Jain Triangle Karnataka - Moodabidri, Venur and Karkala

This article was published in Deccan Herald - Spectrum dated April 30, 2013

Online : http://www.deccanherald.com/content/329266/circuit-calm-devotion.html

I know what you can do this summer

(This story was published in The Hindu Metro Plus Issue Dated 27-Apr-2013)

Mention Summer, and the first thoughts that come to the mind are the tormenting heat, mangoes, water-melons, cool lemonades, and the much needed vacation to escape from the heat and get away to some nice and cool hill station. Though places like Shimla, Ooty, Koidaikanal, Nainital will always appear in the itinerary of most of the tourists, let’s escape to some uncharted getaways this summer.

Chaukori
This small hamlet in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand offers beguiling views of the mighty snow capped Himalayan peaks like Trishul and Panchchuli early in the morning giving your day the best start possible on a vacation. Chaukori enjoys a uber-cool climate even during summer luring tourists in search of the perfect getaway to escape from the heat. The KMVN cottages have some of the best rooms overlooking the peaks, which makes them the best option to stay put. The cave temple of Patal Bhuvaneshwar that has a mythological history is a beautiful place nearby that calls for a visit to witness the splendid formations of stalactites and stalagmites.

How to get there:Buses are very sparse in this region. You can hire a private taxi and cover many other beautiful spots in the Kumaon region.
Where to Stay:KMVN is the most recommended one here, though a few smaller hotels have come up in the recent past. 

Sarahan
Sarahan, the summer capital of the erstwhile rulers of Bushahr and the gateway to Kinnaur, is home to the Bhimkali temple. The temple is supposed to be 800 years old and has an atypical architecture with a blend of Hindu and Buddhist flavours. The pagoda styled roofs and the intricate carvings on the wood are a treat for the connoisseur's eye. This serene place located about 180 kilometers from Shimla is reached via scenic winding roads laden with apple trees, deodars and pines on either side. The temple is surrounded by hills and one can spot the peak of Srikhand Mahadev on a clear sky. There is a pheasant-breeding centre near the temple, which is another place of attraction. The temple offers clean and nice rooms with views that are perfect for travelers on a tight budget. Be it as a place of pilgrimage or a trekking trail or just as a place away from the hustle and bustle of the busy city life, this place has an amazing experience to offer all nature aficionados.

Bhimkali Temple At Sarahan

How to get there:From Shimla either you can take a private cab and headover to Sarahan or hop a few buses (via Rampur) and reach after a day-long ride. If coming from the other direction, buses also ply from Rekong Peo.
Where to Stay:The temple guesthouse has to be the most economical and clean option here. Food is served in the canteen, though there are smaller dhabas surrounding the temple.

Kotagiri
This beautiful little hill station has not succumbed to the hype of tourism yet, unlike its famous neighbour Ooty. Tucked away in the Nilgiris district, this picturesque hill station boasts of a cool climate for most part of the year. The Kodanad viewpoint for the splendid vistas that it has to offer is something not to be missed out. The double-cascaded Catherine waterfall located about 8kms away is also one of the more frequented tourist spots. Kotagiri is also home to a few trekking trails like the Longwood Shola Forest for those wanting to explore the wild side of nature. You will need to take a permit from the District Forest Officer (DFO) though if you plan to traverse the Milidhane route leading to the Shola Forest. Tea gardens abound in this area as is typical of any area in the Nilgiris.

How to get there:It’s a two hour ride from Ooty. Nearest railhead is Mettupalayam from where you can take Taxis to reach Kotagiri. Or else you can reach Comibatore and reach Kotagiri by taxi in 1.5hours.

Araku Valley
Located around 120kms from Vishakapatnam, and reached via serpentine roads that go via beautiful coffee plantations and the Anantagiri Reserved Forest is the Araku Valley. AP Tousim offers a one and two day rail-cum-road tour that lets the tourists enjoy both the road and train routes. Before reaching Araku, the train winds its way through 50 odd tunnels and an equal or more number of bridges. Enroute, it touches Shimliguda, the second highest broad-gauge railway station in the country, second only to Qazigund in Jammu and Kashmir. Though the best time is just after monsoon when the valley is verdant and the green carpet covers the entire valley,if you are lucky, a mild shower can transform the entire valley into a haven of tranquility during the blistering Indian Summer. Dhimsa dance is an age-old folk dance performed by the tribal women in this region and you see women perform this near the Tribal Museum. Galikonda, Raktakonda, Sunkarimetta and Chitamogondi are some of the mountains adorning the Eastern Ghats along this stretch and you can view them during the drive back from the various view points. The tour also covers Borra caves, which is supposed to be thousands of years old. The entry to the caves looks like a big hole in the ground and it looks as if one is just about to enter into the nether world. Legend has it that the caves were discovered when a cowherd went in search of a cow that fell through the hole and in the due process he also found a shiva lingam inside the cave.

Tribal Ladies at Araku Valley

The 'Mouth' of Borra caves

How to get there:Take the one or two day tour from APTDC to experience both rail and road travel; else you can take your car and enjoy the serpentine roads in over the 115km stretch. Government and Private operators also run buses.
Where to Stay:APTDC’s Haritha Mayuri is probably the best option here. The other option would be to stay at Vizag and cover Araku Valley as a day’s getaway.

Sonemarg
Aptly called “Meadow of Gold”, this gem of a place has historical, strategical and religious significance. What was once an important marker along the Ancient Silk Route is now a gateway to Ladakh from Kashmir along the NH 1D. It lies just 10km away from Zoji-la, a pass of strategic significance to our Indian Army. Baltal, which is a base camp for devotees thronging Amarnath, is 15km to the north. From Zojila, you can spot Baltal, which is right at its foot. Easily accessible from Kashmir via road with the clear Sindh river flowing through the valley, Sonemarg has a charm that not many hill stations can boast of. Pine and Silver Birch are in abundance in this region. You can find ponies loitering around in the meadows making it picture perfect. For the trekkers, Sonemarg marks a perfect starting point for many of the beautiful trails that surround the valley. There are a few high-altitude lakes in this region, which can be trekked to, during summer.

At Sonemarg

How to get there:A 3 hour ride from Srinagar via a private cab is the best option.
Where to Stay:JKTDC Cottages have the best locations, whereas a few other private ones offer good food and decent views. Few hotels offer camping facilities too.

Gue

(A slightly edited version of this story was published in The Hindu Metro Plus Issue Dated 30-Mar-2013)



When Columbus was just touching down in America, a Buddhist monk was in the process of mummifying himself in the distant land of India -- to free the village from the trouble of scorpions. The monk, or lama, known as Sangha Tenzin is probably the only mummy in India who is supposed to have undergone natural mummification. And we wanted to explore this mummy which was in one of India's remote villages.

Gue is a very small hamlet in the Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh, almost bordering the India-China border. There are no buses to Gue and hence we decided to hire a cab from the high altitude village of Nako. Earlier, we had started from Chitkul at 6:30 in the morning and had reached Nako at 6:30pm after a daylong rickety ride, passing via one of the most treacherous roads in the Kinnaur range. We started from Nako at 7am passing via barren mountains for the next 2 hours. The treacherousness of the Malling-nalla no longer lingered and also our driver did not give us any pre-emptive warning. In fact, we were so much lost in the rugged and arid scenery that we did not realize the Malling-nalla till we had reached Sumdoh. Spiti starts from Sumdoh and foreigners visiting this region need to have the inner line permit (ILP can be obtained from Rekong Peo).

