Bringing Change..

About 2 years back from now a friend of mine, Nancy Beso mentioned to me about an inaugural summit for Young leaders on similar lines as the Davos World Economic Forum was being held in London. I wondered what this platform could actually do while it was connecting people from different parts of the world - other than a networking opportunity, what more could happen?

Little did I know what this was but because I was hearing good things from the people who attended the inaugural summit in London and said I should definitely be a part of this, I applied to be a delegate at the 2nd Summit which was in Zurich in September 2011.

Slowly I started reading on things a bit and found some pretty interesting and inspiring work that a lot of delegates and Ambassadors were doing in their own countries. I felt like connecting with them at that point and the rest is actually history...

Time to be at the One Young World Summit in Zurich came and the long conversations with fellow delegates kept flowing. I really met some of the most wonderful people there that I've met till date. And now I can say, some great friends for life too! :)

There were some inspiring and touching moments like Archbishop Desmond Tutu pointing at us and saying, 'you, you, you - you will make change, I know it. God is seeing each one of you, go out there and make a difference'; a fellow delegate from Uganda - I can't ever forget his name, Innocent, sharing his own struggle and many others. It will be difficult to express those certain moments that trickled a thought in me to say, leave everything and just work on the cause that you really believe in. Time and over again people kept surprising me with the amount of good these people were doing in this world..


Late last year in Oslo, Norway where I went with a team of young and motivated individuals for Global Dignity Day, each and every person there I believe cared about Dignity in people's lives, it was such an amazing spirit in the school to celebrate Global Dignity Day. The founders of this great initiative - Crowne Prince Norway, John Hope Bryant and Pekka Himanen were hearing dignity stories of many young students. To hear them all, was an absolute pleasure - The innocence, genuineness and sheer simplicity was something to take back. :)
Not to forget, we were later called for a Royal Dinner with the founders as well as the Crowne Princes of Norway who were all so humble and down to earth to welcome a group of youngsters from Norway and around the world to share a meal and an evening of happiness. Thank you One Young World for introducing us to such great people.


A question that always sits in my head now: Are we all doing our little bit at least? Are we going to be able to answer God one day and say 'Yes, I was a responsible individual and did good while I lived!' With this thought, I started dedicating more time to projects that brought happiness and smiles to people. Be it via Project Chirag, a revolutionary project that transforms the lives of rural India by providing them light with Solar electricity or be it a small concept project with a big delivery like Ahaan, A ray of hope. It is actually a ray of hope for all of us, we need to make our little contributions and let's accept it, we all have those few minutes to spare for doing good.

Here's a call to all of you out there who may read this, may be you can't give your life to change the world, may be you can't give years, but you can definitely gives a few minutes, it will help, just spread happiness in your own small way and be responsible with your actions, the world around you will definitely start becoming a better place to live in!

Signing off!

Paras
A hopeful change maker 

India's fight against corruption!

So what is all this about now? How does it make a difference to me?

These are questions that might have cropped up in many minds in India in the last few weeks and why not? We are made to think like that to a large extent.. We are made to move on..

The scale of corruption in India has been multiplying with various scams over decades including the 2G Spectrum Scam, Telgi Scam, Commonwealth Games Scam, Satyam Scam, The Hawala Scandal, The IPL Scam and many others.. How do we draw a line and make these severely punishable? We are generally not even able to get to the core of the scam always, forget anything else! The intrusions from people with political influences or backgrounds always delay proceedings and mostly stall them!

This fight against corruption has been going on for over 42 years and we ought to get answers. Mr. Anna Hazare, who at this point of represents and is the epitome of every common man in the country has been fasting for the past 11 days to get the government in India to consider the Jan Lokpal Bill.

This is not the first time a Lokpal Bill is proposed! It was initially proposed in 1968 but was never passed by the Rajya Sabha.

Forget all the stories behind, the stories are as important to me right now as much as what is being done to my old bicycle which is lying in my garage! INSIGNIFICANT!

