The Sunday that went by was marked by a unique felicitation of Goan social activist, Ramesh Gawas. The excuse was the recent award he received from the President of India for his excellent services as a teacher. But the real reason was that his students, colleagues and friends wanted to put into practice the very lessons of social responsibility of Ramesh… The function was simple and humble (just like Ramesh) but the highlight was an ultimate act of generosity!
Generosity is a desirable habit. In times of natural disasters, we see relief being provided voluntarily by individuals or groups sharing gifts of time, money, labour and other resources. However, generosity should not be limited to times of great need such as natural disasters and extreme situations. Hence, donating blood is encouraged as an exercise, not only when needed, but also as blood banking.
Ramesh’s friends chose to initiate a commitment to the ultimate act of big-heartedness… Over 50 persons led by Ramesh signed up declarations to donate their bodies after death! They further resolved to create awareness about the worthy cause and widen the circle of influence to get more and more people to sign up for the mission born of the emotion of empathy.
Everyone would like to leave a legacy so that they are remembered after death. What act could be a better legacy then to help a blind person see the world, or help the need to transplant a heart, kidneys and other organs… especially, when the eyes, heart, kidney, liver are ours. We must connect and commit to this act of generosity that shall live even after our death…
Death shall not punctuate our ultimate act of generosity…
Our resolve of body donation shall BE BETTER for humanity!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
Monday, January 26, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
LAWN
The best of institutional edifices are enhanced by the relief of lush green lawns. A visitor to one such exciting creation was so impressed by the meticulously maintained lawns that he insisted on meeting the gardener who looked after the lawns.
When asked by the visitor of the secret behind the lawn, the wise gardener replied, 'The first part is difficult… levelling the land as per design, choosing and adding the right top soil, arranging the drainage and other things that are available in books. The second part is simple and easy… we need to just regularly mow the lawn, weed it and water it. Keep doing that and you get a lawn that continues to be like this.'
What is true for the lawn is true for every endeavour for excellence. So often, we give our best while creating something. We manage the difficult part but falter at the easy part. Well begun, it is said, is half done. But if we do not keep the consistency, our best start can be undone.
Consistency is the hall mark of the real achievers. For they keep working to maintain a positive attitude and approach to the things they start. They buttress their vision with a mind-set of mission and the ability to be both, dogged and diligent. Steadfastness holds the key to greater successes. Persistence is a value that ensures that we can BE BETTER at optimising a good start.
No lawn can remain beautiful without a gardener’s sense of mission…
To BE BETTER we must back initiative with dedicated determination!
- Pravin
When asked by the visitor of the secret behind the lawn, the wise gardener replied, 'The first part is difficult… levelling the land as per design, choosing and adding the right top soil, arranging the drainage and other things that are available in books. The second part is simple and easy… we need to just regularly mow the lawn, weed it and water it. Keep doing that and you get a lawn that continues to be like this.'
What is true for the lawn is true for every endeavour for excellence. So often, we give our best while creating something. We manage the difficult part but falter at the easy part. Well begun, it is said, is half done. But if we do not keep the consistency, our best start can be undone.
Consistency is the hall mark of the real achievers. For they keep working to maintain a positive attitude and approach to the things they start. They buttress their vision with a mind-set of mission and the ability to be both, dogged and diligent. Steadfastness holds the key to greater successes. Persistence is a value that ensures that we can BE BETTER at optimising a good start.
No lawn can remain beautiful without a gardener’s sense of mission…
To BE BETTER we must back initiative with dedicated determination!
- Pravin
Monday, January 12, 2009
THE BELL
Zen stories have been a big favourite with me. They highlight profound truth in very few words. One story tells of a new student seized by a sincere desire to learn. At the very first meeting with his master, he asked how he should prepare himself for his training. "Think of me a bell," the master explained. "Give me a soft tap, and you will get a tiny ping. Strike hard and you'll receive a loud, resounding peal."
