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Category: Excerpts

Learn the Power of Financial Planning with Abhijeet Kolapkar

Posted on by prathod

Are you tired of financial uncertainty? Dive into Abhijeet Kolapkar‘s groundbreaking book, Money Works where he demystifies the art of financial planning. With a checklist that lays out practical steps, this excerpt hints at the transformational journey from money worries to money mastery.

Money Works
Money Works || Abhijeet Kolapkar

***

What Experience Reveals

Most of us live simple and straightforward lives; 90 per cent of our lives follow a pattern—school, college, job, marriage, life after marriage and retirement. We try hard to plan our lives. For example, in our twenties, we plan to finish our studies, buy a home by age twenty-seven, a car by age twenty-nine, and so on.

 

  • Our dreams need to be converted into goals to bring them to life. Pre-planning and execution are essential to achieve these goals.Also, backing our dreams with financial planning is important.

 

  • Most of us realize the importance of financial planning only as we cross our forties; however if we had realized the need for it in our twenties, a lot of our issues of the present might never have surfaced.

 

‘We do plan our finances but that does not last long.’

‘Is financial planning really necessary?’

‘Financial planning is not as easy as it seems.’

 

We hear such statements about financial planning.
Financial planning is clearly not unnecessary, and it is actually neither difficult nor impossible. It is a simple and straightforward process. What is really needed is to do it with the right intention and make sure you are proceeding with diligence.

 

Checklist for Successful Financial Planning

1. Plan your finances as early as possible: Delaying financial planning is injurious to your long-term financial health. Don’t start financial planning when emergencies arise.

 

2. Stay away from an extravagant lifestyle: Never celebrate by taking loans. Remember this line.

 

3. Avoid overuse of credit cards: One should use a credit card only when it is absolutely necessary. Using it just to avail of offers should be avoided.

 

4. Avoid comparing your situation with others: Know your limits. Instead of looking at what others are buying, think about whether those items are necessary and affordable for you. Understand your situation before spending.

 

5. Prioritize savings over spending: Expensive cars, gadgets and lifestyle choices may make you look rich, but will not make you a rich person. Prioritize saving and investing your earnings.

 

6. Save at least 5–10 per cent of your earnings every month: The first step in financial planning is to save every month and invest it to provide for emergencies.

 

7. Avoid financial investments you don’t understand: It is best to stay away from the type of investments you have no clue about.  In case you still want to go ahead, do so with the help of a financial adviser. Practise caution while investing.

 

8. Buying an insurance cover is a must: Insurance is not an investment but a productive tool to financially cover yourself or your family members in emergencies. That is why everyone should get health insurance, accident insurance and term insurance.

 

9. Invest for the long term: To get the benefit of compounding, invest a major portion of your savings in long-term options.

 

10. Regularly re-evaluate and review your financial strategies: You may have planned a robust financial strategy but failed to implement it or made a few wrong financial decisions. To understand this, you need to frequently review your financial strategies.

 

○ Re-evaluation: The goals based on which we decided on our investments in the past may change. For example, you may feel that saving money for your children’s higher education is more important than buying an expensive car, which was your earlier goal.

○ Review: We can re-prioritize our goals based on our current needs, after periodical reviews.

 

11. Discuss your strategy with your partner: Have a healthy discussion with your partner about your financial goals. Whether your partner is an earning member or not, you should consider their point of view as well.

 

12. Be ready for change: Life is full of surprises—be prepared, mentally and financially, to face any unexpected situations that may arise.

 

13. Read up on financial matters: You should regularly engage with financial newspapers, magazines, blogs and social media pages. Also, you should have books on the subject handy in your personal library.

 

14. Don’t be an emotional fool! Many a time we make decisions based on our emotions, which may lead to financial losses.  Hence, you should stay away from overconfidence, lack of confidence, haste, work, anger, greed, lust, jealousy, etc., while making your financial decisions.

 

15. Self-confidence is essential: No one can play your part better than you. That is why you need to study the subject of finance in depth and make the right decisions to get the most out of your wealth.

 

With this checklist, you can start financial planning based on the goals you want to achieve

***

Get your copy of Money Works by Abhijeet Kolapkar wherever books are sold.

