goal-achieving process, my advanced techniques on unleashing confidence and how to go from being stuck to living a life you adore in my online program “Your Absolute Best Year Yet”).
57. Know that potential unexpressed turns to pain.
58. Build a strong family foundation while you grow your ideal career.
59. Stop being selfish.
60. Give your life to a project bigger than yourself.
61. Be thankful for your talents.
62. Stand for iconic. Go for legendary. And make history.
This is YOUR time. Now’s YOUR moment. Let’s do this!

PALS ~ Plants & Animal Lovers Society ~ A Labour of Love

Plants & Animal Lovers Society ~ PALS For Life

PALS is a wonderful Labour of Love of Veterinarian Dr Silloo and her lovely Team…..Earlier this week I had visited their Colaba Clinic in Mumbai…It’s a non descript Clinic…cluttered and quite small that it’s easy to trip over both Dogs and Owners and shelves and benches!….just a Hop Skip and Jump away from the Taj Mahal Hotel and Gateway of India…

Top Model Zoey in the PALS Calendar of 2010

Zoey,my daughter’s Three Year Old Dog was overdue for a check up…Three Years ago we had adopted Zoey from PALS itself ….It was a passionate desire of daughter and she was being rewarded for excelling in School and extracurricular…Zoey was a stray and needed a Home… a mixed Breed with Labrador Blood….Cute two month old Puppy in 2009 when daughter set eyes on her and said ‘She’s the one I want!’ …PALS later featured her in their 2010 Calendar as above

Zoey captured the Bean Bag !

The Living Room Bean Bag became Zoey’s…Only hers !…we tried recapturing it in Vain !

Now she’s outgrown it and is into more Worldly Matters as you can see !…reading the Morning Newspapers  with me !

Zoey reading the Morning Newspapers to stay abreast with Current Affairs

…and she loves it when taken for a Drive…head out of the Window to take in the Wind !…get’s her smiling always like below !….just as it does when several children pat her and play with her

A Smiling Zoey

Cut back to the Colaba Clinic Visit

At the Clinic,there was a steady stream of all kinds of Dogs and Owners …Well Heeled with their rich pedigree American Collier or the huge shaggy Bear size New Foundland to the Common Man with adopted street dogs….There was no Preferential Treatment….It was a First come First Serve…..and it was truly heart warming to see the love and affection the elderly  Dr Silloo gave each and every Dog…it was like a Mother tending to her Flock !….only a True Lover of Animals can be so Loving….she was petting each Dog fondly and talking to them as she treated them…they were like putty in her tender hands…no half Treatment or hurrying up on Treatment because other Dogs were waiting and one or two owners throwing a little weight around…we were there for an hour and a half…humane…and she even took calls in between to tackle emergencies…one was a call from Bengaluru !

….could not help thinking how it is with us Humans !…At Our Hospitals and Doctors Clinic,more often than not the scene is quite the contrary…preferential treatment and service to the monied…apathy to most others !…ironically we,humans treat our own kind as animals !…..just a month ago a poor man lost his wife,injured in an accident,  after a leading Mumbai Hospital refused to admit her as he could not deposit the required Rs 25000 !….From Morning to Evening he ran from one Hospital to another and it was several hours before he was able to admit her….the delay turned out fatal as his wife succumbed  to her injuries

God Bless Vet Dr Silloo and her Team…May there be more Like her to serve on this Planet

Tuesday Tale No 1

Have you ever been extended an invitation on Sunday evening for a Tuesday Dinner by Close Friends?…and you land up at their Residence on Tuesday and find the Hosts had simply forgotten about their Invite ! ?

It happened to us yesterday…My Wife and I were invited by really close friends for Dinner…just the four of us at their Residence…..we were told to come by 9.30 pm…Social Etiquette meant we reach by 9.45 pm…we did with our small Gift..a Box of Chocolate Cookies …only to find the Hostess in her Night Gown and simply no trace of the Host….she was so embarrased….we could either have got mad or laugh it off……we chose to do the latter…we gave the Cookies and quickly exited !…The Hostess told us that she had told her Husband Host to remind her in the Morning for the Dinner and he had forgotten and so had she !

