A Jaguar on the prowl...

(Source: Not Mine)

PGDFM Achievers

Finally today a battle was won
Between backbenchers and the dias holders
Both of them almost looked like one
Throwing at each other - characteristic boulders!

Will it be a call or will be a put?
Questions confused us till the last day
Everything seemed to be alright, but
Our marks never saw shades of grey!

Yes, if things go alright...
We will all be PGDFM holders atleast!
Things dont look too bright
Though, we have got rid of the "beast"!

Congratulations to all of us---
So which is better-Sleeping Beauties or Napping Beauties!?

When i was in class, my teacher said...

When i was in class, my teacher said..
"Students, u clap for whom?
Wait and watch, what i do to u?"
And we bow down our heads in shame!

And he said,
"F******k Forms are jus' a formality,
Forced on you by the office!"
And this is when we saw the situation's gravity!

After the class, the students said...
"What do we do to him?
1-3 is the range to be,
With all emotions running to the brim!"

And here we say,
"Sir, we all are bachelor boys,
And thats the way to be!
Learning is not the way you propose,
And your future, we are yet to see!

(anthem in Bachelor Boy tone in full emotion!)

A Regression Model for performance ...

I now not why i am so sad
It wearies me, you say it wearies you
But how i caught it, found it or came by it,
I DONT KNOW!
- Shakespeare

The song is apt for me right now
"HAD A BAD DAY"

I think it's the presentation
Want to regress all the variables which resulted in the failed presentation
and find out
which one effected the most

Variables identified ---->

Bad slides
Mic
Style of presentation
Knowledge abt the subject
or
Facilitator's comments

I would like to run a multivariate regression model here in order to find the impact of each variable on my performance today!

Lets see the results ---->>

Definition of variables =

Y (dependant variable) = My performance
x1 = Bad Slides
x2 = Mic
x3 = Style of Presentation
x4 = Knowledge about subject
x5 = Facilitator's comment

and the equation is

Y = 0.x1 + 0.x2 + 0.x3 + 0.05.x4 + 1.x5

Analysis -

R Square = 1
p-value = 0

The interpretation is left to the reader if he has significant knowledge of statistics, esp Regression of which we all are supposedly fans!

I have done my best to make the neccessary changes in the independant variables - trying to use the method of elimination - remove the variable from next year - so no facilitator's comments from next yr (this particular facilitator)!!

My comments on the Feedback Form are reserved as they cannot be published here!!!

I know why i am so sad
I wearies me, I dont know if it wearies you
How i caught, found it or came by it
I KNOW AND I DID SOMETHING ABT IT!!!

- Nasty Santaa by Sanat Satyan

Ace of Diamonds team....

Dionysia - Antardwandh Invitation

released on 10 Feb 06...Antardwandh invites TAPMI to Dionysia!
Designed by AC, Rahul and Sanat!

Promo 4 - Dionysia

Final Promo -



Original Promo -

Promo 3 - Dionysia - Antardwandh

"Traffic has memory"

Oof...all this reading is making feverish...i am being forced to think of wierd things! Was watching MI3 few days back (god knws how many times i have seen the movie...overdone...bt still watching it)...one dialouge in the movie has stuck in my mind since day one...I dont know how many of you remember it bt i think its a brilliant concept and am sure alot of research has already been done on this...another reality of life which has crept out of the textbook!

The dialouge is "Traffic has memory". Tom explains it but only in one line,leaving the uninitiated listener bewildered! Well...he definitely left me thinking!

Thinking of what this line translates into...it reminds me of the innumerable times when i am driving down a road and on seeing a huge traffic ahead (due to a roadblock or anything), i say to myself, "oh no, not again!" The brilliant part is once an alternate route has been found, the traffic automatically diverts to this new route...one roadblock interrupted the memory and the smart traffic found its own way and maintained the same through its memory!

