(Much needed )Change

News on TV few days ago . Sense of déjà vu in hearing spokespersons of the Congress and BJP *. Seldom do they have a point of view that is progressive . They are either defending themselves or attacking the others. The issue could range from the trivial to grave. That's incidental. They are steadfast in their approach. They manage to drag down the standards for conduct , quality of thought to a sub-zero level. The country suffers status quo and stagnation as the monkey show goes on day after day.

It used to be that way in some industries (in India ) - e.g airlines where one endured the incompetence of Indian Airlines . Thankfully more and more sectors face competition either by new players in the industry or a product/service offering from another industry that meets the need of the consumer. There's hardly any business that can afford to operate in a stagnant way and not experience the consequence of it .Unfortunately for the people of India the politicians are still able to get away with their self-serving , least common denominator approach #. One hopes that 2010 will bring in a change on this account...Each of us will contribute to making that change.

*Congress , BJP representative of political parties . The nonsense is no way limited to them.
# Every walk of life has people of integrity and good intention. In Indian politics such people are outnumbered as of now.

Notice...

Browsing through a book store I noticed a copy of 'The Noticer' :) Sometimes , all a person needs is a little perspective. True of mankind at an individual and collective level.

It's easy to get into an 'auto' mode while navigating through life or at least in the moments one sees as a means to an end. Quite literally the long commutes in places like Mumbai. The crowd , the poor quality of roads and the sheer time it takes are reasons enough to switch off , get annoyed or switch on an MP3 player in a bid to escape the din. Each of these moments has the potential to introduce us to something inspiring , beautiful , insightful , humorous. If we choose to notice.

Recently a friend who traveled by the trains in Mumbai noticed an elderly gentleman switching off the fans in the train when it reached it's final destination. As everyone rushed to get off the elderly gentleman went about his chosen task. Possibly not many people notice what he does (and he does it irrespective of acknowledgement or appreciation ).

The capacity to notice and the perspective is not limited to journeys.It carries through to various life circumstances bringing forth new insights and solutions enriching the world and it's futures.

Take a moment to notice

p.s - Celebrate the Noticers in your life

Temple

While God waits for His temple to be built of Love , men bring stones .

- Tagore

Tread lightly

Spring cleaning of a cupboard by a family member yielded a file with various original documents of my school and college education, early phase of my working career. It was a surprise partly because I thought the file was in one of my cupboards . A reminder perhaps that locations are relative :)

Going through the papers evoked many memories. Some of them not so pleasant considering that they pertained to exams and a rigid educational system. Considering that my last encounter with the edu. system was years ago I have the benefit of distance to allow for a certain perspective. Some of papers represented turning points in my life that set me off on a journey that led to the present moment.

At one time these certificates , scholarships were cherished possessions that symbolized accomplishment. Today , it's a file of old papers from a bygone era. A reminder that what one seeks today will one day have a very different meaning at some point .

Tread lightly and mindfully.

DIY

Few days ago I wanted to make some additions on my wardrobe door to create an efficient arrangement to hold papers , reminders etc . Managed to get a hook. After which I realized the need for some cord to create the arrangement I had envisaged . A search revealed that there was none at home. Normally for me when inspiration strikes I want to translate into action asap. Made an alternative arrangement that currently serves the purpose.

This episode made me reflect on various products . Increasingly we find (as urban residents ) that a high and growing percentage of our needs are fulfilled by products purchased off the shelf. or services outsourced. There's less and less of DIY in a whole range of needs. Furniture , clothing , home accessories , stationery(this merits a post by itself ), packaging , gifts . The last bastion is perhaps food which too is being targeted for ready made options.

DIY/creating solutions are like a muscle . Needs to be exercised regularly. The satisfaction and joy of having created something can't be replicated by a purchased product. From a business perspective - products that have some degree of DIY built into it can engage the customer way more than a completely plug n play product *. e.g a piece of clothing that is versatile , a home decor product that can create varying looks depending on what it is combined with. From an environment perspective DIY would be kinder on the earth . You're likely to use a product you emotionally connect with longer and with more joy - hopefully resulting in less use and dispose.

* DIY is a definite no-no in certain products . I'd be hopping mad if any electronic item I purchase has a DIY element :)

86,400 seconds

God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you?"

~William A. Ward

Rethinking design

Thought provoking presentation on design thinking by Tim Brown of IDEO .