Normally we don’t accept weekday dinner invites as Work Days could be tiring….and as it gets late into the Night,the next day begins with yawns!…and and especially with these friends the night would have gone past 1 am…probably 2 am as Dinner too is served at Midnight! !…they had invited for the weekend but as this was not possible we confirmed for Tuesday night….we had accepted as we had not met them for quite a while and  either they or us  were travelling or had other commitments and they were insisting that we meet and we are close friends!  

…Their Forgetting turned out to be a blessing in two ways……..The First was that we completed in the morning itself our Tuesday Religious Ritual of visiting the SiddhiVinayak Temple and St Anthony and Infant Jesus Shrine…in recent past our tight day schedule has meant doing this routine tired and sleepy past 11 pm in the night

……The second is that we yet had to have Dinner,so we rushed to catch the last order at 10.30 pm for Dinner at the Club and it turned out to be heavenly…and as usual great value for Money…I’ve been telling Wife to shut our Kitchen and just eat at the Club!…Rs 26 for the Soup of the Day…a wholesome Spinach and Corn Thick Soup served with hot crosissants with Butter chiplets on the side…Rs 57 for half portion of one of the Main Choices for the day and that can be shared easily by two….A Tasty Subz Hyderabadi that was Paneer,peas,corn,beans and carrots etc in a Green Gravy served with Rice (you could opt for Naan instead),Pickles,Salad and Roasted Papad…Wife preferred a Continental Choice for Rs 135 that she swooned over…Herbed Rice with a Fabulous Stew cooked in a rich brown non spicy gravy with Fresh Thyme and other herbs served with Boiled Vegetables as an accompaniment….washed down by her with a Coke with Ice,rather Ice with Coke (as she fills up the Glass with over Ten Ice Cubes and then pours the Coke !) for Rs 20 and by me with a Draught Beer for Rs 35….there were just a few tables occupied in the Dining Room on a Tuesday Night…so the service was very attentive….we skipped Dessert of the Day…a Blueberry Cheesecake or Fresh Orange IceCream…both below Rs 50….wonder how the Club,with all it’s Overheads, can afford such lovely low Pricing !…Good for us ! 

…….and we got home by 11.30 pm !….before midnight !….so had a Good Nights’ Sleep

Tuesday Tale No 2

India’s ‘Aam Aadmi’ is truly Honest..Diwakar Patel,a middle aged portly and bespectacled Bus Conductor on a Short Circular Route 155 from Grant Road Station through Tardeo,Haji Ali,Mahalakshmi,Peddar Road,Kemps Corner,Gowalia Tank and Nana Chowk…… I got a confirmed sense of this ‘Honesty’ yesterday….It has to be a Coincidence that my Quote for the Day in Office for July 20 from the Daily Calender read ” You Must not lose faith in Humanity.Humanity is an Ocean;if a few drops of the Ocean are Dirty,the Ocean does not become Dirty.”

Wife had the Car and I had to rush for the above dinner…was in office at Tardeo till late past 8.30 pm and had to get home first at Peddar Road…Taxis often refuse to ply short distances…saw a Bus No 155…hopped into it to alight just a few minutes and stops away…saw this Bus Conductor counting a Big Bundle of Small Denomination Notes of Rs 10,Rs 20 and Rs 50….asked him if he could give me change for Rs 100 or Rs 200…said he can for Rs 900 !…so I gave him Nine Notes of Rs 100 notes for the Change…From what he gave me I reflexively offered him Rs 10 for this favour…..He outright and quite firmly refused and in one motion rubbed his hand over his forehead,indicating his ‘Naseeb’ and Destiny and Fate is written on his forehead while proudly asserting that in his 17 years of service with BEST he has lived honestly and with dignity and with a loyal sense of duty and would not take any money that was not his by right !…What a Guy !

