Editors' Choice Article:

Editors' Choice Article:Degrees of GivingLeading With Generosity By Bruna Martinuzzi.....

true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit.- Nelson Henderson


I am holding in my hand a graceful, inspirational book entitled "Ramban's Ladder: A Meditation on Generosity and Why It is Necessary to Give" by Julie Salamon. The book is based on the teachings of Ramban, a physician and philosopher who, more than a thousand years ago, developed Ramban's Ladder, which outlines the various forms of giving from the lowest - handing out money begrudgingly, as one might to a panhandler - to the highest, helping someone become self-reliant. I have long been meditating on the whole issue of generosity as an important quality of leadership: observing leaders who had it, and those who lacked it.When we think of generosity, our thoughts automatically drift to gifts of money or charity. In the context of leadership, there are other gifts that don't have a monetary value, but whose value is beyond price. These include giving someone a chance; giving someone the benefit of the doubt; and giving others a reason to want to work for you. It entails giving others latitude, permission to make mistakes, and all the information that they need to do the job. It's giving them the authority that goes with responsibility - it's giving them due credit for their ideas. In a nutshell, all of this translates to generosity of spirit, a quality we admire in leaders. Generosity, a word which once meant 'of noble birth,' used to be associated with members of the aristocracy who, by virtue of their privileges, were expected to show generosity towards those in lesser standing. A leader too, by virtue of her position, and the power and privileges that she holds relative to those she leads, has the same expectations and obligations. A prime obligation is to lead with a generous heart, and to be guided by a nobility of mind. A leader's generosity has a positive spreading effect - conversely, its absence has a series of negative consequences that, if a leader paused to reflect on them, may stop her in her tracks. I am a firm believer that people need more than just 'a nice job close to home.' Most people want to find meaning in their jobs - they want to feel that they are a part of something bigger and something better. They want to know that what they do matters. A leader with a generous spirit understands this need, and connects the dots for people - the dots that help them see how the work they perform, no matter how small it may be in the scheme of things, has a bearing on the ultimate vision of the company. There is a well-known anecdote that is related by Tom Peters about a hospital in the US that treats cancer. During a series of staff interviews, an interviewer asked the housekeeper what her job entailed. She responded, "I help to cure cancer." Somewhere in that hospital, a leader connected the dots for this individual, and made her feel that she was an integral part of the hospital's mission. Do you do that for the people who do the work in your unit or organization? There is a lot of talk these days about lack of engagement in the workforce. Imagine how engaged people are when their leader makes them feel that they are a fundamental part of the success of the organization; that everyone, from the receptionist or mail clerk to the Vice President of Product Development, constitutes a binding thread, tightly interwoven into the company fabric - each equally doing its part to give the fabric its strength. A leader with a generous spirit delegates not just routine work, but understands about delegating worthwhile work that becomes a gift of development and growth for someone else. How we love those leaders! These are the leaders that make us want to get out of bed in the morning and go to work to give that person the very best that we have to offer. These are the leaders who get our discretionary effort, every day. And what about gifts of information? In a survey on effective motivation published by 1000 Ventures, one of the top items that individuals want in the workplace is the ability to be 'in' on things. This was rated 9 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Managers ranked this item as 1! This is a large chasm in understanding. The quickest way to satisfy this need in constituents is to share information. We have all come across some leaders who are inclined to hoard crucial information as the currency of power. Leaders with a generous spirit give employees a chance to get under the hood and to be a part of the inner circle. Freely and generously sharing know-how, expertise, and ideas is not only beneficial for employees - it's a smart way of doing business. Albert Camus said: "Real generosity toward the future consists in giving all to what is present." How often, as leaders, we are so focused on future achievements, on realizing the vision of the organization, that in the process, we neglect the people who are there. A leader of a successful software firm confessed to me once that she woke up one day realizing how much she had disconnected emotionally from the people who did the work in her organization, while focusing on the strategic imperatives of the company. Today, we have a tendency to be too self-absorbed. We become self-involved to the point where, without intending it, we exclude others; and we often only consciously notice that we have excluded them when they have become disengaged. Self-absorption inherently prevents generosity. Once in a while, it helps to stop and ask oneself: "Am I giving enough to the people around me?" There is an African village where the greeting words for 'good morning' or 'hello' are: "I am here if you are here." Imagine the gift we give others when we are fully present with them - when we truly see them. Perhaps this is what Ralph Waldo Emerson meant when he said: "The only gift is the gift of thyself." Bill Clinton recently ended a speech to a 6,000-member audience with an exhortation to "see more people." This preceded his reference to all the people who do the clean-up work behind the scenes after the audience leaves. Do we give a thought to the people who are unnoticed in our organizations, those who quietly work in the background?While generosity in its pure sense is altruistic, you do still get something back from it: surprise dividends in the form of a recycling of goodwill, a surplus of cooperation, and the sheer satisfaction of seeing another benefit from our giving of ourselves, our time, our attention, our knowledge, and the very best that we have to offer those who cross our paths at work or life. We will never know what opportunities we may have missed in life by showing up tight-fisted. It is hard to receive anything if we don't open our hands to give. As a leader, giving people the gift of not just our appreciation for good work, but our genuine admiration for their talents, is generosity of spirit at its pinnacle. This is the difference between saying to someone: "Great job" versus "This was pure genius;" or "I appreciated your help" versus "I couldn't have done it without you." When it comes to genuine praise, like the sun at high noon, give resplendently. When you see good work, say it, and say it from the heart, just as you thought it. Free up the thought, and let it breathe - let it fly out there in the form of generous words, and watch what you get back. Giving is ultimately sharing. Here are some practical tips to enhance our generosity of spirit:
1. Give people a sense of importanceIn Adele Lynn's book, In Search of Honor: Lessons from Workers in How to Build Trust, we learn that 55% of workers value "giving people a sense of importance" as the number one item for building trust in the workplace. Consider what small actions you could take intentionally today to make people feel that the work they do is important, and that they themselves, as people, are important to your team.
2. Give feedback, not criticismIf giving frequent criticism is your style of management, consider some of these questions: Is your motivation genuine, or is it to gain points? Are you picking the right moment? Are you stopping to reflect how you might deliver the feedback while still honoring the other person?
3. Give people visibilityGiving people visibility in your organization is a special gift we bestow to help others shine and grow. I encourage you to think how you might give people more access to senior executives, and more access to your boss. Consider as well that people like to know that their boss's boss knows the great contributions they made to a project, or about their significant effort in writing a report that does not bear their name. Knowing that our leader is representing us well to upper management is a high-octane motivator, and engenders fierce loyalty.
4. Give anonymouslyReal generosity of spirit is doing something for someone without their knowledge. Think of one or two deserving people in your organization that you can help by planting a career-enhancing seed on their behalf - perhaps saying something positive about their work to someone in authority?
5. Know when to forgiveMartin Luther King said that "The old law of an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind." Consider how harboring vindictive thoughts, even though so compelling at times, is nothing but violence to oneself. A characteristic of a generous person is a total lack of resentment - it's in effect being too noble, too big for that. Who do you need to forgive? What do you need to let go?
6. Give encouragementLook around you and pick someone who needs encouragement, and resolve to give them that. Consider that some people have never received encouragement in their life - not from teachers, not from bosses, not even from parents.
7. Give opportunityOne of the most valuable gifts we can give someone is giving them a chance. Is there someone right now to whom you could give a second chance to prove themselves? If so, what active steps can you take to create the right circumstances for them to succeed? What doors can you open for someone who is well deserving, but not well positioned to be noticed?
8. Share your knowledge and experienceResolve to become a philanthropist of know-how. What knowledge, expertise, or best practices can you share with others as a way to enrich them? For inspiration, read about other leaders who practice teaching in their organization for everyone's benefit - for example, Jack Welch, whose calendar was filled with hundreds of hours spent teaching thousands of GE managers and executives at the company's training center at Croton-on-Hudson; or the ex-CEO of Intel, Andy Grove, who devoted considerable amounts of time to teaching newly hired and senior managers his philosophy on how to lead in an industry where innovation goes stale very quickly.
9. Give moral supportPublic speaking is known to be among the greatest fears experienced by millions of people. The next time you attend a presentation given by an apprehensive team member, practice giving them moral support. The simplest of generous acts are abstaining from checking your Blackberry, giving the odd nod in agreement, and practicing looking with kind eyes. Finally, take some inspiration from Walt Whitman's beautiful words: "The habit of giving enhances the desire to give." Giving is like building a muscle. It requires practice and persistence – once it becomes habitual, you will emerge as a stronger leader.