Life is like that. To make the most of it, we must give it our all. We need to be unbridled in our attitude and make the most of every prospect that comes our way. Somebody said it so well, “If it is going to be, it is up to me.” So the next time, we see the bell of opportunity, let’s realise that it is the intensity of our strike that will decide the magnitude of the resonance.
To BE BETTER at striking the bell of potential expectation…
Let’s remember that it is we who control the reverberation!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
Life is like that. To make the most of it, we must give it our all. We need to be unbridled in our attitude and make the most of every prospect that comes our way. Somebody said it so well, “If it is going to be, it is up to me.” So the next time, we see the bell of opportunity, let’s realise that it is the intensity of our strike that will decide the magnitude of the resonance.
To BE BETTER at striking the bell of potential expectation…
Let’s remember that it is we who control the reverberation!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
Monday, January 5, 2009
REMEMBERING
The film “Ghajini” delves into a case of anterograde amnesia. The memory of the hero is reduced to a recall of just fifteen minutes, following a violent attack by the killers of his girlfriend. To avenge the past as well as remember his present-day plan, the protagonist uses memory pegs in terms of Diaries, Polaroid photo-images, permanent tattoos on his torso, scribbled notes and memory alerts on his mobile. While the film takes creative liberty to tell its tale of fiction, it has a lesson for us…
Consider our own predicament. There are times when we are seized with a passion and a mission to respond to a challenging situation. It could be a brazen terrorist strike… or a shameful act of corruption… or the murder of humanity in a communal riot… or an exploit of exploitation… or a criminal lapse in governance! But, as time passes our noble intentions begin to detach from our consciousness… we suffer from memory loss of our own cause…
Righteous intentions need to be guarded against loss of focus… Like the protagonist in the film, we need to use memory pegs… We need to maintain diaries that account for what we are thinking, what we are doing and what we are going through… We must document our dreams and plans through notes, sketches, photographs, blogs, etc… We must surround ourselves with knowledge resources like books, quotations, vision and mission statements, and the like.
Amnesia patients may have no choice but to prop up their memory with methods and mechanisms… But for the rest of us, “remembering” is about making a choice… We can choose to remember what we believe in or we can choose to forget to walk our own talk…It is all about putting in the crucial extra effort to fasten our thoughts, plans and actions with the glue of a convergent memory…
To BE BETTER at remembering what we tend to forget…
Peg in extra effort today, lest the future be one of regret!
- Pravin
Consider our own predicament. There are times when we are seized with a passion and a mission to respond to a challenging situation. It could be a brazen terrorist strike… or a shameful act of corruption… or the murder of humanity in a communal riot… or an exploit of exploitation… or a criminal lapse in governance! But, as time passes our noble intentions begin to detach from our consciousness… we suffer from memory loss of our own cause…
Righteous intentions need to be guarded against loss of focus… Like the protagonist in the film, we need to use memory pegs… We need to maintain diaries that account for what we are thinking, what we are doing and what we are going through… We must document our dreams and plans through notes, sketches, photographs, blogs, etc… We must surround ourselves with knowledge resources like books, quotations, vision and mission statements, and the like.
Amnesia patients may have no choice but to prop up their memory with methods and mechanisms… But for the rest of us, “remembering” is about making a choice… We can choose to remember what we believe in or we can choose to forget to walk our own talk…It is all about putting in the crucial extra effort to fasten our thoughts, plans and actions with the glue of a convergent memory…
To BE BETTER at remembering what we tend to forget…
Peg in extra effort today, lest the future be one of regret!
- Pravin
Monday, December 29, 2008
NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS
As the year 2008 moves to its end, a familiar ritual will make its annual appearance in our lives – the ritual of making New Year resolutions…the most popular resolutions range from breaking of flawed habits to the pledge to inculcate desirable habits, from putting the bulge in to bringing the biceps out, from vows of self improvement to socio-centric commitments, from pledges to become more economically or environmentally responsible to charity towards the disadvantaged…
Though born of innocent intent, most resolutions remain unfulfilled or abandoned by the very minds that conjure them. Hence, for many of us, the process is just moving through a mechanical ritual. Therefore it is prudent to give up the meaningless practice or we need to re-invent our attitude and approach to what is essentially a well meaning exercise.