Reminded me of a Bus Conductor and Saint story ” I nearly sold my Conscience for Rs 1!” that was send out by email by my father- in- law a week ago…he sends out daily such messages to over 500 people and has also got a  Small White Board put up in the Building where he religiously and daily pens an inspiring Thought for all….The Story goes like this….A Saintly Person’s reputation precedes him when he shifts towns…he gets into a Bus and the Conductor gives him Rs 1 more than Due back in Change….He deliberates whether to return this Rs 1 to the Conductor…he finally does this on alighting from the Bus….it is then that the Bus Conductor tells him that he had deliberately given an additional  Rs 1 back in Change as he was aware of the Saintly reputation of his and was simply testing it !…Wow !      

Tuesday Tale No 3

This is about my daughter,who’ll turn 15 later this year…she’s an India Probable…the only girl from Maharashtra…. and away at a 40 day ongoing Football Camp to select the Women u 16 Football Team for India…..we speak to her everyday….but she had called us yesterday morning to tell us that a girl from another State in another room had started screaming inexplicably and uncontrollably on Monday late night and had to be physically constrained and hospitalised…my daughter wanted to know how this could have happened…she said that there were rumours that she was possessed!….I told her it could have been an epileptic fit…was important to know the girl’s past medical history……told her not to be unduly disturbed……then she called again late in the evening to tell us that this Girl has returned from the Hospital and has been send to their Room !…my daughter shares her room with three other girls from three different states…now with this fifth girl too they all were a bit scared…naturally !….this morning she called at 7 am!…asked her why she was not at the morning 6 am to 7.30 am Practice…seems none of the four girls slept last night ! and the kindly Coach sensed this and send them back to rest this morning !…Phew!…told her to pen her experiences,funny or scary, at the Camp for later submit it for the Prestigious Annual School Magazine…told her to have a sunny and positive outlook and attitude on all experiences…it will help her in her game too…..firm up her mental toughness too and negate negative influence of  mindgames and make her a better and kinder and more tolerant Human Being….Competition is tough among 40 Girls from over 15 States vying for a place in a 22 Member India Team…told her to keep working hard and not to find success and that it would assuredly find her

Tuesday Tale No 4

…and for those who vist my blog just for Stock Ideas….IFCI has crossed Rs 60 and GATI has surged past Rs 75 today from levels of Rs 58 just a few weeks ago….we have exposure in both and my targets are yet some way ahead 

I just Love Tuesdays !….just like I love all Other Days of the Week too!  

Cheers !

I’m not a Christian by faith but My wife and I attend the Wednesday Novena at St Michaels Church,Mahim,Mumbai for the first nine Wednesdays of each Year where we offer our Prayers to Our Mother of Perpetual Succour and Lord Jesus….we catch the last service at 9.30 pm…the new Bandra Worli Sea Link thankfully knocking off nearly twenty minutes of our travel time

The Seventh one was last Wednesday and it began the season of ‘Lent’

Over 500 people congregate for each of the sixteen Novena Services that are held in several languages (Eleven in English,Two in Marathi and One each in Konkani,Tamil and Hindi) right thorugh every Wednesday at prescribed timings.The first begins at 6 am and the last begins at 9.30 pm.Each Novena last under half an hour…with Prayers taking up 20 minutes and the Sermon around Ten minutes

Normally the Sermon is a trifle boring and predictable…but last Wednesday we had Father George Athaide with a resonant voice,preach a very clear and concise message which connected well 

I even complimented him later on and he gave me a reassuring fatherly pat

The pace of the Novena Services,often tends to compete vigorously with the pace and rush of the Noisy Traffic Outside….However,He thankfully did not rush through the Prayers and Sermon !