The road to Gue is on the right just after passing the Gue-nalla. A colorful arch invites you to village of Gue, and from here it is a further 11km ride inside, along a narrow road abutting the mountains. There are hardly a dozen odd houses in this village and the mountains engulf it from all sides. The last structure in the village atop a small knoll is supposedly the current residence of the mummy. The chill breeze sets up the right tempo for visiting the mummified lama. The stillness in the scenery lends a soothing effect, as our heart races against time yearning to catch a glimpse of the lama.


A laborer working in the construction of the adjoining new monastery opens the door and we get the first glimpse of the lama sitting inside a small glass box. The scenery at our back is reflected on the glass which lends a karmic connection. As we step inside, the face of the lama gets clear giving way to the empty eye sockets and the broad forehead.  Our driver (and guide) informed us that blood oozed out of the ground when people were digging up the area. This led to much furor and scare amongst the local people and on further digging, this mummy was found.

Though the mummy is dated to be 400-500 years old, there is a certain air of freshness about it. The lama seems to be lost in contemplation overlooking the valley while he is sitting and the current concrete structure is just a casing to preserve him. Probably, it was the clean air and the low temperatures in the region that could have contributed to the good state of the mummy - the hair and the teeth are well preserved. The silk robes on him seem to be concealing the tremendous powers and the will inside him, which led him to undergo the mummification process.

Natural mummification is an extremely difficult process in which the body is made to react in such a way that the body fat and fluid reduces at a constant rate and the organs which can decay are reduced in their size. Also, a special diet is given during the end days, which preserves the meat on the bone. It is believed that the body should be kept in such a posture so that the monk can meditate and a restrainer is used for this purpose. Even the slightest movement can lead to tightening of the restrainer around the neck. My post-travel research educated me about this esoteric practice which was part of the Dzogchen tradition in the Nyingma sect of Buddishm. It is believed when Sangha Tenzin's soul left his body, a rainbow appeared across the sky and the village was emancipated from the trouble caused by the scorpions. Northern Honshu in Japan is another destination wherein such a practice of natural mummification was followed.

Our driver felt that there was something magnetic about this region (or was it the mummy?) as they felt that some force was pulling them towards the mountains when driving towards Gue, and they could feel a traction while driving away from it. I could not ascertain this fact, and nor has there been any mention of this in any of the online geological reports. But I opined that this phenomenon was probably a sister to the Magnetic Hill in Ladakh.

With the thoughts of the mummy and the serenity of this village still lingering at the back of our minds, we bid adieu to the mummy and continued our journey towards Kaza.

Getting There: Gue is an hour’s drive from Sumdoh and 80 kms from Kaza. Hiring a car from Kaza or Nako is the best option. Via bus, you can get down near Gue-nala and walk for 11kms along the narrow road to Gue.

Staying/Eating: There are no options to stay or eat in Gue or Sumdoh as there are no hotels here. However, if you are nice to the locals, you might be lucky and end up spending the night with the family at Gue. Hurling is the closest village that has a few hotels.

Book Review : Butterflies on the Roof of the World By Peter Smetacek

The Butterfly Diaries

(An edited version of this story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 08-Apr-2013)

At Singapore's Changi Airport I glanced upon a board that mentioned the presence of a Butterfly Garden. Unable to hide the childlike curiosity, i quickly ran towards to it only to enter into a beautiful mini rainforest ensconced in this concrete and glass structure; I wasn't sure when i last saw a butterfly in Bangalore. But that is not a problem with Peter Smetacek, who runs the Butterfly Research Centre at Bhimtal in Uttarakhand, works on the taxonomy and zoo geography of Indian Lepidoptera, published closed to 60 papers on the subject, is an authority on Indian butterflies and moths and is also the author of the beautiful book titled 'Butterflies on the Roof of the world: A Memoir'. Credits to this book that i came to know that word 'lepidoptera' is actually the term that acts like a collective noun for moths and butterflies.

A super-imposition of a memoir and travelogues, the author paints a rich tapestry with beautiful landscapes and butterflies fluttering around and takes us into small ecosystems high up in the mountains that are perfect havens for different species of butterflies and moths. And though interspersed with the Latin scientific names of the species of the butterflies, Peter takes us into forests, ravines, meadows and streams during his quest to document Lepidoptera at different altitude ranges. The different altitudinal ranges include bands from plains till 1500m, the second from 1600m to 3000m, the third from 3000m to 4000m and the last belt comprising of butterflies in the trans-Himalayan area from 4000 to 5800m above sea level. Having worked on Lepidoptera for more than 30 years, Peter shares his fascination for these fragile and short-lived creatures from his central vantage point.

An extremely entertaining and informative narrative, the book indeed sometimes enthuse us with a sense of adventure and prompts us to pack our bags and get on a quest to explore these butterflies in their natural habitats. The author also shares his interesting observations about the behavior of these butterflies. The butterfly's wing shape, color and pattern all help it in surmounting the challenges in the nature, and the author mentions how techniques such as motion camouflage and silhouette recognition that are actively used by the Lepidoptera also end up being used by our modern air forces. He also shares an interesting insight that though butterflies are generally held responsible for pollination, it is the moths that are responsible for pollinating most flowers above the tree line on the southern face of the Himalaya.

Loads of interesting trivia about the butterflies throughout the book is what adds an extra dollop of ice-cream in this drool worthy sundae. For example, did you know that butterflies use their wings not only to fly but also to reflect solar radiation onto their bodies and that the clouds obstructing the sun can sometimes make them inactive? And that the word 'butterfly' actually originated from the pale yellow colored butterflies (known as Brimstones) in England that looked like butter? These and many more.

During his quest in the inaccessible regions of Kumaon and Garhwal, our butterfly tracker has had his own share of interesting experiences, be it the sedating honey, dried caterpillars that are used as aphrodisiacs or a new record in India of little-known butterfly that was recorded earlier in remote Pamirs and in a village in Tibet. In the last chapter, Peter underscores the importance of moths and butterflies as bio-indicators of ecological functions and groundwater without being overly melodramatic about nature conservation. He highlights the importance of these little creatures in our larger ecosystem and also to our own sustenance and mentions how forest fires and depleting green cover are affecting the butterflies to vanish from certain regions.

Full marks to the author in this masterpiece that many readers will cherish in their bookshelves for a long time. The tapestry wouldn’t be complete without the added life and depth that the author has carefully spread across his canvas.

Rayakottai - Tipu Sultan's Forgotten Fort

Probable entrance at the top of the fort

(An edited version of this article was published in Deccan Herald dated 24-Mar-2013)

Ibn Battuta, one of the first and greatest travellers, said about traveling

“it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller".

And this was the exact feeling after visiting Rayakottai.

Scouting for possible one-day getaways from Bangalore, I stumbled on Rayakottai in the Krishnagiri tourism website. This was followed by a curious search in the Internet which gave me limited information about the place and its history. And we, a group of motorbikers, decided to explore this place on a lazy Saturday morning. The NICE road was almost empty and we cruised through the broad-deserted road. We continued riding through NH-7 (Bangalore-Chennai highway) only to be halted near Hosur wherein one of the Bullets(Royal Enfield) had broken down. The rest of us continued and we reached the town of Rayakottai in an hour.

The sun was slowly catching up, as if it was still not sure whether to wake up from the morning slumber and perform its routine schedule. We spotted a huge rocky hill on the right of the main road as soon as we entered the town. A quick enquiry at the road side tea stall confirmed that as our destination. I picked up a conversation with one of the guys sipping tea and asked him about approximate time to summit the rocky hill. He smirked and said that it would take a few hours for ‘city-dwellers’ like us, whereas he can climb up and return in within an hour. I smirked and carried on.

