Sun-The Generator, Observer and Destroyer!

As we march towards the end of April, and await May, my thoughts wandered around one of the smaller stars in the universe, but the epi center of our solar system, "The Sun".

The energy sapping summer in Rajasthan, is a time when not only people but also the flora and fauna of the region look forward to some respite from the scorching sun. Some even wish the summers weren't there, but they should ask the people of the 'old blighty', who always yearn for a sunny day with blue skies. However scorching the Sun maybe, it embodies GOD; Generator, Observer and Destroyer.

The Sun in its Generator form is a catalyst of live. It brings radiance and vitality and ushers in the joy of life. For people residing at the geographic poles (where days and nights are for 6 months alternately), the Sun and its rays bring in new hope and happiness after 6 months of continuous darkness.

The Sun in its Observer form sustains life. It brings in prosperity and is symbolic with fun and frolic as best exemplified by terms like "enjoying Sun and Sand". It also signifies well being and beauty. In the west, a well tanned body is something to die for.

The Sun in its Destroyer form is the most destructive. It brings in large scale destruction. Excessive periods of summer and scanty rainfalls lead to droughts which bring in enormous human sorrow. Forest fires are also more often than not caused by the Sun. These infernos cause wide spread damage, if not controlled quickly.

Thus, it can be seen that the Sun has powers which are constructive as well as destructive and humans have been trying from time immemorial to harness these powers for constructive use, viz-a-viz electricity generation through solar panels. Similarly, every individual has both constructive as well as destructive powers within one's self. What one should endeavor is to see to it that the constructive powers are harnessed and the destructive powers suppressed, so that the world becomes a better place to live in.

At Blue Caramel, we envisage that each one of us, Generates new ideas and innovates, Observes that the ideas that are practical and have value are implemented and Destroys all ill wills and negative feelings that might crop up, so that we as a group achieve the goal that has made us start this Journey, the Journey of Blue Caramelers.....

Fools in a rush- Bollywood, IPL and workplace

My grandfather was a very widely traveled, worldly wise man, who encountered many amazing incidents in his journey of life. Born in Kolkata (previously Calcutta), he traversed the length and breadth of India, studied in McGill University, Montreal, Canada and then finally settled in Udaipur, Rajasthan. 

From his experiences, he had a favorite quote, a quote first coined by 18th century English poet Alexander Pope in his poem "An Essay on Criticism". The quote "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" has renewed relevance in today's times, when patience is in short supply and short cuts are available in plenty. Today, people in their mad rush to forge ahead, forget the age old idiom, "There is no short cut to success" and try jumping up the stairs of success, resulting in more often than none, their falling flat on their backs after a few successful jumps, at the most.

Examples are galore of fools in a rush, today. A few days back, a wannabe actress of Bollywood, Minakshi Thapa was murdered by her colleagues, who tried to extort money from her family to finance their lavish lifestyle, a short cut which cut short a precious life. Similarly, in the IPL-5 T-20 cricketing extravaganza, Manish Pandey, a promising opening batsman from RoyalChallengers Bangalore, in his bid to get more auction money took a very controversial transfer to the Pune Warriors India. Now he finds himself rarely in the playing eleven of PWI, a case of an urge to earn quick money resulting in him not getting an opportunity to showcase his special talents and him warming the benches of his team, instead of playing for them.

 But it is fools in the corporate workplace, who take the icing on the cake. Knowing of the tough situations in these recession times, many keep comparing themselves with their peers in other sectors, having a myopic view of only the goodies the others have, ignoring the darker aspects. This mindset results in many talented corporate workers behaving like fools, who in their rush for the sky, more often than none, hit the ground and die or kiss their quest for a better life, bye bye!

 Let all Blue Caramelers be beware of such fools, because one should always remember that all that glitters in not gold!!

Live the moment!

With the approach of the second week of April, the offices of Blue Caramel at all the locations are now all geared up to face the challenges that have been given to them for this financial year. The yearly targets have all been set and sent and huge possibilities of enhanced earnings and growth have been rolled out. Its now for each Blue Carameler to decide how much to earn and how much to grow in this Fin Year.

