Mastercard

US spending in Afghanistan war - USD 172 billion

US Spending in Iraq war - USD 653 billion

Other war related spending by the US - USD 34 billion

See a Homeland Security Code "GREEN" at the end of the day - PRICELESS !

Great Expectations !

One of the great scriptures had stated "कर्म करो, फल की चिंता मत करो", which when translated meant, do what you have to without worrying about its fruits.

In today's times especially, is this possible at all ? I mean, can we just keep doing whatever the heck we do without worrying about the result. This is what saints are made up of. In fact, today not many saints could claim to practice this. Expectations are bound to arise, especially from our loved ones. Sometimes, they are met and sometimes, they aren't. As humans, we tend to remember the ones that weren't and keep nurturing those thoughts in our hearts. Those seeds keep growing and become so big that they begin to hurt.

A very simple example is that of a movie. When the expectations are sky high, even a quite good movie seems very bad. Had one gone and seen that movie without any expectations, the reviews would have been much better. Similar is the case with relationships. The more one expects, the greater the chance of dissappointment.

It takes a lifetime to build a relationship. We must not let a few moments break it. We must learn to forgive and forget. Let's stop fretting about not being wished by someone on your birthday or not getting a dinner invite from someone who is close or not receiving help when needed. Remember, there are always two sides to a coin. There can always be a reason behind things not happening the way you intended. Let not mistakes of the past bother you in the present and ruin what could be a wonderful future.

Past has passed, Future is a mystery, today is a gift......that's why its called the Present !

Thanks......is it so tough to say ?

Two of the most commonly used words that the British left us with are 'Thanks' and 'Sorry'. Now, I know that many (sometimes, me included) find it difficult to say the word 'Sorry' which in part could be because they don't feel that they are wrong. However, many a time its the EGO that makes the word difficult to utter.

While I do understand that, it just doesn't make sense for me as to WHY people can't say the word 'Thanks'. When one goes about one's daily activity there would be a zillion times when one could effortlessly make use of the beautiful word. However, especially in India, it is unfortunate that people don't make use of it. I've seen people in my office receive their tea and coffee from the office boys everyday and not one says 'Thanks'. I have been fortunate to have it in me to thank the guy who serves me my coffee. Another place where I see absolutely no usage of the word is a restaurant. Why can't we thank the server ? Why can't we thank the person on the street who has helped with directions ? Why can't we thank the valet for bringing our car ? Why can't we thank someone who has done something special for us ?

Wouldn't we love to hear a 'Thank you' from someone for whom we might have done something, small or big ? I'm sure there would be more and broader smiles on every face the day this attitude changes in people. We tend to thank God (sometimes) for anything good that happens to us but couldn't care to offer the same appreciation for the lesser mortals.

Lastly, let me end by thanking you for spending your precious time on my blog !

The charm of the festival season

I, like most whom I have grown up with, will never ever forget the wonderful childhood that we've had. Things were a lot simpler those days.....no wonder people call it 'the good old days'. I'd give everything up to re-live those days of my life.

I remember the beautiful festive days around Diwali when our entire family would get together and have a pooja at our office followed by idli, wada and some sweet. I remember all my uncles, aunts, cousins and us having a blast. We then followed the day by visiting all near and dear as a group and creating a riot everywhere we went. A few uncles were famous for their loud voices. On occasions I'm sure some neighbours would have contemplated moving out of that locality or even the city for that matter.

I also remember the card parties within the family and a few very close family friends. As a kid I enjoyed seeing my elders laughing and joking with each other. At the end of the party, no one really ever lost or won big time. All were just happy to spend a few hours together.

Those were the days when people knew how to live a life. Today, sadly, life's become a roller coaster. Families rarely ever meet and even when they do the love and happiness seems clearly faded. The good old office no longer hosts any celebration. There is, however, a smaller event at one of our shops which is attanded by a far smaller number of family members. There are no more card parties and nothing much to cheer about around this wonderful time of the year.

When a patient......be patient !

Last week my son went thru a minor surgery at a local hospital. The surgeon was referred by our child's pediatrician, whom we truly trust and like. After discussing with the surgeon, we decided to have the operation at the hospital which was very good and close to where we live. However, this was not one of those big hospitals yet it was a hospital where my wife delivered my son a few years back and we were quite pleased with the facility and the docs during that period.

Coming back to this surgery, on the day of the operation we reached the hospital on the dot at 7am as told to by the doc. I can't seem to understand why do docs call a patient to the hospital an hour in advance on an empty stomach. It becomes very uncomforting for a small kid to keep hungry added to the fear of having to undergo a surgery soon. Anyways, this problem pales in comparison to what all of us had to go thru later on.

As the time for the surgery came closer, a couple of assistant docs came to the room asking to bring the patient to the operation theatre. They wanted to take him themselves but looking at our teary eyed boy we just had to accompany him to the room adjacent to the theatre. However from there he had to go in alone as the docs very sternly refused any one of us to get in the theatre with him. It was extremely difficult for us to see our son being 'taken away' from us. He cried and so did we.

We waited with bated breath outside the theatre for the operation to finish. After about half an hour one of the docs came out and informed us that the operation was over and everything was fine. This was very relieving. As parents, even when you are absolutely sure that there is no chance for anything to go wrong, you are still very tensed hoping that your son is fine.