He spoke of three dimensions of Prayer,Penance and Alms Giving

Prayer is the Vertical Dimension that connects you with God…It can be through Community (like the Novena Services),Family (The Family that Prays together Stay together ) or even Individual Prayer

Penance is the process of self purification…need not be contained to just ‘Fasting’ by refraining from eating and drinking…it could involve refraining from doing a lot of other addictive things like Internet etc…each religion has it’s special season for ‘fasting’…Muslims have ‘Ramzan’…Hindus have ‘Sravan’ and Christians have ‘Lent’

Last,he spoke of the Horizontal Dimension of Sharing and Alms Giving….two strong messages connected here….You do not have to be rich to be generous…..and give what hurts to give to!….normally we have a tendency to give away torn clothes and things that need repairs or mending….give,what others can use well immediately just as you could too

And when you do all three,the Father concluded,you complete the ‘Cross’…the Vertical Dimension and the Horizontal Dimension !…that’s beautifully put ! 

I hope we have Father George Athaide this Wednesday too ! 

It’s really been an uncanny two weeks…pleasantly so, as we met up with several old mates from our school,college and building in Mumbai

Uncanny because we don’t meet for decades, as all had spread their wings in India and overseas and have moved up in personal and proffessional life….have families…..and then all of a sudden inside two weeks in September 2009,we meet up with them all in seperate ‘do’s',in Mumbai ! 

Some have become leading specialist doctors….some are top of their profession in Publications,Broking and Investment Banking….some are in top management in leading Indian and multinational corporate and banking groups in India and overseas…some are in Diamond and Steel and one even owns the Mumbai franchise of a Rajasthan based leading restaurant concept ! 

…and one of them is crazy for music…has thousands of Retro songs on his laptop…we hooked it up to his ‘Bose’ system and were behaving like crazy teenagers,jumping up to the ‘Pinball Wizard’ by ‘Who’ ! till 2.30 am ! 

Last night we met up after 31 years ! with a group of school mates and their spouses, from the batch of 1978…and last weekend and after 25 years ! we met up with our college mates and their spouses,from the batches of 1983 and 1984 and with some of our building mates of the 1980s and 1990s,after 20 years !

We’ve bunked together…studied together…partied together…..competed with each other…..dreamt together….planned careers together….played in the same football,cricket,table tennis and badminton teams together…went for student fests and movies and music concerts together…..served on student debate and performing art bodies and committees together……enjoyed trips together…one was even styled as an educational trip in 1982 to avail of 50% Rail discounts for students,when we had actually gone for the Asian Games in New Delhi !…we had taken turns to stand in lines overnight to book tickets for the sporting events !…..trekked together…..we even pranked together…Just to settle an argument that a particular teacher does not even read the answer paper when correcting it, one of us even neatly wrote the whole ‘Pakeezah’ Story on the Answer Sheets in an Internal Advertising Examination and he got the highest marks !……smoked our first cigarette and even first country cigar together !…..gave each other roses and lollipops on these designated days in college…..I had received over 30 lollipops and finished all of them in college itself !….topped up together someone’s dad’s Scotch Whisky Bottle with water after draining it by more than half !……run up canteen bills together,with the ever smiling canteen boy ‘Sunder’ struggling to keep tab……agreed,argued,debated and even fought at times on many ‘worldy’ issues to shape our Impressions and Influences….and I had refused to participate with them in a ‘Qawali’ item for our college day….they were performing “Taiyeb Ali Jaan ka dushman hai ! hai !” and the students were throwing money at them from the audience !….I could go on and on and on……..

Those were the days my friends ! We’d thought they’d never end…….no multiplexes and no mobiles…no computers and no multiple TV Channels….only good old DoorDarshan ! 

We all have promised that it’s not going to be another 20 to 30 years before we meet up again !

Old Friends will be Old Friends !…Breath of Fresh Air in this hectic pace of life

Cheers Old Mates !…It’s been a nice and warm fortnight !

