Perfect Show with Amitabh Thakur, an IPS officer – Empowering society!

In this edition of Perfect Show, Iam happy to host a person who is loved by one and all in our campus (IIM Lucknow). Exuding confidence while at the same time maintaining a child like curiosity, he leaves his mark through his inquisitiveness & witty remarks. It’s my pleasure to welcome Mr.Amitabh Thakur, an IPS officer currently pursing FPM in IIM Lucknow.

Amitabh Thakur is an officer of the 1992 batch of Uttar Cadre in the Indian Police Service. He is a B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur and then he came in the IPS. He has been SP of nearly 10 districts in UP and has also served at other important places like Vigilance, Intelligence, Special Enquiry, CB-CID and Police Academy, Moradabad. Presently he has taken study leave to undertake Fellow Program in Management (FPM) in Human Resource Management since 2009.



Other than this, Thakur is also actively involved with social work. He is the President of two social organizations, National RTI Forum and IRDS and is also the Patron of Indian Public Academy, a school providing free education to needy children. Till now his two books, Jaisa Maine Jaana Hai (Hindi poems) and Dhal Gayi Raat (Hindi short stories) have been published while very soon his book (being co-authored with Amit Haralalka, an IIM Lucknow student) on IIM Lucknow MBA graduates having chosen non-conventional career paths is coming up. Recently he has taken up the project of writing one book each in Hindi and English based on his inputs from the social networking site Facebook, which is underway. He lives with his wife, Mrs.Nutan Thakur & has two kids Tanaya & Aditya Thakur. Over to the show now

THE "PERFECT" SHOW:
Host - Prashant Sree - PS
Guest - Mr. Amitabh Thakur - AT

PS: Welcome to the Perfect Show Sir.
AT: It’s my pleasure to be in the Show.

PS: So, What are you passionate about in Life?
AT: Iam passionate about doing something which will have a substantial impact on the society and the structure of governance which will benefit the lives of people in a positive manner

PS: Very nice Sir. Your active involvement in social matters does reflect your commitment to improve the society. What have you learnt in your life, which you would like to share with us?
AT: The most important learning in my life is that:
If you want to do something, just go about doing it. The more you think about it, the lesser is the chance that it will happen.

PS: Seems you are more of an action figure… If you could change one thing in world, what would that be?
AT: I would like to change the judiciary process and expedite it to deliver justice more quickly to the masses.

PS: Iam sure that it will benefit many people… Who is your Favorite Fable hero/Your Favorite Mythological Hero and why?
AT: I don’t believe in fables.

PS: Surprising to hear that. What would you like to evangelize in your life?
AT: I would like to evangelize about working Hard and being sincere in life.

PS: Doing an FPM after so many years of service certainly reiterates your resolve to keep learning throughout your life. What do you consider your charm to be?
AT: I guess my empathy for others might be considered a charm.

PS: Your witty remark is certainly a major charm Sir. :) What is your Thumb Rule for Life?
AT: Thank you. As for the Thumb rule for life, As long as one is committed to his/her work and works persistently towards his goals, there is nothing that can stop him from achieving his goals.

PS: Good one sir. Who have been your role models in life and the reasons?
AT: Well, there are quite a few.. Mahatma Gandhi, Jayaprakash Narayanan, Bhagat Singh. Bapu taught us a new way of living life which was hitherto unknown to anyone. JP for his courage to rebel against authority despite many hardships & Bhagat Singh for his bravery he showed and the Marxist views which he followed it through his actions.

PS: Inspiring indeed. Being active in social matters, how do you think today youth can contribute to the society?
AT: Youth has enormous potential with them. They can contribute significantly by doing their own work properly & by thinking of people around them other than their own life & family. Thinking about others fills you with a power to change lives yours as well as others beyond your wildest imagination.

PS: Nice one. What’s your advice for someone preparing Civils.
AT: It’s been long since I gave the exam. Based on my experience, I would suggest 3 things. 1) The optional paper should be chosen with due diligence 2) Equal emphasis should be given to all subjects & 3) The selection of the subjects should be governed by their own interest and not due to friends, external experts advice.

PS: From you experience, How can one be focused in life & continue to work under pressure.
AT: Focus is nothing but a matter of prioritizing in life. It could be done by choosing one’s priorities correctly & all reminding oneself that even if one falls in life, one needs to accept it, get up and get going instead of cribbing and blaming others for it. Well, regarding continuing to work under pressure, I feel it’s more of an experiential learning. As one experiences such demanding situations, you automatically start doing things. So it’s a matter of learning things through doing.

PS: What is your favorite quote?
AT: My favorite quote is:
“Kshudra Swarth ke khatir
Hum to, kasha na gahit kam karoge”
Meaning – We shall not do wrong deeds for small petty gains.

PS: Simple yet impactful one. Could you share some of your proudest moments being a IPS officer
AT: The ones which I consider my achievements are as follows:
a)Criminal case investigated in which grand daughter had killed her grandfather(MLA) at Muradabad.
b)Three small boys were rescued alive from extortionist at Firozabad
c)In many places I had served, I initiated direct dialogues with the police in local dialect for the local community to approach the police and bring their complaints.

PS: Impressive achievements Sir. Could you tell something about the 'RTI' initiative of yours (this would help like-minded people to get in touch with you and also a medium for people to know about such initiatives?)
AT: We have formed the National RTI Forum with a sincere and genuine effort to bring all the RTI activists together for all the RTI activists and activities. It is a Forum to look into all the matters related with RTI activists, including their training, guidance, support and security related aspects. Our primary work include:

1. Give guidance in framing and formulating petitions under RTI
2. Give continuous support to those who are trying to use the provisions of the RTI Act
3. Raise the voice of the RTI activists at all appropriate Forums and platforms
4. Provide suitable persons to send their RTI applications, in case they fear sending it in their own name due to a variety of reasons. Anyone interested in good and transparent governance can be a part of this initiative by writing to us and contacting us.

PS: Iam sure your initiative will go on to benefit a lot many more people. Now, Everyone knows that RTI is to get access to information, yet the bureaucratic process doesn’t help easy flow of information easily. Could you explain how a common man can get info under such circumstances when the government officials aren’t forthcoming on the information?
AT: The only way is pursuance. Write to the Public Information officer. If no information, move to the First Appellate Authority and from there to the State/Central Information Commission (as the case may be). In short, the only way out is to strive for it with all sincerity

PS: That’s all we have for you in the Show Sir. It’s been a pleasure to have you in the show and learn about from experiences. On behalf of my readers, I thank you for accepting to be a guest in the Show and wish you and your family a Happy New Year 2011 & wish your social initiatives a great success in future.
AT: Thanks Prashant and wish you too a wonderful life ahead.

P.S: I wish all my readers a Happy and a Prosperous New Year 2011 !

Perfect Show with Chris Macdonald – Reflecting on Business Ethics

It’s my pleasure to have Mr. Chris MacDonald, Professor of Philosophy & Business ethics at Saint Mary's University,Canada as a guest in this edition of Perfect Show. Chris MacDonald, Ph.D, teaches Philosophy, including business ethics, at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada, and is a Nonresident Senior Fellow at Duke University’s Kenan Institute for Ethics. He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Business Ethics. He has been named one of the “100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics”, two years in a row. He has been writing The Business Ethics Blog since November of 2005.



His work can be accessed at:
http://ethicsweb.ca/aboutchris.html
http://businessethicsblog.com and
http://food-ethics.com

The PERFECT show

Host - Prashant Sree - PS
Guest - Mr. Chris MacDonald - CM

PS: What are you passionate about in Life?
CM: I am passionate about Communication -- in particular, communicating new ideas that will help people understand their world better.

