French Loaf - Good attitude

French Loaf is one of chennai's latest bakeries. It comes from the same establishment that owns Hot Breads, owned by the enigmatic Mr. Mahadevan. We picked up some bread from there last night and this morning my wife figured out that it was spoilt. I got back there this evening with spoilt packet of bread ready for a tiff. But to my surprise, no such thing happened. I was treated with courtesy, they took back the pack and surprisingly...i was told i could pick up any bread pack of the shelf as a replacement. And even more suprisingly, when i hesitated, the guy picks up a packet of the most expensive bread on the shelf and hands it to me. Keep it up guys...with this kind of an attitude, i am sure the place will thrive. Maybe you shud teach the guys at Zaras a bit or two about customer service.

Fighting climate change - The American way

The execution capabilities of the Americans is well know to all of us. One has been reading about it for many years. However during my first trip to the US about a year and half ago, i got first-hand exposure to the way Amricans approach execution and why they are so good.

Look at the way they are currently approaching climate change, it's consequences and remedies. Though they were the ones for a long time to be in denial, the recent natural disasters in North America combined with Govt reports, Al Gore's documentry has made them realise that this is a real crisis to be dealt with.

They are now pulling all plugs to make sure that they leave no stone unturned to combat this problem. More importantly how they involve the american people thru an awesome combination of incentivization and information dissemination in these initiatives.

Two examples of how they are tackling this thru various simple but effective measures.

1. Information Dissemination - The Light Bulb
2. Incentivization - The Car

Wonder how we as a nation will learn this...

A Magical Mind-Wish

From standing in front of your favorite deity with eyes closed in prayer to throwing a penny into a fountain, we have all felt inspired to make a wish, to whisper our secret desires into the ears of the universe and wait for signs that we have been heard. Some wishes come true while others remain ethereal visions that either stay with us or fade like a star in the light of morning. Whether they come true or not, wishes are important missives, expressing our heart's desire as well as our intention to create something new in our lives. When we wish for something, our consciousness opens to receiving it, like a flower unfolding its petals to receive a bee.

There is something innocent and magical about making a wish, something that recalls the energy of childhood. Wishing is not about formulating a plan and following it step by step to attain a goal, which is the realm of adulthood. Wishing is more like a playful volley across the universe, an invitation to play. Waiting for the response is an integral part of the process. Wishing inspires an innocent opening to the possibility of magic as we wait to see if the invisible realm will bring our wish to life. This opening is a beautiful gesture in and of itself, regardless of the outcome. We place ourselves in a magical mind, and this mind is arguably as wonderful as the fulfillment of our wish itself.

In our straightforward, action-oriented society, we may tend to dismiss the power of this seemingly passive process, yet the power of a wish is well known, hence the cautionary phrase, "Be careful what you wish for." If you have given up wishing in favor of more adult pursuits, you might want to bring its magic back into your life. The next time you see the first star of the evening, or find yourself in front of a birthday cake covered in flaming candles, give yourself the gift of the magical realm that you knew so well as a child-close your eyes, open your mind, and make your wish.

Shilpa Shetty - Global Opportunist?

Shilpa Shetty seems to have hit good times like never before. First her popularity soared after she won the British reality show Celebrity Big Brother and now the BJP is wooing her to join the party. Some new channels say that she has already got offers from Hollywood - WOW!

Most Indians who have spent time living in London will have a personal story to tell you about Racial Discrimination. It might not be a big one like Shilpa's...it will still be true. So, I refuse to believe that Shilpa was naive enough to think she'll have a good time in London doing the show. She is a smart woman who has got on the top of the heap in Bollywood (which is probably worse than Celebrity Big Brother). She would have done her research. My take is that she fully knew what she was getting into. It probably got blown out of proportions...so what the heck...Three weeks of grueling effort and the results are for all of us to see.

Way to go Shilpa...In a largely opportunist world, i see no wrong in what you have done...Go get the world.

One too many scams...

CNN-IBN exposed a scam today..."pay goons, get votes" for the local polls in Mumbai. The Election commissioner of Maharashtra immediately retorted that any such irregularities should be reported to the Mumbai Police and stern action would be immediately taken against the erring parties.

One obvious question comes to mind - Are the election commissioners and the police officers not aware of such incidents during elections??? Or is it that they wait with folded hands for a widely followed news channel to expose and some other party to report this to them before they decide to move into action? If so, my belief is that this too is a scam!!!

Hogwarts House Sorting Quiz Results

At least someone believes that i am intelligent, witty and capable :) So what if it is a computer programmed quiz...wait till my wife sees this...she'll die laughing :))

Which Hogwarts house will you be sorted into?

18 year olds kidnap and kill a child in Chennai

Three boys kidnapped and subsequently killed a 11 year old boy in Chennai yesterday. The reason - they wanted to collect a ransom of 5 lacs and use the same for buying cell-phones and having a lavish new year party. Read the story here.

The cops have apprehended the CRIMINALS (i hate to call 18 year olds criminals, but pray give me another term for these boys), but are not sure how to proceed with the case. It is evident from the fact that they have not yet released the names of the apprehended. I guess the age of perpetrators is proving to be a problem.

One of the fundamental principles of our upbringing in India is "Always live within your means".
Another one (made very famous by Sanjay Dutt in Lage Raho Munna Bhai - Gandhigiri) is to follow a philosophy of "tolerance towards fellow humans".

In a society that abides by these principles at large, this crime is least to say shocking!!! What also makes it outrageous and unacceptable is the age of the perpetrators of this heinous crime.

Some questions that immediately come to mind:

1. Is materialism so deep-rooted in our society that boys of such an age committed this crime for what seems to me a TRIVIAL reason?
2. Was killing the child the only way of failure to beget the ransom?
3. What kind of upbringing have these boys had, that made these boys act with no mortal fear of retribution?
4. Should the parents of these boys also be held responsible for the crime?
5. How can we protect our children from these "DESPERATE WANNABEs"
6. How do we put the fear of god in people who would even consider committing such a crime?
7. Lastly, how do we weave the moral fabric of our society to minimize such instances?

We need to find these answers, if not for ourselves at least for the sake of our future generation.