We parked our bikes near the base of the hill and without much excitement started the ascent on foot. The sun was bright but less tormenting. The serrations formed on the boulders and the rocks laid out in the form of steps aided us in getting to the top in an hour. A dilapidated structure, in what should have been the main entrance to the fort, greeted us and we could spot the fort walls at a distance. The walls overlooked the entire town of Rayakottai at its base. The adjoining cliffs looked threatening.

We climbed further up along the trail formed by crushed grass, with a few cave-like structures formed due to boulders on the sides and reached the top of the hillock. We could see some structures emerging out of the tall elephant grass and other thorny shrubs – it was as if we were just getting into a treasure hunt.  Most of the structures wore a beaten look, with no ceilings with an overgrowth of shrubs and grass everywhere. The small lake at the top had totally dried up.

With hardly any information boards from the ASI(Archeological Survey of India) educating the public and the crumbled state of the structures, we really felt that this place should be better preserved and promoted. I spotted a kid who was writing down something in his notebook in the shade of one of the bushes and asked him why he had climbed all the way up. For him, this was the perfect resting spot to finish off his homework as it was too noisy ‘below’. I felt a certain aura in him. When I quizzed him about the place and its history, he did tell me that it was once Tipu Sultan’s palace and then he went blank. I shared a few biscuits with him which he humbly refused and moved on from his present resting place – I felt as if this ‘city-dweller’ had indeed disturbed his fabric of tranquility.

I moved on. Goats roamed around and the ramshackled state of affairs here on the top was disheartening. From the top of the hill, one could see the whole town of Rayakottai and also spot the distant Krishnagiri Dam. After an hour of exploring the different structures, we thanked the clear skies and descended down along the rocky path.

My post-travel research educated me about this forgotten fort. It is believed that this fort was one of the most important and strategic places in the Palakkad Pass and commanded the road to Carnatic. The Mysore armies, during the 18th century, could invade the Carnatic via this route. The fort fell to Major Gowdie during Lord Cornwallis’s attack. The sultan’s troops tried to blow up the fort, but the Major's advance was so sudden that they failed in the attempt and the fort was later occupied. It is believed that the Commandant of the garrison took a bribe from British on the condition of a safe passage to him and his family and that is how this ‘strong and complete’ fort fell into the hands of the British Army. The forts at Rayakottai, Anchetidurga and Oodiadurga formed an important triumvirate in this region guarding the entire route, and the latter two too soon fell to the British.

I could now reenact every piece of history associated with Rayakottai in my mind with the hillock as the perfect backdrop. The threatening cliffs being used as a perfect spot to throw away the prisoners from the top and the British climbing up , made the landscape part of a sordid past was etched in my mind now.

View of the entire layout from the top

World Face

[This post is written with no intention to harm anybody or hurt anyone's feelings. So before you arrest me or any of my pals who might end up 'liking' this post, or do any kind of harm to me or to them, do watch the movie and am sure you will cry with us.]

I was not given any pills - no red or blue pills - i had to watch it. No other go. The same way i ended up watching Argo as the first in the sequence of movies during my back-breaking and mind-numbing Singapore Airlines flight and ended up cursing those who nominate garbage for Oscars.

But before we go onto the characters, few important observations:
1. It is easy to infiltrate into al-Qaeda.
2. W.r.t #1, it is easy for a RAW agent to infiltrate, than any MI6, FBI or both combined.
3. If you are a new recruit in al-Qaeda, it is easy to spot OsamaBinLaden, for your manager will soon take you to him to get acquainted with the top leaders; similar to what happens in corporates these days.
4. Americans, despite their stringent full-body security checks at airports, still do not know that even pigeons can cause havoc in a city like NY.
5. When someone asks you about a certain element, it is necessary for you to puke out their atomic number and mass; without this we wouldn't know that you are a PhD.
6. Faraday needs a shield, for sure, preferably a microwave oven.
  ........do you really want more?

We have just lost cabin pressure!

Kamal calls this 'art'? Seriously? You mean, someone crunching out atomic number and weights of Cesium is Art? Pooja Kumar is art? Granted that she has nice eyes and all, but why make the mistake of making her open her mouth and top that of with some really bad dubbing. Senthil's voice sounds better in comparison, and his jokes are atleast worthy of a laugh.

And that Nallavara-Kettavara dialogue?  "I felt like putting a bullet between the eyes of every Panda that wouldn't screw to save its species. I wanted to open the dump valves on oil tankers and smother all the French beaches I'd never see. I wanted to breathe smoke. "

And why did you make Andrea stand there? Did you want to make that FBI lady agent look fat in comparison and talk about her 'smart-ass'? I am still trying to figure out her role in the movie.

Shekhar Kapur? Seriously? Is he becoming the Shashi Tharoor of Indian Cinema?

And finally Rahul Bose. Our media has started hailing that "Bollywood struggles to defy cliched portrayals of Muslim characters"; and there are people who are antagonized. I fail to fathom that when Palakkad Tamils are not objecting to the dreadful tamil being used, does this really matter? I would have expected the likes of atleast Vali, Vairamuthu to object to the Tamil being used.

Remember: Sticking feathers up your butt does not make you a chicken.

The last few scenes of Kamal lying with the actresses under those black sheets with the voice over - true genius! I was glad that the scenes in the movie did not last more than a few seconds but I am curious as to what Pooja Kumar would blurt out during those moments. It was as if Tyler Durden had included those magical moments(changeover) himselves.

And travails did not stop there. Even when i wanted to watch table tennis videos on Youtube to recover from the numbness, the darn recommendation engine prompted me to watch The Making of the movie.

If someone tells you that tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of your life after watching this movie and your breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted, then keep your kevlar studded punching gloves ready. I facepalmed so many times during and after the movie that now my palm has an oblique reference to my face and there are symptoms of my face resembling my fingers. The transposition will be complete soon i presume, if i do not recover by some temporary catharsis.

Now i know you are all eager to watch this movie, so i give you this[1] and this[2] too, if not Part-Two.

V-Day Romantic Getaways

It’s that time of the year when most couples will try to spend some private moments with their significant other. Love is in the air. A quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city and connecting with your partner while relaxing in the lap of Mother Nature will offer a perfect blend of harmony and romance. Get ready to fall in love with these beautiful getaways and also with each-other...once again.

Andamans  
   Wake up to the sound of waves slowly crashing on the shore only to find the Bay of Bengal resemble a giant placid lake. This tropical paradise is perfect for those who want to immerse themselves in pristine beaches bordered by gorgeous flora and fauna. Adrenaline junkies can scuba dive or snorkel in the clear blue waters filled with corals. Watching the ocean shimmer in the moonlight from your love-shack while snuggling up with your loved one will be an unforgettable experience for sure. Havelock and Neil Island can be easily reached from Port Blair. Havelock has many cottages lined up along the ocean whereas Neil has a few basic ones.

Morning at Havelock beach, Andamans

   
Wayanad
    'Gods Own Country' figures in almost all ‘places-to-go’ lists for its unrivalled beauty and tranquility.  Wayanad has a good mix of tribal heritage, tea gardens, waterfalls and pre-historic caves to definitely woo you. A heart-shaped lake during the ascent to Chembra peak makes a pretty good spot for a perfect proposal. Pamper your body with ayurvedic massages or head down further south to Kumarakom and spend a quiet evening with a candle light dinner on the houseboat that guarantees privacy and luxury in the sparkling backwaters. A perfect combination of romance and relaxation, Kerala truly lets you unwind while giving you time to plan and prepare for that important moment in your life.