What California Laws did Infosys Violate?

Infosys Technologies Limited is considered a paragon of virtue among Indian businesses.

That of course is fiction.

You don’t believe us?

Go look at Infosys’ IPO documents dating back to the early 1990s. What did Infosys tell you they were raising money for in the IPO prospectus? Did the company do as promised in the immediate aftermath of the IPO?

Recently, troubling questions have been raised once again about this media darling.
This time, the issue is Infosys’ recent settlement with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) towards possible overtime payment to certain employees in California for a total amount of $26 million.

The payment pertains to the last three years and such back wages are to be paid to employees in due course.

Infosys announced the California Overtime settlement as part of its Q3 2007-2008 results.
The Infosys settlement document provided to us by some folks in California is your usual legal gobbledegook.

To put it in plain English, Infosys is saying it may have inadvertently broken some California or federal laws and is trying to cover its ass in the litigious U.S. business environment.
Were laws broken by Infosys? If laws were broken, was it inadvertent? Why did Infosys act the way it did?
Only a full trial and subpoena of documents can answer these questions. And that is what Infosys hopes to avoid with this $26 million settlement.
After all, as any student of U.S. law knows, trials are too unpredictable. Safer to settle than face the uncertainty and distraction of a lawsuit.
In the settlement, Infosys acknowledges that it could potentially be liable for misclassification of employees under state or federal laws (p.1).

Here are some of the rules or laws Infosys may have violated:

1. Failure to provide overtime as required by law
2. Failure to provide and/or require meal breaks or days of rest as required by law
3. Failure to provide and/or require a paid 10 minute break as required by law
4. Failure to make premium payments for missed meal and rest period as required by law
5. Failure to pay all final wages due and owing in accordance with state or federal law
6. Failure to make timely wage payments, provide accurate itemized wage statements and to keep accurate information relative to each Affected Employee within California as prescribed by state and federal law
7. Any and all civil and/or statutory penalties including the failure to pay such penalties, applicable under state and/or federal law

In our view, these are serious violations of the law and if Infosys has violated any of the above points, they are getting off easily and on the cheap by paying just $26 million.
Even if Infosys has commited these violations, does it mean that Infosys is not a great Indian success story?
Of course, Infosys is one of those rare inspiring Indian stories. And Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani et al deserve all the kudos, particularly for being among the first Indian companies to hand out stock options to employees in the mid-1990s (See story on Infosys stock option launch by George Albert et al in Business Standard circa 1994).
So let’s put things in perspective and not go overboard in praising Infosys fulsomely (as is often done) nor tar them very harshly if they have engaged in deceptive conduct in the California instance (as some may be tempted to do now).
We have watched Infosys and several of its founders for nearly two decades. On balance, we can say Infosys has done more good than harm to its three core constituencies - employees, shareholders and customers.
Coming back to the settlement, our sources in California tell us that the total number of employees impacted by the Infosys settlement is 2,295.

Here is what Infosys will end up paying:

1. Back wages to the Affected Employees - $18.25 million
2. Meal and rest period premiums - $3 million
3. Waiting time penalties - $1 million
4. Civil penalties to the DLSE - $1.5 million

And the checks should start going out to current and former Infosys employees (employed in California from Oct 1, 2004 to December 19, 2007) on January 25, 2008.

Before we finish, we would like to tell you three things:
1. Infosys believes it has complied with California law and has admitted to no wrongdoing.
2. The lily-livered poltroons at the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement have not conducted a thorough investigation in this matter in our opinion.
3. Infosys has also imposed restrictions on the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement in discussing this settlement.

Sudha Murthy - Story of Infosys

Sudha Murthy, wife of Infosys Chairman Narayanamurthy, talking about her life and the story of how Infosys was born:

It was in Pune that I met Narayan Murty through my friend Prasanna who is now the Wipro chief, who was also training in Telco. Most of the books that Prasanna lent me had Murty’s name on them, which meant that I had a preconceived image of the man. Contrary to expectation, Murty was shy, bespectacled and an introvert. When he invited us for dinner, I was a bit taken aback as I thought the young man was making a very fast move. I refused since I was the only girl in the group. But Murty was relentless and we all decided to meet for dinner the next day at 7.30 p.m. at Green Fields hotel on the Main Road, Pune.
The next day I went there at 7 o clock since I had to go to the tailor near the hotel. And what do I see? Mr. Murty waiting in front of the hotel and it was only seven. Till today, Murty maintains that I had mentioned (consciously!) that I would be going to the tailor at 7 so that I could meet him…And I maintain that I did not say any such thing consciously or unconsciously because I did not think of Murty as anything other than a friend at that stage. We have agreed to disagree on this matter. Soon, we became friends. Our conversations were filled with Murty’s experiences abroad and the books that he has read.
My friends insisted that Murty was trying to impress me because he was interested in me. I kept denying it till one fine day, after dinner Murty said “ I want to tell you something”. I knew this was it. It was coming. He said, I am 5′4″ tall. I come from a lower middle class family. I can never become rich in my life and I can never give you any riches. You are beautiful, bright, intelligent and you can get anyone you want. But will you marry me? I asked Murty to give me some time for an answer. My father didn’t want me to marry a wannabe politician,(a communist at that) who didn’t have a steady job and wanted to build an orphanage… When I went to Hubli I told my parents about Murty and his proposal. My mother was positive since Murty was also from Karnataka, seemed intelligent and comes from a good family. But my father asked: What’s his job, his salary, his qualifications etc? Murty was working as a research assistant and was earning less than me.He was willing to go dutch with me on our outings.
My parents agreed to meet Murty in Pune on a particular day at 10 a. m sharp. Murty did not turn up. How can I trust a man to take care of my daughter if he cannot keep an appointment,asked my father.At 12 noon Murty turned up in a bright red shirt! He had gone on work to Bombay, was stuck in a traffic jam on the ghats, so he hired a taxi (though it was very expensive for him) to meet his would-be father-in-law. Father was unimpressed. My father asked him what he wanted to become in life. Murty said he wanted to become a politician in the communist party and wanted to open an orphanage. My father gave his verdict. NO. I don’t want my daughter to marry somebody who wants to become a communist and then open an orphanage
when he himself didn’t have money to support his family. Ironically, today, I have opened many orphanages something which Murty wanted to do 25 years ago. By this time I realized I had developed a liking towards Murty which could only be termed as love. I wanted to marry Murty because he is an honest man. He proposed to me highlighting the negatives in his life. I promised my father that I will not marry Murty without his blessings though at the same time, I cannot marry anybody else. My father said he would agree if Murty promised to take up a steady job. But Murty refused saying he will not do things in life because somebody wanted him to. So, I was caught between the two most important people in my life.
The stalemate continued for three years during which our courtship took us to every restaurant and cinema hall in Pune. In those days, Murty was always broke. Moreover, he didn’t earn much to manage. Ironically today, he manages Infosys Technologies Ltd,one of the world’s most reputed companies. He always owed me money. We used to go for dinner and he would say, I don’t have money with me, you pay my share, I will return it to you later. For three years I maintained a book on Murty’s debt to me. No, he never returned the money and I finally tore it up after my wedding. The amount was a little over Rs 4000.
During this interim period Murty quit his job as research assistant and started his own software business. Now, I had to pay his salary too! Towards the late 70s computers were entering India in a big way. During the fag end of 1977 Murty decided to take up a job as General Manager at Patni Computers in Bombay. But before he joined the company he wanted to marry me since he was to go on training to the US after joining. My father gave in as he was happy Murty had a decent job, now.

