Yawn - Sambandh :)

Inspired by the creative genius of Nitin Singh :P

A month full of celebrations, travel and some magic…

7.11.11 marked the beginning of the most eventful month of my life yet and it started with a big and happy surprise – a quick agreement by families and quick engagement on 11.11.11, one of the happiest days of my life J

But unfortunately didn’t get enough time to enjoy this happiness as work related travel to Delhi, Chennai and Bangalore kept me busy most of the month – doing conferences in one city after another, but it was also quite a satisfactory experience as it is bound to get some moolaahs for my company J

In midst of this happiness and travel there was a small setback with dad’s health deteriorating, making me really tensed and nervous but just when I was started feeling helpless, we experienced magic – few minutes of magnetic therapy by a Vaid in Viramgam and my dad was smiling back – pure magic and I took a sigh of relief.

And then there was time for more celebrations with Jaggu and Sam’s (Sonali) marriage, trio of me, Denzil and Darshit tried our best to ensure that our best friend’s wedding is as he had thought it to be -  full of glam and gloss J. By the end of it we were exhausted but it was all worth for a friend who has always been there for all of us.

At the end of this super busy month I have a bigger family, relationships and friendship which is stronger than ever and lots of smiles all around! What a month, some of the most memorable experiences packed in it!

Viral Videos – How did it happen?

When you see ratings like the ‘top video of the week’ and comments like ‘I cried watching this video’, you ought to believe that it must be really a very well shot video with right lighting, script, scenes, animations etc etc which goes in making a movie.

But I myself was in for a pleasant surprise when all this honors and appreciation were earned by an amateur video which was created using still images, powerful music and little of animation.

India - The Land of Initiatives - rated as one of the top videos of the week on Youtube.

Video launched on Independence Day, dedicated to the great thinkers and innovators of India.

Anna Hazare - Jai Ho

Video dedicated to Anna Hazare for he being every Indians voice against corruption, launched on the very next day of Government agreeing to Jan Lokpal Bill.

So how did this happen? I ask myself. And this is what my mind and heart echoed.

• The subject matter of video if powerful enough, half the battle is won – in above cases Independence Day and Anna Hazare’s Jan Lokpal win are surely quite powerful and strong.
• We Indians love our music, so ensure the music selected has a mass appeal – Jana Gana Mana and Jai Ho have always given me Goosebumps, so had to use them as background score.
• Pictures say thousand words – so even though it’s a video made out of pics, ensuring the sequencing and timing of the pics and music was quintessential.
• Animation effects from animoto.com was like a tadka of the video.
• Thanks to the biggest broadcasting company – youtube there is a larger audience which appreciates professional as well amateur work.
• Decent size online network group also came in handy in spreading the video – where you send them emails and share requests.

Seeing the video if you have more insights on why this worked or how can this be done better, I would love to hear it.

Travel - explored a new Me



Picture taken at Singapore Flyer

They say when you travel, you learn a lot - you learn to manage yourself, take your own decisions and be more fearless - and I did learn all this in my some 10-15 odd work related trips in last 6 months. But above this I have discovered something else also, something which i experienced and asked myself when I saw and observed herd of people walking and walking/running and running for some or other thing then be it Delhi, Mumbai or Singapore - what is everybody running after? My assumption is needs which have over the period become wants and then desires (Mr.Darwin) - and more I thought of this race, I found the whole idea of spending most of your time and energies into gaining materialistic bliss but not having enough time to enjoy any of it, a very pity one.

I have realised that if same time is spent with family and friends it is far more and better source of happiness rather than the running behind materialistic gains. Thanks to all the travel I have 100% realised that I love my home, family and friends more than anything. And every time I go out I cant wait to return home.

EVERY INDIAN FEELS LIKE A CHAMPION!

Had eaten away all my nails
by the time this pic was taken

In a long long time I have never felt so nervous and anxious as I felt from 2.30 - 11.00 pm on April 2nd 2011, courtesy World Cup Finals.May be it was also due to the excitement which was ever growing in me as we moved closer to Saturday and getting the Indian Cricket team shirt was like an Excitement BOOSTER. I promised myself that if we win the World Cup I will frame the shirt as a memory - I look forward to having this large frame in my room now :D

We waited and waited for the Helicopter Shot throughout the world cup, and finally Dhoni chopped Lankans off with the Helicopter Six - had no words after that....just kept on shouting shouting and shouting.....