Know Your Fitness Personality to find the Ultimate Fitness Happiness!

Posted on by prathod

Ever felt lost in the fitness maze? Say goodbye to the confusion as we dive into Yasmin Karachiwala‘s latest fitness book. The Perfect 10 isn’t just a read – it’s your roadmap to fitness happiness. Experience the magic of matching your exercise style with your fitness goals. From easygoing routines to intense challenges, there’s a workout made just for you.

The Perfect 10
The Perfect 10 || Yasmin Karachiwala

***

Finding your fitness happiness is very important if you want to make a lifelong commitment to fitness because you cannot sustain something that doesn’t give you joy. Increasing the want factor is about identifying your exercise personality and customizing an active lifestyle for yourself. And while many people like the pushing, the shouting, the yelling, the looking into-the-mirror-and-pumping, not everyone does. As there are people, there are fitness personalities, and identifying yours could be key to you sticking to a routine and giving yourself something to look forward to.

Ready to discover your fitness persona? Take this exciting quiz and find your perfect fit!

***

Get your copy of The Perfect 10 by Yasmin Karchiwala wherever books are sold.

From Bottom of the Pyramid to the ‘Middle of Diamond’​

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In his new book, Middle of Diamond India writer Shashank Mani talks about a big change happening in India. As India celebrates its seventy-fifth anniversary of being independent, something important is taking place. Instead of only big cities and rich people being the focus, more attention is going to people from smaller towns and areas. These folks are often called the “middle class.” This change is different from before when we mostly noticed the rich and the poor, reshaping the conventional pyramid analogy into a more encompassing and multifaceted diamond-like structure.

Read this insightful excerpt to know more about what Middle of Diamond truly means.

Middle of Diamond India
Middle of Diamond India || Shashank Mani

***

Morphing a Pyramid to a Diamond

 

As India crossed its seventy-fifth anniversary of Independence, this upsurge has picked up pace. Those from Tier 2 and 3 districts, such as Ahmednagar or my native Deoria, are now in the majority and asserting themselves. The aspirations of this segment are on the rise. The language barrier remains—Indian languages and hesitant English versus the annexe-honed English of the cantonment or a metro. But the centre of gravity has shifted firmly to this segment in the middle. This new centre will define the political, social, cultural and economic trajectory of the country over the coming twenty-five years.

 

In a paper published in 2002, C.K. Prahalad and Stuart Hart, two renowned management professors, came up with the phrase ‘Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid’. Prahalad expanded this theory into a book,1 which described the emerging market demography as a Pyramid. It invited corporates to search and seek a fortune at the Bottom if they made goods and services to appeal to people with lower incomes and cash flows.

 

About a decade ago, analysts began to sense that this reality was shifting with the emergence of the Middle. A 2010 World Bank report divided the 7 billion of the world’s population into four broad categories of countries. There were countries with a population of about a billion where per capita GDP was above $12,000. Another one billion lived in countries where the per capita GDP was between $4000 and $12,000. A third group of countries, to which India belonged, had a population of 4 billion and a per capita GDP range of between $1000 and $4000. Finally, one billion people lived in countries with a per capita GDP below $1000.2 The vast majority—four billion—were in countries in the Middle. As the number of people in extreme poverty fell sharply, the vision of the world as a Pyramid, with a small number of elites gazing down at the poor from their perch at the top, was getting outdated.

 

Middle of Diamond ImageOver the past decade, that ‘emerging middle’ has risen further, consisting of 800 million Indians and shaping countries like India into a Diamond.

