Food – Eat to Live or Live to Eat

2 Aug

Have you ever weighed the amount of food you eat in a  day ? Across Breakfast , Lunch , Dinner , a few snacks , some Coffee , Tea – add it all up – it will be about 3 – 4 kgs/ day. Thats about 1000 Kgs a year. Assuming you live for 75 years thats 75,000 Kgs of food you have consumed in your lifetime.  

A large adult male African elephant weighs about 6000 Kgs – so in effect an average adult in his lifetime consumes  12 Elephants. That sounds scary given the fact that the average weight of an adult is about 75 Kgs . So 74,925 Kgs of shit is generated by a human being in his lifetime. Sounds Gross – but think of this the next time you gobble down an extra serving.

african-elephant_435_600x450

If every indian reduces his food intake by 20 % then food prices will come crashing down and so will inflation. So rather than a food security bill maybe the UPA should enroll Baba Ramdev and preach the benefits of eating less and doing Yoga.  Added benefit is no more additional sewage maintenance plants will be needed for a few years.

So how much food do you actually need ? Very less given that 70 % of your energy comes from Sun & Air. The more you eat the more you consume energy to breakdown the food in your body. Some say that in 24 hrs all you need is 24 times the quantity of food you can fill in your palms.

People living in Ashrams , monasteries , the ancient Rishis seem to have figured this out . And that was the core doctrine of their good health and source of energy. A good lifestyle , coupled with Yoga , Meditation &  minimal food can generate enough energy and more for you.

sri_rama_rajyam_movie_valmiki_ashram_set_06

The discussion on Veg & Non Veg food is also interesting. 80 % of Indians and more than 90 % of the 7 Billion inhabitants in the world are meat eaters. Think of the meat that is being processed every day ! Unlike animals Humans have no canines to tear the flesh. Our digestive system is also designed in a manner that 70 % of the digestion happens in the mouth and throat , we also have a very long intestine when compared to carnivore animals.

In humans Non Veg food takes about 35 Hrs to digest. The temperature inside the human bods is about 40 Degrees – its dark & humid. Ever tried keeping a piece of cooked meat on a hot summer day in a dark corner of your house for 35 hrs – see what happens to it. Thats exactly what happens to the piece of meat that you eat.

Eating meat has no correlation to strength & energy – the Horse & the Elephant two of the strongest animals are pure vegetarians. So a simple Veg diet rich in fruits & vegetables , coupled with regular exercise and some meditation is all you need to feel light and energetic.

Dont let the tastebuds dictate your life. A few 10,000 cells spread across less than 1 Sq Cm should not be dictating your health & wellbeing

( Information based on discourse delivered by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudey in his Inner Engineering program)

Tags: , ,

ॐ = mc²

11 Jul

Quantum Physics and Einstein explain the relation between Matter & Energy. The ancient seers & rishis claimed that the universe is nothing but energy in different forms. WE have ourselves experienced how the energy in our body transforms at different times. The topic is attracting  a lot of attention. There is an interesting forum called SAND – that holds a conference on Science & Non Duality. It attracts the best of scientists and thinkers from across the globe to discuss on this topic. For those interested here is the URL – http://www.scienceandnonduality.com).

Since ages all the enlightened beings – Buddha, Shankara, Osho, Vivekananda, Ramana Maharishi – have all demonstrated that there is infinite energy inside in the human body. And True Knowledge & Bliss can only be obtained when this energy is activated and it merges with the cosmos. Call it nirvana, awakening of the Kunadlini, Enlightenment – its all one & the same.

buddha

Reading multiple books on the topic I have managed to pick up information in bits & pieces but have struggled to connect the dots – it all started coming together  last weekend at an excellent program called Inner Engineering conducted by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev (Isha Foundation)

jaggi-vasudev-image-74

The first thought that comes to my mind is the sheer mastery of Sadhguru’s facilitation skills and witty oratory that holds the attention of nearly 300 people for 30 hrs across 2 ½ days on varied topics of spirituality. His topics are diverse , communication is flawless and he holds the audience rapt in attention. Good content , well packaged , delivered perfectly – its an excellent product. A good mix of discourse, interactions, activities and fun makes the program indeed a memorable one.

The execution of the event is perfection epitomized. Managed by volunteers who have experienced the benefit of the program – it runs in a meticulous manner with a supreme eye for detail for the smallest of things. A live instrumental team with guitars , drums , flute veena and some lovely singing keeps the energy level in the hall very high. Overall a wonderful event – clearly  the best training in self development that I would have attended.

Its been just a few days and I already see the benefits of the program . You feel lighter, clearer , energized and more at peace with yourself. If this can happen in 3 days I wonder how far we can go after a year of regular sadhna. I want to capture the essence of the program in this blog and I would strongly encourage all of you to attend this program. (There are multiple versions happening across the country including an online version – http://www.ishafoundation.org)

The core of the program is to initiate participants into a ancient and powerful Kriya called the  “Shambhavi Maha Mudra” that helps ignite the hidden energy inside an individual. Its simple, takes 30 min to practice every day and you can see a visible difference in a few days. ( http://blog.ishafoundation.org/yoga-meditation/demystifying-yoga/why-shambhavi/)

Let me now try and summarize the core philosophy explained by Sadguru in the program. This is just a tip of the iceberg and the true depth & breadth of the session can only be experienced once you attend it.