PS: That’s great. Could you share one such idea with the readers.
CM: Well, there are too many to name. That's what I do for a living -- pretty much all day, every day, either in writing or in the classroom. You can check my blogs to find out about my work.

PS: Certainly Chris. I went through your blog and found it very interesting. Your recent blog on the rescue mission of Chilean workers, and the business view point provided a new outlook. Now, what have you learnt in your life which you would like to share with others?
CM: One important thing I have learned is that if you surround yourself with the right people, very little else matters. That goes for both your professional life and your personal life. Choose your friends and colleagues carefully. They are more important to your happiness than anything else.

PS: Well said. If you are given a wish to change one thing in world, what would you change and why?
CM: I'd like to change people's level of willingness to consider other people's point of view. Too many people go through life thinking that anyone who disagrees with them must be either evil or an idiot. We're never going to have constructive conversations and find new solutions to hard social problems if we keep assuming the worst about each other.

PS: Who is your Favorite Fable/Mythological Hero and the reasons for the same?
CM: My favorite fable is the story of Stone Soup, because it's a story about people coming together, without even trying, in order to achieve a common goal. And also because it's about using an innovative (but really primitive!) social technology to focus people's efforts. (You can find the story here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_soup )

PS: Thanks for the sharing the story. I am sure the readers will benefit from the reading. What would you like to evangelize in your life?
CM: I'm not much of an evangelist. I like to put ideas forward, and to try to show other people why I find those ideas attractive. But I'm not going to push my ideas beyond that. But if there's one idea that I want to put forward vigorously, it's that we are far better off without superstition of any kind.

PS: What is your charm, which you feel attracts people to you.
CM: I'm not sure how much charm I've got, but what I have lies in the fact that people tend to find me reasonable. They don't always think that I'm right, but they tend to think I'm a reasonable person who really will take their point of view seriously, even if I don't agree with them!

PS: That seems reasonable explanation :). So what is your Thumb Rule for Life ?
CM: My only Rule of Thumb is that life gets better the more *little* rules of thumb I gather along the way!

PS: Could you share who have been your role models in your life.
CM: Professionally, I've had many role models. Among the most important was my PhD supervisor, Dr. Peter Danielson. From him I learned both how to ask uncomfortable questions. But I also learned, from his example, the beauty of changing your mind, even on something you believe strongly, when you find evidence that a new point of view is better.

PS: That’s a wonderful insight about looking at things from a new viewpoint. Which books have had a major influence on you and brief idea about the book.
CM: I've been influenced by a lot of books, but I'll point to 3 that come to mind, in no particular order. First is Henry Hansmann's book, The Ownership of Enterprise. It's a difficult book, but fascinating. It looks at why so many large modern businesses are structured as corporations, owned by shareholders. Too many people think of corporations as mysterious, and as existing for no particular reason. Hansmann helped me see otherwise. Another great book is Thinking Like an Engineer, by Michael Davis. Davis is a first-rate philosopher, and though his book is mainly about the engineering profession, it's really about the moral foundations of all professions. And finally, I'll mention a book called Getting Away With Murder, by a Canadian law professor named David Paciocco. It's a book that does a wonderful job of explaining the origins and purpose of many of the so-called "technicalities" of the Western legal system. It helps people see that while many technicalities are frustrating, most of them have a purpose, and they're part of a larger system that generally works quite well.



PS: Back to your playfield, to what extent does it really hold true in today’s corporate world. How can one bring upon a change in this view?
CM: I've argued on my blog that, despite the headlines, today's standard of business ethics is actually very high. Business corporations in 2010 are more open, more transparent, less sexist, less racist, and just generally better-behaved than at any other time in history. Of course, bad things still happen, and we can still do better. But we need to look beyond the scandals that make the headlines and realize that most of the time, most businesses do the right thing.

PS: Suppose a person who goes about doing things the right way confront others who don’t hold the same view. As a reason, he is looked upon as an outsider. How can this guy fight back, to uphold his principles against the majority viewpoint.
CM: Well, it depends on how large that other group is. If he's alone in his whole society, he may need to reconsider just how right he thinks he is. If the opposing group is just his own small work group, for example, he needs to be able to point to the values held by the larger society. The first step, of course, is simply to speak up. That can be difficult, but sometimes it can be done simply by asking a few hard questions out loud.

PS: Now deviating a little bit from business ethics and moving on to philosophy, the million dollar question, do we have a destiny. Or do we create our own destiny.
CM: We create our own destiny, largely. We all face limits and challenges based on our circumstances, where we are born, etc. But beyond that, mostly it's up to us.

PS: What particular philosophy do you believe in?
CM: I don't have a philosophy, really. In all things, I try to find the point of view that is supported by the best reasons -- whether the question is ethical, epistemological, or metaphysical.

PS: A quick question before we wrap up. Which one is better, following your heart, or following your mind? :)
CM: It depends on the situation. But when it comes to ethical issues, both play an important role. Our hearts can tell us something is important, and can motivate us. But since your heart and mine can lead us in different directions, we then need to use our minds to help us sort through the conflict constructively.

PS: Well Chris, those were the ‘Perfect’ questions. It was a pleasant experience to have you in the Show and know about your insights. I am sure that the audience would have benefited hugely from this edition as well. I thank you for taking your time and sharing your learning's.
CM: It’s my pleasure too, Prashant.

Perfect Show with an IIMB Professor - Knowledge Exemplified

THE PERFECT SHOW

After a long lull, PERFECT Show is back with a bang :) Due to other pressing commitments, I couldnt devote sufficient time to the Show. But as the saying goes, the good shouldnt be left undone for a long time.So we are back to routine :)

Its a matter of great pleasure to have Mr.Shekar, an IIM B professor and a distinguished alumnus of NIT,Trichy as a guest in this edition of Show. Mr.Shekar had kindly consented to share his life experiences and views with others.Iam grateful to him for agreeing to be in the Show.

Mr.B.Shekar has a PhD in Computer Science from IISc,Bangalore and a M.Tech from IIT,Delhi and a BE from REC,Trichy. He has donned various roles before joining IIMB as a faculty member. Presently he is Professor of Quantitative methods and Information Systems in IIMB.

He has received many honors most prominently being the recipient of "Best Teacher in Management Award (Southern Region) conferred by The Deccan Herald and being Listed in Marquis "Who’s Who in the World” - Editions : 2000, 2007, 2009" and being nominated as a ‘Leading Educator of the World - 2007’ by International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England. He has given lectures/seminars on Creativity,Thinking Paradigms and Problem Solving at various academic institutions across the country.

Over to the Show now.

Host - Prashant Sree - PS
Guest - Mr. B.Shekar - BS

PS: Welcome to the Perfect Show Sir.
BS: Thank You. Upfront let me state that the views that I express are my own and are not those of the institution that I am working for; nor is the institution responsible for these views.



PS: Very well Sir. Starting with the first of the ‘Perfect Questions’, what are you passionate about in life?
BS: I would be using the word love interchangeably with passionate. I am passionate about life itself – Strange as it may sound but that is the real truth. Here I would like to elucidate this cryptic statement. I am passionate about life in all its forms and colors. For example I am passionate about knowledge as that opens several doors and leads me through different corridors to unexplored and uncharted territories. At the same time I love ignorance – it is the one that gives me humility and some times it helps me to develop reverence toward others, and quite a few more things that constitute a good human being.

PS: That definitely shows ignorance in a new light. I agree with you Sir that awareness of our Ignorance leads us to Knowledge. Now, what have you learnt in your life( other than academics), which you would like to share with others ?
BS: There are too many things and in fact most of them may be shared. I may be willing to share but sharing is a two-way cooperative coupling and I do not know how these may be received. Never-the-less here is a minimal set.