Lets go back to the beginning...Road Block on the Ring Road..in Delhi..All those not familiar with the Delhi roads - Delhi has a Ring Road structure of road where an Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road encircles the entire city connecting all important places. Of course, by convention, one can know that this concepts helps in one thing...everyone knows that the shortest distance between two places on the ring road would be not via the ring road, it would be the approximate straight line joining the two places! Well, since everyone (lets say half of the traffic) would try to take this route and not the ring road, the other half will think that since most of the traffic will take the straight route, the Ring Road will be hassle free to drive in...so automatically, the ring road will also attract the optimum amount of traffic. It is said that the traffic is managed on the ring road in such a way so that there are minimum stoppages and minimum jams. All those who are not aware of the big city traffic light system should know that there is a concept of Synchronised Traffic Lights Scheme which is applied in alot of routes! According to this scheme, if one is driving at a constant speed of 40 kmph or 60 kmph (depending on the speed specified for the route) one will not intercept any red light...so a red light free driving although there a complete traffic light system!! This is managed by maintaining this route on a high priority basis and synchronising the other intersecting routes based on the timings of this route.

Well, the Ring Road has its own Sunchronized System and it is given the highest priority as far as traffic movement is concerned. The more the number of flyovers on the Ring Road, the better it is for the intersecting routes.

Now, how did i come upto this point? Oh Ok....

So we were talking about memory...as i started with the memory on alternate routes,there is a memory that the traffic maintains on two aspects...speed and stoppage time! If you are driving a lazy sunday afternoon, a slow driver on the main road would be cursed by the other drivers because of slowing the traffic!! Alternatively, on a busy saturday night, one drunk driver has the capacity to delay lakhs of people on the road! Am i thinking of Butterfly Effect here???

We have all seen movies where one accident on the road forces the entire set of cars lines coming in full speed behind to crash!! The famous Freeway scene of Matrix Reloaded comes to my mind...the entire dynamics of the traffic was maintained on this...if one small accident causes a memory lapse for sometime..cars are not able to stop immediately...they crash...bt as a few number of cars crash, the rest of the drivers see this coming..and either slow down or divert! Thats Memory for you! One accident and Short Term Memory Loss!!

Also, there are cases when an alternate route joins the main route ahead! How does this happen? Yes, you will tell me these cars are noone else but human beings who 'remember' the route! I agree...it might seem trivial that i am just calling human being's memory as 'traffic's memory'!! But one should not miss the point that here we are talking about thousands of individuals on one single road...driving in their own moods swings, to different destinations, at different variable speeds and the like! Would it be right to call them one entity? However,i can club all of them together and call them "Traffic", right?

So when the first car on the alternate route, hits the main road...till then the skeptical second driver and all the others following him are relying on him (his memory) and when he finally joins the main road, there is a sense of accomplishment and this is translated into the memory of the first driver being translated into the memory of the entire column of traffic!!!

So what about that road block which made this traffic divert...this small mishap caused the entire traffic to forget its route for part...alternatively it also helped it generate an alternate intelligence or shall i say activate an alternate memory which helped the column to join the road ahead!! One more angle can be found here to the conversation---->the broken down car or vehicle did not do anything to the traffic ahead of it...proving that traffic acts like the human memory...there is no foresight...only recollection of the past events! Also,what the human dreams of is nothing else but the destination in the minds of the drivers! They are all moving on their pre destined paths to their own destinations!

Lets look at the maze of traffic where everyone is moving to their own destination points in a criss cross manner...getting simulteneously effected by every piece of traffic it crosses! No wonder, we all answer to the question, "why were you late?". "Got stuck in the heacy traffic". The most obvious explaination would be - noone forced you to take that route...you must have taken either the route that u always took or chosen the least traffic density path for yourself...bt then, you have been defeated by the traffic's memory which has been there for a long time and you have now become a part of it! I mean, there might have been an accident on your regular route two hours back...and you either joined this route unknowingly, or when you were on your way...someone informed you (by memory again) about the accident and it forces you to become that extra intelligent and form the new traffic!

So now, can we ask the question, whose memory does the traffic take? The smartest person in the traffic or the dumbest!!