Meet RAGHU RAI, whose Lens have frozen timeless moments to create mindboggling Photography…He recently showcased some of his Photographs at the Arles Photography Festival in France

Mumbai Mirror caught up with him on his return….. Meet him through these Gems Extracted from his coverage in today’s edition…What a Vision !..Great Questions answered with Great Insight

On whether he has a basic outline of the photograph in his mind when going to the Location

“No,Preconceived Notions is exactly what goes against creativity for me.Most of us travel to a destination with programmed minds with all the data inside them.So what we capture is only what suits us.No journey is worth it if the explorer in you doesn’t rise”

On what decides whether People or Landscapes should be the focal point of the Photograph 

” People are always placed in landscapes that surround them.They do not exist in isolation.For me a picture doesn’t have to tell a story.It is the magic of one Frozen Moment”

On ‘Perfect Light’ and returning to a Location for it

“There is no such thing as “Perfect Light” for me.But yes ,if a situation tickles me I just have to go back to it.No matter what.Kanyakumari is one place I’ve frequented….I clicked a panoramic picture there of a large group of people…..there was humour…there was fun…there was space…experience was indefinable”

On anyone objecting to be photographed by you

“Oh! people object all the time ! but the trick is to catch them when they are not aware of it,that’s all “

On Rejecting your Photographs

“Eighty Percent of the Images I click are useless…you must never get attached to what you’re clicking.There has to be an “other” objective person within you at all times”

On how careful are you with Equipment in different Climate conditions 

“I’m very careless.If I have to seize the moment on camera I never think twice before running out in the rain or in the middle of a storm.Normally I’m very simple and end up carrying just one zoom lens alongwith the camera body.You cannot afford to alarm people by landing up with four bags”

On the role of colour in your works

“Unlike the Painter who can paint the sky,green or purple and not be questioned about it,we photographers capture reality.In any situation,each colour has a physical appearance as well as an emotional appeal which you cannot change.At times a black-and-white filter silences the noise of Colour”

On Varanasi and breaking away from Stereotypes 

“From the time I visited Varanasi in 1975 my limited understanding of the place has changed considerably.Now I’m just more alive to several simultaneous experiences.Nature and Life do not change.It was I who was inadequate all this while.I would ask you to go the Himalayas,lie down flat on the ground and watch the entire expanse of space.Someday I wish to capture in one frame the entire 360 degrees experience that’s India”

I have always yearned to breakaway and simply wander off into India for a long stretch to capture it’s timeless beauty of People and Places.Raghu Rai…you have inspired me and rekindled this yearn !

Meet JEAN MARIE LEHN,Chemistry Nobel Laureate and A Brilliant Mind…He is in Mumbai and students of the prestigious IIT,Powai were fortunate to have him address them during their Golden Jubilee Celebrations

Meet him through these Gems Extracted from his coverage in today’s edition of Mumbai Mirror…his philosophical bent of mind too comes through

On his reaction on winning the Nobel Prize

“Obviously felt good…realised it entailed responsibility…I learnt to say “No”,which is Important as you cannot do everything “

On his Transition from being a Student of Philosophy to Studying Chemistry 

” When I was 17,I too didn’t want to solve the complex equations of the World.But later I realised that Chemistry is a creative science and I was drawn to it “

Is Chemistry an Art,then ?

“Yes ! Chemistry is an Art and you’re allowed to think like an artist.Art may not have rules but it is restricted to the colours.In Chemistry too,creativity comes with certain restrictions”

Should one pursue Research in Chemistry as a career option?

“It’s obvious that studying management or marketing will earn you more bucks but is that what you really enjoy doing ? You could be a Rock Star or a Soccer player and earn much more than you would in chemistry research.You have to pick your true love”

Any Mantra when pursuing Chemistry Research?