There is none who is despicable or who is hate-worthy or pooh-pooh-able. If at all such feelings get evoked, they are issue-related and that too temporally bound. These feelings occur immediately but one should be able to recall the issue-relatedness immediately and get out of these feelings quickly.

There is a lot to learn from everyone you come across in life. This is irrespective of social status, moral status or financial status. In actuality one can even learn from non-human living beings. However it requires a tremendous effort. I have been taught by auto-rickshaw drivers, canteen/hotel bearers, and corridor sweepers to name a few. Learning is to be construed as “becoming a better human being” as compared to what you were a time slot prior to that event.

One should be able to accept one’s mistake unreservedly, genuinely and immediately – Not because it is a great quality or anything of that sort (as it is generally claimed). Most importantly because it leaves you with a very good feeling and this feeling is enough a reason for practicing it.

The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge.
- Bertrand Russell

PS: I am sure your learning will be an effective learning for our readers. Particularly, what you said about opening your mind and learning from any source that can teach us. If you are given a wish to change one thing in world, what would you change?
BS: MYSELF – Because I think that is the only one I have “some” control and that too not always. I am talking about living beings only. Reference is not being made to non-living things and abstractions such as world, society, and environment. If you ask me about the environment then I would certainly like the environment to have more love, compassion … However I think all these things will turn out to be the way you see them. That is why I said “myself”.



PS: Wise words, sir. One can only act on the zone of influence he has control over. The improvement starts with self. Now let me ask a question about mythology. Which is your favorite mythological hero, and why?
BS: I have many. One of them is Sri Rama – Even to utter the name of this character, I do with utmost reverence and I consider it a great privilege to have known this character through His story.

Usually one has a tendency to admire traits or people because you want to have those traits or you would like to be them; essentially implying you do not have those traits or you are not those people. This is precisely why He is my favorite. He lived for Dharma and nothing else. Though this term encompasses many attributes I would like to explicitly cite a few - Truthfulness, compassion, dutiful ... These have been practiced by several others (mythical and non-mythical characters). The specialty here is the unimaginably high intensity levels.

Some of the incidents make me stand up in awe and reverence. Here is a character who went through a sequence of trials and tribulations to keep up a word (not given by him) but by his father. He considered Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi all as his mothers. Some of the passages in Ramayan reveal the consideration he shows to Kaikeyi. His attitude toward Vibishana displays another one of his traits. The subtle way of exemplifying humility (with respect to Hanuman’s devotion to Rama) to Hanuman is a lesson on “how to teach”, or more precisely “how to make someone learn”.

PS: Lord Rama's deed and valor is very well known. His attributes and qualities certainly serve as a reference point for someone who wants to live his life in an ideal way. What would you like to evangelize or stand for in your life?
BS: I do not understand this question. Some of the answers to the previous questions will give some idea of what I appreciate, like …. “Stand for” is too strong a term and it can become vague also. I do not stand for anything, and even if I stand for something I do not think I have the capacity to state it succinctly. Yes, I would like to lead a life according to Dharma though I am far from that right now.

PS: What is your charm?
BS: According to me, I do not have any. If any individual feels or thinks that I have, then this question should be put to him/her.

PS: I definitely feel that humility would be on the top in the list of your charms. :) What do you consider the Thumb Rule for success in life?
BS: Here there are three terms that are open to interpretation. What do you mean by life, how do you define success and how should you view a thumb rule?

A thumb rule (by classical understanding) is a rule that is signified by experience and is not backed by theory and proper analysis and is somewhat akin to a heuristic. This can lead you to success many a time; however, it can also result in failure as experience is never universal. This being the case I do not think one should look for thumb rule(s) in life as life is a very serious affair and it has several attributes, a primary one being "one cannot put back the clock". Hence I would not like to search for thumb rules to be given to you all; I very much doubt their existence on such matters.

Now we come to the more important terms given in your question.

Life - Any individual leads many lives, common nomenclature being personal, professional, … Every relationship may be considered as a life in itself – mother, wife, brother, friend, … In each one of these, success assumes a different colour. Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill? In actuality I am not. I am just mentioning the reality. I am not saying that we wear masks because mask implies “hiding something”. I am just saying every relationship is a part of the sum totality of life that we are leading. I know instances where an individual has been a failure as a husband but has been a successful professional. At the same time he has been a failure as a father. This being the case, how can one have a thumb rule for life (in all its complexities)?

Next is success – It has a variety of definitions all of them being person-centric, experience-centric, philosophy-centric. One individual’s definition may be utter nonsense to another. Hence I would not like to even delve into this complex knot. Any statement that I put forward may be (who knows) a very defensive part of me coming out.

With this long winding bends and turns on the road let me at least say what I think may (strictly MAY) give happiness (not success) to an individual. Identify your natural strengths and natural weaknesses. Seek environments that need your natural strengths and contribute (and you will as there will be natural motivation for contributing). Try to overcome your weaknesses (it is not at all easy). It will be slow and will take a long time; that does not matter. You will definitely go ahead. There is no question of turning back. This is all easier said than done.

One may think it is easy to identify strengths and not weaknesses. In actuality it is difficult to identify both. This is where people around you should help. Only your well-wishers may do it. The axiomatic well-wishers are your parents. After that your sieve should be applied. Let me again state I have not said anything about success. Strengths and weaknesses are abstractions that need to be translated into real entities depending on what “life” you are looking at – relationships, career, professional...

One may wonder why I had to give a long pre-amble to state the above. This is because one should know the right context and interpretation for the terms and for the question

Let me highlight some difficulties with respect to the strengths-weaknesses discussion.

(1) Many a time we may not be able to identify these strengths and weaknesses. As I said earlier parents will definitely have interest in our well-being and hence can certainly point these out. Genetic disposition does play a large role and again they seem to be relatively more qualified toward this. It could be a direct descent or more than one level descent.Again the same statement holds. However parents can always be blinded by extremes due to excess attachment. Working parents may not have the time to perform this arduous task as it needs observation over a large stretch of time and correlation of a high order. Uncles, aunts … may be useful surrogates. However we have come out of the joint family set up and got into a nucleus fold.

Thus there is a genuine problem. I do not have any solution for this. Each individual is placed in a unique situation and hence examination has to be done on a case-to-case basis – Again no guarantee. Apart from this there is another serious problem. Societal constraints may influence parents, … leading to lack of sensitization toward the “strengths” and consequent possibility-of-happiness of a child vis-à-vis success (defined in their and societal terms). I have been a personal witness to such a happening. When such things occur I can only feel sorry for the unfortunate situation. The mid-career transition from industry to teaching in my case was amidst one such similar difficulty.

(2) Strengths themselves may become weaknesses depending on the environments. There are very few universally valid strengths and universally valid weaknesses. Thus one should be able to pick the right environment. It is a phenomenally hard task.

(3) There is a natural urge for an individual to ignore the strength that may be glaring to the eyes and pursue the weaknesses (such as what an individual Is not good at) and try hard toward overcoming them to the point of not utilizing the strength. I know several such individuals. While it is good to attempt overcoming weaknesses it should not be at the cost of underplaying and undermining strengths. This can be tackled only by personal counseling done by well-wishers who are in the immediate vicinity and on whom the individual has confidence. This analysis is applicable the other way round also – strengths replaced by weaknesses.

Many of the so called “successful” individuals have been utilizing their natural strengths. I for certain believe that every individual is bestowed with natural strengths that need to be groomed, well-directed and placed in the right environment. If not I can only feel sorry. If you closely analyse some of the “successful” people you will find that their strengths have been their sheet anchor. A few examples – Einstein, Newton, Chandrasekhar… These personalities have stated the key trait (in the passing, somewhere in their writings) that helped them. The key trait is not something that most people possess. An example of weakness overpowering strength is the genius music director and singer A M Raja.