During the course of the development of the Blue Caramel group, there have been many situations, some good, some bad and some ugly, but each situation has been taken by the company in its stride. Similar is the case with all the members of the Blue Caramel family. There have been off days and there have been days to cherish. But the crux of the matter has been that the company and its members have surged ahead despite many hurdles. So, whenever you are angry, upset, feel cheated, lonely or sad, you have to realize the fact that "This Moment is Not Permanent in Life"  and that by brooding over things or by creating negative feelings about certain things in life, we are but destroying some precious moments of this wonderful life that we envisage to live fully.

So, lets live the moment and cherish all that we have and try to build a better tomorrow for ourselves but not at the cost of today. Lets learn from the past, enjoy a great "Present" ie today and strive to have a peaceful, happy and prosperous future. Let us all, the members of Blue Caramel, learn from what we have done or not done in the past, live our dreams today and enjoy a super successful tomorrow! And the time starts now-----

IPL5, Fear and the joy of life!

After a hectic closure of the last financial year, Blue Caramel offices in Rajasthan and Mumbai have had a pretty sedate start to the new financial year. But there was nothing sedate in the opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL5) which was held yesterday ie on the third of April, at the Chepauk stadium in Chennai. The T20 extravaganza spread over 54 days and involving 9 franchisee teams promises to enthrall the cricket enthusiasts from the world over.

Since its inception, the IPL has seen actions galore, both on field as well as off the field. Be it the amazing journey of the Rajasthan Royals from being a minnow to becoming the champion in the first edition, under the inspirational mentorship of Aussie Shane Warne, the unexpected surge to the title of the Deccan Chargers in the second edition to the incredible "Midas" touch of "Captain Cool" Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Chennai Super Kings, seeing them to 2 successive titles, IPL has seen all. Off the field, controversies have been many, especially  the high profile Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owned by the flamboyant Bollywood superstar, Shahrukh Khan, has had more than its share of controversies. Starting with the Sourav Ganguly- John Buchanan spate, rotational captain policy to the eventual discarding of not only the coach but also players of the caliber of Ganguly, Maccullum and Chris Gayle. Though the dropping of Ganguly, to a certain extent could have had its justifications (exemplified by the fine run of KKR under the captainship of Gautam Gambhir during IPL4), Chris Gayle came back to haunt KKR after having been picked by the Bangalore Royal Challengers, reserving some of his best knocks against his old team. A fearless display of batsmanship.

The word fearless brings me to today's keyword of the blog which is Fear. Fear has two meanings in life, the first which is easier to practice is Forfeit Everything and Run and the second, which only a select few practice and become successful in life, is Face Everything and Rejoice. Life gives everyone ample opportunities to grab success. But like roses cannot be without thorns, success too cannot be without failures.

Most only see the failures while they are struggling and forfeit all they have garnered during the process of struggle and loose the opportunities that life has to offer and hence keep on struggling for life. The select few who have the caliber, desire and willpower to succeed in life, face everything that life throws at them, Manfully and persevere till they become the King of their own Destiny. At Blue Caramel, we require Winners because Winners never quit and Quitters never Win and it is the winner who enjoys the joy of life!

Emotions!

As the current financial year draws to an end and companies start taking stock of how things fared in the year and strive to meet the shortfalls, a wide range of emotions are seen within the organization. Blue Caramel is no exception.

Success is contagious but alas so is failure. One shining example of success breeds new energy into the entire team, but a failure too could have a similar negative effect, especially if one keeps brooding over it. There have been many instances when the exploits of one branch has galvanized the other branches of Blue Caramel during this financial year. Jaipur galvanized Jodhpur, which in turn galvanized Udaipur, fostering a great atmosphere of "Co-opetition" (ie cooperation with competition) within Blue Caramel.

On the other hand, there have been individual as well as collective failures in Blue Caramel during FY11-12, when things have looked bad and almost out of control. But the resilience of the Blue Caramelers has seen to it that things have come back again from the brink. A famous song by Billy Ocean with lyrics "When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going" aptly showcases the spirit of Blue Caramel. But the real test for all Blue Caramelers is to back each other, come what may, withstanding all pressures and emotions and steering the company towards collective glory!