Heart shaped lake, Chembra Peak, Wayanad

Kumaon
   Sipping a hot cup of chai and just spending those precious moments looking at the breathtaking views of the snow capped mountains takes one to a totally different realm altogether. An overnight train to Kathgodam(one of the cleanest railways stations in India) from Delhi takes you to the heart of Kumaon, from where you can either head to the famous hill-station of Nainital or take a longer ride and hit Kausani or Chaukori. The sceneries will surely make your partner swoon while you immerse yourself into the lap of serenity and calmness. The Mall Road in Nainital, overlooking the lake, is dotted with many hotels catering to all wallet sizes while the KMVN lodge in Kausani and Chaukori will keep you warm in the freezing temperatures.

Lake at Nainital

Goa
    An evergreen honeymoon destination for many Indians and a perfect-spot for Europeans to escape the winter and get their tan, Goa offers an unique experience to all its visitors. Clubs, late night parties, discotheques are aplenty and so are the beautiful cathedrals and churches. Be it the array of shacks lined up along the shore offering a multitude of cuisines in Baga or the picturesque seascapes of Vagator and Anjuna or Palolem and Calangute for watersports or shopping, the magic of Goa will remain in your hearts even after you return to the madness of the city. The late night walks along some stunningly beautiful and secluded spots does offer a glimpse of Goa that many party-goers often miss. The sun-sand-surf-food-wine combination can sometimes become the perfect place to drop the M-bomb.
   
Kudremukh
    This holiday in the monsoon forests is truly for the adventurous couples. Climb up the Kudremukh peak to soak in the enchanting views of the rolling grasslands and lush green meadows. The occasional clouds passing by, probably makes the best ingredient for romance and also a perfect place to pop the question. Accommodation is basic and the options include tents, cottages and homestays lying at the foothills of the mountains. Watching the mist enveloped mountains while trying to count the different shades of green will be an indulging experience for sure. Walk hand-in-hand across the numerous aromatic coffee plantations followed up by an authentic malnad lunch in one of World's best biodiversity hotspots to be in harmony with nature.
   
(This story was published in The Hindu Metro Plus Dated 09-Feb-2013)

Book Review : Three Mediocre Books on Corporate Preparedness

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 21-Jan-2013)

There is no magic formula for making it big in life. It’s all about your preparedness and how. These three books are trying to look at corporate preparedness and make a feeble attempt to teach the subject to its readers. While Make It Or Break It by Partha Sarathi Basu is a guide for the novice in the corporate world, Daddy’s Logic by Anthony Rose encourages us to get out of our cosy cubicles and get going. Jack’s Business by Gabriel Fuchs is a manual on how to tame greed, something that has built and broken industries in many parts of the globe.

Basu is finance director for India and South Asia at AkzoNobel. His books include Why Not. . .! Racing Ahead with Mentors. His latest book mainly targets aspiring teenagers or young professionals who are just about to start a corporate life. Through fable-like stories as examples that prepare young professionals to manage everyday life, Basu acts like a mentor and motivator. And in that effort, he performs well, though he is not great. His examples portray real-life scenarios in any office and show how a young executive should prepare so that her early career remains “successful”. To Basu, success merely means not committing any blunders due to the lack of knowledge of corporate culture and being aware of one’s environs. There is no protagonist and the author spews out rule after rule meant to ensure a trouble-free career as well as cordial relationships with peers and seniors.

This self-help book is written in simple and lucid language and teaches the importance of common sense without making any effort to talk about the relevance of having dreams and how to chase them. In the preface, Renu Karnad, managing director of HDFC, calls this book a “Lonely Planet” for aspiring professionals fresh out of campus. Aptly so. And just that.

While Basu guides the path for a novice, Rose, a public relations veteran, goes beyond the customs of a cubicle. In Daddy’s Logic, he covers larger aspects of life. Spread across 20 chapters covering 20 aspects of living a regretfree happy life, these are primarily based on author’s interactions and experiences with this father over a span of 30 years. The author has superimposed advice from his daddy with examples of corporate leaders, underscoring the fact that our parents play an important part in shaping our early life and their advice is often followed and implemented even after they leave us. This book contains a surfeit of practical advice peppered with loads of anecdotes and pragmatic insights.

Fuchs talks about more than just greed, which has become a prominent keyword for any book associated with the finance industry, along with arrogance and skills. The plot is generally the same: a nobody’s quest for success sees him going on to achieve the heights and then losing everything due to his ego and greed. There is no place for feelings of guilt, sorrow or pity and the lure of fast money leads one to the fast track to success and by the time he realises that he has gone too far, he generally ends up languishing in a prison cell. The central premise of any such book is similar to the tagline “Greed is Good” from the 1987 epic movie Wall Street  by Oliver Stone.

Fuchs is a consultant and a business intelligence expert. His book claims to be based on a true story and so readers would expect something new to be told in it, but the subject has become so mundane that almost all plots read alike. Perhaps, Greg Smith’s open resignation published recently on The New York Times – ‘Why I Am Leaving Goldman Sachs’ — would give us a realistic feel of what goes on in the industry. Still, the book is a much better, faster and credible read than most such books.

Book Review: Makers - The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 10-Dec-2012)

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard commands the Enterprise Replicator to make “Tea. Earl Gray. Hot” and pop comes the hot beverage. This was a sci-fi movie with tonnes of similarly fascinating gadgets that looked unbelievable, but in Makers, Chris Anderson brings in similar elements of surprise. He makes a strong argument about how digital fabrication is going to aid desktop factories in the near future and how it can bring many such gadgets to life. Anderson is the editor-in-chief of Wired, co-founder of 3D Robotics and DIY Drones web communities and the author of best-sellers such as The Long Tail and Free: How Today’s Smartest Businesses Profit by Giving Something for Nothing. His new book is all about the new wave of innovation and instant-entrepreneurship using various digital tools.

The author hails the importance of ‘doing’ or ‘making’ as the most important catalyst and claims the ‘garage-culture’ is going to lead us to a new world of innovation and great products. Calling the ‘maker movement’ an ‘industrial revolution’ does sound exaggerated at a cursory glance, but the author has done a fine job by describing the various innovations in 3D printing, digitally-controlled milling machines and laser cutters that are going to be important tools for rapid prototyping and manufacturing.

The author sees the Third Industrial Revolution as one where digital manufacturing aids personal manufacturing, and calls for the industrialisation of the maker movement. His excitement is felt all over the book as he starts off with his experiences of seeing his grandfather work in his garage, and until now where he works with people from across the globe for DIY Drones.

Today, the Web is increasingly becoming a part of our life, and the networking cable is the conveyor belt of the digital world. The cycles from ideas to entrepreneurship have reduced drastically as Web-centric and open-innovation models have led to increased collaboration between people in a geography-agnostic world.

Anderson cites the example of initiatives such as KickStarters, where innovators can post their ideas even before they produce the prototype and get funding and also get a feel of the possible adoption rates. There are no barriers to variety, and digital tools have helped customise products even when they are mass-produced. Especially, says Anderson citing the example of 3D printer, this has led to individualisation and customisation and goes on to a state where buying a 3D printer is similar to buying a front-row seat to a cultural transformation. The author’s hyper-focus on 3D printers makes it sound as good as the Enterprise Replicator in Star Trek, but we, as readers, should not get carried away, as the technology is still in its infancy.

The flowing felicity of writing makes this book extremely easy to read; one can knock it off in a few hours. That said, there are a few disappointments too. One, is the lacklustre and uninspiring cover, and the other, the lack of stories citing failures in the maker movement. Entrepreneurship has not always been about serendipity and rapid-prototyping, and it would have been great if Anderson had cited cases wherein many millions of dollars were spent with no product being delivered. The book does not spur any questions, but during the course of the read, catalogues the desirable products in the Maker’s wish-list.