PS: Your answer has shown ‘Thumb Rule’ in a new light. Who are your favorite role models and why?
BS: I do not have a single role model in the generalized sense. However from different angles I have some traits/people (real and not mythical) that/whom I like, admire … These people - either I have had personal contact or I have got to know through their works. To give a few examples along with respective categories (sometimes there may be more than one in a category – Mentioning just one does not belittle the others whose names have not been stated):

Administrative acumen, professional competence and courage – My father Dr. L. R. Balasubramaniam

Intuitive Grasp, Understanding of situations and people – My mother Neela Balasubramaniam

Communicating great and possibly difficult ideas and consequently inspiring the audience – Professor Vittal Rao

Involved multi-emotional singing (hindi) – Mohd. Rafi
(tamil) – P B Sreenivas

Light music composer/arranger (tamil) – Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy (as a duo)
(hindi) – Madan Mohan
(non-Indian) – Mantovani

Visual art (Static – drawing) – Raja Ravi Varma

Visual art (Dynamic – Cinema) – David Lean

Classical music singing – G N Balasubramaniam

Classical music composer – Saint Thyagaraja

Classical literature (Indian) – S L Byrappa
(non-Indian) – Leo Tolstoy

Sports personality (specific attributes not listed here) – Viswanathan Anand

PS: Could you please share any 3 Must Read Books for any Manager/Entrepreneur ?
BS: A serious study of Mahabharat. (for a manager)

Les Miserables - to have an (in depth) appreciation of different emotional facets of an ordinary human being

Euclid’s Elements along with mandatory “attempting to solve” at least one problem at a convenient periodicity should go a long way in sharpening the intuitive, creative and logical nature of the human mind. (This is not necessarily for a manager)

These are books for anyone. I don’t think I can suggest anything only for a manager/entrepreneur

PS: Thank You Sir. Now let me put a few questions regarding your profession. Being a professor, what motivated you to choose this career? At what point in your life, you decided that you have to become a teacher.
BS: I am not cutout for industry. Relatively I am better off on the dais. I realized it in 1983. A huge amount of time had passed by then. Better late than never. This industry-dais difference however small it might be was sufficient enough for me to cross over to the teaching profession


One has to be a scholar and adopt a scholarly approach to life in general. This category has a few whom I know. I am far from it – the only saving grace is that I am trying (many more steps to go).



PS: Very humble way of saying that the learning streak in you still remains. Could you please share any three most important things (related to professional) you learnt in your career.
BS: I cannot prefix “most important”. To me any learning is important. However I will mention three things I learnt. Do not ask me whether I practice them. I am trying to. However I have learnt that they need to be practiced. These are life’s teachings.

A thing that is worth doing is worth doing well. If it is not worth doing well then it is not worth doing at all. Try to practice this as far as possible. The more you are able to practice, the more you will be better off in your mind.

Never harbor negative feelings (jealousy, hatred …). It is bad for your health – mental and physical. Your mind will never be at rest. Modern science hypothesizes the presence of a psychosomatic component in many of the physical diseases.

Your actions will invariably have a thinking component and a feeling component. Give importance to both. Don’t be skewed in your approach. Just as an illustration – suppose a guy is caught copying in the examination. Punishment is a necessity as that is going to teach him and others not to do it. A capital punishment will destroy and possibly demolish him. A punishment should be to mend and reform, resulting in his contributing positively toward himself and the society.


"Imagination is more important than knowledge. For while knowledge defines all we currently know and understand, imagination points to all we might yet discover and create."
- Albert Einstein

PS: That was useful. Talking about learning, how can one ensure that the spark of Knowledge remains shining in them?
BS: It will continue to shine provided the spark is a result of your love for “that” knowledge and not merely an indirectly and externally motivated result. Thus you need to do what you love. It is not always easy. There may be several sacrifices you may need to make. It is important that you should know to differentiate true love. Otherwise your sacrifices may leave you disillusioned.

PS: Few questions on Management. MBA is considered a way to fast money. How much of it is true...?
BS: Good money - Yes. Fast money - Not necessarily. A word of caution - Anything that comes quickly also goes away quickly.

I do not think this is true. Students certainly give a lot of value to what they do to earn that money. Most of them are aware of what they like and otherwise. They choose jobs based on that. They do hop from one job to another fairly quickly before they settle down on a job, money being one of the important parameters. However it needs to be within the bandwidth of their likes.

PS: In what ways should a student pursuing MBA spend his time so that he utilizes the most of his time in the 2 year MBA stint.
BS: I am not competent enough to answer this question as "ways to spend his time" and "utilizing the most of his time" is too general and at the same time too person-centric. I don’t think I can answer in a meaningful way also. I do not want to say - "Work hard, Get a good CGPA, develop your personality, develop team spirit …" as these are tautological statements and may hold in other similar academic environments too.

PS: Some questions on Manager and Leader. There is a subtle difference between a Manager and a Leader. Which is more desirable?
BS: That depends on a person's attitudes, aptitudes and goals. Some comments are warranted here.

My contention is that a good manager is more by nurture - by training as long as there is willingness to work, learn and implement. On the contrary a good leader is more by nature than by nurture. It has to be in you. Of course if one has the spark there can be ways and means of making a fire out of it. It is better to be a reasonably good manager than to be a bad leader.

Quickly let me add that every job has a leadership component and a managerial component. This mix changes as you advance in time. There is bound to be a leadership component as you approach the later stages of your tenure. Hopefully everybody has a little bit of “leadership” nature.

PS: MBA school teaches the students to become an able Manager. How to mould oneself to a Leader?
BS: I do not know whether one can mould toward leadership (see the answer to the previous question). One important point - a sham/bad leader will very easily be noticed as compared to an OK manager. Unfortunately there is nothing like an OK leader. People will just hate you for lack of leadership if you hold a position that imposes such demands as compared to managerial effectiveness. Another feature - technicalities are more in management and can be learnt and practiced. Leadership on the contrary has less of this.

PS: The education industry in India needs to change so to effectively empower the students. What kind of change is required and how can it be brought about.
BS: First of all I do not know whether I will agree with the first sentence. In addition I take objection to the term "education industry". If “education” as an industry makes a major headway in our/any country, then I will feel sorry for the citizens and future citizens of that country. I do not know what you mean by empower. You need to state "empowered" to do what?

Education should be personalized as learning should take place on a one-to-one basis – the Socrates approach to learning. It might be expensive from various angles. If that is the case then so be it. I believe that education should be classified as a basic necessity like food, shelter and clothing. Hence budget for school education should occupy a high position in the priority list of any government. I do not even know whether it should be a governmental initiative. To me "education industry" comes very close to being an oxymoron.

One thing I am happy about - in good private schools personalized attention is being attempted in a serious way albeit being an extremely expensive proposition. Here let me point out the existence of a "school for the gifted" in Hungary, which has produced great mathematicians…

Let me quote the famous mathematician Paul Erdos:
"In Hungary a few years ago a special high school, the Michael Fazekas High School, was opened in Budapest for children who are gifted in mathematics. The school started just when Pósa was due to go to high school. He liked the school very much, so much so, in fact, that he refused to leave it for entrance into university two years early. Soon after attending Fazekas High School, Pósa was telling me of other boys in his class who he thought were better at elementary mathematics than he was. Among these boys was the now prominent Lovász."


I really do not know why we do not have such things in large number for different subjects and at subsidized rates in our country. I know there are several issues that need to be resolved. However there is no point in ignoring something because it is difficult. Every child gets treated differently in the school mentioned by Erdos. Recall Einstein’s dislike toward his school (called gymnasium at that time). It was primarily because of regimentation and approach. He was all through an opponent of regimentation. Incidentally regimentation is an inherent attribute of any industry-oriented environment. It is a process of bunching things together ignoring the differences however subtle they might be. One cannot graduate students like mass produced engineered products such as pen-drives, locks and keys.