I was in Kolkata a week back and was strolling by the road in the evening next to my hotel, just to see about about 50 people on the road with (as they are called) Gandhi Caps shouting slogans like 'Bhrastachari Saudhan, Jaag jaya hai naujawan' meaning Beware corrupt people, the Youth of India has awakened and 'Main bhi Anna, Tu bhi Aana, aaj toh saara desh hai Anna' saying today all of us are Anna - clearly showing that we are are fighting with Mr. Hazare.

What I see today is the Youth uniting for a cause. A cause which has been long fought for but finally gained momentum! This time this fight will not end easily purely because of the sheer volume of people fighting for it. We have seen enough terrorist attacks and fraudulent instances and they are all at the end of the day connected to corruption! We can't sit back and just say, we'll get back and move on.. This time, this is it!

Lets start this from the base, lets stop giving any bribes and make sure we point it out that anyone doing so, lets not take it lightly! Slowly I'm sure the systems will change and become more efficient over time as well.

This will lead India to a better and more fast growing country making it a better place to live. No need to pay donations to sanction your housing development, electricity or phone connections. No need to pay to get into colleges and above all, no need to pay to live happily!

I'm sure this is going on in every Indian's mind! So let's make this happen.. Let's unite and fight corruption to the core and come out victorious!

Regards,
Citizen of India

Mumbai - A place of hope or a place of forgotten truth!

My heart calls out when I see the state of the families who've lost someone in yet another terrorist attack. How on earth do they get in so easily and hurt us inside our own city, it really amazes me!

Today, as soon as I heard the news of the blasts, the first thing I did leaving all that I was doing aside was to get onto the phone and call family and friends to see if everyone was ok. Some had a lucky escape as they were in the area a while back or even at the time but just about managed to stay safe while some others were back home  but in panic state to find out about their family members.

The blasts occurred in major business districts and whoever did this wanted to make a point! Well whatever the point may be, what is clear is that at the end of the day, we are not safe!  As of now, figures that are shown on National News channels like NDTV say 21 dead and 141 people are injured. The 3 blasts happened at Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar and Dadar Kabootar Khana which are all very busy areas!

Some shocking pictures and some very sad stories later, I felt like not much had changed since 26/11! And may be, I'm ignoring what one of the ministers said on national television that ' we were more prepared' but the fact of the matter is someone has lost their lives in this bargain!

I couldn't stop but think, are we going to be ok with this or going to forget this or rather take this in our stride as well? I'm sorry but this is not done! We need to stop letting this ruin the lives of our people and also the repute of the city! Make all the changes you want to make Mumbai more cosmopolitan and sophisticated but if such things happen, forget the people from other cities or countries coming in, even Mumbaikars will have to leave the city!

What I fail to understand is if the US can find Osama and kill him, who was one of the most dangerous and wanted terrorists globally, why can't we, having so many intelligence (supposedly) forces, what are we waiting for? For the Maharashtra Government, if I was to make a point, this does affect the economy as well! When no one feels safe, the business, commerce and all that we talk about being the financial capital of the country so proudly, will go down the drain!

Chinese media made a comment stating 'India incapable in stopping attacks, need intelligent people in their intelligence'.

Kasab Ajmal who has been in India's custody for nearly 3 years and are we still investigating? Sorry, this might be a bit harsh, but we really need to get our act together!

A common man in Mumbai when he leaves home, may not be sure if he will come home in the evening and this is really heart breaking!

I have never been as furious and troubled but I just feel we are becoming helpless! We need to do something and something big and soon!!

Here are some prayers going out to all that got affected by the blasts..

Bless!
Paras

Education System in India - Bright future or Not?

Education system in India - Bright future or Not? Big point of argument for today..

In today's competitive times, where Asia is developing leading B-Schools and Universities, in the Sub-continent, India is still far behind in getting there. I personally have seen the efforts lately through Mr. Kapil Sibal and certain other ministers to improvise on this and it still makes my heart cry to think that due to the bureaucratic nature of our nation, we will still take a few years before we make good progress on this! (I'll be more than glad to be proved wrong - but the reality is this)

I don't want to sit out and just complaint, I rather point this out and try and bring about a movement, a change!

So what is it that India needs to make its education system a leading global one which attracts high quality international candidates?

We have a number of highly prestigious institutions like the various IIT's and IIM's but looking at the latest comments and reports, it just does not look like a bright future unless we move ahead with time or else, this will be history..