“A lot of Chemistry is just Mathematics……but as a chemistry research student,you know that things don’t always work out as planned.You have to keep trying”

What a lovely Saturday…after hosting a lunch for overseas guests from the Securities Regulator of Stock Markets in Malaysia and Fiji,I caught up with Robin Sharma,one of the world’s top experts on Inspiring Leadership and the author of several bestsellers including “The Monk who sold his Ferrari” and “The Saint,the Surfer and the CEO”….as one close friend quipped when he saw the photo below ” So who’s the Saint and who’s the CEO ! ? “

Robin Sharma was here in Mumbai to launch his latest Book,”The Greatness Guide 2″

He says his best so far is “The Greatness Guide “….I told him that I like “Discover Your Destiny” the most

Some gems from him at the launch……

• At my first public speaking engagement there were 23 people in the audience of whom 21 were my Family Members
• If you have a pulse,you can be a leader and make a difference
• First thing in the Morning after waking,I listen to the silence…light some candles…put on some music
• My Children are my biggest inspiration

Thanks, Robin,  for the Autographs on your books and thanks darling daughter for the Photo.

Cheers !

He is RM….an Ascetic Client introduced to be by my Banker Friend some Years ago….Very Interesting Man

I see him  once in two or three years only when he vists Mumbai…He came in from South Africa in search of Divine Truth leaving behind all that he had…No, he is not Married

He settled in the Himalayas leading an Ascetic Life in a Small “Kutir” in the Jungles…..His Typical day begins before Sunrise with Meditation and then Collecting Firewood for the Day to cook his Meals and also to keep himself Warm…He owns just two pairs of Clothes and the nearby Stream is his source of Water…He is Miles away from any living Person.There is no electricity…For Illumination in more ways than one he lights a ‘Diya’  

His Guruji or ‘Baba’ is 107 years old and stays in another “kutir” some miles away

He visted me last month and confessed he yet has to Find Truth !…and that he had left the Himalayas

We end up in contemplative discussion that stretches to a few hours

A few gems from our recent conversation for your contemplation are put forth below

On Meditation

I inquire of him as to How does One Meditate…I find it difficult…but sometimes have such a lovely Sleep that it becomes sublime !

RM’s Thoughts…..When you are sleeping peacefully you are in an unconscious state…That is not a state of Meditation….Meditation is when you are conscious and can find silence inspite of distractions….When you can be detached from all around you…without any passion…. you are lost 

On Life

I argue that Life is a Journey one must Enjoy and not be obsessed by Seeking some Destination

RM’s Thoughts….If you do not believe in the Law of Karma,then this Life has no meaning…This Life is a continuation of your Past Life

On Seeking Truth

I ask him why is he Searching for Truth when what you seek is Within You

RM’s Thoughts...Truth cannot be found in exclusivity…If it is found it is not Truth !

In the Bhagvad Gita,Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that Millions will seek him but only a few here and there will actually find him !…so there is Truth out there to be sought and one should continue seeking and hope they are one in a million

On Why does an Ascetic need Financial Advice

I was curious that he needed Financial Advice when he had sacrificed Material Life

RM’s Thoughts…..I need Rs 1200 to Rs 1500 a month for subsistence…Food & Clothing and other Sustenance Essentials,Travel etc..I don’t want to Beg or depend on Charity of Strangers and Relatives and other like minded people around me

On his Need to Travel  

Has he not found Solitude in the Himalayas ? Why does he need to travel to Pondicherry and Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh in search of Truth ?

RM’s Thoughts….A Seeker is always Restless in one place…he will always need to travel…Pondicherry was nice…but I did not get any personal time to contemplate…The Ashram provides you free lodging and boarding but expect you to work and perform various duties assigned to you…being in charge of the Reception area for example….So I left Pondicherry….I left Jageswar,near Nainital in the Himalayas because it was getting very insecure there….Even the Sadhus were committing crimes from petty theft to even murder…My “Baba”told me to leave as he could no longer guarantee my safety there…He asked me to go to Pondicherry. 

Such Clients Balance Out My Life Beautifully….I am truly grateful for such experiences…even if they occur at intervals of a few Years