  1. We are all different forms of energy that is the universe. So when we say God is inside everything or Lord Krishna opened his mouth to show the entire universe inside it – it just means that we are all part and parcel of the same energy that is all pervasive.
  2. Our body is nothing but food, our features are inherited from our DNA. Our mind is nothing but impressions – we keep on adding impressions but have no delete button to remove them
  3. Every emotion is a chemical reaction. Imbalance creates disease. A pill is nothing but a chemical that solves this disease temporarily. You need to be at ease and create the right balance inside you. Our misbalance causes 70% of our illness.
  4. Anger is nothing but a surge of chemicals. It hardly lasts for more than 30 seconds. The angry man is unhappier than the man who he has been angry at.
  5. Our intellect is nothing but a knife that dissects. We need to experience and feel life from within.
  6. The biggest miracle in life is life itself – rather than look at the miracle that is us we look for miracles and joy outside.
  7. As kids we were always happy – as adults we are unhappy most of the time. This is because we have created boundaries for ourselves. A boundary of our family, our building, our community, our religion, our country. Anything outside the boundary seems a threat.
  8. Since we are all part of the same cosmos we need to take responsibility for everything. Our resources may limit our actions for solving everything but this will help us identify the infinite potential in us.
  9. All problems and all solutions exist within you. You need to accept what you know and what you don’t know.
  10. We are technologically the most advanced generation but physically the weakest. Our food & lifestyle habits is threatening our very existence and acting as an impediment to natural evolution. We have destroyed in the last 50 years what has flourished for millions of years. We are threatening the existence of the planet.

He also touches upon a variety of other interesting topic that includes Right Food to eat ( Pranic Vs Non Pranic) , how many was designed to be a vegetarian , how you can enjoy old age by nurturing your body early , Stories on Adi Yogi and how spirituality in India thrived as early as 15,000 years back. How astrology , numerology and the concept of Hell & Heaven are all misconceptions.

Like I mentioned in one my earlier blogs – we have been brainwashed since our childhood days. God does not exist in a temple but inside you. This program helps validate that. It’s encouraging to see that the vast majority of people who attended the program were in the late 20’s and 30’s. It augurs well for humanity if the wave of spirituality can once again revive the country and the world from its woes. It gives me hope.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Educational Apps for Kids

27 Jun

I see a lot of Tablets & iPads being sold. If we believe the predictions of one of the large market research firms 2014 will see approximately the same no of tablets being sold as computers in the country ( ~ 10M). At home , in a airport , on a train – almost everywhere I see iPads being used by kids as a device to play games.

TempleRun100Mil

There are two common themes that cut across most Indian families.

1. We are ready to pay an arm and a leg for our children’s education. Tuition , special classes , all the books they need  – right from age 6 we start preparing them for their competitive exams.

2. We are not DIY ( Do it Yourself ) people. Our banks even offer to deliver money at home for lazy customers who cant travel to an ATM 100 m away from their home ( and that is a popular service) , our cars are cleaned by our drivers , most of us have drivers , and no house can operate without a few maids, a small balcony garden needs to be tended by a gardener – so overall the point is we are not DIY people . When it comes to studies we are more than happy to pack away our kids to Tuition classes rather than spend that extra time ourselves. After all money can buy everything.

Keeping these points in mind the iPad is a great tool for Kids at home. In addition to playing games they can learn a lot of useful stuff in a DIY manner. That helps in better knowledge retention and understanding of the concepts.

Listing below sections on the App Store where you can download education Apps for all levels – Pre School & Kindergarden , Elementary School , Middle School & High School . These are very useful & simple to use educational Apps for all ages. If you have an iPad download them for your kids and get started with getting more  value for the lovely iPad you have at home.

Apps for Pre-school & Kindergarten:  https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?fcId=630741467&mt=8

Preschool copy

Apps for Elementary school: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?cc=us&fcId=634073737&mt=8&ls=1

Elementary copy

Apps for Middle School: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?cc=us&fcId=634638382&mt=8&ls=1

Middle copy
Apps for High School: https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewRoom?cc=us&fcId=634638644&mt=8&ls=1

High copy

PS – Thanks to my colleague Kiran for compiling all the details

Simplify – Layman’s guide to peace & happiness

20 Jun

Its Tax Time and after three weeks I finally managed to compile all the information that is needed to get the job done in a thick 2 inch file. I got wiser after an IT Enquiry a few years back &  play it safe by  compiling every bit of information of the last FY. An IT enquiry can be really stressful – if you are asked in 2011 to provide in-depth detail of all your finances  in 2006 & 2007 – it isn’t easy  to dig out old records & transactions.

08taxx2

As you start compiling bank account (s) statements , TDS Certificates , Capital Gains & Losses , Property Details , Home Loan statements , Insurance Receipts , PPF scans , Nett Worth calculations, Credit card statements , Form 16………..- you start wondering – What can I do to simplify my life ?  How can I minimize transactions ? A time comes when you say its Ok to earn 1 % less interest but I want to sternly reduce  all the challenges and paperwork. And thats the goal behind this blog – The road to happiness and how to simplify your life.

simplify

Step – 1 : The goal of every human being is to be HAPPY 

I start with a simple Question – What is it that is common to all the 7 B people who inhabit planet Earth ? Other than the fact that they all breathe , need food & water , have desires and  live in communities ? Suppose I get all the inhabitants of the world into a large Stadium and ask  – All those who want to be Happy raise your hands ! My guess is that every person in that Stadium would raise his hand.

Step – 2 : What makes you Happy 

This is a tougher question.  A Big House , a hefty bank balance , a promotion , becoming a CEO , getting elected as a MP or the Prime Minister , a Rich Husband , A pretty wife , fancy holidays in exotic jets……. In short to a vast majority on earth Happiness is defined by two broad parameters – 1. Wealth

and 2. Status & Power. 