The 2 biggest assets of any institution are the students and the faculty, rest are all secondary. With the quality of faculty deteriorating, even the best students cannot progress as much! The same would have been the case if the situation was turned the other way. This clearly shows how dependent the 2 factors are on each other!

A comment published in Economic Times read "Opening of new IITs by government without recruiting new faculty has already burdened the existing faculty in IITs. Almost every citizen in the country is paying education cess to ensure that our gurus (IIT and other teachers) are paid well. Most of the IITs are already facing faculty shortage," IIT Kharagpur Alumni Association member Y.P.S. Suri told IANS.
"The current pay scales of IIT faculty are so unattractive that a fresh graduate from IIT attracts more salary," he said.

Programme director of the IIT Delhi Alumni Association V.K. Saluja agreed. "We appeal to the government to make faculty salary levels inspiring enough to attract new minds. Adding new IITs has made this problem more acute and hence the urgency of the matter," he said in a statement.

My question is, Where is all the money that everyone pays as education cess used? There needs to be some reporting and transparency. And secondly, we need to attract young blood to run the show! Younger faculty will mean more up-to-date teaching. No doubt that experience always matters, so ideally we need a good mix. But we have to bring new people with new attributes as well as a different attitude!

The other thing that can also be done is part privatization. It's already seen that private institutions are doing much better and turning good profits, at the end of the day - that's what a private business will look for! I don't mean to say that give it all away, but take some good bits out of the privately run institutions and adapt them to make our overall system more advanced!

I realize the concern being higher fees, but right now, education is already the 2nd biggest expense for a family! Looking at how fierce the competition is to get into the IIT's and IIM's or for that matter of fact any other highly regarded institution, there's abundance of great talent that is still left out who adopts various means to continue education but sometimes, they just cant. They deserve the best too, but due to the crazy competition, they feel lost in life.. And its not the education system's fault that this happens but its merely the fact that our population is 5 folds compared to the available resources! We need to develop more high-quality institutions to nurture talent and save it from leaving the country, to be self sufficient! Its like a cycle, if these people stay back and break into big businessmen in India itself, it brings money into the country.. Open scholarships or systems where people who can genuinely not afford it are given some kind of bursary or loan. Use the money we already have to our advantage and make it happen!

I believe its the need of the hour! We need to make changes and make more changes and make even more changes and developments! Then only, will there be a brighter future!

Happy to hear more thoughts...

Paras
A concerned citizen!
A voice is to make a sound, to be heard, to make a change!

Middle East revolutions..

With the recent events and happenings in the Middle East, what's the first thing that comes to your mind?

What comes to my mind is that yes, everyone deserves to be free! How you get to that, is very important! It shouldn't be with people dying around everywhere. My blood boils when I read/hear about the counter attack by the Libyan ruler which is leading the country into civil war! You might imagine he knows better than this but what is he doing to the country? The Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak still was friends with a number of other leaders and countries and could flee into Sharm el-Sheikh but where will you go Col. Gaddafi?

Two months ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor lit a match that started a fire that has spread throughout the much of North Africa and the Middle East. Muhammad Bouazizi's self-immolation prompted anti-government protests that toppled regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.

The fire of a revolution is spreading across the region and is spreading fast.. It will be very crucial to see how other rulers behave and the way international influences are going to play a role going ahead. I am a total believer in fighting for your freedom but I feel people like Col Gadaffi should never be given such status!

Here's hoping for a brighter future for people in the Middle East and praying for democracy to prevail..

What is the reason for life?

Give this a thought...

What is the real purpose of our lives? Do we ever think of it at any point of a normal day?

I was moved to read and learn more about this man who had a very ambitious career and an incident changed his life.. I'm not talking about a hypothetical story here... While most of us, are thinking of making a career or building a business that can give us financial stability, I feel many of us, we neglect the smaller joys of life.

Money is important but is it the do it and end it of all? Why are we making this money? Where is it all going? We aren't going to tie it to our body and take it all away!

I do not mean to be a preacher here, all I trying to do is share someone's story which made me think more and now act on it as well...