 

If we look at an economic classification of India in 2020, it had approximately 200 million Indians at the top with an average per capita GDP of Rs 4 lakh per year, or $5000, which in PPP terms is close to $15,000 per capita. The bottom segment consists of 400 million Indians, with a per capita income of Rs 80,000 per year or $1000, which translates to $3000 in PPP, poor even by sub-Saharan standards. The remaining 800 million people comprise the ‘emerging middle’ with a per capita income of Rs 1.5 lakh or $2100 per capita, which translates to $6000 in PPP terms, now a clear majority. The top of this Diamond-shaped India earns 2.6 times more than the middle and almost five times more than Bottom. These numbers are averages, with each segment having higher and lower incomes. What the world calls Indian ‘middle class’ resides mostly at the bottom end of the Top. The vast majority of those in the Middle are ‘emerging middle class’, or simply ‘Middle India’. Middle India has around 800 million people, 11 per cent of the global population. On a PPP basis, the Middle has, on an average, a GDP that is the same as the whole of India, at $6000 per capita in PPP terms.

 

Middle India can also be broadly located in the 750 districts that make up our country. Each district will have some proportion of the Top, Middle and Bottom segment, but if we take an average classification, a diamond shape emerges here too. The top segment resides in thirty metro and Tier 1 districts, such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Thane, Gurgaon and others, and on average coincides with the top income segment. When I studied at Modern School, Humayun Road, I was rubbing shoulders with the children of these Indians. These districts have approximately 160 million Indians, and in the main, they are prosperous. On the other extreme are 470 Tier 4 districts where 460 million Indians live, largely coinciding with the bottom income segment. These districts are smaller in size and on average are still poor, such as the district of Dhemaji in Assam or Gadchiroli in Maharashtra. Sandwiched between these two segments are 240 districts classified as Tier 2 and Tier 3 districts where 780 million Indians reside—57 per cent of India’s population, in places such as Allahabad in UP, a Tier 2 district, or Ahmednagar in Maharashtra, a Tier 3 district. The US, that other large democracy, also witnessed a similar morphing after the Second World War as expressed by Edward Humes, ‘After the war, economic distribution in the US began to resemble a diamond, relatively small number of poor and rich at either end, with a big fat middle at the centre.’ The post-Second World War growth of the US was also powered by a similar shift.

 

***

Get your copy of Middle of Diamond India by Shashank Mani wherever books are sold.

Dhruva’s Pearls of Wisdom to Help You Find Your Path!

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Step into the world of wisdom with Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das. The book presents Dhruva’s insights on relationships and success in simple yet profound ways. Learn to communicate better, nurture connections, and achieve success while embracing positivity and self-improvement with Dhruva’s Pearls of Wisdom.

 

Dhruva
Dhruva || Gauranga Darshan Das

***

Dhruva’s Pearls of Wisdom

Relationship Sutras

1. Restrict the urge to speak stiffly and raise the intensity to speak sweetly.
2. Using pleasing words can make a wonderful world within you. Why not be happy free of cost?
3. When you envy others for what they have, you forget what you have. So, beware of envy.
4. Replacing superiority complex with sensitivity and envy with appreciation wins us more friends.
5. Get rid of pride by recognizing how blessed others are. Dismiss envy by seeing how blessed you are
6. Negativity is like seeing dark clouds. Positivity is like embracing the rain. Make your choice.
7. Let’s be wise to seek opportunities to grow amidst reversals and inspire others to do so.
8. Finding hope in hopeless situations is indeed a herculean task. Why not seek help from the One who arranged it all?
9. Let other’s misbehaviour not stimulate our ill behaviour.
10. When you see good in others, you replicate the way God sees you.
11. Don’t be too eager to point out other’s flaws, give them space to realize on their own.
12. Our heart is too tiny to accommodate all sorts of dirt and the Divine at the same time. Let’s cleanse the heart from the dirt of greed, envy and pride.
13. Modern age austerity is to stop gossiping and start speaking for others’ benefit.
14. Selflessness enlivens relationships while selfishness estranges them.
15.  Disapproval of others’ misdeeds is necessary but disowning them is not.
16. Be grateful to those who guided, inspired and supported you. Start with your mother.
17. Get rid of the heavy weight of ‘grudges’ to lighten your heart.
18. Devotion doesn’t stop the rains of distress but it equips you with an umbrella.
19. Never give up your love for your dear ones and tag it as philosophy
20. 6. Rejecting the entire basket of fruits just because one is rotten will make you miss the real sweetness.
21. While selfish agendas expressed through violence are barbaric, selfless service accompanied by necessary violence brings about true peace.

