My Favorite poem: "If" - Rudyard Kipling

"IF"

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

- Rudyard Kipling

Corporations and people

The Human society works at its best when there is conducive atmosphere for people to hone their skills and meritocracy in place which acts as impetus to strive for excellence. The rise of profitable and healthy capitalism in a society relies on enduring and enterprising spirit of the people. All the major corporations are created by the set of enterprising people with a fire in their belly - a spirit of creating something.

As the company grows bigger, more people join in bringing their expertise on the board which helps the company further flourish. This along with the conducive environment leads to a corporation - a profitable entity which participates in the growth of society. It is very interesting to see so many gigantic corporations around the world which have changed the very way we live and operate. It touches many aspects of our lives even without we knowing about it. These corporation also gives an identity to a vast pool of people who are associated with it and to many it is a major driving force in their lives.

This self fueling system of profitable growth though is a subject to variety of cycles - right from the products to the industry.. from people to their fates. It is this cycles which really tests the character of the very organizations and its people. It tests the state of minds of the leaders and their competence. Their spirit to lead and to give the new direction to its people and the company. It also tests the people who work in this companies. The labor of whom have created the fortune of the companies. Above all it exposes the very driving force of the corporation, its leaders and all the people.

The driving force ultimately decides the fate of corporation. So, what does this challenging time tells us? Is this a chaos that will destroy the companies and the prosperity that it generated? Or is it a harbinger of a new order? This are some of the very interesting questions that we all are facing. History has taught us that a system that does not reward excellence - ultimately demoralizes its people and brings down the very system that was the hope of people who worked hard to build it. Communism did not work as the way it was designed because meritocracy was substituted by bureaucracy in the name of social justice! Fear ruled wit an iron fist and the people were nothing more than the instruments for the ascension to power. People suffered, revolted and bought down the very system which in the name of justice pushed them in the state of despair, agony and poverty.

On the other hand, this crisis has exposed the greed that has plagued the system in the name of reward of excellence. The greed of its own people has destroyed corporation which was instrumental in bringing the prosperity and innovation. The companies that were used as instruments to suffice their own greed is bleeding profusely and is also hurting all the people in it. This again instantiates the fear in the minds if people and amplifies the chaos.

This circle of greed and fear has something for us to offer. It teaches us the values that we forget. It ushers in a a new era of innovation and the enterprising spirit of all the people. It is the challenges that inspires people to strive harder and weather the storm. Fear and Greed both will ultimately fail. Companies where the self-interest of employees and leaders are not aligned are destined to doom. When Business strategy and culture collides - Culture has to win. This stress test of time ultimately shapes the lives of people, society and ultimately country and world. It is the time that calls for not just rejuvenation of spirits, but the re-invention of the soul itself. If the booms were not permanent, the busts too wont be forever. However this phase will definitely bring out something tremendously positive from those who work hard and do not succumb to fear and greed. It will also cleanse the corporations that is plagued with the greed and complacency and may even cause death of some companies who did not prepare itself in good days for the challenges ahead and just thought that the ride that they were experiencing will be forever.

I don't intend to predict the revival and prosperity or doom of a company or for that matter even any economy. However it is a good time to reflect on what went wrong. What can we learn and how do we make things better in the future. The cycles will continue to give a roller coaster ride to many - But it is the strength of its people that will eventually define the fate of a corporation, its people and ultimately the society.

Welcome to YATRA!

Hi All,

After a lot of introspection, I have decided to start expressing by writing on the blog. The very title of the blog expresses its intention - YATRA -- which means "Journey". We all have different stories, different outlooks, different backgrounds, and different perspectives and aspirations. But the common thing that we all have is the process of "Journey".

We all are like travelers out on a venture. Some of us have realized the destination while most of us have yet to realize and are searching. I intend YATRA to be a medium to express the journey of myself, our society, the country and the world. Throughout the journey we see a lot around us; we observe the world in different shades. So will be the YATRA. YATRA will have different shades depicting the various colors around us which make life so colorful. Every color has its language through which it expresses feelings to the one who observes. However, the interpretation of the colors depends on how the observer perceives it and interprets. Just like Red is a color which stands for Regal, it also is the color of the blood. Royalty is majestic, magnificent and an attribute most sought after. Blood, when seen, shows a very different shade of life - that of violence or tragedy. Though both of them can be related as some of the kingdoms thrive by shedding of blood, but again there are some empires which are harbinger of hope, peace and prosperity.

A traveler while visiting different places observes the world in all its form. Some places are very auspicious, like that of a place where beliefs are practiced, as in the case of church or temple. Whereas the horrifying shade of life in the form of tragedy at War Theater or during the natural calamities, reminds him of the supreme power and crushes the illusions created by the superiority complex that we humans erroneously develop. YATRA will shed some light on the different scenarios that touch our lives.

Welcome to an interesting journey - the one in which we will explore the world. We will try to understand various shades of this beautiful world. We will observe the challenges around us and will try to come up with a solution that will make a difference in our lives.