Anderson makes innovation sound easy for someone who has all the right tools, and, hence, loses focus from the rigorous process that has to be followed during any product design and development. He does not unravel the mysteries of entrepreneurship either. Also, the author does not brainstorm on possible intellectual property issues that will arise with digital fabrication technologies. Custom-made coffee mugs or t-shirts are easy, but will the larger population opt for other critical things made via a Replicator?

10 Places to go in 2013

(This article was published in The Hindu Metro Plus dated 5-Jan-2013)

Make your travel resolutions for the New Year with these Top 10 ideas

1 South Korea

Much friendlier and easier to access than its Northern counterpart, South Korea is one of the biggest international business hubs in the region. Visit the World's Newest City Songdo (Isle of Pines) along Incheon's waterfront, which has been built from scratch for a staggering $35 billion on an artificial island spread across 6 sq. km, reclaimed from barren mudflat. Cisco intends to bring its state-of-the-art technology to make Songdo one of the most technologically advanced, smart and connected communities in the world. Is Songdo the way to go for modern cities? You must visit this ambitious aerotropolis, still under construction, that aims to take cities like Dubai, New York and Hong Kong head on.

2 St Vincent and The Grenadines

A paradise laden with coral reefs, turquoise lagoons and idyllic beaches, SVG is the perfect place to spend that romantic moment with your partner. For the adventurous, there is plenty of eco activity involving volcanoes, waterfalls, whales, diving and snorkelling. Try the novel concept of a de-tech or digital detox holiday, which lets you get away from your digital gadgets and immerse yourselves in nature. Don’t fret if your tablets and phones are confiscated; unplug from the world and enjoy your break exploring the 32-odd islands and cays in this archipelago.

3 Singapore

Celebrating its 50th year of independence from the British Crown, this culturally bio-diverse nation state offers lots of festivals and fetes in 2013. A shopaholic's trusted destination, Singapore is among the most beautiful and clean cities in the world. If you want to grab a shopping holiday, there’s no place like Singapore. But rapid urbanisation has led to some heritage areas getting lost, so if you want explore places like the Sungei Road Thieves’ Market or the Bukit Brown cemetery you need to go now before they are lost in the urban madness.

4 Mandvi, Gujarat

Tucked on the western-most part of India facing the Arabian Sea is one of the most beautiful and uncharted spots of the country, often missing from the tourist's map. This is the old ship-building town of Mandvi. Ship-building is still active, and you can see the silhouettes of abandoned ships and the ones of new ones being built on a beautiful moonlit night, lending a ghostly charm to the skyline. With its pristine white sand beaches, a beautiful palace (Vijay Vilas) and ornate Jain temples, along with sumptuous Gujarati thalis and dabelis, Mandvi is the perfect epitome of that beautiful town you always wanted to visit but did not know existed.

5 Amsterdam, Netherlands

There is more than one reason to visit Amsterdam in 2013. This beautiful and splendid city is celebrating a lot of festivals this year — from the 400th anniversary of the Amsterdam canals (Canal Ring is a UNESCO heritage site) and Vincent van Gogh’s 160th birthday to 175 years of the Artis Royal Zoo and the 125th anniversary of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Get ready to celebrate with the Dutch with concerts and events in this alpha world city. The town and visitors are also eagerly awaiting the re-opening in April of the Rijksmuseum (which houses masterpieces from Rembrandt and Van Gogh among others) after a 10-year renovation.

6 New Zealand

It happened during 2003 to 2006, when The Lord of the Rings was released and it will happen again with the release of The Hobbit. Tolkien Tourism is one of the most potent forces pulling visitors to Kiwi country, among the most beautiful and naturally diverse places in the world. The Kiwi landscape truly represents the magical setting of Middle Earth but there is more to New Zealand than just the Weta caves. Indulge in any of a dozen adventurous sports like bungee jumping, skydiving, whitewater rafting, hydro-zorbing, spelunking and more. No wonder they call this the adventure capital of the world.

7 New Fantasyland, Orlando

Just a few weeks old, with double the area (21 acres from 10 acres) of the old Disneyworld, your visit to the Magic Kingdom just got a whole lot better, with loads of new attractions and rides. This is the largest expansion in the Magic Kingdom’s history. Old rides like Snow White’s Scary Adventures have made way for new ones like Ariel's Grotto, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Barnstormer and others. Splitsville Luxury Lanes boasts of a 50,000 sq. ft bowling, billiards and entertainment zone. With the expanded space and two new themed areas, Enchanted Forest and Storybook Circus, and two highlights yet to open, neither kids nor adults are going to be bored soon. And do try to find the ‘hidden Mickeys’ tucked away all over the park.

8 Reunion Island

With beaches that morph into lava fields and mountains, what has been often hailed as mini-Hawaii is a French overseas territory neighbouring Mauritius and is off the coast of East Africa (Madagascar). This island nation has almost a thousand kilometres of hiking trails along with Piton de la Fournaise, one of world’s most active volcanoes, that has exploded more than 170 times since the mid-17th century. Reunion Island is a must-visit destination before tourists and mega-resorts crowd it.

9 Tokyo, Japan

If you are interested in exploring sub-cultures, then look no further than Japan. Tokyo, a Blade Runner-esque city, offers a subway culture that no other city in the world can boast of. You will see a riot of colours in the trains and tunnels, filled as they are with bizarrely dressed gyarus, lolitas and yankiis! You may even spot a favourite Manga character in one of the fashion shows held so often across the city. Japan offers a mixed platter of cross-pollinated culture where manga madness merges with the tea ceremony; and cherry blossom season competes with ultra-modern urban landscapes.

10 Space

The Spaceport terminal in New Mexico is going to see a lot of action in the next few years. SpaceX's reusable space rockets and Virgin Galactic’s 2.5-hour suborbital flight, which includes a six-minute interval of weightlessness, are on the verge of making space travel a reality. What was once every kid's dream is going to be on everyone's bucket list. With 530 bookings already made, at a ticket cost of $200,000, get ready to conquer the blackness of outer space. 2013 could be your year!

Patisotagami

They arrive in vanquished dreams,
Dance away in solitary rooms,
I hear them weep deep inside.

Kisses on the roses are no longer red,
Fields are not toiled any more,
Taps run dry under the eternal sun,
Libraries of human delusions.


Stagnation, is the only recourse.

Chitkul - The Last Village

(This article was published in The Hindu Metro Plus dated 27-Oct-2012)

Journey to the end of the earth, or that’s what it feels like, when we visit Chitkul on the India-Tibet border

A couple of hours commuting to the airport, the pre-boarding hours, two and half hours in a plane, eight hours on a bus from Delhi to Shimla, then an entire day's bus journey to Sarahan, followed by another long day of rickety bus rides. That’s a total of 35 arduous hours spent so far on the road and here I am at 3:00 pm on Day 3 in Chitkul, the last village on the Indian side at the India-Tibet border.

The sun's rays are still strong and the day shows no signs of coming to an end. Chitkul is glowing as if the lights will never be put off in this hamlet. There’s a sense of cosiness, as if the place is transfixed in time, but a chilly wind from the Baspa valley that carries moisture from the Baspa river, is a reminder of the travails of time.

This last hamlet is by no means just a village. What was a remote village a few years ago with few travellers is now on the tourist map. The half-a-dozen guest houses greet us with signs of 'rooms available' and the attached restaurants display descriptive menus, mainly consisting of thukpas, momos, noodles and the omnipresent Indian thali.

The women are filling up water in cans from a tap just above ground level while the Baspa river flows by down the valley. A few donkeys linger and the putrid smell of their excreta is eclipsed in the afternoon breeze.