What is common to the Bellary Brothers , Satyam Founder Raju  , Rajat Gupta & Sanjay Dutt ? They are just some of the Rich & Famous people who are now behind bars. I doubt if they are Happy. Is a rich & powerful CEO happy – constantly under pressure to perform and facing the axe  from the shareholders if he slips a tiny bit. Partying in a pub with wild friends maybe happiness to many on a Fri evening after a long hard week – but its  similar to the pain killer shot that the doctor gives you , it just numbs your pain for some time. Most people run after wealth , power & status – that is clearly not the road to happiness. So what is the REAL  road to Happiness ? Thats a tough one to answer. But lets keep trying.

Step – 3 : Six Sigma & What makes you Unhappy

Lets apply a bit of Six Sigma Concept here. (Six Sigma became very popular in the mid 90’s when every large India IT company touted  Six Sigma and SEI CMM as their road to growth and the flag to enter the global world of IT outsourcing). Six Sigma preaches that the way to improve is to indetify defects – its easier to identify defects than to figure out a way to improve. If Six Sigma can help GE  & Motorola I am sure we can apply this principle to our life and try figuring out what are the defects that make us Unhappy. If we can reduce our unhappiness then automatically our happiness will go up.   Thats is simple and makes sense.

sixsigma

Step – 4 : 4 Key elements of Unhappiness 

1. Physical Pain – Headache , stomach pain , hurting knees , indigestion , arthritis , BP , 80 % blocked valves in your Heart and similar physical ailments cause unhappiness.

How can you eliminate or minimize physical pain  ?  A good lifestyle , sleeping at the right hours , healthy food & regular exercise – thats all it takes to ensure a health pain free body ( at least in 99 % of the case where you do not have a genetic disorder).

2. Stress  – Unhappiness can also be caused by Stress & Tension. Meeting deadlines , driving sales growth Year of Year , juggling with multiple balls at the same time , trying to squeeze too much out of too less – all this can add to Stress. A lot of this Stress is driven by trying to do too much in too less a time. You are constantly trying to race against the clock. And why are you trying to do this – because you have too many TRANSACTIONS. One transaction leads to another – and another and all of them start adding complexity to your life.

The trick here is to start Minimizing Transactions. Unsubscribe from all unwanted groups and mailing lists , simplify your investment portfolio from 20 different investments to 2 – 3 , avoid multiple Credit Cards , Multiple Bank accounts , reduce your FB friends, if you have 3 houses sell 2, avoid a role in the apartment management committee, stop trying to solve all the problems of the world   – If you consciously start working on it you can make good progress. Each Transaction reduction starts a chain of events and the chain of Transactions continue to reduce.  Set a goal and work towards achieving it. Each reduction reduces pain and gives you joy.

3. Insult – The 3rd thing that makes you unhappy is Insult. You feel your voice was not heard , your opinion & view was not respected , you were ignored. Your EGO is hurt. You created your own EGO – a small kid does not feel insulted its only adults who create their own Ego’s who feel insulted. With insult comes revenge & vendetta. And a river of negative energy starts flowing.  Its easier said than done – but if you can curb your EGO you will never feel insulted.

4. Unfulfilled Desire – The last and most common element that causes unhappiness is unfulfilled desire. The kid wants an expensive Nike shoe and Dad says NO . You want a promotion and a 20 % hike – Boss says NO. Wife wants a holiday to Switzerland and Europe –  Husband says NO. We all get upset when we don’t get what we want.  But getting what you want never makes you happy – else the people I spoke about earlier would not be in Jail. Again a little difficult to get started – but a conscious effort to reduce desire and can help eliminate unhappiness.

Step – 5 : Starting the journey – Meditation 

It sounds simple but getting started and maintaining it is not easy. A simple tool that can help you and be an enabler is to start  meditating for 10 minutes every day. Human beings consist of a Physical Body + Something Extra (Soul , Life , Prana , Consciousness)  . We are constantly in touch with the Physical Body but rarely do we connect with that “Something Extra” . Meditation is the only way to connect with that Something Extra and just 10 min a day can change your life and start helping you to control the above mentioned 4 elements that cause so much unhappiness. its not mumbo jumbo – but a science that can be practiced by one and all.

 

time_meditation_cover

God – Fearing, Heaven & Hell : Brainwashed – 2

5 Jun

Adj : god-fearing – deeply religious; “a god-fearing and law-abiding people”

Its interesting to see the meaning of the word  “God – fearing” . A simple word – we have used so many times. But lets spend time analyzing this word.

I start with the premise – Why not “God – Loving” ? After all God is infinite compassion , always forgives you &  your mistakes – so why should we be afraid of God. This brings me to an interesting comment made in the movie “Oh  My God ” by the nakli baba ( Mithun Chakraborty) who says that people come to a temple out of fear. You are afraid of losing money , wealth , happiness – hence you come and take an insurance in the temple in front of God. 99% of the people who go to a Temple go to ASK for something – The student asks for Pass Marks or admission to a college , the young girl asks for a nice groom , the 30 year old for a fast track promotion, the 40 yr old for a VP / CEO posting. Rich industrialists cover temples with gold & platinum to ensure that IT raids do not happen , and Politicians offer money & grants to ensure that they do not lose their position & status.Come Diwali & Lakshmi Puja the stock Broker and Baniyas pray for more wealth & success.  The sad reality is that Few, very few go to a Temple with folded hands for peace & quiet – just to say Thank You. The priests & baba’s like Mithun know this and play on the fear – hence the word God Fearing. God did not create it , the institutions that control religion  under the name of great spiritual beings created them.