The 'someone' I am referring to here is Mr. Narayanan Krishnan who was a normal 21 year old young, ambitious individual like most of us who had a good job - worked as a chef in a 5 Star hotel and would have had a uphill definitely had he stayed on.. He was from Madurai - a city in the south of India which has a heritage of over 2500 years.. It is the most important and populous city in Southern Tamil Nadu and also hosts a number of IT companies and many other corporations..

Having said all of this about Madurai, you would imagine the people to have at least an average middle class financial status... But as we all know, there is major income disparities in India and even when there are improvements, they aren't in proportion the the population increase chart yet.

Mr. Krishnan now 29, one day saw a person eating his own human waste! He shared this in an interview with CNN. Now just hearing that makes me feel disgusted. Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to be attacking on any person or state or the country, its just that the thought gets me angry thinking of the amount of food that is generally wasted around the world on a normal day. I won't lie - I do waste as well sometimes, but after knowing this, I will make a concious effort. Which makes me wonder again, do we sometimes need an awakening call to realise something this big? May be yes, but once we do know this, lets try and bring about a change ourselves. Even may be at the smallest level - by not wasting food ourselves.

Coming back to what I was saying, a friend shared a video link (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6-Olip6OtA ) of this heroic story of Mr. Krishnan who has been selected by CNN in the world's top 10 Heroes and the only Indian there, it made me think, we need to do something! He started this noble initiative in 2002 and even while his parents were against the same as they wanted their son to make a name professionally and make money according to CNN, he carried on and has provided more than 1.2 million hot meals including breakfast, lunch and dinner -- to India's homeless and destitute, mostly elderly people abandoned by their families and often abused. He does this through his nonprofit organisation Akshaya Trust which he started in 2003, and now hopes to extend this to shelter for the homeless too.

Krishnan told CNN that 'Akshaya is Sanskrit for "undecaying" or "imperishable," and was chosen "to signify [that] human compassion should never decay or perish. ... The spirit of helping others must prevail for ever." Also, in Hindu mythology, Goddess Annapoorani's "Akshaya bowl" fed the hungry endlessly, never depleting its resources.'

I have never met this gentleman (I will actually try and write to him now saying that this he is a real inspiration) but I believe it would have taken him a lot of courage to actually decide to leave everything he dreamt of ever and go out and serve everyone. Krishnan's day begins at 4 a.m. He and his team cover nearly 125 miles in a donated van, routinely working in temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit. He seeks out the homeless under bridges and in the nooks and crannies between the city's temples. The hot meals he delivers are simple, tasty vegetarian food he personally prepares, packs and often hand-feeds to nearly 400 clients each day.

This may not be possible for everyone and its understandable - that's why he is a hero! But everyone can definitely if not in any bigger way, just help by being thoughtful before wasting any food or anything for that matter of fact. Just think of the man eating his human waste every time you are about to waste something.... It gives me goosebumps!

We all talk about human spirits in tough times like natural disasters and stand up for each other, this is also one such disaster.. People are dying without food, lets try and save them..

Here's to a new resolution in the new year - NO WASTAGE!

:)

Cheers!
P

P.S: Thanks Priyam for sending this video.. It came out of no where but triggered a strong emotion in me...

Bidding Good bye to 2010... Spread a smile!

In personal terms, 2010 has been a roller coaster ride with many ups and downs in the year.

I had a feeling closer to new year's last year that it wasn't going to be an easy ride. The year started with some difficult times making it very important to have a strong fight back in the series of events. Be it concerning health, professional or my personal life.

But what I've realized is that somewhere this year I have changed.. The way I behave, the way I react to things and may be also how I say or do things.. You can call it maturity or may be the ability to analyse things more deeply. It can be put in a number of ways but best said is that the change is evident.

Every day we all get up with new aspirations and hope about what we wish to achieve. And I feel that's a great thing but in the bargain we should also remember that one of all those aspirations should also be smiling and spreading the smile. You might read this and walk away thinking that its a philosophical thought and it won't make a difference in your every day life. Think about it, at the signal while crossing the road if you helped a blind or less able person to cross the road safely, or if you helped a person with a baby carry the Pram out of the station, the smile you got from them, how satisfying was that? Didn't that make you more hopeful on that day? Didn't it make you more hopeful for life? Its something to ponder on..