We where married in Murty’s house in Bangalore on February 10, 1978 with only our two families present. I got my first silk sari. The wedding expenses came to only Rs 800(US$ 17) with Murty and I pooling in Rs 400 each.

I went to the US with Murty after marriage. Murty encouraged me to see America on my own because I loved travelling. I toured America for three months on backpack and had interesting experiences which will remain fresh in my mind forever. Like the time when I was taken into custody by the New York police because they thought I was an Italian trafficking drugs in Harlem. Or the time when I spent the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with an old couple. Murty panicked because he couldn’t get a response from my hotel room even at midnight. He thought I was either killed or kidnapped.

In 1981 Murty wanted to start INFOSYS.

he had a vision and zero capital… initially I was very apprehensive about Murty getting into business. We did not have any business background. Moreover we were living a comfortable life in Bombay with a regular pay check and I didn’t want to rock the boat. But Murty was passionate about creating good quality software. I decided to support him. Typical of Murty, he just had a dream and no money. So I gave him Rs 10,000 which I had saved for a rainy day, without his knowledge and told him, This is all I have. Take it. I give you three years sabbatical leave. I will take care of the financial needs of our house. You go and chase your dreams without any worry. But you have only three years! Murty and his six colleagues started Infosys in 1981,with enormous interest and hard work.
In 1982 I left Telco and moved to Pune with Murty.We bought a small house on loan which also became the Infosys office. I was a clerk-cum-cook-cum-programmer. I also took up a job as Senior Systems Analyst with Walchand group of Industries to support the house. In 1983 Infosys got their first client, MICO, in Bangalore. Murty moved to Bangalore and stayed with his mother while I went to Hubli to deliver my second child, Rohan. Ten days after my son was born, Murty left for the US on project work. I saw him only after a year as I was unable to join Murty in the US because my son had infantile eczema, an allergy to vaccinations. So for more than a year I did not step outside our home for fear of my son contracting an infection. It was only after Rohan got all his vaccinations that I came to Bangalore where we rented a small house in Jayanagar and rented another house as Infosys headquarters.
My father presented Murty a scooter to commute. I once again became a cook, programmer, clerk, secretary, office assistant et al.Nandan Nilekani(MD of Infosys) and his wife Rohini stayed with us. While Rohini babysat my son, I wrote programmes for Infosys. There was no car, no phone,just two kids and a bunch of us working hard, juggling our lives and having fun while Infosys was taking shape. It was not only me but the wives of other partners too who gave their unstinted support. We all knew that our men were trying to build something good. It was like a big joint family,taking care and looking out for one another. I still remember Sudha Gopalakrishna looking after my daughter Akshata with all care and love while Kumari Shibulal cooked for all of us. Murty made it very clear that it would either be me or him working at Infosys. Never the two of us together… I was involved with Infosys initially. Nandan Nilekani suggested I should be on the Board but Murty said he did not want a husband and wife team at Infosys. I was shocked since I had the relevant experience and technical qualifications. He said, Sudha if you want to work with Infosys, I will withdraw, happily. I was pained to know that I will not be involved in the company my husband was building and that I would have to give up a job that I am qualified to do and love doing. It took me a couple of days to grasp the reason behind Murty’s request. I realised that to make Infosys a success one had to give one’s 100 percent.One had to be focussed on it alone with no other distractions. If the two of us had to give 100 percent to Infosys then what would happen to our home and our children? One of us had to take care of our home while the other took care of Infosys.
I opted to be a homemaker, after all Infosys was Murty’s dream.It was a big sacrifice but it was one that had to be made. Even today, Murty says,Sudha, I stepped on your career to make mine. You are responsible for my success. I might have given up my career for my husband’s sake. But that does not make me a doormat… Many think that I have been made the sacrificial lamb at Narayan Murty’s altar of success. A few women journalists have even accused me of setting a wrong example by giving up my dreams to make my husbands a reality. Is’nt freedom about living your life the way you want it? What is right for one person might be wrong for another. It is up to the individual to make a choice that is effective in her life.I feel that when a woman gives up her right to choose for herself is when she crosses over from being an individual to a doormat. Murty’s dreams encompassed not only himself but a generation of people.It was about founding something worthy, exemplary and honorable. It was about creation and distribution of wealth. His dreams were grander than my career plans, in all aspects. So, when I had to choose between Murty’s career and mine, I opted for what I thought was a right choice. We had a home and two little children. Measles, mumps, fractures, PTA meetings, wants and needs of growing children do not care much for grandiose dreams. They just needed to be attended to. Somebody had to take care of it all.Somebody had to stay back to create a home base that would be fertile for healthy growth, happiness, and more dreams to dream.I became that somebody willingly.I can confidently say that if I had had a dream like Infosys, Murty would have given me his unstinted support.The roles would have been reversed. We are not bound by the archaic rules of marriage.I cook for him but I don’t wait up to serve dinner like a traditional wife.So, he has no hassles about heating up the food and having his dinner.He does not intrude into my time especially when I am writing my novels.He does not interfere in my work at the Infosys Foundation and I don’t interfere with the running of Infosys. I teach Computer Science to MBA and MCA students at Christ college for a few hours every week and I earn around Rs 50,000 a year.I value this financial independence greatly though there is no need for me to pursue a teaching career. Murty respects that.I travel all over the world without Murty because he hates] travelling.We trust each other implicitly. We have another understanding too. While he earns the money, I spend it, mostly through the charity. Philanthropy is a profession and an art… The Infosys Foundation was born in 1997 with the sole objective of uplifting the less-privileged sections of society.

In the past three years we have build hospitals, orphanges, rehabilitation centres, school buildings, science centres and more than 3500 libraries.