 

Success Sutras

1. It’s not worth being impulsive or getting unduly affected by difficulties. Let’s seek the solution that lies beyond lamentation.
2. An unshakable resolve despite reversals and tests is a time-tested formula for success.
3. It’s wise to learn from those relatively more successful than you instead of being envious.
4. It’s worth befriending someone who is equally successful instead of competing.
5. It’s sensible to guide someone who is not as successful as you instead of being oppressive.
7. Focus on a character that inspires people’s hearts rather than accomplishments that impress their minds.
8. The mind makes us deliberately commit downtrodden acts and then fools us by claiming it to be a mistake.
9. While hoping for the best, we shouldn’t put our hands to rest.
10. Stop worrying about useless thoughts and start pulling your mind away from them. It’s difficult but not impossible if we are determined!
11. With character and determination in place, age and gender don’t even qualify as criteria for success.
12. Don’t be overconfident in your power, seek empowerment from the source of all power— God.
13. Determination means to terminate our temptations. Guidance means finding out how to do so.
14. Let your success make others happy but don’t equate making others happy with success
15. A mother can play the role of a mentor, father, brother and whatnot. Can anyone repay her?
16. Make sure your ‘detachment’ doesn’t become ‘irresponsibility.’
17. Don’t be too possessive about temporary possessions or positions.
18. When the world seems to be full of pains, recognize them to be your mind’s endless complaints. Win the war within to defeat the wars without.
19. Want to dismiss peace? Then give anger a seat.
20.  For the soul this world is foreign. Be a holiday maker, not a stress receptor.
21. Don’t decorate the golden cage (body) forever. Remember to nourish the hungry bird (soul) that’s starving within

 

***

Get your copy of Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das wherever books are sold.

A Glimpse into Durjoy Datta’s Latest Novel: World’s Best Girlfriend

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Unlucky Aanchal turns the tables in Durjoy Datta‘s latest novel World’s Best Girlfriend. Winning a Mahindra Holidays trip to the Andamans could finally break her streak of bad luck and misfortune, but what happens when a charismatic stranger enters the scene? Get ready for a ride of fate, love, and unexpected twists!

Read this exclusive excerpt to know more about the meet-cute (or is it meet-not-so-cute?) You decide!

World's Best Girlfriend
World’s Best Girlfriend || Durjoy Datta

***

Three months ago, a Mahindra Holidays employee had hounded me at Big Bazaar to fill up a contest form: 
One Lucky Winner Gets a Fully Paid Vacation to the Andamans!  

 

We, the Madans, never fill out contest forms because we are the exact opposite of lucky. Everything we touch turns to ashes. It’s as if God didn’t shuffle the card deck before dealing them to us. All we got were cards of humiliation, frustration, despair and hunger.  

A year after I was born, Papa’s new shop—Aanchal Stationery—closed down. A few months later, a tree fell on his scooter.  

When I was three, Maa fell down while bathing me and has three crooked toes and a slightly unbalanced walk to remind her of that.  

My younger brother’s birth was supposed to change the tide. He, too, failed. When I was four, I stepped on my brother’s hand and broke two of his fingers. He made it worse in the following months by getting sick too often and draining money on antibiotics, injections and visits to the emergency ward.  

When I was eight, Papa’s second store—now named Ankit Stationery—shut shop.  

 

Our family turned to religion. The pandits said, Griha bhari hain, once the stars align, we will bathe in cold and sleep in silk. Poojas and havans, rings on our fingers, lockets on our necks didn’t change our fortunes. 

When religion didn’t work, we turned to academics. It was our last bastion: luck could be broken by the surety of mathematics, science, geography. For six years, I stood second in class and missed out on the school scholarship.  

 

Maa’s stitching business lost money.  

Papa got beaten up after his tuition students failed.  

We lost our savings in the bank scam. 

Mobiles were snatched from our hands.  

We never once won anything in a contest or on a scratch card.  

Until this Mahindra Holidays vacation. 

Only because I filled up that form. I saw the resort on the pamphlet. I saw the people in the images. It was everything I wanted. 

 

Our conversation is cut short by a boy’s compelling, booming voice.  