After a few minutes, our son was brought out of the theatre. He was on a stretcher covered with a thin sheet, dazed and shivering. This sight will not be easily forgotten by us for a long long time. Are the doctors and their assistants blind ? Can't they see that the boy needs a thicker sheet ? Couldn't they have reduced the cooling in the theatre seeing his condition ? We went into the recovery room with our son and requested the nurses to get some blankets. Although my son was given anesthesia, he wasn't sleeping and was clearly in pain and crying constantly. We asked the nurses to call a doctor to check and do something. My son felt like passing urine and we asked the nurses for the bed pan. We kept repeating the requests over and over but neither the doctors were seen nor the bed pan. My son continued to cry. I ran down the stairs to ask the reception to send a doctor immediately. The person kept saying that he would send the doctor but wasn't actually calling for anyone. After my repeated requests to do something immediately, he stated that there was no doctor in the hospital at that time (it was a very earthly hour of around 9am on a week day). I couldn't believe the attitude of the people who were supposedly taking care of the lives of our near and dear. When I ran back to the recovery room, one of the nurses had got thru to one of the doctors on the phone, who told my that the necessary pain killers, etc.had been administered and that we would see it having affect very soon. We were trying very hard to make our son sleep and the loud mouthed nurses didn't help one bit. While being fully aware of our plight they did nothing but make things worse for us. After I reacted angrily they were trying to put the buck on us stating that we were too many in the recovery room and that was what was disturbing our son.

We were informed that there was space available in one of the rooms where we could move. With great difficulty, we moved our son over there. After an hour or so he started to sleep. I took this opportunity to go meet the insurance guy from the hospital. I was amazed at the kind of work atmosphere in his office on one of the floors of the hospital. It was like a raddi shop (scrap dealer's shop). There were papers lying all over in a very bad mess. Anyways, initially he plainly stated that the insurance company would deny the claim. I told that we would try none the less. I filled the form and handed it over.

I got back to the room and sat by my son for a long time. A while later a very loud mouthed person entered the room and enquired about my son's wellness. His loud voice almost woke my son up. This man was the director of the hospital. One would have thought that a person at his designation would understand the quiet atmosphere that was needed in a hospital. In fact, even outside a hospital we see signs of 'no horn'. My son got up in sometime and seemed a little better. After a few hours, the surgeon visited us and did a little check and certified a discharge from the hospital. I contacted the insurance guy enquiring about the claim. He asked me to make the payment to the hospital and get discharged. Upon getting the approval / denial from the insurance company he would contact me and my payment could be either refunded or the denial letter would be handed over to me to pursue the case with the insurance company. I made the payment immediately and took my son home.

After two days I went to the hospital to checked again with the insurance guy about the status. The guy informed very plainly that the claim was declined. I asked him to give the denial letter. He said that the letter was not yet received and the denial was over the phone with the insurance company. He did not even have a name of the person who had supposedly denied the claim. I asked him to give me the claim form which would enable me to follow up with the insurance company. The guy searched the whole place like a raddiwala, under racks to files, in drawers, on the floor, again an again and after about half hour luckily found it. I immediately called the insurance company and was shocked to hear that the claim was approved on the very day of its submission. They had also faxed the approval to the hospital immediately. They then emailed me the letter of the approval sent to the hospital. I called the insurance guy and informed that my claim was approved. Then the guy calls back after about half hour and confirmed the approval. For me, it was quite obvious that the hospital wanted to earn money twice for the same surgery - from me and also from the insurance company. Unfortunately, they didn't deal with a guy who took their word for granted.

The whole episode shook my faith on the medical system in India. People are out there only to make money in fair means or foul. When a patient is coughing up any amount to the doctors and hospitals, is it too much to ask for to get the best of treatment and aftercare. Is the job of the doctor and hospital done by just getting the surgery over with ? The agonising part is that a patient can't raise any such question with the doctor or hospital as they can really screw one's life or even take it away...no questions asked. It is strange that the patient, who is supposed to get relief with the sight of his doctor from the feared disease/ailment actually fears the doctor as well.

Most Admired Business Leader

The global economy, it seems has collapsed. There is gloom and doom on every corner. However in the Indian context we have seen a few wonderful business leaders that instill confidence in the stake holders of their respective companies.

I have jotted down a few from that lot and invite you to vote for your most admired leader in the following week.

First from the lot, ofcourse in random order is Mr.Mukesh Ambani who is shaping the Indian dream in petrochemicals, oil refinery, retail, etc. The Reliance group employs the most number of Indians either directly or indirectly. I remember one analyst comment recently that if Reliance sinks then it would mean a Good Bye to the entire Indian economy.

The next leader that comes to my mind is the firebrand and aggressive Anil Ambani who has turned the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group into a financial powerhouse. The stock price of any company that Anil Ambani invests into surges as the news leaks out. He has given the most in turns of returns to investors in his group. While there has been a bad taste to several investors in the Reliance Power IPO, his name still generates tremendous confidence.

Moving on to Mr.Ratan Tata who can no longer be called only an Indian business leader. Under his able leadership, the Tata Group has ventured out all over the globe buying companies everywhere, at times companies thrice the size of the buying entity. With businesses spread into industries such as Steel, Autos, Software, Hospitality, Tea, Chemicals, etc.there is a lot that is at stake for Mr.Tata, who has made Indians proud the world over.

Finally, I must mention Mr.Narayana Murthy who has taken the Indian software company Infosys from scratch to be one of the most respected companies in the world. People hold the shares of Infosys with a lot of pride like some sort of a trophy. Mr.Murthy developed Infosys with a lot of integrity and dedication. Inspite of the fantastic growth of his company, he lived a very simple life which has inspired millions of Indians.

In today's turbulant times, we need more of such leaders to make the Indian economy stronger and more resilient to any future crisis.