Evaluation systems have problems. According to me, there should not be any evaluation system at all. By and large, students will orient themselves toward evaluation. This is also because all students do not have high motivation levels. Again this is because of possible societal pressures.

PS: .After hearing your reply, I would like to retract my statement and rephrase it to mean "How to Change the evaluation System in India". The individualized attention if given to kids will be definitely beneficial. I believe Indus School is also a new step in the education system which emphasizes more on overall learning along with academic learning. Sir, we have reached the end of the Show.

It has been a great pleasure to have you in the Show and learn from you. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. On behalf of the readers and with me, Warm regards to you, Sir. Thank You.

BS: You are welcome. All the Best.

Perfect Show With Rajan Narayanan - A Passionate Enterpriser !!

The PS Show is Back !!

Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius said it right,

"A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions."

In this edition of PERFECT show, we have a person who symbolizes and has lived his life based on the strength of his ambitions., It gives me great pleasure to have Mr. Rajan Narayanan, in the PERFECT show. Rajan is a former Vice Chairman & COO, Linc Software and presently the Senior Vice-president, MindTree Ltd.


He did his engineering at REC,Trichy, and joined AV Thomas Software Research, as a Hardware Engineer, after which he switched on to Software to work with Advent Computer Services Ltd for 4 years, and then went on to establish Linc Software with two friends in 1988. He was the CEO at Advent, when he decided to be an entrepreneur and founded Linc Software.Rajan Narayanan is also an active member of RECAL Alumni Bangalore Chapter and is currently the President of RECAL Bangalore Chapter.

Now its over to the Show.

Guest: Mr. Rajan Narayanan : RN
Host: Prashant Sree : PS

PS: Hi Rajan, I on behalf of my readers Welcome you to the PERFECT SHOW. Its a honour to have you in the Show.
RN: Thanks Prashant, Its my pleasure to be in the Show.

PS: Sir,What are you passionate about in Life ?
RN: Iam passionate about Entrepreneurship.

Rajan's favorite topic is Entrepreneurship’ and he likes to speak for hours and also has an affinity for the word ‘passion’. His faith and love for IT industry clearly splashes when he quotes Narayan Murthy many times for saying “For the first time in 400 years is India being respected for something” (referring to software industry in India).

PS: What have you learnt in your life( other than academics), which you would like to share with others ?
RN: I have learnt that there is a need to learn, unlearn and relearn continuously. Learning is a continuous journey.


PS:Yes Sir, That's a perpetual truth.,. Now, the next question.
If you are given a wish to change one thing in world, what would you change ?
RN: Poverty

PS: Who is your Favorite Mythological Hero and why ?
RN:My favorite Mythological hero is Krishna …. Because he was the greatest Management Guru ..

PS: Thats an interesting view,Sir. What would you like to stand for in your life ?
RN: Simplicity.

PS: What do you consider your charm ?
RN: My Down to earth nature and character


PS: Iam sure many of the people who have interacted with you will vouch for that., :) What is your Thumb Rule to be successful and happy in Life ?
RN:To be contented at all times, with what you have.,

PS: Sir, now few more questions apart from the regular PERFECT questions. Since you have been in the software industry for a considerable amount of time, What do you think about the Outsourcing phenomenon which is slowly changing in India. How flexible will we be when compared to countries like China,Malaysia who are gearing up for a market share ?
RN:We are clearly the preferred choice as an outsourcing destination today and that trend will continue going forward. We will however face challenges from increased competition but I am confident that our premier position is here to stay.

PS: How do you see the IT industry 5 years from now. How long the IT bubble boom( which has been on consistent for the past 4 years) will remain so...?
RN: I see the IT industry growing over the next 5 years and becoming a formidable force in changing and contributing to the society of this country. The bubble has now become a permanent balloon. We are and will continue to be seen as the best off-shoring destination. Domestic IT industry needs to grow a lot more and that will most likely happen in the next 5 years.

PS: How do you see to what extent Money plays a role of motivating people. Does it hold true as we began to earn more ?
RN: Money does contribute significantly to motivation especially at lower levels. The impact does diminish as one moves up the ladder.

PS: Who have been your role models and for what reasons ?
RN: My parents for their sacrifice, sincerity, simplicity, compassion, and hard work.

PS: Since you have been an entrepreneur, What do you think are the things which the entrepreneur has to be careful of, before launching his own startup..
RN: The answer is simple.,. All that is needed is just an idea, the passion to execute it and the ability to think big.

PS: What are the 3 most important lessons, which you learnt in your first 3 years of Job ?
RN: My learning's have been many, yet the 3 most prominent one's are:

• The first and most important lesson was that learning had just begun with the first job whilst we mostly think that learning ends when we graduate from university.

• That the “Customer is always right “ and therefore Customer comes first as the major stakeholder

• Importance of understanding Customer’s business / need to enhance domain knowledge

PS: What are your favorite quotes and your favorite books till date ? –
RN: Favorite quote is “THINK” by Thomas J Watson, Jr (IBM). and book – the one I had just began writing ..



PS: Thats amazing Sir. I didnt know till now that you are writing a book., Looking forward to your book. And, we have come to the end of the PERFECT Show. I thank you for spending your precious time with us and for answering the questions. On behalf my readers, I wish you and your family a Successful Happy Life.
RN: Thanks Prashant. Wish you All the Best.

“If you trust the winner within you, you will win.

If you can keep your courage, you will go so far.

If you follow your ambitions, your course will guide you toward a ladder that you can climb to your stars.”

I hope you enjoyed this edition of PERFECT Show, and also learnt something. I had taken some excerpts from "http://meetyourbuddy.blogspot.com/", a blog which Anurag and Arpit had initiated.,.

Take Control !

THE "PERFECT" SHOW With Saurabh Saklani - An Educationist !!

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals—and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me— nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.

- Hamlet

Here we go with another edition of PERFECT Show. This time we have with us a third generation entrepreneur Saurabh Saklani, a co-founder of Exper Executive Education (www.exper.in) that creates and facilitates learning on self-development, working with others, and leading organizations.



A former Silicon Valley entrepreneur, he has an MBA from INSEAD, France. Saurabh helped implement a global mentoring program for young entrepreneurs at The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) in California and wrote a popular book called 'What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say' (Rupa). Saurabh plays competitive squash, golf, and writes poetry.

TPS - The PERFECT SHOW.

Host : PS : Prashant Sree
Guest: SS : Saurabh Saklani

PS: Hi Saurabh,Welcome to the PERFECT Show... Its a honor to have you in the Show.
SS: Thanks Prashant. The pleasure's mine too.

PS: Can you tell us what are you passionate about in Life ?
SS: Self-Development & Reflecting on Human Behavior. I constantly want to learn and grow by sharing new ideas, revising them, testing them, and finally developing them further. I look at the Boeing 747 and marvel at the fact that human kind has developed the ability to safely fly 500 people and their luggage from one end of the globe to another. This ability has been built up over time by the learning and growth of millions (or billions) of individuals over the centuries.

Thoughts like these have made me focus both on self to see how I can develop as an individual to contribute more to the lives of those I interact with and also reflect upon what motivates, excites, and sustains other people. Alexander Pope said it best for me when he wrote "the proper study of mankind is man." In many ways, this passion feeds in wonderfully in my chosen line of work (people and organizational development).

PS: Thats a amazing attitude to have towards life... Iam sure you must have had a good amount of learnings as well. Can you share some of your important learnings ( other than academics) with us ?
SS: Develop Mentors, Listen well, and be Humble. Developing a set of key mentors who help you think through your growth is a gift from God. A mentor does not hijack the relationship and is more of a sounding board who can help bring clarity in the mind of the mentee. Poor listening ails most of us but a simple attempt to curb the urge to interrupt will yield great benefits in terms of better understanding, better information, and better response from the good listener. Humbleness will ensure that people around you do not hesitate to participate in your learning. Humbleness is almost a pre-requisite for personal growth.

Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

William Shakespeare

PS: Thanks Saurabh,that's a new learning for me as well. :) Now if you are given a wish to change one thing in world, what would you change ?
SS: Appreciation of Differences. How we learn is different, how we view situations varies, how we think and act is a product of our personal paradigms and our experiences. If there could be a greater degree of appreciation and acceptance of such differences then merely viewing differences as uniqueness can lead better understanding of one another. Frankly, the world's current problems are nothing but a derivative of not being able to appreciate and accept each others' uniqueness.

PS: Very true.,. In today world's context, this holds true to a large extent. Moving on to something mythical,who is your favorite Mythological Hero and why ?
SS: Hanuman ji for his undying commitment to all those he loved and respected.

PS: Had you plans to remain a bachelor ;). Just kidding.,. Hanuman is an epitome of loyalty and courageousness. Moving on to the next question,What would you like to stand for in your life ?
SS: Honesty, Clarity, & Support. Honesty towards self , Clarity to help others, and Supporting those around us. That way, everyone is taken care of!

PS: Impressive !! Hats off to you for having such worthy ideals . What do you consider your charm ?
SS:A soft core surrounded by a set of important beliefs about family & life, and some non-negotiable values. I feel that people respect the fact that I do not hesitate to take major decisions, which may be considered conventionally foolish, for the sake of enhancing and supporting my family emotionally. And I also hear that my smile works well!

PS: Smile smiles more luck on anyone who uses it as his weapon... :) I assume you have used it well !! Now,your Thumb Rule for Life ?
SS: When in doubt, check with your heart. The answer lies there as you cannot honestly fool yourself (though many of us try!). Shakespeare's immortal line, "above all else, to thine own self be true," has been my number one thumb rule ever since I appreciated the meaning of this line on realizing that my making excuses for my errors had begun affecting my growth.

PS: Nice one.,. Who have been your role models in your life and why ?
SS: My parents Ramesh & Ansuya Saklani for their confidence in me and the balance of support & freedom they provided me over the years. My uncle, Dr. Kailash C. Joshi for his sustained intellectual honesty & social sensitivity, and my colleague Brigadier Trigunesh Mukherjee AVSM for his life-long commitment to nurturing relationships.


PS: Which books have had a great influence in your thoughts ?
SS: Most of Shakespeare & the classic romantic poets,Covey's '7 Habits.'

PS: Great !! What are your Favorite quotes ?

SS: Shakespeare, "Above all else to thine own self be true."

Churchill, "When you are going through hell, keep going."

PS: Interesting quotes.,. :) Thats it, Saurabh. We have come to the end of the Show. I thank you on behalf of the readers for sharing your learnings and your viewpoints with us. Wish you Smiling Fortune for days to come :)
SS: Thank you and wish you the Same.

I shall the effect of this good lesson keeps as watchman to my heart.

William Shakespeare

Saurabh has the following blogs:

• Entrepreneurial Leadership: http://entleadership.blogspot.com/
• Sak's Random Thoughts: http://ssaklani.blogspot.com/
• What Teens Need But Can't Quite Say: http://whatteensneed.blogspot.com/
• Exper Executive Education: http://www.exper.in/
• Catalyst India: http://www.exper.in/catalyst/

PERFECT SHOW WITH RAJSHEKAR : A SCI-FI GEEK

The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery.

Anais Nin

Welcome to the PERFECT SHOW after a brief hiatus(Well, not that brief also ;) . Well folks, its been sometime we had someone in the PERFECT SHOW, so i was raring to find a guest who like others will enhance our learning and share something useful to us. So when i came to know Rajshekar, i invited him to be a guest in the PERFECT SHOW. He is someone who lives by the 'learn & unlearn' principle. Still a young person working as a Software Professional, Rajshekhar, has worked on Enterprise level web applications and game development. He holds Masters Degree in Computer Application and Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Computing (PGDC) from C-DAC.

• He has been Sub-editor for Central Computer Mail- a monthly IT related magazine published from Bhopal during 2000-2003.

• He was a regular contributor of this magazine related to current and upcoming technologies. His endeavors include development of Learning Management System, Supply Management Solution and Xbox based games.

• He is also a regular contributor to Devshed Portal on topics ranging from server-side development (JEE/.Net/RoR) to mobile (Symbian based development) and game development (SDL and OpenGL) with a total readership of more than 1.4 million and holds 12th rank among 100 authors.

• His book ‘Dynamic Web 2.0 Development using Ruby-on-Rails’ is in top 40 of Web 2.0 section of Amazon bestsellers.

Apart from being a Software geek, he is also passionate about writing sci-fi stories and about sketching comic based characters. (His creativity is simply amazing!! )

Some of his blogs are:

Technical based:
www.apmuses.blogspot.com

Sci-Fi based:
www.mythicagaan.blogspot.com

Fantasy Sketching:
www.myfantasyscape.blogspot.com

With out further ado, over to the Show.

THE PERFECT SHOW

Host : Prashant Sree : PS
Guest : A.P.Rajshekar : RS

PS: Hi Raj. I on behalf of my readers Welcome you in the PERFECT Show.
RS: The pleasure and honor is mine.

PS: So here comes the first missile..Lets see how the sci-fi master handles it ;) . What are you passionate about in life ?
RS: Knowledge - of any kind. It can be science, spirituality, philosophy. In a way you can say its my thirst for knowledge that has helped me to reach here.

PS: I always respect people who value learning.,. Gr8 to hear that... Elaborating a little, can you provide some instances where in you had challenges in learning and how you overcame them and were successful in pursuing your goals ?
RS: Thanks... To quote one instance, it will be Maths. The pure maths to be more precise. The way theorems were proved , it was too much abstract for me.But I was always interested in time and its related theories.

When i started learning about it, the way how theories were proved started making sense to me that helped to have make abstract more concrete. In that way, my quest for learning proved useful to me. :)

PS: Tenacity wins at end.. Ok, here's my second launch.,.
RS: fire !!

PS: What have you learnt in life (other than academics) till now which you would like to share with others ?
RS: What I have learnt is what goes around comes around. If you share (in my case knowledge) nature will return it ten folds whenever you are in need

PS: Interesting.,. In case you are speaking from a personal experience,would you mind sharing that briefly with our readers ?
RS: There are many examples. But this one incidence is I think will be more appropriate.I was a student of DAC. At that time there was one batch mate who was from electronics back ground.so he was having a bit of tough time with computers.I happened to meet him once in the library and started discussing various things and he popped his doubts to me and I gave him the required way to study.

This became a daily routine and we became friends.When he got job he came to me and told me that it was because me he got it.A few months after this my dad was hospitalized due to brain haemorrhage.at that time he was there for me like my brother doing everything, helping me out with every needs even financially.At that time my belief in 'what goes round, comes round' was strengthened.

"You can have everything you want in life, just as long as you help enough other people get want they want in life"

Zig Zigler

PS: Touching indeed.,, Thanks for sharing it !! Now my next question. If you are a rebel (given a choice of doing anything you could,) what would you like to change in this society ?
RS: The way society always try to judge 'book by its cover'. Let me elaborate.For example, most of the people I see, for them they base their opinion on my handicap or if they have known me through my articles, the opinion is based on the image projected through the articles.
They don't try to understand the real me by spending time with me.This is one of the main reasons that we are having so many broken relationships. IMHO

PS: IMHO ?
RS: In My Humble Opinion

PS: ;) What you say is true. Humans tend to misjudge and get misled.,.
RS: Thanx.Interaction and the open mindedness is what we are lacking.