Our work is mainly in the rural areas amongst women and children.I am one of the trustees and our activities span six states including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Orissa, Chandigarh and Maharashtra.I travel to around 800 villages constantly. Infosys Foundation has a minimal staff of three trustees and three office members. We all work very hard to achieve our goals and that is the reason why Infosys Foundation has a distinct identity. Every year we donate around Rs 5-6 crore (Rs 50 - 60 million). We run Infosys Foundation the way Murty runs Infosys in a professional and scientific way. Philanthropy is a profession and an art. It can be used or misused. We slowly want to increase the donations and we dream of a time when Infosys Foundation could donate large amounts of money. Every year we receive more than 10,000 applications for donations. Everyday I receive more than 120 calls. Amongst these,there are those who genuinely need help and there are hood winkers too. I receive letters asking me to donate Rs five lakh to someone because five lakh is, like peanuts to Infosys. Some people write to us asking for free Infosys shares.Over the years I have learnt to differentiate the wheat from the chaff, though I still give a patient hearing to all the cases. Sometimes I feel I have lost the ability to trust people. I have become shrewder to avoid being conned. It saddens me to realise that even as a person is talking to me I try to analyse them: Has he come here for any donation? Why is he praising my work or enquiring about my health, does he want some money from me? Eight out of ten times I am right. They do want my money. But I feel bad for the other two whom I suspected. I think that is the price that I have to pay for the position that I am in now. The greatest difficulty in having money is teaching your children the value of it and trying to keep them on a straight line…. Bringing up children in a moneyed atmosphere is a difficult task.
Even today I think twice if I have to spend Rs10 on an auto when I can walk up to my house. I cannot expect my children to do the same. They have seen money from the time they were born. But we can lead by example. When they see Murty wash his own plate after eating and clean the two toilets in the house everyday they realise that no work is demeaning irrespective of how rich you are. I dont have a maid at home because I dont see the need for one. When children see both parents working hard, living a simple life, most of the time they tend to follow. This doesn’t mean we expect our children to live an austere life. My children buy what they want and go where they want but they have to follow certain rules. They will have to show me a bill for whatever they buy.My daughter can buy five new outfits but she has to give away five old ones. My son can go out with his friends for lunch or dinner but if he wants to go to a five star hotel, we discourage it. Or we accompany him.So far my children haven’t given me any heartbreak. They are good children. My eldest daughter is studying abroad, whereas my son is studying in Bangalore. They don’t use their father’s name in vain. If asked, they only say that his name is Murty and that he works for Infosys.They don’t want to be recognised and appreciated because of their father or me but for themselves.
I dont feel guilty about having money for we have worked hard for it. But I dont feel compfortable flaunting it.. It is a conscious decision on our part to live a simple, so- called middle class life. We live in the same Two-bedroom, sparsely furnished house before INFOSYS became a succedd. Our only extravagance is buying books and CDs. My house has no lockers for I have no jewels. I wear a stone earring which I bought in mumbai for Rs100. I don’t even wear my mangalsutra until I attend some family functions or I am with my mother-in-law. I am not fond of jewellery or saris. Five years ago, I went to Kashi where tradition demands that you give up something and I gave up shopping. Since then I haven’t bought myself a sari or gone shopping. It is my friends who gift me with saris. Murty bought me a sari a long time ago. It was not to my taste and I told him to refrain from buying saris for me in the future.I am no good at selecting men’s clothes either. It is my daughter who does the shopping for us. I still have the same sofa at home which my daughter wants to change. However, we have indulged ourselves with each one having their own music system and computer. I don’t carry a purse and neither does Murty most of the time. I do tell him to keep some small change with him but he doesn’t. I borrow money from my secretary or my driver if I need cash. They know my habit so they always carry extra cash with them. But I settle the accounts every evening.
Murty and I are very comfortable with our lifestyle and we dont see the need to change it now that we have money. Murty and I are two opposites that complement each other… Murty is sensitive and romantic in his own way. He always gifts me books addressed to From Me to You. Or to the person I most admire etc. We both love books. We are both complete opposites. I am an extrovert and he is an introvert. I love watching movies and listening to classical music. Murty loves listening to English classical music.I go out for movies with my students and secretary every other week. I am still young at heart. I really enjoyed watching “Kaho Na Pyaar Hai” and I am a Hrithik Roshan fan. It has been more than 20 years since Murty and I went for a movie. My daughter once gave us a surprise by booking tickets for “Titanic”. Since I had a prior engagement that day, Murty went for the movie with his secretary Pandu. I love travelling whereas Murty loves spending time at home. Friends come and go with the share prices… Even in my dreams, I did not expect Infosys to grow like the way it has. I don’t think even Murty envisioned this phenomenal success, at least not in 1981. After Infosys went public in 1993, we became what people would call as rich, moneyed people. I was shocked to see what was happening to Infosys and to us. Suddenly you see and hear about so much money. Your name and photo is splashed in the papers. People talk about you. It was all new to me.
Suddenly I have people walking up to me saying, oh we where such good friends, we had a meal 25 years ago, they claim to have been present at our wedding(which is an utter life because only my family was present at my wedding). I dont even know all these people who claim to know Murty and me so well.. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have true friends. I do have genuine friends, a handful, who have been with me for a very long time. My equation with these people has not changed and vice versa. I am also very close to Narayan Murty’s family, especially my sister-in-law Kamala Murty, a school teacher, who is more of a dear friend to me. I have discovered that these are the few relationships and friendships that don’t fluctuate depending on the price of Infosys shares. Have I lost my identity as a woman, in Murty’s shadow?… No. I might be Mrs Narayan Murty. I might be Akshata and Rohan’s mother. I might be the trustee of Infosys Foundation. But I am still Sudha.. I play different roles like all women. That doesn’t mean we don’t have our own identity. Women have that extra quality of adaptability and learn to fit into different shoes. But we are our own selves still. And we have to exact our freedom by making the right choices in our lives, dictated by us and not by the world.