Linked to this is the concept of Heaven & Hell. We have all grown up fearing Hell and wishing we could at all times be in Heaven. the sole purpose of life is to be in Heaven !

What is HELL ? A place of  endless torture & pain. Where they throw you in boiling oil & fry you alive. Think of the worst set of cruelties that come to your mind – and they practice all of that and more in HELL. Its so easy to brainwash you from childhood with the concept of HELL.

Detail of Hell from Fresco Cycle by Frederico Zuccaro and Giorgio Vasari

I would like to know who conceptualized HELL ? Only a crazy sadist can think of such a ghoulish place that even with its mere mention can terrify mankind. If God created everything – would God create a place like HELL ? If GOD is infinite compassion would he have the heart to punish someone so heartlessly. Jesus when crucified – in extreme pain & agony said ” Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” – that sounds like God.

And what is Heaven ? A place of infinite joy , apsaras & nymphs dancing , unlimited liquor – some religions even promise their practitioners that on accomplishing their mission ( Jihad) on earth  virgins will be waiting for them in heaven.  I wonder how all that is banned on earth is your reward in Heaven – in  unlimited quantities ?

images

In Conclusion – Whats the Point I am trying to make.  I am just trying to make you think . Its time for each person to introspect. To reflect on what we have learnt , how we have been brainwashed. Read what the greatest spiritual thinkers of the last 2500 years have preached  – they don’t talk about Heaven & Hell and being God Fearing. They talk about reflecting inside yourself by asking – Who am I ? What is my purpose in Life ? What is the Material & Spiritual World ? Interesting Questions leading to an interesting journey.  Questions for which you need to find  answers by yourself.

Few other related reading sections 

http://atomic-temporary-14030268.wpcomstaging.com/2013/05/20/am-i-a-hindu-religion-spirituality/

http://atomic-temporary-14030268.wpcomstaging.com/2013/04/27/brainwashed/

Simplifying Home Entertainment – Wireless Streaming

28 May

Indians have limited entertainment opportunities –  eating out , visiting  a Mall , watching a movie are probably 3 of the top entertainment activities for an average Indian metro family.

Movie tickets in India are expensive in most of the new Cineplex – a show at PVR can cost anywhere from Rs 250 to Rs 1000 per person depending on the type of auditorium. So going out with a family of 4 can be a tad expensive.

There is an interesting alternative that is emerging. Most Indian families in Metros have graduated to having large format LED / LCD TV’s and every household has a few smartphones and definitely a Tablet. The broadband and Wi Fi is also a default in over a few million households. These are the existing ingredients that you need to tap into to augment your experience of watching movies at home.

Lets look at an interesting device that Apple launched in India recently.  As you see this is a cute device that fits in your palm. Its small but powerful and can really energize your home entertainment . Lets take a look at a few interesting things that you can do with it.

Apple-TV-in-Hand

Most of you would have a Windows or Mac PC at home. With iTunes you now have easy access to download songs, movies, Videos, games  to your PC / iOS devices. These  can be streamed to your TV . Even if the PC is in the bedroom and the TV is in the front room it works beautifully.

We can make this simpler – if the movie is downloaded on your iPad or iPhone then you can stream it directly to the TV.

The device goes well beyond watching Video. There are other advantage too e.g.  you had a large family function and you want to view all the photographs together as a family on your TV. You can download the photos to iPhoto on your Mac / iPad and then choose a background theme / music and run all the photos like an AV.

Its also a lot of fun for kids as Angry Birds, Temple Run and all the other games downloaded from the App Store can now be played directly on your TV through an  iPad or iPhone.

If your TV is not web enabled and you want to watch movies from Youtube – its easy to do that with an Apple TV.

The device is also of interest to music enthusiasts. All the songs downloaded on your Mac / Windows PC can now be played on the TV , if you have external speakers / Home Theater system attached to the TV the experience can be stunning.

So what does it take to make this happen ?

Existing Systems – LCD / LED TV with HDMI Port , Wifi @ Home , Existing device ( Windows / Mac PC with iTunes or any iOS Device)

New Items Needed – HDMI Cable , Apple TV. Indicative cost for both these is less than Rs 10,000/-

Apple TV

 

Few Additional Points to note 

1. If you need to download from youtube & watch – Wi Fi bandwidth needed to stream is a minimum of 2.5 Mbps.

2. If you want to stream content from your home PC , iPad , iPhone – then all you need is a Wi Fi Network.

3. If you do not have a Broadband at home – you can still crate a Wi Fi Zone by using a product like the D – Link companion DIR – 505 ( Indicative Cost Rs 1700)

4. The movie / video being streamed will be at a HD resolution

Its an interesting project to get your kids excited in the summer vacation , you can get started right away and enhance your experience at home. For more details here are some useful links

For more details on this Innovative product here are some useful links

http://www.apple.com/appletv/

http://manuals.info.apple.com/en/AppleTV_SetupGuide.pdf

Airplay mirroring in OS X Mountain lion: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht5404
Guide to ports & connectors: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1586

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Perception = Reality, True or False

21 May

Many years back I was fortunate to spend a year at a leading FMCG company on a Brand Project. Coming from an IT world selling PC’s & Servers it was a rare insight into the world of Brands . I carried back two key messages on Marketing from the GM Marketing (who is now the CEO of that company)

1. Perception  is Reality &  2. Familiarity breeds favourability .

This essay will touch mainly upon the first topic – as I strongly disagree with the fact that Perception is Reality.

perception_eq_reality2

Let’s assume  you have a Restaurant that positions itself as a haven for great food , and spends a lot of marketing dollars in communicating that message. If you land up at the Restaurant and find that the food and service is bad – will you ever visit that place again ?  Can marketing based on perception and familiarity deliver results or do you need a solid working product to succeed.  Companies like PCL & Shiva Computers created great awareness with full page Ads and tried to sell very mediocre products – sadly these companies do not exist today.