My answer is ---- of the person, who heads the traffic!!

Arnt we all followers? in our daily lives? in the way we drive? in our memories?

Poster 2 - Dionysia

Poster 1 - Dionysia

My Niece...dont want to say anything more

30 march 06...an end!
Shubhika Dutta...a new beginning!

Life is just!

Old memories of a troubled discussion !!

Industry Interface Day 06

Promo 2 - Dionysia - Antardwandh

Promo 1 - Dionysia - Antardwandh

I quote Mr Pranab Rungta on "Leadership"

“Beautiful hands are those that do
Work that is earnest and brave and true
Moment by moment
The long day through

Don’t worry and fret; faint hearted
The chances have just begun
For the best jobs haven’t been started
The best work hasn’t been done”

- Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam


The above poem says it all, the qualities a leader should have. Which include being hard working, brave, true and ethical, and patience.

Leadership is one of the most important of all qualities a manager needs to be successful. This is because the skill sets required to become a true leader are many and it is the union of all these qualities that make a good manager a good leader. Many people define leaders in different ways. Arnold Glasow defined a leader as “a good leader takes a little more than his share of blame and little less than his share of credit.”

To become a leader there many skills a manager has to acquire. The leader should have the heart of giving due credit to people who deserve it and also take up the responsibility of what he is doing. This is because a sincere compliment is one of the most effective tools to teach and motivate others. This quality helps him to empower people and responsible for whatever the employee does. By making people responsible for what they are doing brings up sincerity in work and thus efficiency.

Determination is one the most important qualities a leader should have as this helps him take up new challenges. According to the words of Napoleon “victory belongs to the most persevering.” The first thing a company expects out of a new CEO is to bring about change. Any change that is brought out has to face a lot of resistance and thus this quality came in handy at this time. The leader has to be firm on his decision and here is where the determination factor comes into picture where the leader takes a decision to go against the usual norms. It is said anonymously “real leaders are ordinary people with extra ordinary determination.” By determination we could also mean will power. This is some thing that not only a leader needs but all managers because this is the quality that enables managers to go ahead even in times of crisis. Abraham Lincoln said “determine that things can and shall be done and then we shall find the way.”

Confidence is one of the determining factors that differentiate a leader and others. This is one of the most essential elements required to be successful. It is anonymously said “confidence is the companion of success.” Confidence, in turn come from success and thus two are mutually dependent on each other. Another parameter that is essential to have confidence is self belief and self understanding. This is some thing difficult to achieve as we all know that the longest journey is the journey inwards. We always associate a leader with innovation in whatever he does and rightly so because according to the words of Joan Brannan “one who walks in others track leaves no foot prints.”

The leader should be a dreamer. According to the words of Thirukkural “dream, dream, dream; dreams transform into thoughts; and thoughts result in action.” Dreams are the place where ideas take birth and we believe that if a person cannot imagine then he cannot do. It is this imagination that we describe as dreams. He should not just have dreams but also be action oriented because nothing dies faster than an idea in a closed mind.

Wisdom is must for a good leader. This is one of the crucial factors in determining the success of a leader. According to the words of Thirukkural “wisdom is a weapon to ward off destruction. It is an inner fortress which enemies cannot destroy.” Wisdom is also required to make decision and it comes from experience in the field and the clear understanding of the business.

Discipline is the most important thing that any manager requires to be successful and thus is one of the most critical qualities required. It is anonymously said “discipline is the bridge between goal and accomplishment.” Thus it is discipline accompanied with vision that leads to success. As per an Icelandic proverb” a person who lives without discipline dies without honor.” This is also a key thing a leader should take into consideration because if the leader is not honored then he will not be respected and no body is going to follow him. According to leadership Guru Warren Bennis “leadership is influence, nothing more nothing less.” And if the leader is not honored then he would fail to influence and this is one thing he cannot escape from it even if changes organizations because a persons reputation walks ahead of him.