We all do make some or the other mistake in life. Knowingly or unknowingly. Always apologize / forgive and try to make it right because life is short, you do not want anyone to stay angry for long. Its not only about singular interactions but also maintaining and building relationships. Mistakes are meant to happen only so that you can make up for it.. If everything was easy, you would not be happy! I'm not trying to be a philosopher here, but just trying to pen down certain learnings from this year.

With 2 trips to Home (Mumbai, India) this year - In Feb and July, I realized and now I accept that yes, its about the home city but its more about the people there! The so planned surprise when I went home in July and the Birthday party and surprise in Feb. are memories that I will cherish for a while. People say distance drives people away and I don't deny that but thankfully my people haven't gone far. I am glad that one call can still get the point across and I love that (I do consider myself lucky for that).

Living in London has not been very easy (not to challenge the point that I am having a great time mostly).
Away from home, I've made a home where I always look forward to seeing this family of friends. Since last year this number has gone down as some have gone back and some have moved around. But they have a space reserved for them! :)

I went through some small and some big changes and challenges this year and these people stood by me at every point being my motivating factor.

I feel the changes that occurred are a beginning to a new horizon and its an uphill in certain matters from here. I must say that 2010 wasn't easy but its clearly done more good than bad.

On this new year's eve, there are some people who in 2010 have made me smile in some way or the other and I would just like to thank them for being there for me in every way possible and only hope that this is a journey on a endless road.

In London - Farha, Mustu, Em, Zahrah, Jigar and Ainee... Priya, Himani, Sakshi, Anshuman, Riya, Kanchan, Andria, Sonal, Rashee, Nisha, Jueta, Sanjnaa, Nosheen, Fatima, Sarita, Priyam, Dwayne and Hunaid..

Lately, these two stars have come into my life bringing positivity most of the time which is a big thing for me - Prachi and Yash.. Just thinking about it, both have some great qualities that have held me up at times .. Kiddish at times, but they are definately headed in the right direction... I wish you the very best... :)

Professionally, I had a rough start to the year, but with some support and vision, it got better. Some people who I would like to thank are - Bharat Vaswani and Mihir Patel.. I've learnt a lot from both and in their own ways they've imparted great knowledge. Bharat has been more like a mentor, guide or I should say even a guardian.. I really look upto him for advice and he's always thankfully been there with the best solutions.. I have always found value in his advice and over the course of the last year, learnt a lot from him..

Mihir on the other hand, has made me realize and brought great light to the way I think and should ideally handle people. Seeing how he's dealt with things and specially people since I started working with him, its commendable. It is generally quite difficult to manage some strong opinionated people, but he's done it brilliantly and most essentially is the way he's maintained the difference between work and personal friendship. That is the biggest learning if I must say.. I have learnt a lot and I truly respect him for it.

Going back to India - Ritesh, Hoshaang, Naasir, Rohan, Ajay, Gaurav, Yusuf, Miloni, Sapna, Sneha bhabhi, Dhruvi and Kinj...
Prakshal, Ruchika, Nikita, Divya, Aditi, Karishma R, Karishma D, Siddharth, Rishabh, Dhwaja, Afsheen, Parzaan, Jignesh, Nishit.. Aabha, Lekha, Dennis and Shagir..

In other parts of the world - Jojo, Sunnie, Nausheen..

Not generalizing it all, you've each made a special difference to this year for me in your own ways which I completely value.. I wish year on year, I can keep writing these names and the bonds only become stronger..

Lastly, I must not leave out the most important people of all, Mom, Dad, Bhavna, Shilpa, Shifa, Shalini Aunty, Alex Uncle, Natalie, Ashley, Padma Aunty, Dada, Nana, Jyoti Masi and Latu Masi.. You keep me and my values to life...

Thank you all for being so wonderful in 2010 and hope the New Year brings you and all your loved ones, a lot of happiness, love and lots of success. Hope you get all that you wish for deep within..

Things only get better in 2011.. Wish you great times.. :)

Warmest Regards,
Paras