PS: so you want to change tat opinionated way of people's attitude.
RS: ya.

PS: Nice.now since you like sci-fi , Iam sure you will like this.Who is ur favorite mythological hero ? and why ?
RS: That one is easy - Arjuna. The reason is in the whole Mahabharata, is the only person who has thirst for knowledge.He does not learn to show that he is the best or to get revenge
and secondly he always follows his dharma.


PS: Great observation :)
RS: for example even when he was faced with the consequence of living the life of brihannala he did not accept advances of urvashi.

PS: Yes. Nice role model.,.Moving forward,what would you like to stand for in ur life ?
RS: Sharing of knowledge and freedom of choice

PS: Do you mean freedom of choice as in allowing each person to choose what he wants ?
RS: freedom of choice in there own personal sphere and career.Society should not compel ppl in these two spheres that's what I believe

PS: Interesting.,.Now time for some personal beauty ;) what do u consider as your charm ?
RS: My positive attitude and to a point my helping nature (without sounding boastful)
I never like to worry about things. I always try to take things as they come.

PS: Gr8 attitude.,.Now what is your thumb rule for life ?
RS: actually there are two rules. First : 'Live in present". Second: 'When the going gets tough, the tough gets going'. These are the two rules that I live by.

PS: The Never say die attitude :)
RS: you hit the bulls eye :)

PS: Who have been your role models in your life and why?
RS: To tell u the truth there hasnt been any. In each person I meet I find something that I can inculcate in myself and I try to do that. So as such there are no role models.

PS: Ok.Can u name some books which have influenced your thinking ?
RS: "Think and grow rich" by Napoleon Hill.and then "Stop worrying and start living" by Dale
Carnegie. And in fictions I have been greatly influenced by Dark Tower series and Disc world series.

PS: Raj, you also have a passion for sci-fi stories. How did you get the interest in sci-fi ?
RS:It was a story.Named visitors from outer space and 'From Ganemede (not sure the spelling) to Jupiter.

PS: Hmmm.,. It must have influenced u greatly.,. your sci fi stories fly over my head.,. ;)
Well readers, Raj has a blog where his creative juices make up a complex intricate sci-fi stories. He is currently writing one named "The Corridor Story". Well, that's if for now Raj. Thanks a ton for being a guest in the PERFECT SHOW and sharing your learnings. It was a pleasure to have you in the Show. I wish you on behalf of my readers a Happy future and all Smiles and Success in all your endeavors.
RS: Thank You Prashant. It was fun to be in the PERFECT SHOW. :)

The good life is inspired by love and guided by knowledge.

Bertrand Russell

PERFECT SHOW WITH "OUR OWN BOOK" FOUNDERS - Dhruv & Anubhav

A Creator is vision-focused and passion-motivated. To really live into your Creator self, you are called to do the inner work necessary to find your own sense of purpose—whatever touches your heart and holds meaning for you.

~ David Emerald

Ever heard of "Yongle Dadian" ?? Its a Chinese encyclopedia,written by more than three thousand scholars in the 15th century. Why Am i talking of some Chinese Manuscript here... Well, for an information, "Yongle Dadian" holds the unofficial record for the longest book written by different authors. Now after 5 centuries, we have someone who are aiming to create a new record by having four thousand contributors work on a single book,. Who is it ? Entrepreneur ?? Student ?? Well, its a mix of both.,. Let me welcome Dhruv Bhushan and Anubhav Jain to the PERFECT SHOW. And yes, you guessed it right..For the first time, PERFECT SHOW has 2 guest in the Show. Dhruv & Anubhav , IIM-Indore Alumnus, Founders of OurOwnBook.com, a user driven community, which brings together users who wish to write and in an interactive and collaborative form to develop a storyline which would be published as a book. Both the guest opinions have been recorded so that the individualistic views are put forth for the benefit for all.. To tell more about the guests,

Dhruv is the ideas man who provides the grounding to create the next big businesses. He possesses a very strong academic and extracurricular record with interests in diverse fields.

Anubhav is the one who gets the work done properly and in time. He is the force that drives people to attain the best in them. An avid reader and debater, Anubhav also possesses a very strong academic and co-curricular record.

Its over to the Show...

THE PERFECT SHOW.

Host: Prashant Sree - PS
Guest: Dhruv Bhushan - DB & Anubhav Jain - AJ

PS: Dhruv and Anubhav, Welcome to the Show. This is the first time, PERFECT SHOW has 2 guest at a single time. It's a pleasure to have you both in the Show.
DB + AJ : Thanks Prashant. We are happy to be in the Show.

PS: What are you passionate about in Life?
DB: I equate passion with being happy. What we are passionate about makes us happy. I am happy when I am doing something, anything. I can’t be sitting around doing the same thing over and over again. I love to experience anything new and try out my hand at whatever I can. I thrive on challenges and love it when I have to push myself to accomplish any task. So you can say that I am passionate about experiencing the variety and challenge of life!

AJ: I am passionate about the value of time. To me time saved is money saved. Punctuality has always been the most important virtue to me. I have always tried to be punctual in the various spheres of my life. And to me, some one who does not value time – be it his or others’, is not some one I would like to be associated with.

PS: Very Well said. Happiness and Time-consciousness, very vital combination for any aspiring Manager. Can you share your learnings from your life with us ?
AJ: One important lesson I have learnt of late in life is the way one balances the various aspects of one’s life. Through the tough way, I have learnt that personal and professional lives are two different facets of being alive. The moment these two get mixed, havoc may arise. One should be clear about personal and professional preferences and treat them as two mutually exclusive compartments.

DB: Hmmm, let’s see. Three things come to my mind.

• First, life moves on, so better move on with it. Earlier, I used to spend a lot of time pondering about and fretting upon things that had not turned up the way I wanted them to. But, I am fortunate to have realized that life is like driving a car. We refer to the rearview mirror, we have our eyes on the road ahead, but most importantly we are focused on the steering wheel and the pedals. So learn from the past, look towards the future, have control over the present. Only then can we move ahead. If we disturb this balance, all we end up is with a huge crash!

• Second, life is not fair, so deal with it. I always was an idealist thinking that everything would automatically happen perfectly; that people would treat each other with love and compassion; that everyone would be treated equally. But, this I have realized happens only in utopia. And life is not a utopia. It is only a march towards utopia. There is a natural hierarchy of power and a chain of command. Survival of the fittest has changed to survival of the powerful. Though I still am an idealist to a great extent, I understand that if we really want to make radical changes to the social order, better first rise to a higher level!

• Third, one life is all we’ve got, so make the most of it.

PS: Thanks for sharing the learnings.They are indeed insightful..What would you change, if you are given a wish to change one thing in world ?
DB: I believe that we can only change ourselves and our actions. It is only through our actions that we can influence change in others. But yes, if I am allowed to play God and want to make one change, it would be to ensure that everyone takes responsibility for his/her/their own selves and stops passing the buck around. That would ensure that our march towards that utopia would become a lot easier.

AJ: Well, if given such a wish, I would like to eradicate the world of the evil of illiteracy. I believe that all other evils stem from illiteracy and education could be the ultimate cure that could make the world a better place to live in.

PS: Thats true.,. Enlightenment occurs through self realization, which one achieves over a period of time.,. Who is your Favorite Mythological Hero and why?
AJ: My favorite Hero would be none other than Lord Krishna, for the message of Karma given to the world by him in the famous conversation with Arjun on the teachings of Gita.

DB: I really do not believe in favorites. It is an enormity to pick out one from a whole bunch of brilliant heroes, or song, or books, or people, or anything for that matter. But yes, given my being named after Dhruva, I have read a lot about him and am inspired by his focus, determination, commitment and selflessness.