It is pertinent for our resolution to have “RESOLVE” which must translate into an action plan. It is not enough to know where one wants to go… we must also chalk out the path to get there. The larger destination needs to be seen as a link of lesser goals. Only then we would be able to recognize partial successes at every step along the way. Just as a resolution isn't realised the day it's made, neither is it realised the day we reach our goal. It is accomplished in small wins along the way.
The execution of the action plan to realise the resolution that we make defines ground-zero. Simply put, New Year is not the only time to make resolutions… rather, every moment that flags off the journey to fulfil a worthy resolve, heralds the beginning of a New Year in our lives. Anais Nin said it so well, “I make no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and moulding my life, is too much of a DAILY event for me!”
New Year is the moment when we choose to walk the path of transformation,
to BE BETTER at fulfilling every resolve we need dedication & determination…
- Pravin-da
Though born of innocent intent, most resolutions remain unfulfilled or abandoned by the very minds that conjure them. Hence, for many of us, the process is just moving through a mechanical ritual. Therefore it is prudent to give up the meaningless practice or we need to re-invent our attitude and approach to what is essentially a well meaning exercise.
It is pertinent for our resolution to have “RESOLVE” which must translate into an action plan. It is not enough to know where one wants to go… we must also chalk out the path to get there. The larger destination needs to be seen as a link of lesser goals. Only then we would be able to recognize partial successes at every step along the way. Just as a resolution isn't realised the day it's made, neither is it realised the day we reach our goal. It is accomplished in small wins along the way.
The execution of the action plan to realise the resolution that we make defines ground-zero. Simply put, New Year is not the only time to make resolutions… rather, every moment that flags off the journey to fulfil a worthy resolve, heralds the beginning of a New Year in our lives. Anais Nin said it so well, “I make no resolutions for the New Year. The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and moulding my life, is too much of a DAILY event for me!”
New Year is the moment when we choose to walk the path of transformation,
to BE BETTER at fulfilling every resolve we need dedication & determination…
- Pravin-da
Monday, December 22, 2008
INTROSPECTION
This Monday Muse is triggered by the recent statement of Goa’s Chief Minister that recommends introspection to his citizens. Clearly, he is distressed by the opposition to projects by increasingly vigilant and vocal villagers. If the Government were to introspect itself, it would be unambiguous that rather than blind opposition to development, the voices are of concern for the land, lives and livelihoods – all under attack by a planning process fuelled by greed rather than the need of the people
One of the most effective lessons is that “lessons are not meant to be taught, they are meant to be learnt.” Introspection is one knowledge process that stipulates personal initiative rather than be a diagnosis for somebody else. The results of introspection are liberating in terms of the widened perspective of understanding the situation and our role-connection to that very situation.
The word itself is derived from the Latin term of introspicere which literally means to look inside. It is the self-observation of our own reasoning and behaviour. It involves reflection on the impact of our thoughts and actions on others as well as ourselves. However, introspection that only remains inward looking tends to be selfish. We must utilise its value as a valid tool for the development of scientific hypotheses and options and find effective results in practice for goal-oriented functional challenges
Imagine a traveller on a journey. Introspection would include looking at the path covered (past), the location as of now (the present) and the road ahead (the future). Introspection will involve looking at our original intentions, our actions and the impact of them on ourselves, our thinking and also on the situation that surrounds us.
The most important thing to remember is that introspection is a personal exercise as well as a personal initiative. And hence it involves taking ownership as well as responsibility of what we are and where we find ourselves. Rather than insist that others do it, it would be better if we involved in introspection ourselves!