–sudha murthy

Once Upon a Time in Infosys..... A TRUE STORY

I was sitting on the footpath right outside my hostel building with all my bags packed, waiting for the golf cart which had to drop me till the gate of the Infosys campus in Mysore. Infosys Technologies ltd. is the most prestigious software company in India and its campus in Mysore, where all the fresh entrants are trained is considered to be the best in India. I looked at the surroundings. Road was empty and there was no one around. All the trainees were attending classes as it was around eleven in the morning. A lovely breeze was blowing and I could see some birds frisking, frolicking and playing pranks with each other but I was alone. I was alone when all my friends were in the class. Now even the birds, the wind and the trees had started teasing me.
I couldn’t resist myself from shedding another drop of tear although I’d been doing the same the whole last night. Of course, I was checking out but that was not the only reason for the tears. It was something much bigger than that and very much contemptible. I was not leaving the campus after completing my training but I’d been expelled from the company. Or I can say, I was being thrown out. I felt like dying.
Then appeared the white colored cart coming from the road adjoining Food Court 2. The cart reminded me of my first day in the campus and took me into the past for sometime.
What a lovely evening that was? How excited I was when I put my first step into the heaven called as Mysore campus of Infosys and was completely engrossed with the thoughts of future that what I will do and how I’ll enjoy in the campus. First thing that came to my mind that day was to explore the campus and locate all those places I’d seen in those lovely photographs. I sat into the golf cart which took me through some long and winding but neat and clean roads. The first building I noticed was that football shaped spherical building which appeared behind the lush green cricket ground on the right side of the road. In fact that was the only building I’d seen before coming here but I was amazed to see a building on the left which was under construction. It was absolutely phenomenal and resembled the Colosseum of Rome. There was another one which resembled the White House but wasn’t white in color. Some guy in the Cart told that it is GEC or the Global Education Centre where we’ll go through our training.
The cart stopped at a small building inside which there was a kind of a reception. We got our luggage checked and room was allotted to me. The guy sitting next to me in the cab was to be my room mate. His name was Varun and was a tall but slim guy from Punjab with a lot of beard on his face looked as if he’s not shaved since ages but that really gave him a typical Punjabi looks. I was just thinking how someone like me from Gujrat will stay with such a guy who doesn’t even bother to shave his face. Then we were sent to our hostel in another cart. We just found out that our hostel is nearest to FC2 and moreover, the hostel right next to us was a girl hostel. That Punjabi straight away planned to buy a new binocular so that he could easily peep into girls rooms during night.
I opened the door of my room and could not believe my eyes. It was the best room I’d ever seen with my own eyes and was just exhilarated with the thought that I’d be staying here for next few months though with some one who looked to be very unhygienic. But that was not a problem at all coz like all the Punjabis Varun was quite nice at heart. We just kept our bags and explored the whole campus. We saw the lovely swimming pool, Gymnasium, Bowling alley, Market and Habib’s haircutting saloon from where Varun got his beard trimmed.
The classes started and we were made to sit in a big room having a huge white board with a couple of projector screens in the front and opposite to that were numerous seats each having a separate computer system. I was made to sit in the third row and luckily between a couple of girls though both of them had just ordinary looks. Later I came to know that we were made to sit alphabetically when I got introduced with both those gals. One was Ganmeet from Punjab and the other was Geetha from Mangalore and sandwiched between them was me, Gaurav Keswani from Vadodra.
Both those gals were quite antithetical in their behavior, style, knowledge and everything they did. Where Ganmeet was quite simple, Geetha was stylish like all ultra-mod and hap Bangalore gals. Ganmeet was calm, composed and reserve but Geetha was dynamic and extrovert. And most importantly, Ganmeet was good in her logics and a very strong programmer and Geetha was a contrast in this matter too. This I realized when she asked me to debug her first C-language assignment. I was shocked to see the code. She had put the include statement within main. God, she was a B.Tech in comp. science. But her cute and embarrassed smile was clearly accepting her weakness. I helped her and this became a routine. Within in no time we grew very close to each other. We used to have the meals together, we used to study together, we used to watch the movies together and we used to go out together. Our friendship grew more intense when she flunked in the first module test of C language but I got an ‘A’ and so did Ganmeet. But my roomy, Varun had also flunked. So Geetha and Varun they both had to appear for the re-test. Everyday I used to teach them and make them practice more and more. Now we were like a group. Four of us started staying together as Varun and Ganmeet, both being punjabi’s grew very close to each other. Now instead of me, it was Ganmeet who taught him.
Then came the retest. I and Ganmeet were waiting for both of them outside the hall. Varun came out happily clearly showing that he’d cleared and he did. Many came out but she was still in. I was getting worried as only I knew that the hopes were less. It was the last minute when she came out jumping and without speaking a word threw her self on me and kissed on my cheeks. Many had seen but all knew what had happened. I was stunned and so were Varun and Ganmeet. It was obvious for a guy who never had any gal in his life and was kissed by a hot south Indian gal in front of whole batch. But she took it as a very normal thing and I pretended the same.
“Its all because of you Gaurav, that I’ve cleared it. Hats off to you sweetheart”, she said.
We were not into any sort of relationship but that’s how she used to call me and in fact all her close friends. But there was nothing wrong in it and I enjoyed it. We grew more and more close to each other. She took care of me in every sense: my dressing, my eating and what ever I did. She told me many things about gals which I’d never known. We now freely shared our body secrets to each other.
On the next weekend she took me to Bangalore where she’d done her engineering degree. We met many of her friends, my friends and went to famous markets and malls of the city. One thing I could say, she’d a very happening friend circle. In the evening we went to a pub where both of us danced after gulping a couple of beer mugs. The dance grew more and more passionate with time. It was my first time in a pub but she was quite used to it. Next evening we left for Mysore which is a three hour journey from Bangalore. But there I’d spent the best weekend of my life.
On the way, we talked about everything on the earth. Then she kept her head on my shoulder and held me which I could say was half a hug. I just responded. I’d never sat like this with a gal ever in my life. Everything was so nice and tender. Time seemed like flying. I wished I could’ve been like this forever. I’d fallen in love with her.
“You know what Gaurav”, she said.
“What?” I asked.
“You remember that guy Raghav, whom we met in Garuda mall.”
“Yeah! Why?”
“We’ve been in love for last 3 years and yesterday we planned to marry.” she said shyly.
It was all over for me. Ground escaped underneath my feet. I just got away from her in a flash and asked, “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I thought I’ll tell you after you meet him. I hope I wasn’t wrong?”
“No.. You are right. Anyways Congrats” I said, sounding very low.
“thanks.” she said.
No one spoke a word after that for next one hour. She was busy with her iPod and I was with my novel when suddenly she asked,” What happened Gaurav? Why are you so quiet?”
“Nothing”, I said.
She kept on asking again and again but I’d the same answer until she got irritated and said,” you are telling me or not?”
“Its of no use dear. You can’t do anything about it.” I said and rightly so. I loved her and she loved someone else whom she was going to marry.
“Well, let me make 3 guesses.” She said in a very naughty tone and I agreed.
“Ok. Hmmmmmmm. You didn’t enjoy with me at Bangalore?” she asked.
I shook my head straight away. Both of us knew that this wasn’t the reason. I thought she was just trying to change my mood.
“thennnn. U didn’t like Raghav?”
Now she was coming to the point. This was somewhat the reason but not the exact one.
“Hey. He’s quite good yaar and both of u make a nice couple. And it’s your life; I don’t have to marry him. So, last guess now.” I replied.
“Then… you’ve a liking for me?” She said smiling.
I was caught. In fact clean bowled. She’d hit the bull eye. I turned red. I tried my level best to control my expressions and said,”No way yaar. I don’t like to call engaged nos.”
“ohhhhh. Mr. Gaurav keswani think about it again.”
I had to admit it now. And this time she laughed. I asked the reason but again she laughed. I was perplexed at her enigmatic laugh. Finally she spoke.
“You know what my stupid.”
“What?” I inquired filled with curiosity.
“Raghav and I are just friends you dumb.”
She broke into chuckles again. I was confused and even I’d started smiling now and finally started laughing with her.
This time I held her and said, “I love you Geetha.”
“I love you too stupid. And did all this coz I know that you were not going to propose me easily” She replied.
We both fell in each other’s arms and waited for our destination. Finally Geetha was mine. It was the happiest day of my life. We reached Mysore campus and again got busy into our same daily routine: attending the classes, completing assignments, studying in the class after dinner, going for long walks and kissing each other when ever we got chance. I always used to thank god for the life he’d given me. Module tests came and went. I kept on getting ‘A’ grades and she somehow managed to clear them. Both of us were quite happy. We made a few trips with Varun and Ganmeet to Ooty, Coorg and Mangalore which was Geetha’s home town. We met her parents there who were very humble but her little sister was naughty like her.
Now we had entered the last month of our training. Shortly we were going to have our comprehensive exam which was a mixture of all the modules which we’d studied so far. It also included a practical exam in which we’d to complete a project within 3 hours and it was the toughest thing especially for someone like Geetha. The day for compre came. All of us cleared it but Geetha. Both of us were very depressed. Now she’d to appear for it again. Actually compre is the most important part of the training. If you don’t clear it your training won’t complete. Now retest was the only hope for her.
Retest was the very next day. We were going to classroom after dinner. And suddenly she started crying.
“Gaurav. I really love you.” She said.
“I love you too sweetu. Don’t cry. Everything would be ok. I’m there for you. I won’t let you flunk again.” I consoled her.
“No. I will because there’s no way out. And we’ll be separated forever. ”
“No dear. It won’t ever happen” I said and took her in my arms.
“Gaurav. Can you do something for me?” She asked.
“Of course my love. My whole life is yours.” I said.
“You’ll have to sit along with me tomorrow. You know every one does it. Meenal’s boyfriend helped her out that’s why she cleared. I hope Even I can expect this much from my love.” She said.
I was drowned into deep thinking because it was really risky, In fact very risky. We could’ve been thrown out of the company if caught. But on the other side was my love. What I would do in the company without her because if she fails she’d be out, I thought. Then I just looked into matter carefully that these people never count the number of candidates appearing for a test and how many are extra. Then I thought that I’ll sit on another system and complete the project and submit on Geetha’s employee id.
The day came; we all were sitting in the class room. I was sitting a bit far from her and finally we got the project. It was not at all tough for me. I started working on it and had completed almost half when Srikkanth.M entered into the classroom. He was our batch owner, just like a class teacher in schools. Don’t know how but he’d got the report that no. of candidates appearing were more than the no. in the list. I was shocked. It was a dead end to my career. Coming time won’t be easy for me and I’ll have to face a lot, I thought. I look at Geetha’s face. She was looking as lovely and innocent as ever. But she too was badly shocked. But don’t know why, I wasn’t afraid. Love had given me a special courage and I was doing it for my love, no one else. So what if I’m caught. Srikkanth knew me quite well as I was among those who’d got 100/100 in his module, java. He looked at me straight away and called me.
Srikkanth himself was shocked when he found me as the culprit. But he was helpless as company is very strict against the cheating cases. He asked me again and again the name of the guy for whom I’m screwing up my career. But how would’ve I named my love. I didn’t speak a word. He insisted again and again that Infosys needed brains like me but I would not listen. Finally he gave up and reported to HR department. The same question was asked again and again from me but my love was the most important thing in the world for me now. They then asked me to write a resignation letter and I did the same. I was fired.
Someone’s strange voice hit my ears and I came out of the world of my thoughts. I was still sitting on the footpath and looking at the trees and the birds.
“Come on sir. Sit in the cart.” Cart driver said.
“Oh yes. Lets go.” I replied and left the campus and the company for ever.
Now you all must be having one question your mind. That what about Geetha? Geetha cleared the exam. I think I had taught her enough and rest she cheated from the guy who was sitting next to her. I waited for her call after the incident but she didn’t. I called her but she didn’t attend my call. And most interesting thing is that it has been 8 months since that incident but we never had a talk.