Hair raising experience for some people

It was amazing to see how everybody, every single person unified with the biggest victory ever - no caste, no religion, no age bar, nothing coming between people - just one religion - CRICKET and one nation - INDIA...INDYAAAA :D

I was so happy to see the God - Tendulkar so happy! My desire to meet him atleast once in a life time has just got intensified! And the greedy me would also want to take the Lessons in Leadership from Honest, Calm and Proactive - Mr.Bald Singh Dhoni!

The Goose Bumps I have got in the 24 hours post victory have been the highest in my lifetime ;)

Rocked the Lanka!!

Mahatma Gandhi came from South Africa to get us the Independence, Gary Kirsten came to get us the most awaited title of World Champions!

EVERY INDIAN FEELS LIKE A CHAMPION!

Fight for Internationalism

It was all easy, on schedule, smooth till 24th Feb 2011 1000 hrs (the day when I was suppose to make my first international trip to Dubai) and then the Fight for my Internationalism began....

Level 1: Connecting flight to Mumbai was delayed - so I had to take a flight which was at 11.30 am, and I came to know about this only at 10.00 am when I was sitting in my computer chair managing some music on my mobile phone, it rang and I had to fight the time - just reached airport in time (didn't even get time for a tight hug from my family, damn!)

Level 2: On flight - fighting the gravitational forces with really bumpy landing - still alive.

Level 3: Mystery - Harit (my colleague) lost his cell phone, we went searching for it from corner to corner of Mumbai International Airport, but even with the help of security forces and house keeping staff we could not find that dear phone of Harit. We fought till the end but could not clear the level, mystery unsolved! Who do you think it is?? 

Level 4.1: Species - My Internationalism was about to get wings and it did on time but then something else with the wings was waiting for me in the flight - MOSQUITO (sucker), I guess it lost oxygen as we went on higher altitude.

Level 4.2: A small little stage i had to fight was my back pain - UGELSIC was a booster.

Fighting and clearing  the domestic levels I landed in Dubai - DXB - its so much organised and planned and beautiful, just too good a city!

Level 5: Face off - this was with the Customs and Information bureau of Dubai to get our brochures, Cd's, folders all the crucial crucial material out from their custody. Savitri (my colleague from Dubai) help us overcome this battle and my fingers got uncrossed!

Level 6: Marathon - this was an endurance test, walking walking and walking in a huge huge huge Deira city centre mall - but we loved this level as I got my gadgets in this one :D

In between I and Harit got one more small bonus - short lived luxury with a stay in Sheraton :D

Level 7: Battle Royale - D day was here - Assessment Summit. The challenge was to ensure 35 Tablet PCs run well on Wifi and it become damn difficult challenge with only 13 tablets up and running, rest refused to comply with us. Plan B came into action and we got all the laptops in, to ensure the Mindspark experience to all the tables. We got through this level too but it could have been better if the IP would have not behaved like an ***.

Level 8: Black or White - this was an experience that was not challenging but frustrating for we were not allowed to enter a night club just because we are Not Whites - this fight cause of your skin colour is still on - sad!

Level 9: Sand hills - This was the most exciting one, the fight to handle all the jerks sitting in an SUV and riding like crazy in the desert - super cool!

Level 10: Heavy weights - 32 Kgs mammoth was being dragged along from a store to the hotel to the airport to the bus to the baggage to the customs to the home - but anything for the people you love <3

My Fight for Internationalism - KICK A$$.

Credibility is the key

Having gathered a littleeee experience in a particular work domain you walk into a new organization with full of enthusiasm and millions of ideas, thinking that you can contribute like nobody else did to this organization ever, by implementing millions of ideas you have, make things work much better by changing them upside down and getting everybody else also to believe and engaged in what you are doing and then…… all of a sudden you hit a REALITY ROADBLOCK – crashing your fast moving innovative ride into something called ‘RESISTANCE TO CHANGE’. This crash quickly turns the Optimistic and Creative innovative thinker in you into a CRIBBER who all of sudden starts believing that this organization doesn’t deserve his supreme talent and skills.

And such situations and resistances will not change till the time we have halos on our heads signifying people as ‘Innovators’, ‘Thinkers’, ‘Strategist’ etc etc..... But I have realized that there is another different kind of halo which actually develops around you over the time and which empowers you to implement the ideas you believe in, bring in the positive change that too without too much of resistance – halo of Credibility.

Ohhh but this halo of credibility just doesn’t come with time it also needs to be supplemented with few other ingredients like performance standards, high quality benchmark, discipline, ethical and moral standards in dealing with people, honesty and integrity etc and making them non-negotiable will have the credibility graph going up. But once you get there you feel more empowered and elevated :)