Redefining Horizons

A journey is defined neither by distances nor destinations. Intentions with which it started, the road taken, pace at which it progressed, the stopovers, fellow travellers, experiences enroute, impact on the traveller and the impact the traveller has on his fellow travellers and many such other aspects define a journey. A journey, truly is about the process; the preparations, shine, rain, challenges and turbulence enroute, the joys and sorrows involved. Much like the ascent to a mountain top culminates in commencement of the descent, for no one ever stayed at the  summit till eternity, journey once commenced must end even if it is seemingly static. Even if everything else is static, time will fly. Life is a one way journey that commences with birth and ends with death. Plainly put, it is the time that separates death from birth. Once born, we must all die. Emperors, Kings, Pharaohs, Autocrats,  Dictators, in fact every man and woman on the planet, powerful or powerless,  ...

  Robbery? Have you ever felt cheated at work?  You did all the work and someone else robbed you of the credit!  For many career men and women, this  may be a daily affair. If you have never come across such a situation in your career; you could be amongst the handful few on the planet; otherwise you may be immune or insensitive enough not even to recognise or register this universal phenomenon. Have you ever cheated someone of their credits? No. Never; I don't ever do such unfair things!! If one has a few human beings on the ladder steps below them in the organisation, such an event would certainly have happened with or without one’s knowledge. Even if it hadn't  actually happened, it is unlikely that someone below you in the ladder hasn't  thought so. If we have climbed the hierarchical ladder, at least sometime in our career, each one of us would have stood accused of giving credit to a pretender. If you haven't been told so, it is likely that you are ei...

  Produced and released in 1975, based on the book by the same name, ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest’ is considered one amongst the Greatest films ever made. It finds a place in the American film Institute’s ‘100 years… 100 movies’ list. Call it tragedy, comedy, drama or anything that you may please, it is a thriller that one must find time to watch. I watched it many years ago. But one question haunts me still. Who was the cuckoo? Was it the lively Randle McMurphy, a convict and pretender who encouraged other inmates to discover their strength within and turned tables on Milldred Ratched, the head nurse or was it the Native American “Chief” Bromden, the pretender deaf-mute, who smothered a lobotomized McMurphy to death, before escape? Though there is nothing even remotely linked, I was reminded of the  movie when I read the recent news of a person who went missing from the government nominated ' team of farmers ’ from Kerala who went to Israel on a, government sponsor...

  The Promises ! An affordable ala carte of tests from a large array, possible on a tiny drop of blood drawn from a finger prick! No more uncomfortable, scary and painful veinal blood draws! The Story A n unbelievable biotech feat that can change diagnostics the way we now know. Defiantly disruptive an idea, marvellous the stated mission, formidable the connections, acclaimed investors and bountiful their investments, nothing could have stopped the young lady, who dreamt it all up, from endless possibilities, opportunities and an eternally enviable place in history. She was indeed crowned the youngest woman billionaire entrepreneur on the planet.  The story of Elizabeth Anne Holmes, former American biotechnology entrepreneur is a lesson for materialists, spiritualists, philosophers, scientists and every one else living and aspiring. In 2003, she founded the health technology company Real-Time Cures in Palo Alto, California to "democratize healthcare”. She later renamed the ...

Life is intriguing, yet most go through it without casting a second glance. Many amongst us spend a lifetime content enough eking out an existence, dying many a daily death.  Rich or poor, few dare to look beyond livelihoods and wealth accumulation. When one dares to ask questions to oneself about oneself, the quest begins.  Quest  gives meaning to life and questions that arise, on their own slowly reach their answers. A persistent question, the ‘why’ of people’s behaviour came up in a late evening discussion with two friends, a young couple both achievers, located in San Francisco. The cause and effect notion of life, means with which it gains currency and its short lived utility found home in that discussion.   Weeks later by sheer coincidence, another persistent one ‘ purpose of life ’ came up for discussion with, a spiritually evolved, material minimalists and unbelievably large hearted couple, our hosts in Tustin, California. It was in one of many such discus...

Newport in Rhode Island is a beautiful place. Situated by the Atlantic Ocean it offers visitors with frames for perfect pictures. It also houses some stunning mansions.  I had never heard of Newport before, but was the recipient of the large heartedness of Issac Simon, my brother-in-law who not only suggested the trip but even offered to take us on the eighty-five  mile drive to the mansion town. The drive, one of the many such, he graciously hosted so far, was beautiful from the word go with the fall painting the entire route with colours, I had seen never before. With tickets in hand, we actually walked into a piece of American history. Ahead of its times, each room stood out well appointed carefully planned and exquisitely executed. In fact, everything about the mansion was bathed in audacious opulence and grandeur, all funded by slices from the immense riches the individual had amassed over his lifetime. We spent almost three hours within, what was once, someone’s summer...

English is a very interesting language. There are words with letters in it that don’t make themselves heard. They just add length and complexities but without them the word itself is misspelt. Then there are words, that individually meaning something, but collectively with other words say a lot different. They call it idioms. To a large extent even life is like that; interesting from many perspectives. There are many people around us, easily visible but insignificant to our existence. Their presence adds to complexities to our lives yet they remain unavoidable. Without them around, we would not have become the individuals that we have become and in the journey ahead what we will be. Similarly there are people who   individually may behave in one manner and in groups they could surprisingly be different, good bad or ugly, just like idioms. ‘Cherry picking'   literally   and literarrily are different; so is ‘apple picking’. Cherry picking literally means picking cherrie...