The way I see it

Today we had a send off party at Fender for our CEO Mr. Bill Mendello. He has been a part of Fender for 33 years. In 1985 a group of people (Bill Shultz, Bill Mendollo and a few others) decided that the Fender brand was too precious and they cut off from the parent company CBS and decided to give Fender, as an independent company, a new chance. It was a new beginning! I work for them today because a few people believed in the brand and in themselves many years ago. I have never worked with Bill Mendello personally and hence had no idea how this person is. But you will always find a common personality/character trait in all the stories that people tell about the person....that's what Swami Vivekananda used to say, and I of course agree :) Today at the send off party, there were a few things that I got to know about the CEO Fender. First is that Fender was his passion. He considered it as his second family. Second was that he loved music, which explains why he would be so passionate ...

I have decided to make this bold attempt of putting forth my views on the Indian caste system. For many years now I have wondered about the caste system. I know many people who told me that yes certain castes are superior and some aren't and it was decided merely on the basis of your birth. This always seemed incomplete to me....how could this be? In modern India it is a sin to say this but many people still believe in it deep down their hearts. I pondered over this question as a teenager and then left it for other important things that time. But since a past few years this thought has again popped up in my mind. A few months back, one of my friends happened to give his opinion over it and he thinks that caste system has been the worst thing that Hinduism brought to the masses. He said it was in the Vedas and I somehow could not digest that theory. But I could not say anything that time since my knowledge of my own religion was much more limited that time. This argument was one o...

These ideas are inspired by this one quote by Sri Ramakrishna: "God is everywhere but He is most manifest in man. So serve man as God. That is as good as worshiping God." The best way to get started is to write down the ideals and then take up ideas which will fulfill them. Our ideals here are as follows: 1. Work for a good cause 2. Expect nothing in return. The work done will be entirely voluntary...no obligations. 3. Impart your knowledge and ideas. Education goes a long long way in people's lives. Helping someone is one thing but imparting knowledge and making them independent so that the help lasts with them forever will be the highest thing. 4. Build up self-confidence in individuals. Swami Vivekananda says that every individual is potentially divine. We just need to manifest that divinity within ourselves. Higher self esteem, higher morals will help people take their lives and goals to a higher level. 5. Work Work Work....incesssantly. The best way to ach...

I decided to pick a random verse from the Bhagwad Gita today and see if it did help me with something that I have been thinking about. These are the verses that came to me: 3.30: Dedicating all actions to Me, with your mind intent on the Self, free from expectations, free from selfishness, devoid of fever, engage in battle (or fight). 3.31: Those who constantly practice this teaching of Mine with faith and without carping, they are also liberated from actions. Thank You Krishna.

Yesterday night saw this new Hindi movie called "Wake Up Sid". I liked it! Many of the recent Hindi movies were such duds that I was pleasantly surprised to watch this one. The relationship between Sid and Aisha ( the 2 protagonists) was beautifully developed. No awkward moments between them. Even at the end when they express their love for each other, the director did not feel the need of showing a kissing scene. I loved the way they hug each other at the end....it was very warm. On another note, I am always curious to watch the new generation Indians in the movies. I always have a little critical attitude towards their ways in life and feel that its too westernized for what India is in my heart. But today I realized that even though they eat pizza and pastas, call each other "dude, wassup" or are too candid about their sex lives, the essence of "Indianness" is everywhere! In the movie even though Sid disrespects his parents, he cannot relate to his Mom a...

Yesterday evening me and Sachin went for a music concert by Zakir Hussain, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. It was such a memorable evening. Apart from the music, meeting the 3 musicians was such a previlige. I was very excited to meet Zakir Hussain. I have respected and adored him and his music since I was a kid. He was amazingly modest. A person of his calibre says to me that I am kind enough to love and appreciate his music!! When he first came on stage he touched the stage with his hands and then to his forehead and heart, the normal Indian custom of showing respect to the stage. After the show was over he bid a good bye to the audience with a namaskar. How lovely are the customs of India. If you can really understand the meaning of these customs, they can make you so humble. Everything about India pricks me these days. My current feelings for my country remind me of something I read in a book (Ghost of Che) that Indians residing outside of India develop a love affair with India. That i...

Everyday is a struggle against our own nature(internal) and the external. We struggle with the external nature with the help of our ideas and technology which reduces the effect of nature's strokes against us(mankind). And then there is the internal nature.....my likes, dislikes, thoughts and actions. I struggle everyday to focus my energies on my goals...immediate and ultimate goals. However strong the feeling of accomplishment there is in the mind, my actions go astray and intertia takes over unknowingly. Everyday I have to remind myself of what it is that I want and whether my actions follow my thoughts. There has to be a constant thought in our minds to remind ourselves of our goals. This is the constant struggle I am talking about. We cannot lose heart or hope if we drift away from our paths for a day, a week or several years. As long as we keep alive that thought in our minds which will constantly remind us of our goals, we will get back on track sooner or later. Life is inde...