The leader should have a clear idea of what he is doing and should not do just for the sake of changing things that is expected out of him. He should take calculated risk and try not being rash. This does not mean that he should not take risk and be content with mediocrity. “Show me a man who is content with mediocrity and I will show you a man destined to failure.” – Jonete Cole. Thus he should maintain a balance between the two and this requires a lot of analysis and forecasting. Thus the skill set required here is judgment.

He should be an open minded person and should always allow scope for improvement. It is the change that he should encourage. He should always learn from his mistakes and in doing so he should be able to accept his mistakes. He should be a literate as per the definition of Alvin Toffler. He said “in the 21st century an illiterate man won’t be a man who does not know how to read and write but a man who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” So it is very important for a manger to learn newer things and not hang in the past. So said Mao “if you want to move forward you need to dump the past.”

All aspiring managers have to develop skills in their interaction with people both at work and in their social meetings. The emphasis on soft skills is making many organizations promote their staff. Leader who succeed in being flexible with people in their day to day operation achieve a lot of interpersonal effectiveness. Their face to face communication,

open body language, listening skills, ability to deal with barriers and overcome them, and a genius sense of consideration make them interpersonally very rich. Their rapport building skill is amazing as their ability to treat people with respect and a sense of dignity. This skill set can be acquired by experience and exposure as well as training.

There are many skill sets that cannot be acquired by training. These skill set are built over a long time from the childhood and during our schooling, such as courage and bravery, understanding skills, humbleness and intuition. While there are many that we can learn by training and experience. In real world these competencies can be built over time by proper training and many companies are practicing it to develop a good work force especially in the service sector the work force is the most crucial and the most important thing required and is considered to be an asset for the company.

The qualities such as understanding of market, knowledge, and expertise can be achieved by empowering them and giving them responsibilities. By giving them exposure we give them experience in the field which helps them in gauging situation and take strategic decisions for the company in the future. Here experience is the key because wisdom can only be gained by experience and learning comes from working on the field. Why wisdom is important because it takes wisdom to convert knowledge into productive output or action.

We can build these competencies by building on our education and skills. Knowledge is a tangible asset, quite often the most important tool in your work. The more up to date the knowledge you posses, the better edge you have. Knowledge cannot be taken away from anyone except by obsolesce. A leader can only be free to lead his team if he keeps abreast of all that is happening around him in real time. To lead in a way is to encourage in continuing education. In many countries it is normal for professional to go to college at nights for several weeks. To be successful team leader, one has to stay after the dinner and clutter of a working day to emerge better-equipped and ready to face a new day.

Another way is to develop a passion for personal responsibility. The sovereign way to personal freedom is to help determine the forces that determine you. Be active, take responsibilities should be the motto of leader. A leader should work for things he believes in because if he is not doing so then he is surrendering his fate to others. The leader can do a great deal as an individual to be successful. He has to combat against the forces that threaten to oppress him. He has to fortify against it by building up qualities, such as soft skills. In doing so, we can help create a stronger organization, capable of achieving unprecedented goals."

- Pranab Rungta on Leadership (According to Hemanth, Level 5 Leader & not Level 1 Manager !!)

Conflict

Poem 1 -

In the depth of my heart,
There is a wordless song,
A song, shunned by clamour,
But repeated in dreams...
A song, published in silence,
But sung by the soul...

Poem 2 -

Blame not, O mirror!
For faces are vile reflections
Of the secret treasure within...

The beautiful, The ugly
A bleeding loving heart
An open mind bound by rationale
But never, a prisoner of measurement...

By Birupaksha Biswas (Promos for Dionysia)

The lost day...

This is an interesting piece of conversation Hemanth came across in one of his group emails...simply mind bending!! Think about it if you can!

"For all you scientists out there and for all the students who have a hard time convincing these people regarding the truth of the Bible, here's something that shows God's awesome creation and shows that He's still in control.

