Perception something to think about... really worth spending a minute

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approximately two thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later:
The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:
A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children.. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:
The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made..... How many other things are we missing?

Life's Bid-Ask spread

For most people life is all about what they want versus what life has to offer, and narrower the difference, the happier they feel they will get.I make my first million and then bid for 10 and then 100.I loose 5 kilos and then want to be size zero. I become an AVP but will crave to be the CEO.We have made happiness a moving target.Unfortunately by the time we realise the futility of this, we are too tired and jaded to enjoy life's small but profound joys.

Stop chasing the Bid-Ask spread. Aiming for perfect liquidity in life may cause it to crash.

ChappalGate of Indian Politics

WACK!....Chappalgate has hit Indian politicians. Call it the angst of the Indian public, the frustration of the voting masses or the’saazish’ of the opposition, chappalgate is here to stay.

The sudden spurt in footwear of various sizes being hurled at politicians of various ideologies (if there is any such thing in Indian politics) is not something that should be taken lightly. In all the cases the perpetrators are nothing but manifestations of each one of us. Don’t we all in the deepest corners of our heart’s wish to do the same?

We talk of living in the nano age, but our politicians are still promising ‘bijli’,’sadak’ and ‘paani’.I only wish that instead of BATA and Lakhani some Jimmy Choos and Manolo Blahniks are flung as well.

Recession Hits One and All

Washed away Dreams-We are Indians First

Visuals of the Bihar floods are haunting me day and night. Not that we have not seen destruction of this kind ever, but definitely there has never been such national apathy towards a calamity. I very clearly remember working at mobilizing funds for the Gujarat earthquake, the Tsunami and also remember not even once thinking that I don’t belong to these states. I think that a tragedy of this kind should be above regional and linguistic biases. Unfortunately this time around Bihar is fighting a very lonely battle.

During a discussion a few days back, one of my colleagues (a financial analyst) questioned the economic importance of Bihar,” It’s a burden” he opined. I am totally shocked at the lack of economic understanding shown by this person. No developing country (actually even developed) can afford to have a few of it’s states in a condition of total despair. It gives rise to anarchy, crime, terrorism and social recklessness. Such places become easy targets for the recruitment drive of anti social elements. While economic weakness is no justification for crime and anarchy in a perfect world, but in a world driven by capitalism this truism falls apart. So Mr. Analyst get your calculator and start calculating the economic cost of an underdeveloped Bihar.

I am not begging for the state I love. I have no doubt on the potential of Bihari’s. Pick up the qualifying lists of IIT’s, IIM’s and the toughest competitive exams in the country and you will get proof of the potential of Bihari’s. This was the state which gave us Jainism and Buddism. It’s in a state of disrepair due to faulty Politics and Policy. But friends don’t forget we are Indians too and therefore look forward to fellow Indians reaching out to us in one of our darkest hours.

The debate can wait…..Please save our lives first.

My Brothers!!!

I think the Raksha Bandhan fever has got to me! I am actually writing about them.Gosh..

Being the eldest and the only sister,life has been quite colourful.I still remember the youngest one (he was four and as scrawny as a twig then) escorting me on my walk and ,shouting at some eveteasers,"Oi tere ghar me Maa Bahen Nahin hain kya." I can't forget the look on their faces,it was sheer embarassment.

The middle one, who seemed like the most careless guy around has today evolved into one of the brightest minds I know.He was always my secret-keeper,my confidante.I used to blackmail him with mindless things,and make the poor fellow do all sorts of odd jobs(get my book,get some food,pick up my stuff.......you get the drift) Mean me:)

The eldest one,the rock.As a child he was the rowdiest one around.Would beat up all the kids ,break all sorts of household stuff.Today he is one of the strongest and most responsible guys I know.As calm as the sea on a sunny day.

I remember pestering them for their studies.Checking their pronunciation and their diction.I remember forgetting my arithmetic ,while trying to teach them some.But today I look at them and think ,every second of that time was worth it.

Love you Guys!!!!

Married Happily or Happily Married?

Is there a formula for a happy successful marriage?

Everytime this question crops up,so do innumerable answers.Words like love,commitment,understanding,maturity,adjustment,stability,friendship,togetherness....(actually the list is quite long)are often used.I frequently hear people say ,discuss,discard and then come back to their opinion about the X factor, that makes a relationship out of a marriage.

I have been married for sometime, and at times ponder and wonder about the very same question.As I see succesful marriages around me(my parents have been together for 30 years ),I also see an equal number of unhappy ones.I firmly believe that every individual has a right to being blissful and so if a relationship is not positive and happy ,being in it is unfair to all the individuals involved.

However, the problem lies with our definiton of happiness.Most of us don't know what actually makes us truly blissfully happy.Is it the diamonds,money,cars,beach side house or reading a great book.Our preferences change, every human goes through transformation and therefore so does every marriage.Finding happiness is crucial,but really knowing what makes us happy is the most important thing.