Linked to this topic is also the topic of making tall promises that may be factually incorrect. What does a consumer do then – given the state of our legal system. Is it morally and ethically right for large MNC’s and Corporates to base their products on such communications. Lets look at some examples from leading companies.

Santoor Soap is one of the largest selling brands in the Country. Its positioned as a soap that has the goodness of Sandal & Turmeric. It sells very well in S India where Sandal is considered a +ve factor to create glowing skin.  I would love to ask a  few questions to the makers of  Santoor (Wipro) – How many grams of Chandan (Sandal) are there in every bar of Santoor ? I thought cutting of Sandal Wood trees are banned – how does somebody run a production line making millions of soap bars every year if there is no regular supply of Sandal ? Wipro being a Green Company would definitely not want to promote cutting of trees. Is there Sandal in the soap or is it just a dot of Sandal essence and color that makes the claim ? I don’t know the answer – but I don’t see anything in the pack that says how much Sandal is actually used / soap ? I have friends in Wipro so maybe I should pose this question when I meet them next.

 

53023_1

 

Complan is a drink made by another large multinational. The drink claims to make children taller. All the ads build on that perception and many fall for it. I never drank Complan and am 6 feet 3 inches – my good friend who drank 3 glasses a day all through his childhood is 5 feet 6 inches. Height is determined mainly by genes – and maybe playing badminton and cycling – yes nutrition also helps , but how can a health drink promise to make you taller and get away with it when the results are not delivered ?

Complan

 

Colgate – A brand used by almost every household. It promises  that if you use Coalgate every day you want get cavities. The ads make you feel that if you brush twice a day with Colgate you never need to go to a dentist. Thats the perception that is built. I have used colgate all my life – teeth , gums , cavities I have problems everywhere. Colgate cant fix it – if I had used a saline mouthwash every night and brushed my teeth with a neem stick maybe I would have saved myself the agony of frequent trips to a dentist – but colgate just made me feel fresh in the mouth for a few hours. It did not even remotely deliver the promise it made . In the era of Coalgate this is another case that the CAG may take up for audit.

 

Colgate-Toothpaste

 

Lets look at one more example – Britannia is a great brand – they make great biscuits. The Britannia Good Day with RICH CASHEW is a bestseller. A 150 Gram Pack costs about Rs 23. If you remove the retailer profit , cost of distribution , Margin for manufacturer etc the cost of production will  probably be half of it say Rs 12/- . One Kg of Cashews costs Rs 600 – so if we assume that 10% of the weight biscuit is cashew ( rest being flour , sugar , milk etc) – that would be 15 Grams of Cashews – how much does 15 Grams of Cashew cost – Rs 9/- . You cant make the rest of the biscuit at Rs 3 – so clearly you don’t even have 10% of the biscuit comprising of Cashews – its probably more like 1 % – that would cost about 1 Rs worth of Cashews in every pack of 150 Grams. How many Cashews do you get for Rs 1/ ? Maybe 1/2 a cashew . My math may be wrong and instead of 1% the weight of Cashew may be higher – the pack does not mention how much Cashews are there , but at best we are still talking 1 , 2 or 3 Cashews / pack of 150 Grams of biscuit . Can a brand make a claim that the biscuit is packed with the energy of  RICH CASHEWS by having a sprinkling of the ingredient in every pack ? Yes in this case the perception works – but its now a matter of ethics and the FDA or an equivalent in India needs to step in and stop this.

britannia-good-day-cashew-12x50gm

Lets take one last look – a wonderful product called Honey.One of the rare food items that never gets spoilt. Its the gift of nature. Great for health – best cough syrup , build immunity , great substitute for Sugar. But I wonder are there enough bees & Honey Combs for so much Honey to be produced in India. Forests are nearly gone , you hardly see birds and butterflies & bees – so where is all this honey coming from . Is it natural or an interesting formulae made in a lab. I found this report on food safety where they tested Honey in some US stores – and found that most of them did not have any trace of pollen. Most of the honey in the US stores were from China & India .

Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey

This report gives one a feeling that most of the honey being sold in stores in US may actually not qualify to being natural honey. Given this – it may be worthwhile to dig a little more deeper into Indian Honey brands and see how Pure & genuine they are.

 


images-1

 

In Conclusion – yes many FMCG companies seem to be getting away with the Perception = Reality messaging , but its time consumers & regulators were more aware and demand that they get what is advertised & communicated by the brands.

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Am I a Hindu ? Religion & Spirituality

20 May

What makes you a Hindu ?  Praying to God , visiting a temple , performing rites & poojas, chanting mantras , maybe wearing a  Sacred Thread if you are a Brahmin, celebrating festivals , eating sweets & savories, knowing your mythologies & maybe an attempt at reading the Bhagwad Gita ! Is that it or is there more to being a Hindu ?