Cisco CCNA Tips

Here are some tips to follow for the CCNA test:
Relax before exam: In order to avoid last minute stress, make sure that you arrive 10 to 15 minutes early and relax before exam.
Familiarize yourself with exam: Before taking the CCNA exam, you are given an option of to familiarize yourself with the way the exam is carried out (the exam interface). You must make sure to take advantage of this.
Time Management Tips:
Manage Time Spent On Each Question: The duration for the exam is 90 minutes. You must determine how much time you will spend on each question. While determining this take into consideration that simulations take more time to answer. Also keep in mind that some other questions are weighed more heavily and may take more time to answer (e.g. difficult subnetting problems).
Be Sure Of Exam Interface: Clear your doubts, in case if you have any, regarding the rules for the CCNA exam or using the testing computer/software with the supervisor after he sets up your machine and before you start the exam. Remember that the exam is timed and you may loose your valuable test time for such questions, which you could have asked earlier.
Jot Down Important Points Before Exam: Before you start the exam, ask for scratch paper and jot down points that you may require to recall when taking your exam. This is always allowed and proves to be very helpful while taking the exam. These may include:
OSI Model layers
Access lists
Important tables such as powers of 2 (2^1 = 2; 2^2 = 4…2^8 = 256)
Class A,B,C address range and properties e.g. Class A: Denoted by network.host.host.host; first octet is between 1 to 126;
Important formulae such as 2^x-2 gives the number of hosts per subnet where x is the number of "off" bits in the subnet mask
Binary to decimal conversion table & tips
All Answers Are Final: Remember that you cannot return to a question once you have answered it. So, be very careful while answering to the questions and don’t rush as it might cost you valuable marks.
Don’t Panic. There Is No Negative Marking: Although the exam software does not allow you to review questions you’ve answered, there is no negative marks for a wrong answer. The CCNA exam does not penalize you for wrong answer, so never leave any question unanswered. If you are not able to find out the correct answers to some questions, eliminate the possible answers that cannot be correct and narrow down your guess.


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Impact of the crisis on the Indian IT industry

There is a desperate need for a massive overhaul of systems and a substantial investment in new IT initiatives. The subprime crisis and the subsequent meltdown have been the subject of much discussion m the recent past.
The magnitude of the crisis, the impact it has had we thought were rock-solid institutions and the ripple effect across the globe have been mind-boggling. What I’d like to focus on, in this article, is the impact this will have on the Indian IT services industry and the opportunities it is likely to throw up for companies operating in the Third Wave. Before getting into the impact of the crisis, let’s look at the Three Waves of Indian IT.
When we look at globalization, specific industries in emerging economies typically go through three waves of evolution. The electronics industry, first in Japan, then in South-East Asia and now in China, are good examples of this.
In the first wave, companies in emerging economies typically act as component suppliers to developed countries that manufacture the complete product. In the second wave, the local industry gains enough expertise to provide cost-effective contract manufacturing services – of either the entire product or major sub-assemblies.
The third wave is when a set of firms start marketing these products under their own brand – initially within their own countries, and then going international. We can trace the evolution of the software services industry in India using a very similar paradigm.
Wave 1 (Proving capability through people) started in the ‘70s and ‘80s and peaked in the rnid-’90s; it established the competence of the Indian software professional and the industry got results largely through staff augmentation.
Wave 2 (Offshore development) established India as a destination for low-cost, high-quality programming services. The catalyst was the Y2K bug and Indian companies’ success in delivering these projects in a cost-effective manner. Many Fortune 1000 companies discovered that moving their application maintenance and ongoing development activities to India was viable and attractive.
The Second Wave of Indian IT started in the mid to the late ‘90s, arid is at its mainstream phase today. Like all mainstream markets, this is characterized by the emergence of a few leaders, namely the Tier 1 IT companies, who demonstrate high rates of growth and profitability and increasing market share.
Wave 3 (Strategic value delivery), which is emerging, will be characterized by Indian companies moving up to high-value, IP-led services that are strategic to the customer and hence command premium, value-based pricing. As we have seen, the industry is already facing a severe shortage of talent (as opposed to mere numbers), rising attrition levels and increasing salary costs.
There are enough indications to suggest that the linear relationship between growth and headcount will not be sustainable for much longer. The future is in creating strong brands out of India whether in services, products or solutions that command the respect and trust of large global customers and hence the appropriate value.
Moving onto the impact of the crisis, the first order impact is obviously related to the banks that have either been unable to survive as stand-alone entities (like Bear Stems and Lehman) or have taken a deep hit and are trying to recover on their own.
Since most of these institutions have been large customers of Indian services firms, some of the contracts may be cancelled others will probably be downsized, with a view to keeping costs under check. This will have an immediate impact on the Indian firms serving these customers.
The second order impact will be on other firms with large investment portfolios that have directly or indirectly been exposed to subprime lending. As an example, some of insurance companies may be impacted by this the prime example being MG. In such cases, the firms may tend to get more on new initiatives and discretionary projects, thereby impacting the revenues of Indian firms that service them.
The third order impact is based on fears of recession and the general conservatism that it is likely to bring in with respect to any discretionary spending. Given that 30% or 4O% of Indian IT services revenues emanate from the BFSI segment, NASSCOM has down its growth estimates from 30% to between 21% and 24% for the year.
When we dig into the reasons for the crisis, while we can blame blind optimism and greed, at a more fundamental level it is a failure of systems. The quality of underwriting at the point of loan origination had failed. Systemic controls that ensure uniform and consistent application of underwriting rules could have done much to avoid bad loans.
Credit scoring that took into account not just the propensity to pay but also the quantum of debt that a person had any hope of repaying would have brought these issues to light much earlier. Better transparency and visibility of the underlying asset portfolio, and a more balanced approach while packaging a set of mortgages into bonds would have helped monitor the health of the assets and the loans on a real-time basis.
Better controls and risk management systems governing individual firms as well as the entire financial system would have helped to track the quantum of leverage and the risks associated with it both from the perspective of board governance and regulatory oversight.
All these point to a desperate need for massive overhaul of systems and a substantial investment in new IT initiatives. For too long, large institutions have been trying to get away with spending 80 % of if dollars just on maintenance keeping the lights on and only 20%, on new initiatives.
In fact, in a recent Information Week article, Rob Preston says that if’s Number One priority is to release money for new projects. He says: “If you think you can lay low under the corporate radar or continue to argue that the 80-20 rule is an immutable law of IT physics, then you’re due for a wake-up call.”
Today’s financial institutions have become too large and complex, while the core enterprise systems are still a decade or so behind. A plethora of point solutions, Excel spreadsheets and people’s ingenuity are what keeps these places running. To make matters worse, sophisticated financial products devised by quant wizards continue to hit the market.
These products---being derivatives of derivatives---are far removed from the physical reality they try to hedge against. So much so that the underlying financial control systems and risk management systems are unable to provide adequate governance and oversight.
To top it all, the financial crisis is forcing mergers of huge, complex institutions that were individually ungovernable in the first place. The only possible way these institutions can be managed is with substantial investments in new IT applications that can keep track of all the nuances of the underlying operations and provide online, real time controls that are meaningful.
Clearly the need in future is to reduce maintenance budgets and increase transformation budgets. Reduction in maintenance budgets will force more workgoing offshore---which is good news for the Wave 2 services players in India. However, customers will force the vendors to bring new efficiencies which would mean that the current ‘Lift and Shift’ model of moving headcount to India will no longer work.
They will also expect aggressive cost improvements year on year. New initiatives will throw up tremendous opportunities for Wave 3 companies that have the depth of expertise as well as the intellectual property assets to bring better governability and manageability to these large enterprises.
Indian companies will probably have to partner with local firms that bring this expertise or hire these experts in-house (easier now). This is the time for these companies to make the investment so that they will be able to reap the benefits in the years to come. These are interesting times and hence throw up lots of challenges and opportunities. It is up to the courageous to go beyond the known and explore new horizons.

