Ymag - Window for Action Loving Professionals

Greetings for 2013! A lot has been said in the media during the last fortnight yet a lot can still be said. The fighting spirit and sacrifice by a young woman, Nirbhaya, Damini or call her by any name, has ignited the whole country. The pain has hurt one and all. We hope that the turning point for the change towards the positive is round the corner. We pray that the incidence acts as the point of inflection. India is in no mood to give any more sacrifices of its daughters. Enough is Enough. No More Now! While the Government and the Bureaucracy has failed the country extremely badly, it is the youth of India that has risen to the occasion and keeps the flame burning. God give them strength! These are the action loving people on the street who may bring some ray of hope in an otherwise turning cynical society. Time for all of us to look inwards and set right examples of Gender Equality, Dignity, Respect and Rights. Time to ask Y. WhY can’t I guide at least 10 people around me to be more progressive in their thoughts and actions. Start MAG – My Actions Game to remain a true INDIAN. Cheers, Rajiv Khurana Editor PS – Please don’t forget to send your feedback at [email protected]. You may even call me at 9810211256.

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Pictures at jantar Mantar, New Delhi

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Take Charge in 2013 3

Donating time in 2013 4

Krishna, Help, We need You!

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Tips Talk 12

Wisdom from Confucius 13

In this issue…

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Pic: Pankaj Khanna

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Rajiv Khurana CMC, FIMC

www.thepersonnellab.com www.rajivkhurana.com

Hold your focus in whatever you do.

Act more, talk less.

Pace up. Speed thrills. Speed kills procrastination.

Persevere. The results could be around the corner.

Yearn for more. Break your own record.

Neutralize negativity. For self and people around.

Enthuse and excite others. Start with self.

Work wonders with your team. Love your mates.

Yahoo, Google…mobile apps! Use more, learn more.

Eat well, Exercise well, Remain healthy.

Appreciate everyone who does good things for you.

Rejoice. Be Happy. 2013 na milega dobara…

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Be available and listen to the pains and sorrows.

Volunteer for any good cause closer to your heart.

Drive the sick. Drive kids for a joy ride.

Write for them. To authorities, for newspapers…

Raise your voice. Participate in rallies. Else on FB…

Collect money, clothes etc. Ensure it reaches.

Organize events to create awareness.

Teach/Coach life skills.

Lead from the front. Be an example for others.

Play with kids in the orphanage around you.

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During

You will have 525,600 minutes. How about donating 600 minutes to people who matter?

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#10 January 1, 2013

In times of crisis, can we expect Krishna to be there? And are these not times of painful crises, given the tragic gang-rape death in Delhi, the growing conflict between Japan, China and Korea over deserted islands (for their energy value), the financial scandals of the world’s biggest banks, the corruption of large international companies, be they in Germany or elsewhere, and the growing ungovernability in the US? It seems that we are not only exploiting women in unfair ways, we are also doing the same to our dear planet. The just concluded COP 18 Climate Change meeting in Doha, unfortunately, could be seen as rape of our planet in slow motion. There is not an effective political will to put in question our current economic model that exploits nature, generates an overabundant consumptionism that leads to irresponsible waste. And in this process, we are driving the CO2 count much too high – and with it a rising world temperature well beyond the target of 20C. Idea Pollution • We know when the air is polluted and we

experience the consequences. Are we also aware that our thinking can be polluted with various notions and half-baked ideas? Do we realize how these swirl around in the collective subconscious, leading to myopic and shortsighted decisions and actions?

• For example, how is our cavalier attitude towards our planet connected with the conflict between science and religion?

• How is our attitude towards women connected to the patriarchal notions still embedded within many social customs around the world?

• How do our Industrial Era notions bring disharmony between ourselves and our planet?

Dr. Charles M. Savage, author of

Fifth Generation Management, has been for years on the cutting edges of leadership changes. Born and raised in Hawaii, he’s been teaching MBA Leadership courses in Germany, Sweden and India.

Dr. Charles M. Savage

Krishna, Help, We need You!

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#10 January 1, 2013

And Krishna Do we really expect Krishna to come again and wave his wand to sort out the mess that we, as humans, have made? Wouldn’t it be nice; but we know this is not the way things really work. He did not wave his wand at Kurukshetra. Instead, he challenged Arjuna to grow in his self-understanding, moving through the three Gunas, as Eknath Easwaran explains it: “Tamas is maya’s power of concealment, the darkness or ignorance that hides unitive reality; rajas distracts and scatters awareness, turning it away from reality toward the diversity of the outside world. … Sattva, finally, is the so-called higher mind – detached, unruffled, self-controlled … the natural harmony that comes with unity of purpose, character and desire.” [Eknath Easwaran, The Bhagavadgita. Delhi: Jaico Publishing House, 2011, p. 44, 45.] We remember Yudhishtira’s surprise upon reaching Swarga (heaven) where he did not find his four brothers or Draupadi. Moreover, he was confused to find all the Kauravas there. Why? It was explained to him that the 100 brothers had died on a noble battlefield. But why didn’t his own brothers and Draupadi make it? Each had an unresolved personal issue: Draupadi because she preferred Arjuna, Sahadeva because he was smug about his knowledge, Nakula because of his arrogance, Arjuna because of his jealousy of other archers and Bhima because of his gluttony. [Devdutt Pattanaik, Myth = Mithya, A handbook of Hindu Mythology. New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2006, p. 73 – 74.] Wisdom What does this all mean? It is not Krishna but our own internal growth that makes the difference and that’s something within the power of each of us. But how? Krishna helped Arjuna discover the power of the three overlapping Yogas: Jnana, Bhakti and Karma. If we see Jnana Yoga not just as knowledge but wisdom; Bhakti Yoga not just as devotion, but an active valuing of the world and all in it; and Karma Yoga as selfless-service, we begin to discover the nobility of the human spirit. Is there a lesson here for us?

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#10 January 1, 2013

As we will remember, Aristotle spoke of three types of knowing: Techne, Episteme and Phronesis. Our universities are full of Techne (technology) and Episteme (the theories related to the technology), but when and where do we learn of Phronesis, wise judgment. With “wise judgment,” when we “actively value” women, the planet and more, then the power of “selfless-service” brings energy and vision to us all. Devdutt Pattanaik clarifies the challenge: “The aim of yoga is to unknot the mind, uncrumple the consciousness, attain the triple stat of sat – chitta – ananda: unconditional truth, purified consciousness, tranquil bliss.” [Ibid., p. 161-162] What is the “unconditional truth” about our planet and its sustaining role? What is the “unconditional truth” about our women and their sustaining role? Might we find a way to let go our ignorance (Tamasic)? What bliss is possible when we uncrumple our consciousness? The Reflection of the Rishis Are we not being called to be as reflective today as the Rishis were in yesteryear? How do we actively build upon their insights to face today’s challenges and so we can co-create a wiser future? In other words, we need to bracket out the “Industrial Era” and understand it for what it is. It was built not only upon Adam Smith’s notion of the “Invisible Hand,” inspired by Bernard Mandeville’s “Fable of the Bees, Private Vice, Publik Benefit.” The Industrial Era is really a huge bubble which is about to pop, because it follows Mandeville’s script that to have a rich and abundant hive, it needs to tolerate greed, corruption and vice (notions that pollute our thinking)! When will we be wise enough to see through the dark ignorance of this approach to life?

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Adam Smith’s “division and subdivision of labor” created the “boxes and lines” organization. Most don’t realize it has two inherent characteristics: Devaluing and Distrust. Most people are employed for only a small part of their abilities, be it mechanical skills or finance. They are not employed as full persons with thoughts, feelings, questions and aspirations. Moreover, they are not really trusted, so they are checked by their supervisors, who are checked by their managers, their executives, the CEO, the Board and ultimately the accounting firm. The very fabric of the organization is built upon distrust. No wonder we experience conflicts between people and departments – the endemic “corporate politics.” In addition, we’ve created an educational feeder system where the students “learn about” things out there (chemistry, finance, history, etc.), but rarely do they connect with their inner values and integrity within. They come out of school knowing a lot about other things, but rarely about their inner selves. But this is wonderful for a consumptive society because it’s better to have insecure people who need to buy things to show how important they really are. Perhaps it is time to build the spirit of the Gurukul into our universities. The danger now is that through our computers, Internets, robotics, smart phones, tablets, and more, we are able to design and produce so much with so few. So as the population increases, where to the young really find jobs, not to even mention meaningful jobs? The outlook is very bleak. We hear more and more reports of the “hollowing of the middle-class.” And figures show how the disparity between the top 1% and the rest is growing. It’s not a healthy situation. In other words, the Industrial Era has created the drivers of destruction in human society, the over-exploitation of resources, the over-abundance of consumer goods and the overwhelming accumulation of waste. How do we call this into question? Can we see how this model is putting our planet at risk? And without more noble and uncrumpled souls, will we continue to play the “Eve-Teasing” game so popular on the part of some of our young men – something than has led to the tragic death of the 23 year old medical student from Delhi?

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Are we as clever as the Rishis of yore to see what’s happening and find ways to bring life back into balance? Where do we reconnect at a deep level with Sattvic thought, with Phronesis so that we may truly become Homo Sapiens Sapiens (Humans Wisely Wise), humans who are wisely wise! Are there “Rishis” today who are asking the deeper questions, connecting the underlying threads and shaping a vision for a wiser future? We all likely have our favorite list. Readers of this YMag already know the vision and passion of Rajiv Khurana and our wonderful and wise friend, Dr. Mrityunjay Athreya. The wonderful writing and many books of Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik are enormously helpful. Mr. C.S.R. Prabhu and his understanding of DharmaYoga have given me many new insights and vision. His friend, Ms. S.V. Subramanyam’s book, “Gain Wisdom, Maharishi Patanjali Way, Through his 195 Yoga Sutras” is a goldmine of insights. Prof. S.M. Mishra, head of the Sanskrit Department at Kurukshetra University is a wonderful resource. Many new insights have come from Guruji G. Narayana who is tireless in his efforts to educate many in the ways of the Dharma, thanks to the continued support of the AMA. Dr. B.V.K. Sastry has a wonderful vision of integrating the deep insights of Yoga into MBA education through the Yoga-Samskrutham University in Florida. In Ahmedabad Dr. Akshal Aggarwal, Vice Chancellor of the Gujarat Technological University is setting up an Ethics Center for the University system with the help of Dr. Shailesh Thaker and others. In Chennai, Mrs. Ranjini Manian and her Global Adjustments company are sharing, at a deeper level, the culture, customs and wisdom of India with foreign nationals working in India. Other woman “Rishis” are hard at work, such as Ms. Sunita Narain at the Centre for Science and Environment who is working to stop the raping of our planet along with the academic leadership of Dr. Leena Srivastava at the TERI University, also in Delhi. In short, today’s “Rishis” are still hard at work raising the right issues and challenges, inspired by Krishna and others. But as we know, these challenges are enormous.

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#10 January 1, 2013

From Mass-Production to Individuals Co-Creating in Community Just as Yudhishtira’s brothers needed to uncrumple their souls to reach Swarga, is that not also our challenge, each of us, one by one. We cannot expect Krishna to sweep down and blanket the earth with the Dharma – it does doesn’t work like that. Life is indeed a challenge for each of us individually, but with a living and vibrant community, to reconnect both within and without so that the gift and the bliss of life are real, even in the here-and-now. Our challenge is not to fix and fine-tune the Industrial Era based on “mass-production,” but instead to co-create the next era where our economy is more cultural rather than extractive based and where we rediscover the impermanence of the physical and the abiding presence of the Spirit. Deep in Indian thought is the realization that culture and matter are woven together, rather than torn apart as we’ve done in the West. This is clearly outlined in the Vaiseshika Darshana (see below). [I first realized this when reading a book draft on The Physics of Vaiseshika written by Mr. C.S.R. Prabhu where he shows how very insightful this ancient work is, even for today.] In short, can we reconnect with the power of this thinking individually and socially, so that in the spirit of modern Rishis, we can uncrumple of souls and co-shape a more enduring and engaging future? Krishna can inspire, but the hard work is ours just as it was Arjuna’s. Perhaps in stepping up to this challenge, we will discover wonderful new dimensions and even bliss of what it means to be truly human in community. Our challenge, as you know, is to overcome the pollution of distorted and damaging notions swirling around in our social consciousness. Please help! Perhaps we can reconnect with the corrective and wise thoughts which are already clearly outlined in the Vaiseshika Darshana which reconnect Matter and Spirit:

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#10 January 1, 2013 Even before history began, the great seers and sages of yore, endowed with Divine wisdom, heard the voice of Divinity. They probed into the Divine world, enquired and investigate into it and declared to mankind the great wisdom which they heard through the Divine voice. They experienced what they heard. The universe is made of two entities—Matter (Padartha) and the Spirit (parartha). But it is Panini who explored the meanings of word, unravelled the secrets of language, harmonised its myriad aspects and imparted it to mankind. It is sage Kanada who probed and investigated into the nature of matter and disseminated the knowledge of his discoveries to the world around. Vaiseshika is a system of philosophy expounded by the seer Kanada. The founder of Vaiseshika, after profound investigation into the nature of matter, declared to mankind the impermanence of matter and the permanence of the spirit. All branches of knowledge which exist in the world originate from the Vedas. Setting aside the study of the secular knowledge which dealt with the transient and temporary, the seers of yore devoted their lives to the study of the immortal science of Divinity. By dint of penance and meditation, they perceived the great truths of eternity and shared their sacred knowledge with others. … The atoms are packed with infinite power. The Vaiseshika philosophy exhorts man not to be satisfied with the mere appearance of things but to probe into the inner nature of the substances. Source: http://www.sssbpt.info/summershowers/ss1993/ss1993-10.pdf

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Self development Avoid falling into the trap of perfectionists. • Determine your goals. You will be a

rudder-less ship if you do not know where you are heading towards.

• Do your SWOT analysis. Identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Write them down for clarity. Seek feedback of people around you.

• Determine areas of attention. Don't spread yourself thin. Identify few areas only. You can do better justice with them. Seek support of people around you. They are your best help.

• Get into action. Work as per your priorities. Be honest. Be regular. Be committed.

• Review/Celebrate achievements. Check, re-check, cross check. Keep the momentum high. Reward yourself well.

• Repeat the exercise periodically. The road does not end when you achieve your goals. New destinations keep emerging.

• Make self development a habit. Consider it as an un-finished agenda.

- Rajiv Khurana

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Y readers say Yes and whY-not

to positive action

Ymag is an initiative of YPROSINDIA, a social enterprise founded by Rajiv Khurana

“If you want the truth, I’ll tell you the truth: Listen to the secret sound, the real sound, which is inside you.” Sant

Kabir

#10 January 1, 2013

“Are you looking for me? I am in the next seat. My shoulder is against yours. you will not find me in the stupas, not in Indian shrine rooms, nor in synagogues, nor in cathedrals: not in masses, nor kirtans, not in legs winding around your own neck, nor in eating nothing but vegetables. When you really look for me, you will see me instantly — you will find me in the tiniest house of time. Kabir says: Student, tell me, what is God? He is the breath inside the breath.”

“...But if a mirror ever makes you sad you should know that it does not know you.” “Love does not grown

on trees or brought in the market, but if one wants to be "LOVED" one must first know how to give (unconditional)LOVE..”

Kabīr was a mystic poet and sant of India, whose writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. The name Kabir comes from Arabic al-Kabīr which means 'The Great' – the 37th name of God in Islam.