Most religions have one holy book The Holy Bible , The Holy Quaran , The Guru Granth Sahib to name a few . Hinduism has thousands – 4 Vedas , 108 Upanishads, Holy Gita , Vedangas, Darsanas , Itihasas Puranas , Upavedas, Agamas , Upangas, Tantras , Charvakas, Manusmriti Puranas and many many more. You can spend a lifetime doing a Phd in Indology trying to figure out the meaning of all that is written in these ancient scriptures

Most Religions are based on the teachings of 1 Spiritual Leader – a person who had visions from God , the Holy Son , a Messiah, Buddha , Mahavira  – a person who was spiritually awakened. Hinduism has hundreds of Rishis who after intense meditation heard the voice of God and were able to narrate their learnings for all and transferred them to ancient scriptures.

What is Religion ?  The teachings of the Holy Prophet that has now been institutionalised. Is it original , is it diluted , is the essence lost ? The goal of every Religion is to awaken you and take you on the path of self realization – has religion succeeded in that mission. To me it looks like Religion is the cause of most of the wars we have seen in our lifetime and before. Its also the basis for caste systems and to demean women.

What is Spirituality ? This leads us a question of Who is God & Who Am I ? How did Life begin ? Why is Man so evolved a animal ? Is God the statue in a temple ?  How come the Holy Vedas never talked about Temples & Deities ?

One of the greatest spiritual thinkers of our time has been Swami Vivekananda – he made an interesting observation ” If you have faith in all the three hundred and thirty millions of your mythological gods, … and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you. Have faith in yourselves, and stand up on that faith and be strong; that is what we need ”

Swami-Vivekananda

Shiva may live in Mansarovar & Vishnu may be in the ocean of Milk – and thats a big MAYBE , but history has recorded that Buddha, Mahavira , Christ , Shankara, Vivekananda , Ramkrishna , Ramana Maharishi lived on earth. Its interesting to read about them and understand how they reached Spiritual Bliss and what is their interpretation of “Who is God” ? You will see a common thread. The exercise of connecting their spiritual learnings is a complex exercise but I will at least try and connect a few dots.

The common theme that emerges from all of them and all the ancient scriptures of every Religion is that God is everywehere. There is immense potential in every individual. We are able to utilize only a fraction of our potential. We spend too much time on the materialistic body and hardly any time to know what is that power which gives us life & intellect. The mere act of spending 30 min to focus on your breath gives you so much peace every day. Think of what you can achieve if you are able to meditate for years and get to know your inner self .

Here is an attempt to try and simplify the meaning of how there is a bit of God in every human being – Let us assume that God is the massive infinite Power Grid and this grid is connected to every living being. Each living being is like a bulb with different capacity. Someone glows at 10W while someone glows at 100W. But suppose you had the power in you to increase your capacity from 10W to 100W . another way of looking at it is that we are all a node of a massive cluster of computers connected to a supercomputer , each node has a different power but can communicate with the mainframe , some have a 256 KB link while others have a 4 MB pipe  – then all of life is a connected world. Just like Sun Micrcosystem said ” we are the dot in the dotcom ” – maybe  there is a  dot of God in all of us. And thats exactly what Shankara talks about in his concept of Advaita. And what every Religion spells out  in their holy books

And spiritual awakening is nothing but magnifying this dot till it merges with the mainframe which is infinite God. Vipassna , 8 fold path , Chakra awakening, every religion has a route  to elevate yourself to spiritual bliss. To meditate and focus on this you need to cut out the material world. So when the Taliban says – No music , dance , entertainment – they are not wrong – because these are distractions to the cause of  spiritual awakening , just that the journey is an individual one and cannot be forced on anyone by a bunch of  religious fanatics.

Just spend a few days at an ashram with simple Sattvic food ,  no TV , no music , no Internet , no phone , no talking to anyone and see the calming effect it will have in you. The stress, noise , transactions around us makes it very difficult for us to be in touch with our inner self.

Which brings me back to the main theme of  Religion Vs Spirituality. And Osho explains this beautifully in his book – “Belief , Doubt & Fanaticism“. He says don’t be a Christian, Buddhist , Hindu or Jain   – Try being Christ, Buddha, Shankara or  Mahavira. Follow the journey they took and then you will experience the joy  and eternal bliss they were able to achieve – what  Religion preaches today is no way close to what they practiced in their lives – a little bit of deviation by each set of followers has created a huge divide from the original thoughts of our great spiritual leaders.

images

And to be a Christ , Buddha or Shankara you have to ask the question that Ramana Maharishi asked ” Who am I ” – the answer to this can come only from introspection & meditation. Meditation is not easy. The toughest job is to control the mind. Try doing it for a few minutes in a peaceful and quiet surrounding and then slowly you will be able to master the art.

“Doubtless, oh great warrior, the mind is difficult to subdue. It is restless all the time. But oh! Son of Kunti, the mind can be conquered by repeated exercises and dispassion to sensual objects.” — Krishna to Arjuna, Bhagavad Gita 6:34

krishna_arjuna_Mahabharata-Kurukshetra1
As I slowly start questioning and reading the feeling I get is that the core of Hinduism is not about praying to millions of Gods and doing mundane rituals & poojas – it is about finding the road to Spiritual Salvation. A wonderful read that explains the essence of Hinduism is “ Am I a Hindu ” by Ed Vishwanathan. This is a must read for every Hindu –  a well written simple book,  a quick 4  hr read that explains in simple Questions and Answers everything you will want to know about Hinduism. Its an excellent primer for every Hindu to know about his religion.
653592

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

A few ideas to start your Business.