Our spine yearns for rest, which is duly acknowledged in the Thakur Guest House, a small place that mainly caters to budget travellers. The room on the ground floor, although hardly ventilated, is clean enough for a quick nap. Our sleep is broken by a passing tractor and we realise with a start that it’s 6:00 pm. With the hope of capturing the evening sun, I venture out, only to find the sun still bright, though the wind in the valley has become much stronger and the temperature has dropped. A hot cup of tea, perfectly savoured from the guesthouse terrace, lets me enjoy the view.

The morning has a pale blueness to it and one can hear the Baspa hitting the boulders in the distance. The chirping of the birds is like a chime in this one-man orchestra. Outside the guesthouse, I get a morning view of the Himalayas. With the sun's rays hitting only the peaks, the lower portions are still drenched in darkness, and the mountains look like they have been given a layer of icing at the top. The snow-capped ones shimmer as if they are the crowning jewels of India. One could sit on the terrace the whole day and do nothing but look at the skyline.

After two or three cups of chai, we brave a stroll up to the river. The Baspa is murky, carrying silt and mud, but the flow is still extremely strong. The place looks perfect for rafting, as there are many Class III and IV rapids. The sun is getting brighter but the cold is still perceptible. Another 5-6 km walk would have brought me to the Indian border check post but my laziness gets the better of me. I am told that 20 km from the check post lies Tibet.

I take a post-prandial walk around the village. With only a few hundred people living here, I expect to stumble on quite a few people and have some interesting conversations. But most of the villagers seem busy cooking lunch in their beautiful wooden homes.

An old man smoking tobacco tells me the small house-like structures scattered across the village are used to store grain and fodder, protecting them from snow and rain. I stumble upon a big beautiful wooden door, the main gate to the temple of the local goddess, known as Chitkul Maathi or Mata Devi. Chitkul is the last stop in the Kinner Kailash Parikrama, which starts from Kalpa, going via Thangi, Lambar and Charang, and continues towards Rakcham, Sangla and culminates at Karcham where the Baspa meets the Sutlej. 

Chitkul is cut off during winter and many villagers move to Sangla or Rampur. Looking back, I realise the arduous journey was well worth it. In Chitkul, the best thing to do is relax, soak in the views and take back enchanting memories. In many ways, it felt as if time had frozen in Chitkul.

 

HOW TO GET THERE

Hire a cab from Shimla, the wait for buses is long. The adventurous can hit Rekong Peo from Shimla. There are two daily buses to Chitkul from Rekong Peo. Sangla is the last big town before Chitkul and has many staying and eating options.

 

WHERE TO STAY

Panchali Resort and Thakur Guest House are good budget options, while Banjara Camp & Retreat, and Igloo Nature Camp offer slightly pricey tented accommodation.

 

WHAT TO EAT

You can get momos, thukpas, noodles and Indian thalis almost everywhere.

Change

Its time for change! And I am planning to move this blog and rebrand it.

I started this blog way back in 2004-2005 and since then the layout has been pretty much the same and so has been the title. The blog name of 'blizzardzblogs' came from my then preferred nick(handle) of 'blizzardz' which i did not much often use. And also the title 'Origin>Identity>Destiny' was something that was coined by my inclination towards philosophy and the all associated things.

But, i think its time for a change and fill in this blog with some energy which actually connotes 'Me' and carries the flavour of what i want from my life - namely, 'adrenaline'.

All the posts etc will remain as-is, and i am just going to change the blog link to something else. So, the link of http://blizzardzblogs.blogspot.com will no longer be available. And i am not sure whether this will break the GReader subscriptions too if you are reading this on your Google Reader.

Tune back into my profile link or hit http://about.me/venkasub after sometime for the updated blog link.

On TV Series

As a kid(and later as a teen) i used to watch a few TV series, most of them were the Hindi ones; and those were the days when we used to get only Doordarshan. Cable TV was a luxury, though there was an abundance of VCRs.

Bharat Ek Khoj, a series by Shyam Benegal, probably is/was one of the BEST series in the Indian Television, which used to run on Sunday mornings at 9am . It ran the viewer through the different periods in our rich Indian history and the Indus Valley civilization. This is probably one of the series that is etched in my mind. The hymns 'Shrishti se pehle sat nahin tha, Asat bhi nahin, Antariksh bhi nahin, Aakash bhi nahin thaa' still reverberates in my ears and the voice of Om Puri with the Roshan Seth acting as Nehru and doing the narration is unparalleled. It is a MUST watch for every Indian who wants to understand and appreciate our ethos without poring over our voluminous books. You can watch the series online in here.

The late 1980s and the 1990s saw emergence of the soap operas. Hum Log was supposedly one of the longest running TV series/soap operas in our Indian Televsion with a HUGE viewership. Almost everyone who watched it was spellbound by Ashok Kumar(Dada muni's ) voice and connected with the characters. The character names became house-hold names. The limericks of Ashok Kumar at the end of each episode was a treat in itself. And then as i was growing into a teen ,in the age of liberalization, i was introduced to Byomkesh Bakshi and Tehakikat. Byomkesh Bakshi had that charm and suspense factor which no other Indian TV series has so far; the director made every effort to keep the viewer tuned-in into the show and made the latter guess the climax. Also, the clean and uncorrupted Hindi was a treat to the ears. Tehakikat was a lesser watched show(though equally popular); it was produced and directed by Dev Anand's brother Vijay Anand and had a touch of humour in the detective series. (Correct me if i am wrong, but i think Saurabh Shukla was introduced in this series.) I was always hooked to this show, and had to fight with my parents to watch it even during my exams. Probably it was Byomkesh Bakshi and Tehakikat that led me to read the Three Investigators series. I remember, DD-3 introduced some TV series, but i do not remember the names(i think i saw Yes Priminister here for the first time, but my memory is not helping me).

And then life became hectic with the board exams and college. I also started distancing myself from TV and with the computer becoming Numero Uno in my life. I was sitting in front of my desktop most of the time. Movies(again, on computer) and Computer Games became the favourite past time, and also i suspect if the early 2000s saw any interesting TV series. Nevertheless, after almost a long time i started watching TV series a couple of years back, guess it was Mr.Bean and the Youtube which made me watch BlackAdder; the latter is one my MOST favorite TV series. The Mighty Boosh brought the geekiness in me alive and i was hooked to the British TV series for now. 'Yes Prime Minister' gave the much needed push in the adrenaline rush in the political satire arena(hardly there was, and is, anything on politics!) - also the humor in this TV series was very much related to the gray matters.

Mid last year, i started with the new BBC series called Sherlock - and i must say that the direction is simply awesome and so is the camera work. The dialogues are perfect and there is hardly any superficiality to it(though some might find the 'new' Sherlock objectionable). The Season-3 of this series is out only next year and this led me to watch the older version of this character - namely ' Adventures of Sherlock Holmes' played by Jeremy Brett. The protagonist almost dissolved into this role and i must say that it was a very gripping series - am yet to complete all the seasons. The role of Watson in this series is though sympathetic. He lurches around like a poor dumb soul with hardly any punch.

Along with Sherlock, i was introduced to The White Collar. This is a nice and sophisticated series appealing to the masses and am sure all the ladies watching this would be drooling when they watch Neal Caffrey. The character of 'Neal Caffrey' played by 'Matt Bomer' is nice with hardly any over-acting. The episodes are nicely spaced and have a nice running tempo. Though, 'Peter Burke' seems to overact at certain places, his wife 'Liz(Elizabth Burke, played by 'Tiffani Thiessen') seems to worsen it by her head-shakes. "Suits" - a legalese based thriller, which i like more than White Collar is again a nice series to watch - though slightly lengthy, but it runs fast. The protagonists, Mike Ross(Patrick J. Adams) and Harvey Specter(Gabriel Macht), have done a great job with the roles and the direction is again very nice. The dialogues and the quick retorts by , is awesome.

