They say we learn from our failures. BUNKUM.

If a book about failures does not sell, is it a success? – Jerry Seinfeld

Failure lies concealed in every success, and success in every failure –Eckhart Tolle

Conventional wisdom says you learn more from your failures. After all, nothing assists an healthy dose of introspection and “lessons learnt” sessions than wondering how to repay the loan you took from your father-in-law. Or being stumped about how to present the latest balance sheet to your investors. After all, conventional wisdom says that to fail, and to fail often, is the right thing to do. Failure is the mother of all success. All inventions. All enterprises.

Nope. In my experience, failure sucks. Big time. And research (biased, of course, since I searched specifically for it!) says that “failure does not lead to success. In fact, startups fail as often during their second startups as first-time entrepreneurs – 20%.”

My company just turned 10 last month. Before I started the Suyati journey, I had 2 failed ventures as an entrepreneur. Within Suyati, I headed a successful content outsourcing unit for 7 years, before moving on to becoming the Communications officer at Suyati. So did I learn more from my failures? Ha ha!

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FOUR things I intend to forbid if I become the Prime Minister today

Indians are the new black. Wherever we go, there WE ARE, just like that only. We are on top, doing jugaad and taking the world by storm in sports, movies, business and pretty much everything in between. But if I was made the Indian Prime Minister today, and I had unlimited power, here are FOUR things I intend to forbid. Granted that the chances of me becoming the prime minister is pretty remote, but I want to vent. So here goes:

#4: Indian men cannot wear shorts:

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Of leaders – the heroic and not-so heroic

 

As part of the Stanford SEED program, our management team is required to read some pretty deep articles, case studies and management papers so we can all get on the same strategic page and create the Business Transformation Plan for Suyati. One of the articles that I read included a couple of chapters from “Power Up: Transforming Organizations Through Shared Leadership” by David L. Bradford and Allan R. Cohen.  The essence of the article is that Heroic leadership, the kind that gets things done by sheer will, command, authority and knowledge is slowly and surely giving way to not-so heroic leaders (the actual term used is Post-Heroic Leaders). These leaders do not lead per se. They create environments where individuals step up and take responsibility for their success. This guarantees the maximum contribution from every employee as they become more empowered, take charge, step up and meet and exceed expectations, in turn becoming catalysts for others also to become like them.

Hmm. Hmm.

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Hiding in bathrooms. And other lovable traits of an Introvert

Image: You know things are serious when the Introverts show up!

As a child, I was painfully shy. And that’s not a phrase I casually use. I would pinch my wrist, bite my nails, or keep prodding the pimples on my face to ward off anxiety attacks caused by having to meet new people. Hiding in bathrooms when the company become too much to handle was something that I did naturally. Even today, most of my ideas for blogs or articles rightfully stems from the time I spend in bathrooms!

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The real reason you need to practice yoga

Yoga is not a work-out, it is a work-in – Anonymous

A mind free from all disturbances is yoga – Patanjali

A yogi is greater than the ascetic, greater than the empiricist (JNANI) and greater than the fruitive worker (KARMI). Therefore, O Arjuna, in all circumstances, be a yogi – Shloka 46, Chapter 6, Bhagavad Gita

Yes, everyone does it including our Prime Minister. In fact, yoga is the new black. Everybody talks about it, buys the latest accessories for it, and loudly proclaim that it does wonders for them. And the benefits? They rave over their new-found flexibility, the decrease in back pain, the increased energy, the insights into the workings of their bodies….the list is endless.

Immersed in all these loud claims and endorsements, I think we are forgetting the real reason  why we should practice yoga. To become a yogi.

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Kenya, Nairobi and Masai Mara – a primal ride you will never forget

Fresh off the amazing scenery at Cape Town, we boarded the flight to Nairobi, with a stop at Livingstone. As soon as we got on board, we started pestering the air hostesses with requests to fly over the Victoria Falls either before landing or taking off at Livingstone. Finally, the air hostess graciously agreed to relay our pleas to the Captain and when we took off from Livingstone, the plane headed straight for the Falls.

From thousands of feet up in the air, the falls looked massive. So one can only imagine the sight on the ground. The pilot was sweet enough to take u-turns a couple of times so that passengers on either side of the plan got a fantastic view of the Falls, also called Mosi-oa-Tunya or the Smoke That Thunders. As one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the Victoria Falls is twice the height of the Niagara falls and twice as wide as the Canadian falls. So in terms of sheer length and width, it is the world’s largest sheet of falling water. Phew!

We landed at Nairobi close to 11 PM and headed straight to the hotel. Early next day, we were leaving for Masai Mara.

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Cape Town, South Africa – all that glitters?

Cape Town, South Africa! My husband and I signed up for the TiE Global Charter Member Retreat the moment we heard that they were organizing it in South Africa this year. We have never been to the dark continent, and knowing that we were going to visit the very same place Vasco Da Gama set his foot in 1497 was enough reason by itself to sign up. After all, he next set foot (allegorically speaking!) in our own Kozhikode nearly six months later.

So here is a day by day recount of our trip:

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Malayalam Movie Review – Mammootty’s The Great Father

How many of you remember this amazing actor in “Nirakkoottu”, a Malayalam movie starring Mammootty, released in 1985? As the avenging angel who escapes from jail to kill the person responsible for his wife’s death? How many of you remember also the amazing acting displayed by Mammootty in his role as a convict? In every scene he appears, he takes us on a roller-coaster of emotions, and finally when he kills the villain, we heave a huge sigh of relief and go home happy, and convinced, that justice has been served.

Is this review about “The Great Father” or what?

And then there is “The Great Father”. A father who loves his only child. A father who suffers incredibly when he finds her raped and left for dead in the elevator of their apartment. A father who promises to find justice for his daughter. Perfect premise, perfect beginning and the perfect story line in today’s world.

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The Stalker

He watched as the bedroom curtains parted and she looked out, inhaling the fresh scent of the new day. She wrinkled her nose a bit (the garbage man did leave his imprint!) and he saw annoyance creep on her delicate face. Poor darling. He hated her to feel anything less than perfection.

He watched as she left the window. Even if he did not see her, he knew exactly what she was doing. Brush her teeth, check on her kids, walk down to the kitchen, boil milk, light the lamp……he knew. He inched forward, hoping to hear her sing her bhajans. Lovely voice! Anything his beloved sang was lovely indeed.

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