13 May

For someone with a little entrepreneurial ability there are many exciting business opportunities. Most people tend to be repetitive & follow existing models that lacks innovation. This Blog lists down a few interesting ideas that can be developed as a successful business – so all the intelligent bored housewives, Gujjus, Sindhis …with business in your blood –  here is something to get you started.  All the ideas are based on Basics of human need around Food , Shelter , Clothing. In the past many of my ideas have translated into big business – hoping some of you pick up these ideas and execute them successfully.

Nuts.com – Simple Trading – but go Online

The Marwari’s have built an empire out of this. Small Investment, Low margin but multiple cycles of business is their mantra. If you invest 1 Lac and make a profit of 2 % in one day by trading in wholesale look at the money you can make in a year. The ROI is obscene !

We were recently in Kashmir and found that the best quality of Walnuts & Almonds are available at about Rs 600 / Kg. At Delhi INA market this becomes nearly 1000 / Kg and at Bangalore its closer to 1200 / Kg.

walnut 1

There are at least 10M Indian families whose daily food intake includes some nuts – its good for health. And then during Diwali and other festivals Nuts are great gifts. So here is the idea – start an Online Store that sells limited variety of quality Nuts, Tie up with a large merchant in Kashmir, depending on the scale and margin you want to make you can decide if you want to run this as a small outlet store in Bangalore or a large online play with a warehouse out of Srinagar. So with Nuts.com – you can actually start a very profitable business – margins in excess of 50%. You can then expand this to get dates from Middle East – that’s another great food item, doesn’t need refrigeration, can be stored for long and its rare to find good quality pitted dates in India. Take a look at what sells online in India eTailing –  everyone is busy selling books , gadgets , apparels .

Online Retail

Once the concept starts , further expansion is possible – create an online store for every unique item you get from different States – yes the concept of State run handicraft stores exists, but its poorly managed. So your online store can have Cotton Sarees from Cal, Kolhapuri Chappals, Pashmina Shawls, Silk Sarees from Kancheepuram, Special Navratri Dresses from Gujarat etc – an online boutique that gets you the best from every state in India at the lowest possible prices. Today this segment does not exist online – so there is virgin opportunity waiting to be tapped both from India and the 15 M NRI’s visiting India.

 

Italian Buffet

Indian’s love Pizza & Pasta. India is the fastest growing base for Domino’s & Pizza Hut. We also consume more Pasta than all of Italy ! Yes we have many Italian Restaurants and Pizza Joints but what we lack is a low cost Italian Buffet joint. Many years back we used to frequent one in the US – CiCi’s Pizza, it was a great success story. Unlimited Pizza , Pasta & Soft Drinks for $6.99. In India you can probably charge Rs 499/- for a similar buffet. Clear opportunity to build a chain with scale.

Pizza Buffet

Theme Restaurants

Many years back we had visited Cancun. One evening we visited a cultural program that included a buffet dinner. It was organized by the Mexican Govt – but it was an excellent experience. In any large Indian city we are starved for entertainment – IPL tickets get sold months in advance, and any good dance / musical event at Chowdiah memorial is a sell out. The only entertainment for Indians in most metros is eating food, visiting malls and watching movies.

National Folklore Ballet of Mexico

How about a Theme Restaurant that serves different variety of Indian food each day along with some cultural program from that state using local artists. So Mon night would be Bhangra & Punjabi food, Tue would be Odissi or Baul Sangeet with E Indian Food, Wed could be Gujju food with Dandiya & Garba & Thu could be dishes from the Malabar Coast with Kathakali Dance. You will need a place in the suburbs (Something like Vishala in Ahmedabad) and could announce the schedule in advance and have all the seats booked ahead of schedule. Given the no of IT companies in Bangalore and the foreign visitors who come every week – this one will be a sure hit from an entertainment point of view both for tourists & locals. ( This one may be a little complicated to execute and would require some connections with a big realtor or politician)

Food for Rail Travellers

Not sure how many of you saw the recent TV expose on how food is cooked in Trains. Most people would want to stay away from that food. There are over 5 M passengers who travel every day on an overnight train. They need food – what you get in the train & station is substandard and not something you would want your children to eat. Cooking at home is an option but it would be a lot easier to get something from near the station.  Renting space in the station is difficult (you need to know Mr. Bansal’s relatives). So what’s the Option ?

Passengers crowd together at a platform after part of a railing from a bridge collapsed at Allahabad railway station

A Saravana Bhawan type joint that is located close to the station – offering packed delivery food. Not too many varieties but clean, hygienic & packed well for travel. Idli Vada Combo, Curd Rice, Lemon Rice, Sevai, Roti Subji, Puri Bhaji.. Over a period of time the good food and hygiene standards will establish the place as a brand by itself. You may even have the option of delivery in the platform so that you don’t need to visit the shop as you rush to the

Store for the Sr Citizens 

We have many stores dedicated for Babies – why not a store dedicated for the old ? A store that specializes in food / medicines / soaps / day to day ingredients that they need most. Maybe extend it to a restaurant like Sanjeevanam that serves Indian food with limited oil , create a menu for diabetics , one for Heart patients , make it like a club for old people who can spend a few hrs every day – a sort of CCD for the elder citizens to hang out.

Sr Citizens

And finally my favorite one – A nice housing complex in Coorg on the banks of the Cauvery 

Water is drying up – in the last few years we have seen how the water table has gone from 30 feet to 500 feet and we survive on tankers. Think of how the situation will be 10 years from now as even more people migrate to the cities. A great opportunity exists in building a good quality medium budget villa complex on the banks of the Cauvery – in case of water shortage you can always go and haul a few buckets in. Land in Coorg is still cheap – less than 10 Lacs / Acre – so its very possible build Villas 1500 sft 3 BHK independent houses for 30 – 40 Lacs on 1/2 acre plots – the right builder with the right pricing can sell his layout in one weekend in Bangalore.