Even if u answer **five** questions its great...Feel proud...

Even if u answer **five** questions its great...Feel proud...

1. What programming language is GOOGLE developed in?

2. What is the expansion of YAHOO?

3. What is the expansion of ADIDAS?

4. Expansion of Star as in Star TV Network?

5. What is expansion of "ICICI?"

6. What does "baker's dozen" signify?

7. The 1984-85 season. 2nd ODI between India and Pakistan at Sialkot - India 210/3 with Vengsarkar 94*. Match abandoned. Why?

8. Who is the only man to have written the National Anthems for two different countries?

9. From what four word expression does the word `goodbye` derive?

10. How was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu better known?

11. Name the only other country to have got independence on Aug 15th?

12. Why was James Bond Associated with the Number 007?

13. Who faced the first ball in the first ever One day match?

14. Which cricketer played for South Africa before it was banned from international cricket and later represented Zimbabwe ?

15. The faces of which four Presidents are carved at Mt.Rushmore?

16. Which is the only country that is surrounded from all sides by only one country (other than Vatican )?

17. Which is the only sport which is not allowed to play left handed?

 

HERE ARE THE ANSWERS

Answers

1. Google is written in Asynchronous java-script and XML, or its acronym Ajax .

2. Yet Another Hierarchy of Officious Oracle

3. ADIDAS- All Day I Dream About Sports

4. Satellite Television Asian Region

5. Industrial credit and Investments Corporation of India

6. A baker's dozen consists of 13 items - 1 more than the items in a normal dozen

7. That match was abandoned after people heard the news of Indira Gandhi being killed.

8. Rabindranath Tagore who wrote national anthem for two different countries one is our 's National anthem and another one is for Bangladesh- (Amar Sonar* *Bangla)

9. Goodbye comes from the ex-pression: 'god be with you'.

10. Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu is none other Mother Teresa.

11. South Korea .

12. Because 007 is the ISD code for Russia (or the USSR , as it was known during the cold war)

13. Geoffrey Boycott

14. John Traicos

15. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln

16. Lesotho surrounded from all sides by South Africa .

17. Polo.

Who does it belong to then ?......Awesome

An ingenious example of speech and politics occurred recently in the United Nations Assembly that made the world community smile.

A representative from India began: 'Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Rishi Kashyap of Kashmir, after whom Kashmir is named.

When Rishi Kashyap struck a rock and it brought forth water, he thought, 'What a good opportunity to have a bath.'

He removed his clothes, put them aside on the rock and entered the water.

When he got out and wanted to dress, his clothes had vanished. A Pakistani had stolen them.

The Pakistani representative jumped up furiously and in support of Pakistan , he shouted, 'What are you talking about? The Pakistanis weren't there then.'

The Indian representative smiled and said, 'And now that we have made that clear, I will begin my speech.'

Awesome article….. For all of us who think we don't have enough time

An interesting reflection: Slow Down Culture

It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalized processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to posses a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't
you think? Imagine my face. 

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe name Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week.

Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fueled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the "quality of being". French people, even though they work 35
hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 28.8 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!" 

This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, productivity, perfection, with attention to detail and less stress. It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time.  Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined
and anonymous. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living.

It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do. It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of
spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment. As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.

Good Article !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My name is Amisha, Amisha Bhatnagar. I am 31 years old born and brought up in Mumbai. I have done my PhD. in psychology but currently, I am a housewife. I love painting, music, cooking etc and etc. No. this isn't an excerpt from my curriculum vitae but an excerpt from my life. An incident that changed my life forever.

I was married to Rohan Bhatnagar for almost seven years. We have a kid who's three year old. And I am a happy to do house wife, with god's grace, as I have a loving husband and the apple of my eyes, my small kid.

Born and brought up in Mumbai, I had to travel all this way from the west coast of Arabian to this beach stretch on the Bay of Bengal as my husband is based in Chennai.

Except for the scorching heat of Mr. Helios in the summer, I very much like this place. Classes and masses apart, Chennai reflects a unique blend of cultures and traditions just like Mumbai.

We stay in an apartment near the Besant Nagar beach. And we have made it a habit to take a stroll along the beach every morning. As usual we were sauntering with the wet sand touching our senses, Chinnu (that's how I address my kid as) came running to me shouting under that childish delight when you find something odd or strange.

"Momma, look what I have found," he was spoke with the kiddy accent, stressing the 'm' from Momma and 'k' from look. I embosomed him with my arms and took the odd thing in my hands. It was a bottle, a corked bottle with a letter inside it.

I hail from a very orthodox family. My mom and dad were liberal, in the sense that they allowed me to study till this point, considering the orthodoxy of my ancestors.

"Boys flirt a lot. I am not saying all boys are bad, but most of them are. Even if you are confronted by Mr. Right, he may be of a different caste and you will bring disgrace to your family, your very own dad and mom who loved you so much and brought you up," my mom was always skeptical about me having male friends. And true to their expectations I never even looked at a guy, in fact never spoken to anyone else from outside.

Call me narrow-minded or immature or whatever. For me, my parents are everything. They are my world. Juts for the sake of something called love, I can't wreak havoc in my beautiful family. Of course many of my friends as well as you may beg to differ with me. But you can't make me shift preferences or my way of thinking.

I was doing my PhD in psychology at Bhavan's in Mumbai. There was this certain guy who used to follow me, everyday to my home whenever it was late at night. Initially I thought somebody was trying to stalk me, but later on I came to know that he was kinda protecting me.

Of all jobs in this world, I thought he was jobless to follow me around and save me. But still I never hated him. I admired him, for he liked me and yet he never spoke to me. There were days when I walked along the deserted roads of Juhu beach road in the wake of midnight under the cover of the moon. But I never felt I was lonely or insecure, thanks to that guy.