How i Met your Mother(HIMYM) and The Big Bang Theory(TBBT) were quick watches due to their shorter running times(only 20mins). We started with TBBT and then i started with HIMYM in parallel, but i quickly lost interest in HIMYM, as the plots were  not getting interesting, whereas Sheldon and Penny , interspersed with Howard, Rajesh and Leonard, in TBBT , were the best with their one liners and innuendos.

"Games of Thrones" was probably the best series that i watched till now. Each of the episodes was like watching a movie, and i simply could not resist from watching the episodes back-to-back. The scale at which this series is produced and the locales are drool-worthy. And I am yearning for 2013 wherein the next season would be telecast. Though there is ample amount of gore, blood, sex, nudity, and lust , this series is still a must watch for all the adventure and fantasy enthusiasts. Simply, do not miss this.

Driven by my experience(s) with British comedy, we started watching IT Crowd, the story of two young guys in an IT team, who happen to get a lady manager who knows shite about IT. Some great geek humor and quick watch.

Earlier this year, we started watching Two and Half Men, and i must say that its a very entertaining series; some episodes are a total drab, but there are some great rib tickling humor. Watching Jake say 'okay' is a treat in itself, not to mention Rose(the sweet homely girl next door) who is an excellent stalker. Alan seems to overact sometimes, but Charlie subdues him suitably. We stopped after Season-7 - one of the reasons being it was getting boring and the other being we simply did not have the new seasons..

And recently i saw "Band of Brothers" miniseries. Being an ardent war aficionado myself, i simply loved this series. Each of the episodes is done at the scale of 'Saving Private Ryan' and the "Director's touch" is unmistakable. The way the last few episodes totally changed the tempo of the the series is beautiful. I started watching this series on a Saturday(with a pretty bad jetlag) and the 10 part series(each spanning close to an hour) was done by Sunday evening :). The 9th episode, in which they show the Allied forces stumbling on an concentration camp and going clueless as to what it was, was simply mind-numbing. I had seen the movie 'The Boy in Striped Pyjamas' earlier , but the scene in BoB was simply a thousand times better - the way the people in the camp are shown would make anyone emotional. WATCH THIS!

And those were some of the series that i have watched in the recent past. Series like Terra Nova (and a few others) got my attention span only for a few minutes. Having said that, am looking forward to Shyam Benegal's much anticipated new TV series.

Rewalsar, Himachal Pradesh, India

(This article was published in The Hindu Metro Plus dated 1-Sept-2012) 

In the hills of Himachal Pradesh we stumble upon a little town of gompas, temples and silences.

I could hear a thousand bees buzzing and the occasional chime of bells interjected by a clang, as if two super bees had just collided and sent a ripple of high frequency waves across the foggy mountain air. The moisture in the air absorbed this distinct clamour, and the buzzing continued and became more pronounced as I climbed further up. As I trudged a few steps off the serpentine road, a small structure emerged as the source of this humming. The human hum now took on the distinctive shape of the morning prayers of the nuns in the Buddhist monastery there.

Just a turn away from this came another unassuming one-storied building. With much curiosity, I interrupted the lama sitting there chanting and rotating his handheld prayer wheel, to ask for directions to the caves, only to shown into the building. A few steps inside and I felt the sudden drop in temperature and the anxiety of an impending stillness. A small inverted V-shaped opening to the right made me feel I was just about to enter a new world, like Alice. 

A huge statue of Padum or Guru Padmasabhava, as he is known, looked down upon the small room created by the walls of the caves and illuminated by many candles and a few tube lights. The silence in the air was discontinued only by his looks and the pointed goatee beard. The pale gold statue of Rinpoche, in his classic sitting pose, had just enough space to be ensconced between the two cave walls. The small cave room became the perfect time-capsule for a few passengers who wanted to digress from earthly harangues and meditate in this stillness. A sharp ear could hear water trickling down the walls in the adjoining smaller cave that housed a small idol of Padum’s consort Madarava.

Stepping out of the cave, my eyes were blinded by the whiteness of the fog and the clouds passing by. I climbed up the mountain to Naina Devi temple where there was more human presence. Bhajans could be heard clearly while my mind yearned to collect the prasad on my way out. The clouds eclipsed the temple towers and the heat from the havan kund was perfect for the weather. A newly-wed couple sought blessings from the mountain Goddess Bhagwati, an incarnation of Durga, while a few kids busily clicked pictures with the clouds as backdrop. The time for arathi made the pilgrims congregate at the sanctum while I ran out to get the prasad. After the unassuming fanfare at the temple, a government HRTC bus took me back to Rewalsar via a densely fogged road lined with pine trees.

I could see the 123 ft statue of Padmasabhava overlooking the town of Rewalsar from a hillock while rains continued to wet the green coloured lake called Tso Pema, Padmacan or The Lotus Lake. The sun's rays impregnated the clouds and struck the statue making it much more lustrous. A hot cup of tea in the cafe outside the Nyingmapa Gompa, whichmade a perfect resting place, where I could sit and watch the huge statue while letting the monsoon sink into me. Reading a book was not an option, as the silence of the staccato was mind-numbing. The mind picturised the whole sequence of events of Vajracharya on the burning pyre, which instead of consuming him turned into a pool of water and hence the water body called Padmacan and the genesis of Guru Padmasambhava, who went on to preach Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet from here.

A much-revered destination for Hindus, Buddhists and Sikhs alike, Rewalsar on the hills had a charm that not many pilgrim sites possess. During a quiet walk around the lake, I stopped at different places to just look at the huge statue and get into a minor trance. It is believed that Rishi Lomas meditated here; and also that there is a Gurudwara built by the Raja Joginder Sen of Mandi to commemorate Guru Gobind Singh's visit. Having been mentioned as a sanctuary in Sau Sakhi, the town is sacred for Namdhari Sikhs as well.

Nestled between all these religious sites I found a small zoo that housed some ghorals, barking deer, porcupines and bear. The panoramic view from the side of the lake, which housed a huge prayer wheel and hundreds of smaller prayer wheels (or mane, as they are called) was the perfect culmination point after perambulating the lake.

After a few days in this quaint little town, I rushed back to the madness of the city to immerse myself in some post-travel research to find out know more about this uncharted destination.

HOW TO GET THERE

Rewalsar in Himachal Pradesh is 25km from Mandi and well connected by buses and taxis with Delhi. HPTDC operates comfortable Volvo buses.  

WHERE TO STAY 

Drikung Kadyud Gompa and Nyingmapa Gompa offer basic rooms at cheap rates. HPTDC Traveller's Inn and Hotel Lotus Lake behind the bus-stand are other options. 

WHAT TO EAT
Momos, thukpas and noodles are aplenty and the road outside Nyingmapa Gompa has many small eateries. Kommunity Kafe has nice thalis, albeit slightly pricey. The Tso Pema cafe sells organic tea and banana muffins. 

(This article was published in The Hindu Metro Plus dated 1-Sept-2012)

Book Review : The The Art of Intelligence by Henry A.Crumpton

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 23-07-2012)

We've got thousands dead. All I want is the mission. You gave it to me. I'm grateful." Thus responded Henry Crumpton (Hank) to his call of duty towards operations in Afghanistan. In The Art of Intelligence, Crumpton recounts how he joined the CIA as one of the youngest recruits, carried out operations in different geographies and rose to be the head of Special Operations in CIA's Counterterrorism Center and later as Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the Department of State. The book is packed with many instances of action that involve running agent networks all over the world, collecting valuable intelligence, executing global covert action, leading men in war, and helping defend the US — aspects that make the book a good read for students of international relations.