Did you know that the space program is busy proving that what has been
called "myth" in the Bible is true? Mr. Harold Hill. President of the
Curtis Engine Company in Baltimore Maryland and a consultant in the space program relates the following development: I think one of the most amazing things that God has for us today happened recently to our astronauts and space scientists at Green Belt, Maryland They were checking the position of the sun, moon, and planets out in space where they would be 100 years and 1000 years from now. We have to know this so we won't send a satellite up, and have it bump into something later on its orbits. We have to lay out the orbits in terms of the life of the satellite, and where the planets will be so the whole thing will not bog down.

They ran the computer measurement back and forth over the centuries and it came to a halt. The computer stopped and put up a red signal, which meant that there was something wrong either with the information fed into it or with the results as compared to the standards.

They called in the service department to check it out and they said. What's wrong?" Well, they found there is a day missing in space in elapsed time.

They scratched their heads and tore their hair. There was no answer.

Finally a Christian man on the team said. "You know, one time I was in
Sunday School and they talked about the sun standing still". While they
didn't believe him they didn't have an answer either. So they said, "Show us". He got a Bible a nd went back to the book of Joshua where they found a pretty ridiculous statement for any one with "Common sense". There they found the Lord saying to Joshua, "Fear them not. I have delivered them into thy hand: there shall not a man of them stand before thee". Joshua was concerned because he was surrounded by the enemy if darkness fell they would overpower them. So Joshua asked the Lord to make the sun stand still!

That's right - "The sun stood still and the moon stayed---and hasted not to go down about a whole day!" The astronauts and scientists said. "There is the missing day!" They checked the computers going back into the time it was written and found it was close but not close enough. The elapsed time that was missing back Joshua's day was 23 hours and 20 minutes - not a whole day. They read the Bible and there it was "about (approximately) a day" These little words in the Bible are important. But they were still in trouble because if you cannot account for 40 minutes y ou'll still be in trouble 1000 years from now. Forty minutes had to be found because it can be multiplied many times over in orbits.

As the Christian employee thought about it, he remembered somewhere in the Bible where it said the sun went BACKWARDS. The scientists told him he was out of his mind, but they got out the Book and read these words in 2 Kings.

Hezekiah, on his deathbed, was visited by the prophet Isaiah who told him that he was not going to die. Hezekiah asked for a sign as proof. Isaiah said "Do you want the sun to go ahead 10 degrees?" Hezekiah said it is nothing for the sun to go ahead 10 degrees, but let the Shadow return backward 10 degrees." Isaiah spoke to the Lord and the Lord brought the shadow 10 degrees BACKWARD! Ten degrees is exactly 40 minutes! Twenty three hours and 20 minutes in Joshua, plus 40 minutes in Second Kings make the missing day in the universe!

Isn't it amazing? Our God is rubbing their noses in His Truth!

References: Joshua 10:8 and 12.13; 2 Kings 20:9-11"

"Sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help being bothered by what you sent us. First things first, it is the earth that rotates around the sun and so the 'position' of the sun or moon cannot vary with time, rather it is only our view of the sky that changes. So, to lose a day in the way you have described, the earth would have to stand still while the sun has its focus on modern day middle east and Asia minor, that is the earth would have to stop rotating. The rotation of the earth is due to the rotational inertia leftover from the time earth was little more than a ball of hot rotating gas and that was a few billion years ago (approx. 4.5). Since the mass of the earth is very large, the angular momentum from the rotation would be large and therefore large amount of energy (order of several Tera joules perhaps more) would have to be used to stop rotation. Once the day is over, to set the planet rotating again the same amount of energy has to be used again. If the earth stops rotating, even for 1 day, the magnetic fields protecting us from cosmic rays would become non-existent, trade winds would stop blowing (no Coriolis effect, no trade winds), worlds weather systems would be altered catastrophically, and even biological rhythms would be completely lost. In short, such a change would have changed the world into something else, not the world we know today. Because of these reasons, what you have said below is impossible. Also, the angle through which a shadow moves for a given time depends upon the latitude and longitude of that place.

Talk about religion, but don't talk about science without knowing what you are saying. I am sorry I have to be so harsh, but this is unacceptable."