All these days I have been so selfish. Probably he's thinking that one day I might yield to his sincerity or whatsoever. One fine day, it was late at night as usual I was walking down the road when he followed me. I stopped and looked behind and gave him an angry stare that would have reduced him to ashes. But somehow he survived and perhaps he understood the meaning of that stare.

He stopped following me.

Every night I walked down these roads of Mumbai from Juhu to my home, my eyes involuntarily groped for him quite inexplicably.Nobody can understand the depth of a woman's convoluted mind. As long as some one follows you or loves you, we neglect him and once he's away we know how much he meant for us.

And one day, all of a sudden, from nowhere he appeared before me and said this in a low voice, "Hi Amisha, I have known you since the time you are in college. That's more than four and half years from now. I loved you at first sight. But had I told you at that time, you wouldn't have believed me. And so I took my time to realize whether it's true love or not…" and he paused for a while.

"I love you…" he finished.

God!!! I never expected this from him, I thought with that girlish meanness. I never thought he's like every one else, every other guy on the streets. What all impression I had about him seemed to have vanished into thin air. The idolatrousness for him doesn't exist anymore.

What big mistake did he make? He just proposed me. He hasn't committed any heinous crime after all. But why I think this way? Perhaps the milieu enwombing me under which I was brought up. Or ….

I never said 'Yes' and at the same time, I never said a 'NO'. Perhaps that meant a probable affirmation to him that he proposed three more times.

And the last time I met him, I said, "Look, I don't know anything about you. You are a perfect stranger. Even if you were friends, I wouldn't have loved you perhaps. Even if I loved you, my parents would anyways reject this love and of course me too. I know you have wasted so much precious time of yours. Don't any more. Please …." I stood in front of him with my hands clasped close as if I were praying, in fact urging him.

It was an earnest request. I should have told him the same long back. Nevertheless, it's not too late for anything.

He just gave me a smile. A smile which probably meant 'Do you know what love means or do you know what it feels like to love or to be loved?'

"Ok. Forget all these things, can you atleast prove that you love me? More than anyone else in this world, even more than my parents?"

He was quiet for some time. He looked around and then picked up a bottle. He wrote a letter, and then pushed the letter into the bottle and flung it far into the sea.

"The message will reach you, and then you will understand how much…." he stopped.

That was the last time I ever saw him again.

Then I was married to Rohan.And today Chinnu found a bottle with a message in it, which read, "I love you.... Chikku" (Chikku, that's how he used to call me)

My feet trembled and the whole world shattered right infront of me. Thousands of miles, the bottle travelled and reaching its destination might not be a fluke or a mere coincidence. It's just love, pure love. Probably the greatest of them all. Tears inadvertently cascaded down my cheeks. He loved me so much? I asked myself....

I am proud to have been loved by a great man who proved his love. And at the same time, I missed him. I missed him so much and all for a bottle of love.

"I love you too" I replied to that letter and signed Chikku and sealed it in the same bottle and flung it far into the sea.

Life has to go on. And I am already married. But perhaps I will never forget my paramour throughout my life.

My name is Amisha, and this is my story, a story worth the pages in my diary called life.

ZTE eyes $1 bn turnover from Indian operations

Chinese telecom equipment firm ZTE is targeting a $1 billion turnover from the Indian operations this year on the back of new orders from the new operators who are planning to launch services and increased shipment of mobile handsets. However, the company has ruled out setting up a manufacturing base in India due to cost advantage in China.

“Cost of manufacturing is still high in India... also sales have to come to a certain level before we can think of setting up a plant in India,” ZTE Corporation executive vice-president, He Shiyou told visiting Indian journalists recently. “We have the capability to set up manufacturing facility in India but the cost advantage is still in China,” he added. With 9-10 new operators set to start mobile service throughout the country, ZTE has started talking to all of them and in fact some of the players, including Russian telecom giant Sistema, which has partnered with Shyam Telelink, has already finalised the Chinese firm as a vendor for its pan-India roll-out of CDMA network.

ZTE has a research and development (R&D) facility in India besides a post-sales repair and maintenance factory.

Speaking about the company’s handset business, Shiyou said that shipments to India this year would cross the 15-million mark. Last year, ZTE supplied 10 million handsets. In fact, ZTE has a target to make 50 million handsets in 2008 and deliver over 15 million of these to India.

Currently, the company has been selling handsets only in partnership with mobile operators both in GSM and CDMA categories, but it has plans to start selling in the open market in the near future.

“Right now, we are focusing on selling handsets to operator, but we will start selling handset in the open market after we have the opportunities,” Shiyou said.

ZTE has a long-term contract with Vodafone for selling handsets in the Indian market and the company is not immediately looking at similar partnerships with other mobile operators in the GSM segment. In the CDMA segment, it provides handsets to Reliance Communications, Tata Teleservices and BSNL.

Asked whether ZTE will be bidding for the 90-million GSM lines expansion proposed by state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, ZTE officials said the company has already initiated the process and assured to put in its bid for BSNL’s tender. On ZTE’s strategy that whether the company would bid aggressively for the tender, the officials said, “There is severe competition in India....

Rishi Raj

Which Ringtone Should You Put on Your New Cell Phone?

So you know you want to buy a ringtone, but have no idea what kind to look for? Many sites offer a wide variety of different ringtones for numerous cellular carriers.

Take the following quiz to help narrow down what type of ringtones you should shop for:

1. I listen to music like _____:
a. cheetahs run after prey.
b. cats drink milk.
c. dogs bite mailmen.
d. cows eat grass.

2. The kind of music I like listening to when working out is:
a. danceable pop music
b. head bobbing hip hop
c. aggressive rock
d. whatever is on the radio

3. My Ipod:
a. has thousands of songs from all different styles.
b. has a good variety of songs, but I don't download often.
c. has only my favorite songs.
d. I don't have one yet, but I'm hoping to win one.

4. A night on the town must include:
a. dancing at a night club
b. dinner at an elegant restaurant
c. bellying up to the bar at a watering hole
d. tossing out $10 for a flick

5. I think dancing:
a. is the best way to express yourself
b. is good fun if the time is right
c. is for those who like it, not me
d. looks stupid and is silly

Scoring for questions:
A: 5 points
B: 3 points
C: 2 points
D: 1 point

If you scored:
20-25 points: You are club royalty. You don't go to the party, the party comes to you. Your personality is very outgoing, and you know that you only have one life to live. The music you like to hear is danceable, fresh, and always tearing up the hottest night spots around the world.
Recommended Ringtone: "Disco Inferno" by 50 Cent, Rap ringtones, Dance ringtones

15-19 points: You enjoy being out and about, but as a change of pace rather than as a standard. Dancing and being out with your friends is fun if the mood is right. While you can be a major extrovert, you first have to adjust to the surroundings. You like listening to music and have an eclectic collection, but you don't always follow the latest trends.
Recommended Ringtone: "U Don't Have to Call" by Usher or other R&B ringtones

10-14 points: Although you don't hit the town often, it is a blast when you do. People see you as a quiet type, but those who really know you see a bit of a wild streak. You have a strong opinion and aren't afraid to express what you think. While you listen to music frequently, you have a small list of favorites that you play again and again.
Recommended Ringtone: "One Step Closer" by Linkin Park or Rock ringtones

5-9 points: You're the type of person who does their own thing, is very opinionated, and has no fear of telling people what you think. You like being around people, but sometimes doing something solo is cool, too. The type of music you tend to listen to is a little under the radar to your friends, but you enjoy being on the cutting edge of what is out there.
Recommended Ringtone: "Take It Away" by The Used or Alternative ringtones

Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/