This enjoyable read starts with the various components of the tradecraft and Crumpton's experiences with these. The first half talks about training, recruiting and liaisoning skills. Having spent around a decade running agent networks in Africa, Crumpton says, "Good spies are like athletes; good spies are born, developed and trained." A key step, as Crumpton explains, is how CIA transformed itself with the inception of new technology. Like how usage of GPS during the war in Afghanistan was instrumental in sharing intelligence quickly with ground forces. Or how proliferation of the Web made espionage an important part of collecting digital intelligence. Familiar with tough decisions that affect many lives, he notes that though engaging the enemy lethally is important, understanding and winning over the people is crucial. Parallels could be easily drawn in a corporate zone.

The dynamics between the CIA, Department of Defence, the FBI and policy-makers figures as a running theme in various contexts. Crumpton often takes a dig at the FBI for an almost non-existent intelligence analysis and sharing mechanism with the CIA, and compares it to that of the CIA's success in thwarting al Qaeda's Millennium Plot, which used a constant feedback loop between intelligence collection and analysis.

He stresses on the need for intelligence and covert action, while underlining that it is not a magic bullet. His frustration is visible when he mentions, "We had UBL (Usama bin Laden) in our electrical-optical insights, but we had no realistic policy, no clear authority..." He also mentions how Barack Obama came into office with negative views of the CIA and how it changed with CIA's key role in UBL's death.  That said, the constant eulogising leaves a false impression of CIA being a ‘perfect' body. Also, the stress on the importance of the private sector in intelligence collection hints at publicity for the author's firm — The Crumpton Group, a strategic international advisory. The author underscores the importance of crucial leadership skills needed in challenging and risk-filled environments.

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 23-07-2012 .This review and other book reviews by me for BusinessWorld Magazine can be accessed here. )

Book Review : Imagine: How Creativity Works by Jonah Lehrer

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 09-07-2012. This review and other book reviews for BusinessWorld Magazine by me can be accessed here.)


  Why did Steve Jobs have the only set of bathrooms in the heart of the Pixar Studios office? Do we solve puzzles by insight or analysis? How did an autistic surfer invent a new killer surfing move? What led Bob Dylan to write ‘Like a Rolling Stone'? What was so special about Elizabethan England that it led to a literary explosion? And how do some companies and cities become innovation hubs? Explore these and many other interesting anecdotes in Imagine: How Creativity Works by popular science writer Jonah Lehrer.

Lehrer is a staff writer with The New Yorker, and has been in news this month for a reason that, ironically, his works can explain well — self plagiarism. A controversy broke out when media critic Jim Romenesko found out that Lehrer, who moved his popular pop-science blog ‘Frontal Cortex' to The New Yorker from Wired, rehashed parts of his earlier pieces in his posts on Newyorker.com. Lehrer later apologised. Despite the row, Lehrer is among the best science writers of the day. He is young (32) and effervescent, and is touted to be Malcolm Gladwell 2.0. His earlier works include Proust Was A Neuroscientist (2007) and How We Decide (2009).  

The book has two parts. The first one focuses on the thought processes in an individual and the next one discusses the (social) dynamics in a group or a city. For Lehrer, creativity is a discovery process; it is like taking two already existing things and connecting them in an entirely new way. This, in some ways, reflects views of Greek philosophers such as Plato, who viewed creativity as a form of imitation. Lehrer says an idea has a promise when it looks obvious in retrospect. Creativity, he says, is more a state of mind than a phase of mind and different aspects such as colour or travel can drastically influence the flow of thoughts. Lehrer explains how comic artists improvise to let themselves go and not inhibit their impulses.

Without getting too deep into neuroscience, Lehrer succinctly explains the importance of the prefrontal cortex in the creativity process, how certain drugs affect the activity of neurons and how the eureka moment always comes along with the certainty of the success of the idea. The ‘aha' moment can be due to either an insight or analysis and it is easy to differentiate between the two problem-solving abilities. Citing Crockett Johnson's children's novel Harold And The Purple Crayon as an example, Lehrer explains how different ideas coexist in our brain (conceptual blending) — an important aspect of creativity. He corroborates this with the thought processes behind the invention of the airplane, printing machine, velcro, Google search algorithm, etc. Yes, you will find Lehrer digging out anecdotes from almost everything.

Lehrer says cities are indeed engines of innovation and it is where good ideas originate. Dense populations lead to more diversity and interactions which, in turn, generate more ideas — ‘knowledge spillovers'. Stressing the importance of interactions and communication, Lehrer explains how Silicon Valley won over Route 128 (a highway around Boston, which housed a hi-tech industry along its lanes in 1960s and 1980s). Despite the density of talent, Route 128 could not interact courtesy non-compete clauses and non-disclosure pacts, which resulted in stifling of innovation. There was no free flow of information. Lehrer says imagination is a talent that takes multiple forms, while creativity is an emergent property of people coming together.

Lehrer is not trying to prescribe a set of rules for you to be a more creative person, but he tries to touch upon the various internal and external phenomena that trigger creative thought processes in us. He combines aspects of neuroscience, psychology, anthropology, humanities and urban geography to make the book a comprehensive read. He has done his homework well, and refers to works of several scientists and researchers, making the book a must read for all innovators and out-of the-box thinkers.

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 09-07-2012. This review and other book reviews for BusinessWorld Magazine by me can be accessed here.)

Book Review : Velocity By Ajaz Ahmed & Stefan Olander

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 11-06-2012)

As Seth Godin says, a trapeze artist can never succeed if he cannot let go his rope to get to the next one. Ajaz Ahmed and Stefan Olander carry forward this idea in Velocity. Ahmed is the founder of AKQA, an award-winning creative agency, and Olander is the vice-president of digital sport at Nike, and they come together to translate their extensive experience in the digital world into seven laws for any organisation to be successful. Written as a conversation between the two, this book would help any entrepreneur, decision-maker or innovator in streamlining their thought processes.

The central premise rests on the adage: "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got." The authors present why innovation is important in today's rapidly changing and challenging business ecosystem and how it is mandatory for survival. Richard Branson, in his introduction, says that change is often seen as a threat, but to an entrepreneur it is oxygen. Ahmed states how AKQA embodied this spirit and transformed  into a big company with a clientele that includes Nike, Heineken, Volkswagen, Fiat, Audi, XBox and Virgin.

The book cites many product successes and failures to demonstrate the importance of innovation, vision and perseverance for an engaging customer experience. Though the laws might sound axiomatic, the authors cite several instances where organisations have gone wrong in taking calculated risks. Examples include firms such as Borders, which missed the digital revolution and ended up filing for bankruptcy, or Segway, which tried to be the harbinger of the next revolution in personal transportation and failed. Emphasising on doing rather than on just thinking about an idea, Ahmed casually remarks, "Don't tell me you are funny, tell me a joke".

Marketing and advertising also figure prominently in the book. The authors emphasise that "being cool" comes with offering well-designed, interesting and indispensable solutions. Technology is only an enabler, and it helps aid imagination in offering customers simple and intuitive solutions. The many channels of customer engagement should not interrupt customers, but offer them a nice memory of the product.

No book on innovation can exclude Apple. The authors do discuss the indefatigable spirit of Steve Jobs and Apple's employees who have always offered great customer experiences. They discuss how ‘convenience' does not feature in the vocabulary of Apple and beauty and simplicity are a standard.

This book can also be called a successor to Malcolm Gladwell's Tipping Point, with a lesser intensity. Though it is noteworthy that Gladwell is probably the best storyteller of our generation, Ahmed and Olander have done a good job of keeping the reader tuned in and sharing their insights, observations and enthusiasm for the digital world in a jargon free language.

(This story was published in Businessworld Issue Dated 11-06-2012. This review and other book reviews for BusinessWorld Magazine by me can be accessed here.)