It is so easy to indulge in sterile extrospection
To BE BETTER, we must involve in introspection…
- Pravin-da
One of the most effective lessons is that “lessons are not meant to be taught, they are meant to be learnt.” Introspection is one knowledge process that stipulates personal initiative rather than be a diagnosis for somebody else. The results of introspection are liberating in terms of the widened perspective of understanding the situation and our role-connection to that very situation.
The word itself is derived from the Latin term of introspicere which literally means to look inside. It is the self-observation of our own reasoning and behaviour. It involves reflection on the impact of our thoughts and actions on others as well as ourselves. However, introspection that only remains inward looking tends to be selfish. We must utilise its value as a valid tool for the development of scientific hypotheses and options and find effective results in practice for goal-oriented functional challenges
Imagine a traveller on a journey. Introspection would include looking at the path covered (past), the location as of now (the present) and the road ahead (the future). Introspection will involve looking at our original intentions, our actions and the impact of them on ourselves, our thinking and also on the situation that surrounds us.
The most important thing to remember is that introspection is a personal exercise as well as a personal initiative. And hence it involves taking ownership as well as responsibility of what we are and where we find ourselves. Rather than insist that others do it, it would be better if we involved in introspection ourselves!
It is so easy to indulge in sterile extrospection
To BE BETTER, we must involve in introspection…
- Pravin-da
Monday, December 15, 2008
WANDERING
The National Trekking Expedition – Goa (NTE-Goa) begins today. 16 teams of trekkers will travel the waters, beaches and forests of Goa over a trekking expedition that lasts eight days. At the same time five sets of 20 bikers will pedal their way across Goa’s marvellous terrain on a 5-day biking expedition. 5 sets of family campers will set base at the Base Camp at the Sports Authority Grounds.
Over the next 25 days, over 1200 persons will connect with the unique experience of the NTE-Goa, wandering across shell strewn beaches and forests full of flora and fauna. So many others have done it before to realise the motto of the Youth Hostels Association of India – “Wandering one gathers honey”. The wanderers are seized by a desire to connect with the unknown through an expedition of adventure.
The industrious bee has to travel many distances to collect honey. So must we, if we wish to be enriched by the lessons that our planet holds for us. Not just as environment enthusiasts, but also as responsive human beings we need to wander around our world to understand it better. However, just aimless wandering cannot suffice. We need to involve a sense of purpose as well.
M. K. Gandhi turned Mahatma by embarking on a year-long wandering trail across India to understand his motherland better. Four years before he led the Cuban Revolution, a young Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his friend covered 5,000 miles, on a rickety old motorcycle. These are just two lives that were transformed by the lessons picked up on the way while wandering. And both underline the need to render wandering into a trail.
Wandering is not just an inspiration to set sail
To BE BETTER, wanderers must leave a trail…
- Pravin-da
Over the next 25 days, over 1200 persons will connect with the unique experience of the NTE-Goa, wandering across shell strewn beaches and forests full of flora and fauna. So many others have done it before to realise the motto of the Youth Hostels Association of India – “Wandering one gathers honey”. The wanderers are seized by a desire to connect with the unknown through an expedition of adventure.
The industrious bee has to travel many distances to collect honey. So must we, if we wish to be enriched by the lessons that our planet holds for us. Not just as environment enthusiasts, but also as responsive human beings we need to wander around our world to understand it better. However, just aimless wandering cannot suffice. We need to involve a sense of purpose as well.
M. K. Gandhi turned Mahatma by embarking on a year-long wandering trail across India to understand his motherland better. Four years before he led the Cuban Revolution, a young Ernesto "Che" Guevara and his friend covered 5,000 miles, on a rickety old motorcycle. These are just two lives that were transformed by the lessons picked up on the way while wandering. And both underline the need to render wandering into a trail.
Wandering is not just an inspiration to set sail
To BE BETTER, wanderers must leave a trail…
- Pravin-da
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