2013-03-1512-52-53.jpg

Brainwashed

27 Apr

During WW II London was bombed , almost all of Europe was demolished, Japan was nuked – yet in  a short span they rebuilt their cities and went to on to become great countries. All this thanks to the leadership of some great people and the hard work of  the common man. Europe has a history that can be traced back 2000+ years to the time of the Romans, Greek’s , Spartans , Vikings , Gauls…. the US has literally no history and is a country of immigrants. The point that needs to be made is whether its a company or a country good capable people  make all the difference. Lets keep this point in mind as we move on.

London Bombed

Whats the history of our country in a few lines. A great civilization , probably the oldest , home to some of the oldest scriptures and holy writings which supposedly have a wealth of information written in such a cryptic manner that only a blessed few can understand them ,  a Religion which is more a way of life , great stories like the Ramayana & The Mahabharata which every kid knows from his childhood. A clear demarcation of what is good (Gods & Deva’s) and what is bad (Asura’s) , Millions of God’s, a strong caste system that is accepted and rarely contested – and then the external invasions and how all the greatness was stomped out and we were relegated to poverty and strife.

I dont know if the above is true or if its a holy brainwash – like every kid in India I have heard the same stories , read the same Amar Chitra Katha’s and as a parent propagated the same information to my children. But I now have a few questions. Every story has two sides to it – the version of the winner that projects him to be the greatest and everything else as evil. Have we tried to find out the other side of the story ? There are hardly any facts and historic data to prove the veracity of the stories we have heard – but there are many questions in my mind.  In the last few months I have visited the Louvre & the British Museum – right when you enter both is the entrance to the Egyptian Section – you will see hall after hall , row after row of artifacts that date back 2000 – 3000 years old.

Egyptian Section

Surprisingly none of the worlds greatest museums have any section of ancient India. What you will get to see of India is mainly the Chola Bronzes that date around 800 – 1200 AD and then the Mughal Miniature paintings. The oldest structure we see in India are probably 500 BC and they represent some ancient Buddhist Temples , Fresco Cave paintings , Stone Edicts . From Egypt we have proof that stone statues can survive over 3000 years , so what happened – did we lose all the ancient palaces, building , structures of the great old days ? Many of them would have got submerged – but excavations could have revealed them like they revealed the Indus Valley Civilization.

Lets step back and look at the story of Ramayana. Yes Rama vanquished Ravana – and since then poor Ravana has been the symbol of a perfect Villain. But was Ravana indeed a villain as he is portrayed. Is there a second perspective to this. Were the Asuras really demons and the “Bad people” and the devas the greatest. The word Asura has a close resemblance to ” Ahura” which comes from the Persian Language and means great warriors. Ravana , Bahubali were all Asura kings who were known for being great administrators and valiant warriors. Ravana is portayed as an egoist with 10 heads  – but maybe he had the valor & the intelligence of 10 people , you just need to step into Sri Lanka and the stores of Ravana there are very different from what you hear this side of the border.

4040-Ravana-Ten-headed-King

Was Indra a great king of the Deva’s ?  or was he in charge of a brigand that used to attack the existing rulers (Asura Kings) and the innocent citizens – If he was indeed a great king of the Deva’s how come there are no temples or hymns in his praise that we chant every day.

indra

Was Kubera the king of wealth or just a shrewd Shylock ? who made money out of others not always with principles.

Was Kumbakarna addicted to drugs which caused him to be drowsy all the time ?  and maybe the poppy plant  grew for only 6 months – hence he was awake the rest of the 6 months

Was Varuna the king of the Seas or just a pirate who controlled the seas thru his power ?

Were the great Asuras slowly but surely pushed back by the terrorists and their women & children slaughtered & raped ?

The Samnudra Manthan could well have been a period when mankind learnt to domesticate cows , horses, elephants – learnt the usage of medicines to prolong life (Nectar of life) and all this could have happened when the three races that existed Asura , Deva’s and Nagas lived peacefully for a few hundred years without any in fighting .

Is there Heaven , Earth & Patala or were they three regions on adjacent to the other starting from deep S to the North towards the Himalayas. And if the Deva’s ruled the Norther most area did that automatically qualify as Heaven and Naga’s of extreme S become “patala”. Was there a land mass where the current Indian Ocean exists that extended almost all the way to the Antarctica ?

Geologists say that the Anadaman & Nicobar islands are actually peaks of mountain ranges which was submerged in the ocean thousands of years back. Was there a land mass there that existed – which sometimes finds mention in old Tamil Sangam Literature ? If Tamil is indeed a language as old as Sanskrit how come the history books at school don’t even talk about it ?  Is the history we know the real History or is the history that was crafted by the British along with the Aryan Invasion Theory

3f9e1963cf41

Nobody knows the answers but we believe what we have been told over the years, they make great stories and there is no need to question them – so we continue to be brainwashed.

If we were a great civilization and world beaters 5000 years back then a short period of domination by invaders would not have changed our DNA – if Europe and Japan could rise from the ashes so could we  – but we haven’t and we still cling to the past as the present is mired in scams & controversies resulting in abysmal poverty and lack of infrastructure.

Last few years there have been many books and discussions on this topic and its good to see questions being asked. Lets hope we see more research on these topics and hopefully get to see light at the end of the tunnel , which will eventually ensure that we are not brainwashed.

Tags: , , , , , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →