Vedasri Siddamsetty

 

Let’s go on a Tiger Hunt, I bellowed but my son, a firm lover of the Leopard and the Lion, could not be enthused. But then, three year-old’s dont know what they want I thought as we forayed into the Jungles of Kabini to the Serai Resort located off the backwaters of the Kabini River. A safari holiday is always full of anticipation, and tests one’s patience, but it is also calming and happiness inducing, what with all that time in nature. Every trip to Kabini (the last we went was about two years ago to the Jungle Lodges) has never disappointed us, for the tiger has showed up every time. On a trip to Bandipur, Kanha, again a few years ago, the rather reticent jungle cat showed up, all with its glistening hide and athletic stance. Beautiful, majestic and real. We saw the tiger make a dash this time sitting aboard the water-safari on the Kabini river. The first time I saw a tiger run, for it’s prey, for leisure or simply getting away from us.(!) Majestic creature it was a beauty through and through. But taking on the safari and enduring it for over two hours has its charms and banes. On the water safari, we had a bunch of documentary makers for company, from Australia, who had come to make a film about Tigers, the animal that we spot only in the Indian subcontinent. On the Land Safari, we had for company thick fog, and could hardly spot any animals, wild dogs and their puppies, however rare they maybe are not counted.

The Serai, with its cozy pool and great food, provides a warm hospitality after the brutal hours on a Safari and with temperatures scorching up in March itself, one is rather glad to be surrounded by cool waters. The jungle though is extremely chirpy with birds singing away in the early mornings and late evenings, announcing the coming and going of the sun. The miracles of the circadian rhythm are best seen in the jungle, as it comes to life and retires all in circular motions. Equipped with about twenty rooms and sixty bicycles, the residents are encouraged to go cycling all around the property and mostly along the water-front which has a beautiful charm of it’s own. The birds that come visiting to the Serai, the various insects that stop by, the grazing cows who dont really give a damn or even the wild boars that come calling are all a part of the wildlife extravaganza. Nature does infact put on a show in Kabini. On the water-safari, that is very popular in the summer months, Tigers, elephants, birds are all more likely to be stopped as they come by to quench their thirst. The picture is extremely pretty and very peaceful all through. Swinging on the hammock and breathing in the fresh air by the lake, life literally slows down, the breaths get longer and the tan lines get deeper, but then what is a holiday minus the tan!

While the tiger population in India has finally taken an upturned curve, we are lucky enough to find our national animal making a headline in all the national newspapers. We could only hope that this trend continues and the jungles are kept untouched. I must say we did find plastic packets along the safari route inspite of the continuous warnings to not use plastic or dump plastic in the forest. This plastic fixation of ours can never end, the Ghazipur landfill seems to only keep growing higher, we definitely need to find alternatives, cause nothing can grow out of plastic. Doing our bit is not the way to go, doing what needs to be done maybe a way but as humans being conscious of our actions is extremely important. Cutting the clutter has umpteen benefits not just for the tigers but for us too. The Tigers are growing just as we are becoming more conscious of our actions on this planet. Its extremely thrilling to see the animals in the wild, in their natural habitats and those habitats are only possible if we let them be, for nature can and will take care of itself.

In my tryst of chasing the Tiger, and with Marie Kondo still embedded in my psyche, the blue zone research that I happened to listen to, notwithstanding my sustainability degree, I cannot help but want to keep the pristine jungles just as they are, pristine. Clutter, comes in all forms, there is real clutter, digital clutter, all of which prevent us from chasing or even spotting our tigers, our goals in this discussion. The very popular #noshop year kept a lot of people from going shopping last year. The idea was to not buy anything unnecessary or absolutely essential except for food and toiletries. With petrol prices hitting a hundred rupees a litre in India this month, a milestone considering the crude oil prices and government subsidies, going places literally costs a lot more. The followers of Greta are thumping up a storm but how effective they are in making sure of putting in place sustainable practices remain questionable. The governments are of the people and seem to be doing their bit, in putting up signboards and making the required announcements, but in effect, there is no place for sustainability in a capitalist economy. If people are not travelling, not buying things, the GDP does not benefit, nor do the people living on the planet. While the millennials write a tome about how experiences trump materialistic pursuits, they both are hazardous to the planet, running up equal costs if not more. Going to new place, fires up mental neurons and makes one more creative, so do a lot other things. Once upon a time my dream was to travel to every country on the planet, I still do nurture that dream, to lap up as many quaint and diverse experiences as I probably can, to live out of suitcases, to trot the globe. But one more trip into the jungles and staring at the beautiful cat, a pride of our nation, am beginning to question my choices, and perhaps to tread as lightly on this planet as possible. What’s my carbon score I wonder. (Incase you are wondering here is a Carbon Footprint Calculator https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx)

On a tiger hunt, in a hurry to live, harried to catch the mirages, making sure we are at benefit, may we question our incentives and our tallies, the reason of why, building a life we do not need a vacation from, so bereft of wanting. Oh boy, the pensive mind feels the responsibility of a class rep(!), the foolproof way to mend a naughty student, taking a stand, making way for Greta and simply ensuring Great. The jungle’s brought out the philosopher in me, while I figure out my choices, I’d prod you to think of yours! The Tigers are for all to see, but the question remains, do you want to see them?

The whole world will not change overnight, but then maybe it just will. A new date, a new year, a new beginning! Isn’t that enthralling enough? The world has been one this year, no matter the location, the distance, size or shape. 2020 was a year of humility for me personally, it ushered in an unseen time where staying home was the only option and me being no domestic Goddess, one can imagine the challenge it brought. Nevertheless, am alive, made it through and am raring to go, go into 2021. And on that note I’d like to share a video that my husband brought to my attention this morning, one that brightened up the last morning of a rather bleak year and I hope you, my dear readers, like it too, curated here are 21 projects set to finish in 2021.

My pick especially to watch out for this year, if not to just move into is the Rose Hill condo in New York City. The architectural design of this tower brings the 1920s Art Deco design style into the new age city that has been reinvented many times over. What caught my fancy in the Rose Hill, is the elevation for sure, its pretty, its classy and such a delight to watch! The straight lines and the structure reminds me of the Chrysler Tower, the Empire State building and all the old stalwarts of the city. Another project to watch out for is the Pier 55 project that has a collection of flower pots cauldroning out of the water. These two projects have left me aching to set foot in the city of my dreams in the coming year.

It’s the last of 2020, a year that promised so much, yet delivered so little, but then it taught us that in less there is more, in contentment there is delight, happiness, not to say the least. It levelled the playing field and showed us how we could have the world in a platter, oops in the screen, we didn’t need to travel to work, to travel for entertainment, but showed us our place in the world. What we need is nature in all its glory, the warmth of the sunlight, the cool ocean breeze, the green of the forests, the colours of the gardens, what we need are people in our lives, the hell and heaven of it all. In a year that artists turned chefs, chefs turned designers, writers turned accountants and entrepreneurs turned domestic Gods and Goddesses, there is just too much left to see/learn/feel/want/experience in this world and one year is not enough! Maybe COVID will leave when we learn all the lessons we ought to have learned outside the classroom. A tale or two on kindness and empathy.

Meanwhile, it’s hope that keeps us moving forward and there is much to hope for, for sure in the architecture the world is yet to see!

Happy 2021 you folks!!

Whatever works, works, and all else smart succinct sayings that convey the message oh so blissfully well, come straight to the forefront. It’s a world where we must adapt to what works, to what brings out the best in us, to what makes for the best in us. It’s a move on kind of world, for there is so much to see, even more to experience and much much more to savour. And for that it is imperative that we get out of our screens and experience the big bad (or good) world first hand. While Netflix largely encourages it’s fold to get out there and experience the world it thrives on it’s customers to stay home and chill, experiencing the world through a screen. And the drive to develop algorithms that will ensure us (their customers) to stay at home and chill, has had the founders get out and thrill, only to come back refreshed and inspired or lets just say armed, to keep us at home and chilled even more, and hence the loop continues.

This book is a memo of the culture at Netflix and more outdrawn version of the card deck or wait, just a poetic resemblance of these lines from Antoine de Saint Exupery’s The Little Prince.

If you want to build a ship,

don’t drum up the people

to gather wood, divide the

work, and give orders.

Instead, teach them to yearn

for the vast and endless sea.

What a wonderful way to lead, to not micro-manage, to create a context rather than control, to thrive on honest win-win feedback, to be open to feedback, to let in only the highly effective/talented people in the first circle, to avoid framework, rigidity, rules, to keep keep people over process on all accounts and in short to live and let live but all within a highly aligned context.

Here’s my review of Reed Hastings latest book No Rules, Rules. A book that is so refreshingly different. When I read about Reed Hastings and heard podcasts interviewing him I was so intrigued by the fact that the man has no hobbies, not even one, a confessed workaholic, I was his days were filled with fatigue making decisions. But I was even more intrigued by the fact that the CEO of Netflix, spends his days making no decision whatsoever. (In Hastings own words, a CEO who is busy is not really doing his job) Now that’s quite a feat considering the mammoth company operates in over 190 countries, who’s stock price jumped from about 7 dollars in 2010 to 504 dollars in 2020. Now that is stellar performance, from a leader who does not believe in control, believes in sunshining, advocated candor, asks for feedback and apologises publicly. The whole idea is insane. Insanely good that is. He believes in no orchestra, instead campaigning for jazz, and anyone who has heard jazz will agree that the spontaneity of the craft is particularly beguiling. It is where the company shines along with the individual unlike a traditional orchestra where the individual morphs into the larger picture, completely.

There a lot of takeaways from the book, some small scale that can be applied in our day-to-day lives, some bigger ones that companies can aspire for, some even personal ones that we can apply in our inter-personal encounters, Reed himself uses a couple in his relationship with his wife, which according to him saved his life. He terms it the culture of candor. In an age where one is told what the company thinks one needs to know he champions honesty in individuals and transparency in organisations. Now if you thought that is incredible he drives the point of feedback with the 4A’s. Feedback is not useful if all it wants to be is fluff, to undermine a person or to embaress, or even to insult. (though being insulted is apparently the fastest way to enlightenment according to the Buddhist monk Akong Tulku Rinpoche) The 4 A’s ask the feedback to aim to assist, be actionable and in effect by the receiver to be appreciated and then to be accepted or rejected as most deemed fit. In two lines he recounts the basic workings of the billion dollar company 1) Build a culture that values people over process, emphasised innovation over efficiency, candour over secrecy and has very few controls and 2) One that focusses on achieving top performance with talent density and leading employees with context and not control.

Amy Edmonson in “The Fearless Organisation” claims that the safer the atmosphere, the more innovation one will have in a company. Another study claims that employees who take holidays are happier, enjoy their jobs more and are more productive.

Represented by an equation it goes like this:

increasingly efficient = decreasingly creative

Following processes does not allow one to think freshly or shift fast, and for an innovation driven company what matters is not so much efficiency but more certainly creativity.

Netflix also follows a no vacation, no expense policy, the entire rule book of the company is summed up in trite three sentences that go as “There is no policy. Use your best judgement. Act in Netflix’s best interest”. Whether the action involves not pleasing your boss, not asking for permissions, signing million-dollar acquisition contracts or even flying half-way across the globe on a first-class ticket just so that you’d be fresh as a daisy for the meeting next morning and will be able to cinch an atrocious deal.

But all this is possible only by having a workforce of high talent density, meaning every member of the workforce is so well-equipped, motivated and is ambitious enough to believe in a win-win situation for all. And to keep the best individual the company believes in offering a rockstar pay. That rockstar pay is what they believe attracts the best talent, and paying as per the market rates, keeps them. Like the adage goes, throw peanuts and you will attract monkeys. And if the Rockstar does not perform, due to any reason like not aiming high enough, or not taking the risk, in short not making bold and strong moves then well the company lets them go with a generous severance package, sometimes covering four month’s pay or at other times covering 9 months pay. The benefit in hiring a stellar talent is that they usually are self-motivated and do not work for the paycheck, they are creative. Though it may mean a leaner workforce, considering one cant pay to retain a lot of Rockstar payees, it accounts for lesser people to manage and that has some serious advantages. Managing people well is hard and it takes a lot of effort but managing mediocre-performing employees is not just harder but its even more time-consuming. So much so even bonuses and incentives are done away with, coz creative work requires one’s mind to feel a certain level of freedom, contingent pay works for routine tasks but actually decreases performance for creative work. Verbatim from the book, “If part of what you focus on is whether or not your performance will get you that big check, you are not in that open cognitive space where the best ideas and most innovative possibilities reside. You do worse.” If you can prove that the market pays more for your talents then Netflix will pay that top-of-the-market-salary. And when the market rates for your skill-sets drop, then Netflix will drop your salaries too. The CEO is no exception to the rule. If someone better could lead the company, Hastings is sure to let them.

Apart from hiring the best, Netflix makes sure that they are honest, or rather more honest than the true blue scout. Candour is something that is taken very seriously, not just in providing feedback but here’s a company that asks people to learn to read the profit and loss statements, releases quarterly reports to the company ahead of time with a simple disclaimer stating, do not share or you might go to jail. Even when a time or two several employees managed to insider trade or make use of the no expense policy they were treated as a one off case and dealt with promptly rather than being treated as a wake-up call and changing the system. Like Hastings say, Trust is the one value that they would like to hold to, a value that is only festered by honesty, for how can you trust someone when you feel they are hiding things from you? The letting go of secrets and speaking transparently means no cabins, no lockable desks, all hands meeting and certainly no confidential reports, thereby fostering a sense of ownership like none other. This sense of candour is further pumped up by whispering wins and shouting mistakes, thereby sunshining them, learning from them and moving on. There is no shame in admitting to a mistake and no greater merit than learning from a mistake, and if you have a boss who can take it in his stride, appreciate the learning then building upon it is just a fabulous beginning. Again verbatim from the book, “Self-disclosure builds trust. Seeking help boosts learning. Admitting mistakes fosters forgiveness and Broadcasting failures encourages people to act courageously”. When a commandment like “Don’t seek to please your boss” floats around the office then the level of honesty within individuals and their act of courage is amped up a really great deal.

But in order for employees to have the courage to take huge decisions on their own, the company suggests a couple of measures, from farming for dissent or socialising the idea, to testing out an idea, from making the bets as an informed captain to celebrating success and sunshining failures, there are ways to work in alignment with the system even if the ways are your own. Don’t say anything that you wouldn’t say to someone’s face cuts out gossip multifold, packs up office politics and also makes sure there is actionable feedback, not just fluff. The dispersed decision-making model means you pick the very best people, who pick the very best people who then pick the best decisions, the goal is to create moments of joy, to be a team rather than a family, because a team works for the best interests of the company and no person will be tolerated just because a family means unconditional love, a team on the other hands works for the win, in alignment to the goals of the team. As Netflix spreads over to 190 countries, the culture of different countries definitely affects the very American way the company works, and in less direct workplaces like that of Japan, Hastings recommends to follow the netflix culture but to adapt, adjust the style and talk, talk, talk it out to be heard and more so understood, for after all everything is relative.

As an analogy Erin Meyer, the co-author writes about the culture of Netflix resembling the “l’Etoile” or the “Star” road around the Arc de Triomphe, with no traffic rules in place, the traffic works brilliantly, with creativity, speed and agility in resolving itself though it connects 12 roads into the star! Netflix too sheds all the rules and regulations, embracing a culture that allows it to be innovative at an unprecedented speed. Thats all the stock market needs to appreciate the stock at an unprecedented speed. For the average user it maybe Netflix and Chill but for the not-so-average investor, it’s Netflix and Thrill!

This is one place in Bangalore that deserved a visit, and after 4 years of calling this techie-inundated city my home, the time finally presented itself to make a trip there. Before I relate the tale of our visit, let me state that all precautionary measures were put in place by the palace authorities, who made sure that we were COVID safe, the visitors were at an all time low, we maintained safe distance from people and refrained from touching anything in the palace (a measure we’d all have to take either way!).

Built in the late 1800s by Chamaraja Wadiyar, the king of Mysore, the Bangalore palace was built inspired by the Windsor Castle in the United Kingdom. This palace follows the tudor style and bears little or no resemblance to the architecture of the region. But what it wears on (literally and) effortlessly is the greenery of the Garden City and what a sight it makes with a drapery of green.

Set amidst the lush Palace grounds, this palace is rather modest in its enterprise, no diamonds encrusted in the walls here, forgive me but am from Hyderabad, but what it does boast amply about is the flora and the fauna of the region. An elephant head on the mantelpiece maybe a thing of honour in the past, but an elephant leg as a stool for sitting on? Oh well. A part of the palace is open to the public and this part showcases a lift, the magnificent Durbar Hall, the women’s quarters, the men’s quarters and an entry porch. While the rooms are filled with notable photos of the regaling past, they are also dotted by personal photos of the King and Queen of Mysore, in shorts, with binoculars, on the Great Wall of China, making them seem so humane and in context with today.

The part of the palace that is open for visitors has two interesting courtyards, one used by the women of the palace and another of stone, used most probably by the men. The design and decor of the two are as varied, evoking completely different feelings and providing the user a very different experience. While the women’s courtyard is dotted by fountains, a colourful filigree and a concoction of plants, it is greatly complemented by colourful chandeliers and spectacular pieces of art. In the other more stony courtyard, there are displayed the hunting exploits of the kings of Mysore. I cannot fathom much less like but an elephant leg for a stool seems like quite a magnanimous King’s passion. In palaces all over India, we see the king happily gloat about and display the regions great reveals. Say the Kohinoor diamond in Golkonda, or the Mughal finery of marble in the Agra fort, the gems may be long gone but their indentations sure remain, revealing a great past. However, the animal exploits used as furniture was the first that I had ever witnessed. The odd animal staring at you from a panelled wall is one thing, but to sit on one is quite the other. Taxidermy to it’s full effect, am guessing the Mysore king would have had a taxidermist or two on speed dial! I for one, couldn’t wait to get out of the courtyard!

The dressers on display showed a great nature of vanity by the king, but the cherry of all the displays is the Maharani of Mysore’s most recent picture. With a coiffured grand head of grey hair, dressed in a royal silk sari and a string of solitaire diamond necklace she not only looks her part but also oozes an aura of delight and awe. A picture of elegance and of great beauty. The class is visible all over the Bangalore Palace, what can I say, the weather on the day of our visit was darn classy too. No wonder them flowers bloom so easily in Bangalore, lets just say it’s the weather. The Bangalore palace is also greatly inspired by the Windsor and in that it makes no sense, to have a great symbol of Tudor Architecture in the middle of Bangalore, but them when has great architecture ever made sense?! (think Eiffel Tower, which has singularly kept the French treasury well-oiled)

The plants growing on the walls of the palace adds so much charm to the building that I couldn’t help but recall Frank Llyod Wright’s statement about plants being the saving grace of architecture. Is the building ugly? Oh well, just plant a vine to grow around it and we all can be assuredly pleased. It is not the most stellar palace around, much less even compared to the Mysore Palace, but it’s quite young, hardly around the late 1800s or even early 1900s. I was told that the Maharaja and Maharani do visit the palace, maybe one of those days when they’d like to visit the city for the weather, or the latest jaunt, but then they do reside in the palace, probably in the wing we are not allowed to enter, the side with a very beautiful ornate white structure that I can only assume is the sun room. It does paint a pretty picture. The quiet in the palace grounds cuts one off from the hustle and bustle and mostly traffic of Bengaluru, that may not be the erstwhile Bangalore anymore, but safely tucked away in the palace grounds one can hardly tell and with that alone one is charmed!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xMYmBT6u91TpwFHPA

P.s. the humour in the palace with the canon was hilarious. The sign said that the canon could be the property of whoever could left it and carry it away. It was a fair contest, we did not have Lord Rama with us, lest we could have won, easily and hands down. But the son and husband’s Uncle did want to have a chance at the deed where thieves could be rewarded, not the petty kind but the grand kind. We tried but couldnt lift the canon hence could not make it our property. Sigh!

The festival of light, marking the movement of ourselves from darkness to light falls on the 14th November this year also marked in India as children’s day!

While we aim to glow up this season, lighting eco-friendly diyas and bursting bubbles instead of crackers, here are a few tips to light up your day and then your life.

1. Shimmer is always in. Muted, bold, colourful, add in a touch of shimmer to your household and to your make up this season. Dull gold or muted silver also brighten up your day.
2. Retell your Diwali story. There are many reasons why Hindus celebrate Diwali. While some celebrate to mark the occasion of Lord Rama completing his 14 years of exile, defeating Ravana and returning home to Ayodhya, others celebrate the won of Lord Krishna over Naraka and Naraka’s realisation and hence step over into the dominion of light from darkness, still others celebrate to mark the occasion of the Pandavas return to Hastinapura, and some mark the day as the day of the birth of Goddess Lakshmi, these being just a few of the reasons to celebrate this festival, with 33 millions Gods, Diwali unites us Hindus like no other festival does. So celebrate your reason, even if it is as simple as the day the good triumphs evil or light trumps darkness.
3. Purge them all. Thoughts, belongings, all that excess, cause in India there is no spring cleaning but there sure is Diwali cleaning. And while you pull a Marie Kondo, make sure that excess can find home in some one else’s home.
4. Light some diyas. There is something so basic and revelatory in the lighting of a diya. The whole meaning behind light over-powering darkness aside, the focus on the light of a lit wick is great for concentration, for being centered onto a goal, a thought, an action. One thing at the time. The power of being one.
5. Decorate the home. Apart from dressing up, dressing up our dwelling spaces is just as celebratory as the mood in itself. My fixes often include make-up, perfumes, or anything to add to the beauty of self. Sometimes it may be exercise and still other times beautifying the living or working spaces. Cleaning up our cities may just be a bigger step towards the act of decoration. While mess is beautiful and very creative, it does affect peace of mine, err mind, but organisation is not just efficient but quite effective too.

And while at that, I would like to wish you all dear readers, a very happy Diwali. Its a beautiful reason to stay home, make merry with our limited resources and maximum time. A light or so, some pretty chandeliers, on the ceiling or in your ears will be a fun addition to your Diwali this year. If you’re one of those noble souls who have decided to not burn crackers, be vegetarian, do a kind deed, or help out a loved one this Diwali, may you have the zeal of goodness taking you all through this day and the coming year as well.

Love and light!

(If a picture is worth a thousand words, what are a thousand words worth?)

This is a question I find people asking and while there is the debate on you are born with it, it cannot be cultivated, one that I for one, believe in. Yes you have to be born a creative, and cannot be trained to be one. However that said every one of us tends to display creative tendencies as every one of us has had to make decisions all our lives. But then there are those of us who are creatives, those who gravitate to making while others gravitate to selling. There is a lot about it. For those who are keen on being creative and a creative, here are a few tricks of the trade that I have arrived at being in the creative business for 33 years 😉

1. Sleep can make one more creative. With all the bodily processes taken care of, the brain can work on being a mind, giving preference to thinking and well, thinking different. Out-of-the-box can only happen when the box needs no repair and such.
2. Sugar damages the brain. Well sugar damages every part of the body, eyes, liver, blood, you name the part and sugar can do great damage, but it does damage the brain greatly too decreasing memory and attention, worst of all slowing down cognitive function.
3. Dress your creative up. While the Zuckerbergs and Cooks believe in donning a uniform, I found that a tad too constricting. Being a creative means making a ton of decisions, ever tried sitting in front of a white canvas wondering which colour to start with or a blank wall in a house interiors project? Making a decision require courage. The more you use your decision making ability, the more you can hone it. While it is convenient to have clothes that you can simply sink into when you cant decide, not making a decision is also a decision.
4. Live the moment. It always is calming to roughly know what you would be doing at different times in the day, of having a routine, most people do swear by it. But for me, springing a surprise on myself makes me feel very free and hence very creative. When you are not bound by what you should be doing and embrace what you could be doing, it is very liberating in every sense of the word.
5. Movement helps a ton. Exercise could also be used as a synonym for use. Movement whether it’s travel or simply dancing around loosens up the body and the mind. Physically moving the body metaphorically moves the mind. Takes it off its existing space and pulls out the constraints. A mind that is open and not rigid and tight helps. Screw loose and foot loose takes a whole new meaning! Reigning in is just very cloistering.
6. Set a goal for everyday. For a writer, writing 1000 words per day is a wonderful goal, for an architect drawing up a sketch everyday is a wonderful goal, for the chef whipping up a recipe everyday is a goal, for the monk 4 hours of meditation everyday is a wonderful goal. Whatever you want to be good at, set a number to pursue it everyday. It could be in time or in output, it really sets a flag-post, a marker in an otherwise easy-breezy day.
7. Tickle the funny bone. To be a creative, to truly be a creative one has got to find, nurture and tickle one’s funny bone. It helps to laugh for the average-joe, but it really really helps to laugh for a creative. Laughter you see is an instant vacation, it takes you from here to there, asking very little of you except for a change in perspective. Give the greatest of tragedies some time and they will certainly morph into comedies.
8. Read. This is the single most important point on this list. Read everything, from magazines, to newspapers, to books, to novels, to the structural code, to the manual books, to Vinci’s A Treatise in Painting, Ruskin’s The Seven Lamps of Architecture, to the Confessions of a Shopaholic, to the room you are in , to the people you are with. Nunchi is the Korean word for reading the room that you are in, the unexpectant silent energy. Bury yourself in fiction and at other times non-fiction. Creativity is the work of the mind and reading is the fodder for the mind. While exercise provides oxygen to the brain to keep it alive, reading provides nourishment to the brain to keep it going.
9. Leave no room for fear or for doubt. Being a creative is a lot like riding a tiger. If you stop riding it, it will eat you up. If you stop moving you lose. Hence ditch the analysis paralysis and make an attempt to keep going ahead, whatever may be the consequences. The naysayers are aplenty, not just in this imaginative world, they are plenty in the binary world too, but keeping everyone happy is a task for worry, being fearful of the consequences wouldnt allow one to move a muscle, firing up neurons is a far fetched idea then. Hence try not to entertain doubt or fear for that matter, it gets one nowhere. Know that doubt and fear are as persistent as ever. Know that every creative has a logic behind him or her, every decision has a preceding questionnaire, bury that doubt or fear behind the questionnaire, happily and merrily!
10. Detach. The creative makes things and then things take a life of their own. It is untenably important to not want to micromanage or control things to be a creative. Creative people cannot manage people, there are enough compartments in one’s brain to manage itself. Managerial posts require a sense of engagement, a sense of control over another individual, though today most managers believe in hands-off approaches and setting the context to achieve desired results rather than dictating terms, either way they need to be manipulative. The creatives on the other hand need to be adept at rolling with the punches, making the best of things. Perfectionists work well in black and white worlds like finance or computing, where things are binary 0 or 1 but for creative people, even in finance to cook up numbers needs a ton of creativity and thats mostly to think outside the parameters. No rules, rules, most definitely.
11. Welcome them Interruptions. The truly creative people thrive on interruptions, disturbances, chaos, crazies and a whole lot of mess, its like thay cant see, hear or feel the mess, they are the lotus in the proverbial pond. Thats the only way with getting ahead with life, or rather inspite of life. There will be interruptions and if you let that get the better of you then you’ll just be a ball tossed about. Modern day technology distracts, people in person distract, urgent issues distract, the list never ends. When I was in school I always thought having a quiet environment helped one to study and imbibe better, this till I met a girl, topper in her school who studied at the dining table with the television on, maids walking in and out, people doing their thing in a busy household. I was intrigued, and I tried to change the way I thought and it worked like magic, or atleast worked. Same way I read in a book, one does not need a tranquil environment to meditate, one finds themselves in tranquility once they meditate. Focusing on the task at hand is a wonderful way to not be perturbed by the environment.
12. Journal or simply keep a notebook on you. Its your pensieve. Yes, while the Harry Potter fans get it alright, its a pool into which your thoughts can go hence freeing up precious brain space. Its time taking, but its truly useful. Clarity in thought is precious. Clutter is the enemy in physical space, it is also the enemy in mental space. Let it go in life and let it go on paper. Great ideas too make a wonderful notebook entry, as you put it down on paper you can distance yourself from your own thought so as to be objective about the idea and then can weigh it’s worth without being tied down to it.
13. Be an eternal grateful, positive, happy-go-lucky person. While we mostly attribute the dark, moody, creative thinker always surrounded by a cloud of smoke, puffing away to glory or being a left-winged activist, maybe even a depressed manic who cut off his own ear, think Van Gogh, the truly creative person is an optimist. Moreover one who is truly healthy afflicted by no disease of the body or the mind. Here’s an exercise, steer clear of the three cancers of the mind – Complaining, Comparing and Criticising. Trust me when I say this and try it for yourself, the worst possible emotion one can ever entertain is that of envy, not only does it cause unbelievable wreckage, it also is the least fun of all.
14. Entertain music of your choice. Music has the power to heal, to depress, to repress, to call on the clouds, to cause rain and even to bring back memories or wipe them out as the need may be. Ever tried listening to the blues when you feel blue? It’s one of those cases where two negatives make a positive. It is relentless and fascinating. My go to music while designing, while happy or sad, is the Beatles, precisely the Across the Universe OST, it reminds me of college, of literally the most precious days of my life, a time when I literally transformed into a butterfly. I didnt know it then, but then well
15. Walk with a bounce in your step. Now this one is inspired by Steve Jobs who not only was also always listening to music but walked with a particular gait. While every person’s gait is as unique as their finger print, Jobs gait particularly incorporated a bounce in his every step. He would be seen walking around the Apple campus with ears plugged and a gait that almost seemed like tiggering around. If breathwork can conytrol the body, peppy body language can control the brain and optimism is a requisite to creativity.
16. Sport a happy smile, and be okay to guffaw every once in a while. While an avalanche type laughter would be ideal, a pretty little chirp or tweet will also punctuate your days with endless wonder. Laughter in particular boosts all the happy hormones like the Irish proverb goes like, a long laugh and a long sleep can cure almost anything. A happy smile is one that reaches from the stomach not just the mouth but even the eyes. And thats a sure shot way to turn all the downs, up! And up is the way to go to go creative.
17. Try a new hobby, every once in a while, do something different, no jack, no master, just go with the flow of the task in hand and do it for the sake of doing it! I’ve been such a pro a trying out new hobbies that I own a piano, a flute, a yoga mat, tennis racket, swimming goggles, squash racket, table tennis racket, zumba membership, gym membership, an apron, acrylic paints, top of the line paint brushes, a travelogue, a pen collection, riding breeches, golf sticks, jewellery casts, oh well, talk about living a full life! Am no jack of all these, but certainly a master of architecture, and well, creative thinking!
18. Get a new perfume act going. This works splendidly for me in particular, but I know people who would baulk at the thought of a scent. If you are one of them then well, try fresh flowers, they not just lighten up a space, they’d even indulge your nervous system. I for one love perfumes, something that I probably like just as much or even a tad bit more than books to collect. The whiff of a great smell is a neuron relaxer, just as an offensive odour is just as offensive as it sounds. But either way a bad odour stresses out the system just as a lovely smell relaxes one.
19. Just go play a round of golf, or tennis, or croquet or whatever your singularly played sport fixation is. Singularly being responsible for the outcome of the point is very relaxing as is being both responsible and free for the outcome of the play. The more outdoor the sport is the more relaxing and affable it seems to me. It’s so much more fun too to be in the natural surrounds in case of golf.
20. Play. Life is a game play it. Life is a dance, dance it. Do whatever it takes. Whatever works. Whatever, works. No rules rules. Be open to life. Let it happen and apart from just detaching, take the outcome in your stride and learn to build upon it. Dissect when necessary but learn to flush, get it out and move on. Like in a play, like in play, there are parts for everybody, the winners, the losers, nothing is final, it never will be. Even death is not final, things could happen posthumously, again ask Van Gogh, he could have never imagined. We are not supposed to be in control of everything. So well, whatever!

As my blog has gone, a no picture blog, though we acknowledge that a picture speaks a thousand words, here’s some hoping that a thousand words can concoct up a pretty picture!

Am no typically bake sale mom,

My forte cant ever feed you nom,

I can do no cupcakes or brownies,

But with me around there some,

will make no room for frownies,

Lots of imagination and funnies,

Will make one lose track of runnies,

The vast spectacle of the universe,

Is always ready for some inverse,

Tiger parenting is now so passé,

The proverbial ROI so unnecessary,

As the cherubic thugs live free,

Life particularly so easy and breezy,

Arting about the topsy-turvy world,

There is much to do, to be heard,

In the poetry of Keats, Wordsworth,

Daffodils to smell, hugs to trees of girth,

Much ado to them Shakespeare’s words,

The many worlds to see and paths to twirl,

Beats of fun, in weathering beautiful curls,

For there are aplenty roads to take forth,

That lead to happiness and personal growth,

In tomes of text may we bury ourselves,

Or take the high road across the felts,

Through starry nights and sunny shells,

Maybe dance to the tunes that utterly melts,

Use them senses with all their snuggy dwells,

What I can do is still pretty clear; and

that is to love you unconditionally dear!

Data is the new currency, attention the new stock option and friends list the new incentive. Are you living a Grammable life? Oops I mean a worthy life? Are your days passing without – ‘one for the gram’ picture? We are living in a highly digital world, where there is nothing free, if it is free then well we are the currency, our attention, our information. After watching ‘The Social Dilemma’ and having my phone pickpocketed, literally on a walk around the neighbourhood, and not having social media help me track the average criminal or even my phone back, am here putting thoughts to paper, well digital paper.

First of all, no phone equals to peace of mind. And second of all? Peace of mind is greatly over-rated. Having no phone kept me out of the loop with the family, friends, and had me miss Day 1 of a 12 day course that tunes in once a week for 12 weeks. Thats because the course organisers found it easier to send the participants the zoom link on a whatsapp group rather than send us an email or put out the link on the dashboard (which would be a more sensible option). And a no phone meant no ways that I could receive OTPs, people who wanted to frantically get in touch with me or any such. And then the most important, no easy access to the FAANG group. Thats Facebook, Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google, the last two managed to stay with me without the phone, but Facebook and its baby Instagram was totally out of the loop. Now one week without Insta and Facebook brought me out of depression, one that I constantly put myself into, mainly gauging my location on this map called life largely looking sideways at everyone on their own racetraps, oops race tracks. And that was really really nice.

In Social Dilemma, Tristan Harris mainly points out the fact that social media traps one, manipulates behaviour, rigs elections, lobbies for cases, brings governments to their knees and completely puts each person on a completely different advantage or should we say disadvantage with reality being different for different people. The Facebook addict would argue that when newspapers came first, it could do all the above and as easily manipulate naive minds and get people to do just as they pleased, televisions were as easily criticised when they debuted, people said they would rot the mind, which they absolutely do, and one also pointed out how cars during their debut were criticised to make death more easy. The argument provided by Harris is not just true, its plain shocking. The last time I saw a documentary as compelling was when I watched ‘Forks over Knives’ and turned vegan, without enough supplements, deficiencies galore and I nearly ran out of the essential vitamins. So no, this time around am not falling for a documentary headfirst without proper research even if it guarantees me inner peace. Here’s my musings on the matter.

No man is an island and we need the society just as undeniably as we make the society. But social media? Instant social media? When I am busy looking at the lives of others, (it does keep me updated about my friends halfway across the globe in half of a split second) I tend to miss smelling the roses in front of me, living my life, and thats just unforgivable. But without context, without other what are we, but then what we do thrive on in conversation, hearing and being heard, instantaneously, not trolling out to blank space but actually having verbal and non-verbal cues, the expression on one’s face, the tone of one’s voice. Though that is something that can be just as easily be captured by the video options on most social media. In the Happiness advantage by Shawn Achor, happiness is largely hinged on our interpersonal relationships, it is in fact the most important piece in the puzzle called happiness. Social media is a wonderful way to harness and build on interpersonal relationships. Though it connects the globe from far it probably makes one disconnect from the globe up close.

A balance is probably then the key, moderation as always, the middle path, get the best of both, as most advice, but then on one path one is sure to miss the other, so no, moderation is not the key here. There are tons of businesses that work completely online, its for work, to make money, to be known, to spread word, and there are extremely successful business people out there who make money by the millions, this makes social media unbelievably important for their bread and butter. With information so easily available it would certainly be a pity if we could not use it, as is with out respective brains, if your brain could be washed then well, it could as easily be done with a newspaper as it could by a friend, frenemy or enemy for that matter, it could just as easily be done by an advertisement say Fair & Lovely or a radio jingle. Everything around us serves as inspiration but at the end of the day it is upto us to be inspired or simply manipulated.

This post is rather long, cause the dilemma has been around quite long, so has the advantage. When the great leaders who are also great readers read, read Bill Gates, Charlie Munger, Warren Buffet they also set enough time to think. Readers who do not spend time to process all the data and do not sufficiently mull over the matter or in other words think, are not readers who could be leaders. Every piece of information that we consume, whether its a comment to a picture, the picture itself, news update, commentary or even blog post like this one, the information is just that, information and today the world is full of information, how we process that information in our minds and further how we decide to act upon it solely depends on one.

We are mostly certainly the only advantage we have. Our minds, our soles, our very nature, inherently we are all good people, manipulated only when we are not being aware of ourselves. Being aware of ourselves, well thats the advantage. Facebook cannot be responsible for mass killings, nor can they be held responsible for showing us ads of shoes just cause we said we’d buy some shoes. Try asking out aloud how do I get off google, and then check your google, the first search will be articles on how to get off Google, so much for artificial intelligence, it could be trapped within itself, just like real intelligence. The various social platforms echo whats already in our minds, darn a little too highly. The amplification may well mean well, if our initial searches and talks mean well, or the amplification may seem terrible, if our talks mean so. We may hold the social tech bigwigs responsible for editing data and ask them to take down things that do not serve us well, ask for monitors in the class because well, we cannot monitor ourselves. If one is not a self-starter than we need an environment to help us start, think of the woman on a diet who throws out all candy out of her house and does not walk past a Haggen Das even if her life depended on it. Is that what we are? Trapped by impulses and need an environment to make us tick and stick to our goals?

What we need to do is not throw the candy out of the house, we need to train our greatest asset to be our greatest advantage, the mind. The truly self-starting, self-motivated individual will feel a fire in the belly and know when to start and when to stop, the solution is to always be self-aware. To be the proverbial lotus in the pond. To rise out of still waters, to know thyself. Social media, digital technology is a tool, it is a gateway to peace of mind, to excitement, to happiness, to knowledge to whatever we may want if we can know ourselves well. This is very exciting age to live in and the future will only be more and more exciting. Its true by buying books on the kindle we are only filling the coffers of one A in the FAANG acronym. Since we can carry the book anywhere we want but we can never share it. So using one’s discretion at this point is paramount, does the book do well with resharing? do I want it to be with me always? could it make a great gift? Do I have the space for it right now? Do I need to remember parts of it? This is just an example but the same applies to everything related to technology. Does this information do well to be shared? Questions like that. We can only increase our self-awareness questions when we are able to question ourselves. Therefore question everything. Being one-hundred percent you is the need of the hour. Friends are vacationing in the Carribean? Sure, you want to go? Sure, would that be this years goal? Sure. And hence build the questionaire, build the thought and build the mind. Trick the system to find advantage in it, for one the least one can do is to be predictable.

When I ask Netflix for suggestions the algorithm keeps me, me every single time. It shows me the same type of shows, same type of documentaries how about surprising the algorithm then? Then life is exciting, and maybe for once one can get a different perspective on things. What is a vacation if not a refreshing of the mind and a change in perspective. I learn, my curiousity is piqued and further satiated by the things I read, hear and watch. Sometimes inspiration comes from a social media feed, sometimes it comes a legendary tome by Shakespeare, sometimes from a walk around the neighbourhood, a pattern here and a couch there, a detail here and an elevation there, but none of it is true inspiration and good inspiration at that unless I mull on it or filter out some thinking about it. There is no formula in numbers or values, no 5 hour screen time or no ‘delete your apps from your phone’, no stop feeding them data or no give them your attention. Dont make them rich cannot and should not be your life motto. One’s mind at the end of it, one’s awareness, one’s own filter is the advantage every single time.

This is a long post, just like whats on social media, it’s garbled, goes off in all directions and teases you with some provoking, so here’s the exercise, skim it to lap up what you need, and then take only that. Leave the rest, like they say, to the universe, it can do with a lot of space dust. For yourself, be glad to be your own advantage, for you are most certainly your own social advantage.

When leaders take on huge challenges, the result in imminent and for all to savour. The Markook Reservoir also labelled the Konda Pochamma Sagar Reservoir is one such challenge which was aptly addressed by the Chief Minister of Telangana State in India.

The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project brings water from the Rivers Pranhita and  Godavari to an arid plateau area covering a distance of about 500 kms. It uses about 1800km canal network brings about 240 TMC of water used to culture land, provide water to the city of Hyderabad and the nearby villages. As the world’s largest lift irrigation project, this project lifts water to a MSL of about 621 meters that is higher than the Colorado lift irrigation project in the USA and the Great Man-made River in Libya. The entire project has about 22 pump houses that consume 3767MW of power costing the state about Rs 80,000 crore. The Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation project makes the arid Deccan Plateau of Telanagana extremely arable, it is a matter of pride for Telangana putting it firmly on the world map for sure! It will most certainly end the water woes of a state so terribly parched.

Doing the most touristy thing that we’ve done in the last 5 months we belted up and drove to the Markook Resevoir from the city of Hyderabad. Knowing nothing much about the reservoir or the Kaleshwaram project (except for the costs), I was stunned to see the beautiful bund and a sprawling reservoir that it holds. Not to forget the mega traffic jam on the bund! As we stop talking and obsessing over the white elephant in the room – a five letter word, annexed by a number, starting with a C and ending with a D, it seems like the outdoorsy tribe of the city decided to treat their senses to this delectable part of the Kaleshwaram project closest to the city. Not knowing what to expect made it extremely adventurous, but people were even trekking over the stone bund in the fine weather. As we shun the malls and make our way to more natural sights, this man-made wonder made my day in an otherwise home-bound lockdown times. Being a tourist is the best feeling for sure, even if its the oft-beat or less than oft-beaten tracks. Taking a U-turn on the narrow bund was as exciting as seeing this vast body of water, as was being a part of a traffic jam after ages!

Again a no picture post, dear readers, but here’s a link to feast those eyes on!

Some things in life leave a lasting impression on one, and this one is something I crash landed onto and how! Never one to watch tv series in a different language, solely riding on subtitles I finally took the leap. Like the film Parasite’s director Bong Joon-ho said during his Oscar acceptance speech, if one can climb over the one inch barrier of subtitles whole new worlds open up, and what a world it is now!

Now this is one show that is brilliant in every respect, story, characters, settings, cast, dialogues, wit and brevity. The lead characters are as flawless as their skin. The story is as flawless as it’s locations and even if the story is highly unrealistic it is very endearing. If I could have a writer to write out my life it would have to be Park Ji-eun, the writer of this one for sure. Would not mind mouthing the dialogues that she has written for sure. True love, true pining, true longing, heart-pumping humour and a huge dose of melodrama make up for this very addictive show. As a work of art, there ought to be several naysayers who may not agree or even like this one, but for me I cant stop recommending it to everyone I know. It has struck a chord with me and obviously the dream will always be to have someone look at you the way Captain Ri looks at Yoon Se-Ri!

Switzerland on its part does so well on many counts. The most picturesque part of the Alps lay in this beautiful country that supplies unlimited Bliss on all accounts. The evil characters are evil for no reason, like in life, and are eventually surmounted at all costs, in fact they drive the story forward and it’s thanks to them that the lead characters end up having to spend unaccounted time together and falling more deeply than ever in love. Upon looking up the names, Hyun Bin and Son Ye-Jin have the best of dialogues as do the other two leads too. There is comedy, there is North Korea and then there is South Korea, a country that has wowed the world on more than one account whether it is Samsung or it is Innisfree, the technological advancement and the fancy coloured life, it is all very well encapsulated in K-pop, K-drama and all the other entertainment styles that they have unfurled upon the world. I couldnt imagine the remake of the story in any other language, for the nuances of the setting could not be the same. A heroine falling, oops descending from the heavens above into the arms of a dashing hero is honestly all that dreams are made up of. But this one is one step over, its what life should be made up of.

In the last episodes, the small acts of thoughtfulness and kindness are very touching as Captain Ri schedules messages to Se-Ri about small insights into the day, the season and what it means. Unrealistic but heart tugging the simple acts of kindness are very pretty to feel, when further investigated the South Korean police finds CCTV footage of Captain Ri doing just random acts of kindness as he goes about it day. There is obviously nothing to frame him for. The show ends on a bittersweet note, and leaves the viewer wanting for more, the sweetest locales on Switzerland make it a tad more palatable. The piano music is brilliant, it makes for a wonderful background score. Infact everything about the show is praiseworthy, no wonder it is the highest rated tvN drama in Korea. Loving it so much I did embark to watch some more K-dramas but none touched a chord like this one. The strong, silent hero who doesnt speak much and the peppy, witty heroine who speaks very freely with a whole lot of history behind them with a divide in countries and people just make one want the reunification of North and South Korea to happen sooner. A trip to Korea will be on the list of every person who views this show.

For me it felt more than just a web-show. It made me want them to be real, and thats quite something! In other words, Korea, South Korea I crash landed on you! Needless to say after watching this show, I got so super conscious of my skin (that has definitely has gone through a rough patch, literally the last two years) and got myself a bunch of products from Innisfree. I looked up South Korea, then remembered a book I read by a Korean author that I would also recommend, the book is called Pachinko, (whiles here’s my review on the book Pachinko), played the OST of Crash Landing on you on loop, watched Hyun Bin and Ye-Jin’s videos on Swoon, read their interviews on zoom, they both seem to be so endearing just like in the show, then read up some more about Koreans in general, including the General (whom we will not talk about), heard interviews of defectors from the North, 18 hairstyles for women and 28 hairstyles for men (now who wouldnt want to flee that!), looked up information on the general populace, read how men and women love playing golf I surmised (another so relatable fact for I love golf), another fact- the US LGPA made knowledge of English mandatory in professional golf tournaments to keep up with the Korean domination (somebody please make it mandatory for their shows too!!), tried watching another K-drama ‘Its OK to not be OK’, her clothes make for another blog post for sure, brushed up my knowledge about the city called Seoul (pronounced Soul), danced to ‘Gangnam style’ for a bit, no a lot, got nostalgic about relishing Bibimbap on three different occasions, one in on Orchard Street in Singapore with Zen, one in Jaisalmer with Nishil and one in Boston with Kritika, Korea has obviously got into the nook and corner of the world(!), looked up for Korean bowls to recreate the Bibimbap experience (which is not my cup of tea), binged again on Bin-Jin, found myself brewing barley tea, got myself a jade derma-roller, ate more vegetables, researched Jeju island, prodded the husband about making a trip to Korea, spent days looking at a birds eye view of Korea, both North and South, and then drew up a 7-day itinerary to Korea!

Netflix has kept me busy all week.

Obviously its not Netflix and Chill for me. The word is Netflix and Thrill!

p.s. A word of Caution: Watch this K-drama at your own risk cause it is so so addictive and one may end up putting their life on hold. This is a no picture post. But here’s a link to the show’s trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXMjTXL2Vks

and then

Well, what can I say except you’re welcome!

 

This is my favourite soundtrack called ‘The Song for my Brother’. I love all the songs of the OST,  for whats not to love!