‘Amit, Daksh here, it’s my first time with Mahindra Holidays. I’m so glad you’re trying to get the rooms ready for us. We really appreciate that,’ he says in his gravelly, husky voice. ‘But we have some old people in the group with low blood sugar, and my sister is too young to be waiting this long.’ 

 

His voice is deep, like it’s coming from inside a cave. It reverberates inside my rib cage even though he’s ten yards away from me. I stand on my toes to get a good look at him, but all I can see is his floppy hair.  

 

‘I understand—’ 

 

‘You absolutely don’t, Amit, or you would have given us a correct time estimate earlier. Now, one of two things is going to happen. Either all of us are going to the restaurant and we’ll have a long, leisurely breakfast for free till you get things sorted here, or all of us are going to post reviews on Tripadvisor and Google with heartbreaking images to go with it. I promise you, Amit, I will make the old people lie down here and photograph them as if they are dying.’  

 

The confused crowd mumbles in agreement. 

Amit’s smile slowly disappears and a frown settles in.  

He tells the group that he will talk to the management and get back to us in fifteen minutes. It doesn’t take him that long.  

 

‘The restaurant is straight ahead and then right,’ Amit informs us dryly, his voice devoid of any enthusiasm. ‘Mahindra Holidays is always working to deliver your best vacation.’  

 

Free breakfast.  

Maa squeezes my arm excitedly.  

‘That boy’s clever,’ whispers Maa.  

‘Not clever,’ I respond. ‘Just rich. Had I paid for this vacation, I would have fought too.’  

‘You just said we deserve to be here, Didi,’ taunts Ankit. ‘You could have fought. Instead, you were very happily having welcome drinks.’  

‘Shut up.’ 

‘Maybe our luck’s changing,’ says Papa, brightly.  

 

I shake my head to warn him. Papa is the only optimist among the four of us, even though he has suffered from the legendary bad luck of the Madans the most. He should know better than anyone that whenever things seem to go our way, something goes wrong. Over the years, we have learned to not laugh a lot, or allow ourselves to be very happy. The law of averages works against us. 

 

We follow the hotel staff to the restaurant. That’s when I see the boy for the first time. He’s in a loose black T-shirt and a pair of black shorts. His hair is glorious, falling over his ears. He is the colour of wet sand, his jawline is jagged, and he has a high forehead. He’s handsome in a way boys are when they are just turning into men. I first think he’s carrying a bag in his hand. When I look closely, I see it’s a little girl. He’s carrying her like a sack, and she’s bobbing, giggling and squealing happily in his grip. He’s carrying her as though she weighs nothing. When he turns, I see his eyes. There’s a sense of surety in them, a sense of danger, a sense of entitlement and definitely, arrogance.  

 

***

Get your copy of World’s Best Girlfriend by Durjoy Datta wherever books are sold.

Know Why ‘Leading from the Back’ Style of Leadership is Here to Stay!​

Posted on by prathod

Step into a fresh perspective on leadership with Leading from the Back. Authors Ravi Kant, Harry Paul, and Ross Reck present a game-changing approach forged through diverse experiences. This engaging parable challenges traditional norms, making leadership resonate in today’s dynamic world. Are you ready to lead from a different angle?

Read this exclusive excerpt to know why ‘Leading from the Back’ style of leadership is here to stay.

Leading from the Back
Leading from the Back || Ravi Kant, Harry Paul, Ross Reck

 

***

I have tucked my learnings inside this fable, like silver in a packet.
—Adapted from early-ninth century verses of
the Abbasid princess Ulayya bint al-Mahdi*

 

On the face of it, Leading from the Back runs counter to the conventional and commonly understood style of leadership—‘leading from the front’. The question is why should you want to look at it? Two reasons, in my view—one, leading from the back has been successfully implemented over five decades under diverse situations in companies large and small, which gives it great credibility. Impressive results have been achieved and it should not be mistaken as a ‘soft’ option nor as an accidental flash in the pan. Two, leading from the front was possibly the operative style in the early days of military warfare when a leader was required to show his face in the front (infantry or cavalry) and energize and motivate troops through sheer personal valour. However, this style of leadership, though very popular in the US, is coming under great stress because:

 

1. Organizations have become large and complex and supply chain markets have become diverse.
2. ‘Black swan’ events, which are difficult to predict but are seen as inevitable in hindsight, could occur with greater frequency.
3. Technology is changing how businesses and organizations are run.
4. The workplace dynamic is rapidly changing and will continue to change.

 

This clearly requires leadership that is not the domain of one person nor concentrated in one person—the one who is constantly put in the spotlight as if others don’t matter and the final outcome is impervious to the external environment. The current situation demands that leadership is distributed and that’s what Leading from the Back is all about.

 

The challenge for us was how to introduce a new concept against a powerful, long-established concept of leadership. The solution we came up with was a story, a parable. Stories have been around since people began to communicate. They bring to life concepts and teachings and put them in a context that we can easily understand and relate to.

* * *

Why, Plato wondered, was Socrates frittering away his final moments on these childish beast tales?

Phaedo of Elis couldn’t say but he did recall Socrates remarking that Aesop’s fables weren’t the animal fictions they seemed. In reality, they were clandestine commentaries on humanity. Aesop had only populated them with foxes, mules and lions because he knew that people would get angry if he pointed out their faults directly.

 

My (Ravi) entire learning of five decades, of rich and diverse experience, has been distilled through viewing situation and ideas through three questions:

 

• How should I be?
• How should I deal with the team?
• How should I deal with the task?

 

Based on my experience and implementation, and using elements of Leading from the Back, I knew I needed help to narrate my ideas and learning. As any good leader knows, you can’t do it alone. I (Ravi) needed to find my Aesop. But where? Initiative and help came from an acquaintance of thirty years: Prakash Idnani and his vast experience in advertising and communication, which has helped convert many non-authors into authors! Prakash found not one but two Aesops in the US, the holy land of leading from the front!

 

With an introduction from Prakash, I met Harry Paul and Ross Reck. Both of them have considerable experience writing parables. This book was conceived, mapped out and written during the pandemic. Embracing technology, the three of us wrote this book because we firmly believe in its principles, the efficacy of its teachings and felt a need to share it. Even though we have never met in person, the three of us got to know, trust and learn from each other through Zoom. This book was made possible only by coalescing each unique and varying contribution to create a powerful fable of Leading from the Back. We, the authors, sincerely feel that your thoughts will resonate with many of the principles enunciated in Leading from the Back and that you will get a little dose of dopamine which will impel you to put some, maybe even all, of them into action.

Ravi Kant, Harry Paul and Ross Reck
June 2023

 

***

Get your copy of Leading from the Back by Ravi Kant, Harry Paul and Ross Reck wherever books are sold.

Drama, Doves, and the Big Man’s Fall!​

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Step into a world of unexpected turns in After Messiah by renowned journalist and author Aakar Patel. Explore an ill-fated inauguration, where even the best-laid plans couldn’t prevent the catastrophe that lurked over the Big Man. From polished facades to chaotic twists, read this exclusive excerpt to know more about the event that captured the nation’s attention for all the wrong reasons.

 

After Messiah
After Messiah || Aakar Patel

***

He strode directly to the podium, where an announcer was already concluding her brief introduction hailing him. The chief minister attempted to walk with the Big Man but was taken by the arm by one of the escorts and led away into the audience. The announcer fled, and the Big Man now stood alone, facing his people, with flags framed to either side of him. He looked to his left at the battery of cameras and scowled. The senior-most bureaucrat present scampered up to find out what the problem was. The sun was in the wrong place, behind the Big Man. His image would not be lit but appear in silhouette.

The cameramen, a couple of them grumbling, were asked to dismantle their equipment and shift it all across to the other side. This took a few minutes, and the crowd waited. The media crew held off live coverage as instructed. The Big Man glanced at the new position taken by the cameras and, now satisfied, began to speak.

 

He spoke of the misery of the past, the great advances of the present and the glory that was coming soon if it was not already here. It was his standard theme. This hospital would serve the community as it had never been served before. It would help the locals achieve their dreams and those of their children. It was an institution whose founding was the start of an era, and it was only one of many coming up. Times had changed, and this phase in time was a new one, like no other.