PS: Ok, there we have a commonality between you two.,. Mahabharatha ;). Ok, What would you like to stand for in your life ?
DB: Purpose of life is to find the purpose of life and then try and achieve it. Some find it sooner, some later and some never. I am still looking! Though I would definitely like to be remembered as someone who lived life as he wanted to - by his own principles, and ended up doing a lot of good for the people around him.

AJ: I would always like to stand for an India that believes in the power of truth – whatever is the outcome or how so ever long it may take, truth is the ultimate power that prevails.

PS: Hmmm.,. Iam sure we are on our way ahead.I hope both of you really achieve what you aspire for. What do you consider as your charm?
AJ: I am someone with whom my friends like to share their unsaid secrets and whom they look forward to when they need someone to stand by them. I have always been the motivating force behind my loved ones.


DB: I haven’t ever thought of this. It’s definitely not my looks! So has to be something that I do or believe in or some aspect of my personality. But seriously, I don’t know. I might not even have a charm. I better start asking my friends!

PS: Thats nice to hear.,. Maybe your charmed one might be of some use ;) Well, just kidding.. What is Your Thumb Rule for Life ?
DB: Honesty is the best policy, with some recently added caveats :)
- Never lie for personal benefit or someone else’s loss.
- Lying for others’ benefit is to be decided on a case by case basis.
- In case the first two do not provide the answer to your dilemma, do what you feel is right.

Being dishonest very well might give quick results, but in the end, it is a worse path to have taken. Either follow the rules or change the rules. Do not break them.

AJ: One thing that I have always believed in my life is that whatever happens happens for good or “Jo hota hai achchhe ke liye hota hai”. With this belief in my mind and heart, my life has become steadier and I have faced the tougher times of my life with much more strength and determination to move ahead.

PS: Wise sayings. More wiser if implemented in our life.,. Who are your Role Models in your life ?
AJ: My mother is the role model for me for all that she has done for me, for all the times she has been with me, for the way she runs my family, the way she has fought against all difficulties and has made me what I am today.

DB: I derive inspiration from a lot of people - my dad for his sacrifices and growth from his very modest beginnings to what he is today; my mom for her endless talents and continuous support; my family as a whole for making me what I am; Gandhi for his principles; Steve Jobs for his creativity; Branson for his spirit; Ambani for his persistence; Sachin for his performance; Bachchan for his humility; Teresa for her kindness; JFK for all that he was; the list is endless.

PS: Thats commendable.,. Since both of you are avid readers, can you share the books have influenced you a lot?
DB: Again, a diverse selection here. Starting from some as simple as the Secret Seven or Chacha Choudhary which inculcated the reading habit very early on to as complex as the Bhagvad Gita and Arthashastra for trying to simplify the complexities of life. Influence also depends a lot on context, so I was also influenced by books like Sam Walton’s, Made in America to Kiyosaki’s, Rich Dad Poor Dad that pushed me to start my first business. These days I am trying to read up on a lot of non-fiction, especially biographies.

AJ: One book which I loved reading and has influenced the way I have started looking at life is “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey. I believe that by constantly trying to implement the lessons of the book, I have improved on the way I interact with others, the way I present myself and the way I look at others. It’s a must read for everyone.

PS: What was your motivation behind starting OurOwnBook? Can we have your separate opinions ? :)
AJ: To be frank, OurOwnBook stems from my passion for writing. I have always been into writing stories and motivational stuff. OurOwnBook is an initiative for all such people, like me, who love to write but either didn’t have enough time to write a long book or didn’t have a platform for doing so.


DB: OurOwnBook was born out of the desire to do something totally new, unique and revolutionary in the internet domain. Of course, it was also fueled by the love for books and wish to write. Some feel that as we are ‘entrepreneurs’ money was the main motive behind launching OurOwnBook, but that is not the case. In fact, I have already pledged any profits to me from the first project of OurOwnBook to a charity doing stupendous work for children.

PS: Can you tell us, how it all started and around which time in College?
DB:Both me and Anubhav had decided to start something very unique before graduating from IIM Indore. Having won several competitions over the two years, including many b-plan events, we had a lot of ideas. However, they were all from a business perspective which required a lot of time, money and effort. So after thinking a lot about what to do, we narrowed down to the internet domain, which would be inexpensive and also allow us to make something available to the greatest number of people. This was late December 2007. Having brainstormed on a couple of ideas and not getting anywhere, we were sitting in the college mess on January 21, 2008 wondering about the next steps. It was then that discussion somehow veered towards our love for writing and books and both of us almost together said that lets start something which would allow a lot of people to write. It was then that we thought about the game where people continue building on stories by adding something to whatever was last said. We agreed that this could work, and voila, the seeds of OurOwnBook were sown.

AJ: It all started in the month of January 2008, around second week when both Dhruv and I decided to start a web-venture which could be something innovative, something completely new to the internet-savvy generation of today. And during our discussion about our hobbies, our childhood days, the games we used to play, etc., we came across the game where we used to complete a story by adding a line each. This was the moment that the idea of OurOwnBook struck our minds.

From there on ideas kept flowing automatically, till we reached a draft vision as to what we would like it to be, allowing anyone to write, becoming an author, publishing of books, creation of records and the rest. Finally OurOwnBook.com was launched on the midnight of March 5, 2008.


PS: Did you have any benefactor while starting this new initiative? (In the sense, anyone who guided you and supported you, apart from your parents and close friends)
AJ: Of course, all our friends and family members have been very supportive throughout the working out of this venture. But one person whom I would like to thank would be the designer of this website, Uma Parvathy, one of our juniors at IIM Indore, who worked day and night on this venture and without whose efforts, this would simply not have been possible. As regards to funding, it was through our own personal savings and winnings from the competitions. So the organizers of these events can be counted as other benefactors!

DB: The development of the project was kept mostly a secret with only me, Anubhav and a few other people knowing about it till we launched a teaser campaign on campus. Till that time the friends did help with a lot of ideas and potential problems. And we can never forget the contribution of Uma, our junior, who toiled tirelessly, even when her exams were going on to design and develop the entire website. Once it was launched though, everyone was very appreciative and supportive of the same. I would like to thank all of them and also the friend who inspired me to write in the first place.

PS: Great to hear that. Iam sure it will be inspirational for aspiring entrepreneurs to know that as long as you are committed to your cause, you will definitely get enough support... Suppose if someone wants to contribute to the story , how do they contribute ? And how does one get to know whether his part has been accepted in the main story?
DB: The first project which is to create the story with the most number of co-authors requires the members just to register on the website and continue from wherever it currently is on the web itself. No need to attach any document or sending across anything. Just visit the website and follow the simple guidelines. There are only a few posts which are a major deviation or unauthorized content which are removed.

Rest all the contributions, either it their own form or edited are incorporated into the story as it is indeed a collaborative effort. The first edited draft can be seen on the Story So Far Page of the website. Plus as the book nears completion, we would be informing the authors whose contribution has been accepted and asking them for verification details for purpose of the record.

AJ: To send your part of the story, you need to register on the website and start authoring! All contributions to the story, subject to approval by moderator, are accepted in the story. Only those contributors, who deviate a lot from the story, are given warning messages, the rest being accepted by OurOwnBook team. The acknowledgement of one’s contribution in the story can be seen on the ongoing story page. If one finds one’s lines in the story, one can be assured of his contribution being accepted!

PS: Well, Anubhav and Dhruv, i have learnt quite a few useful things from you too.,. Your life learnings have been equally accommodative.,. Iam sure the readers will also appreciate that fact. On behalf of my readers, I wish you both All Success in all your endeavours. God Speed...
DB+ AJ: Thank You Prashant. We too enjoyed the show. All the Best.