As the financial year draws to an end, let all Blue Caramelers draw onto all their resources and energies and deliver on the promises that they themselves have made to the organization, because it is only the meek who surrenders, a true warrior fights till the very end to see another day!!

Cobwebs of the Mind!

The last few days have been prime examples of Cobwebs, Human Mind, Successes and Failures, both within the world of Blue Caramel as well as out of it.

Starting with events that have happened outside Blue Caramel, being a cricket buff, I would again quote accomplishments from the field of cricket. Sachin Tendulkar, the god of Indian cricket became the first cricketer ever to score 100 international 100s, when he scored 114 runs against Bangladesh in the Asian Cup on 16th March2012. Even with the special talent that he has and the number of centuries he has scored over the years, Sachin remained stuck on 99 centuries for more than an year and this fact kept him perturbed, which he himself acknowledged. But the irony of this hundredth international hundred was that it was one of the most scratchy and the second slowest 100 that Sachin has ever made and India actually lost the match against the "minnows". But you could see the real maestro at work in India's demolition of arch rivals Pakistan, in the subsequent match.

This brings me back to the title of the blog, "Cobwebs of the Mind". The inability to get to his 100th 100 was weighing so much in his mind that Sachin's natural attacking game took a backseat. The more he tried to get to this landmark, the more he failed. Maybe for the first time ever, he started to feel the pressure, a creation of the expectations of billions of cricket lovers and also his own. Cobwebs started developing in his mind.

It is but a human tendency that when things are not falling in place and the going starts getting harder, the mind gets cluttered resulting in the cobwebs getting developed and re-emphasized. The only way to get out of this phase is to remain true to one's self, trusting one's own ability and not loosing focus of the larger picture and more importantly keep working towards the ultimate goal. Sachin just did that after his struggle with the Cobwebs of his Mind. I am sure this achievement would be valued by him, like no other achievement that he has accomplished in his illustrious career because of the magnitude of the struggle that he had to undergo.

Many Blue Caramelers too would have encountered the cobwebs of the mind more often than none. But to emerge victorious from shortcomings, distortions of the mind, one has to be always TRUE and HONEST to one's self and the organization, in any circumstance and only then would the ultimate goal be realized. It is only a solid foundation that can support a strong building and if the foundation is weak, the building will collapse!

Its All in the Mind!

The last week has been a week which has sprung more questions than it has given answers for all the Blue Caramel offices be it Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur or even Mumbai.

Post a change of guards in Blue Caramel-Jodhpur, Santosh is still in a learning phase with Manish proving to be an adequate mentor. Sanjay's tryst at Blue Caramel-Jaipur has just began and Suheil and Mehul's foray in the Education institutions of Udaipur, has been the high point of an otherwise dismal week for Blue Caramel-Udaipur.In Mumbai, Blue Caramel is contemplating using the services of Supritta, who might turn out to be the star-writer, that we have been looking forward for quite a time now.

The informal "Siesta" discussions have had a hiatus, for now, but the flow of discussions have not stopped. The wide range of discussions this week have touched topics like "The existence of God", "Evolution of  Mankind" and "Ghosts and creations of the mind". The last of these topics, brings me to a phrase that my father uses quite regularly, which is "Its All in the Mind!"

Its All in the Mind actually connotes the amazing power a human mind has to Make or Break aspirations, happiness, success and general well being. On one hand, a handicapped person, by putting his mind over body can scale the highest of mountain peaks and on the other an able bodied person might be earning his living by begging. Similarly, a person might be creating history by learning from past mistakes and on the other hand another person maybe fretting away his life by living with cobwebs of the past. 

Our lives are very precious and it is envisaged at Blue Caramel that all the Blue Caramelers sprint ahead in life overcoming hurdles and become champions of success, because as Bill Gates once said " Being born poor is not a crime, but dying poor, certainly is". So, lets all not brood over the happenings of the past and try to rock away to glory because life is too short to live only in the past and time and tide wait for none!