 

The Big Man’s content sounded, to some, banal, but his delivery was energetic and often emotional. Certainly, he appeared to be moved by his own words. The audience was not silent and joined in to scream when he led it through the slogans, and it shouted ‘yes!’ and ‘no!’ to the rhetorical questions he posed.

 

Yes, this was a historic occasion. Yes, their lives were better under the Big Man. No, they had never been hopeful in the past. No, the ones who had come before him were not honest. And so on.

 

After he was done, he picked up the remote control on the lectern and raised it to give it a click. From behind the building, a large flock of doves was released and flew up in a disorderly fashion. Some of them had been painted in different colours, to display the colours of the national flag as they rose. But the thing could not possibly have been rehearsed, since the birds flew off once released, and the effect on the whole was chaotic rather than impressive. The Big Man did not communicate his displeasure, but the senior-most bureaucrat grimaced and made a note of who would be held to account.

 

The click had also unveiled a large plaque set around a little concrete circle. It bore some text in the ancient language along with a religious symbol that resembled the Rod of Asclepius but had been altered to make it seem indigenous. The Big Man touched it reverentially and bowed to it.

 

He then stood, appeared to look at the ground and fell on his face, going straight down like a tree. The head bounced once off the paved surface, but the body was still and the hands perfectly aligned to either side, almost as if the going down had been deliberate.

 

It may have been some undetected condition, or perhaps it was something else. The Big Man had died on his feet, in an instant and without warning.

 

The crowd waited for him to rise again. The cameras continued to broadcast the scene, capturing the Big Man’s elegant soles and still hands. The senior-most bureaucrat was unsure what to do, and his concern mounted rapidly. It was out of the question that he would muster the courage to disturb what appeared to be some unrehearsed ritual. (Was the Big Man praying to the hospital?) The armed escorts had been looking into the crowd and to their sides, unaware that behind them the life they were protecting had departed. Their supervisor, a man who had served in the military, first noticed what had happened. Familiar with the relaxed slump of dead bodies, he
sprinted to the corpse with a shout and sounded the alarm. The senior-most bureaucrat, now in full-blown panic, also hobbled quickly over with his juniors. The crowd became restive, and the large police presence between it and the building slowly melted as the chaos grew.

 

The Big Man’s body was picked up and taken to the hospital by the armed escorts, who now assumed charge. Inside they discovered that there was no treatment available in the building—it was not an operational hospital.

 

They took the body back to the helicopters, buckled the Big Man into his seat, his head now to one side, the sunglasses askew, his mouth slightly open and his eyes expressionless. The escorts shouted instructions at each other over the thump of the rotor blades, reached an agreement, signalled through raised thumbs and flew off. The chief minister tried to get into his ride but was pushed away. He did not resist and went off to figure out his way home, and what he would have to tell the party and the media. The senior-most bureaucrat called the Big Man’s office, and told them what he had seen and what was headed their way.

***

Get your copy of After Messiah by Aakar Patel wherever books are sold

The Early Influences in the Life of Madhav Gadgil

Posted on by prathod

Step into the enchanting world of A Walk Up the Hill by Padma Bhushan Awardee Madhav Gadgil. Read this excerpt and journey alongside young Gadgil as he explores Lokmanya Tilak’s bungalow on Sinhagad Hill. From buffalo herders and buffalo keepers to mentorship from Sálim Ali, Gadgil’s experiences mold his passion for ecology and conservation.

Dive into his adventures and passion for understanding the natural world.

A Walk Up The Hill
A Walk Up The Hill || Madhav Gadgil

 

Part of Lokmanya Tilak’s bungalow, at the top of Sinhagad, the most famous of Shivaji’s hill forts, was given on rent to people known to the family. Every summer, my parents and I would spend two weeks in the bungalow. There were no roads up the hill at that time and I eagerly looked forward to climbing the steep slopes, to relive the tale of how Tanaji clambered up an impossibly steep rockface by holding on to a rope tied to the tail of Yashawanti, a monitor lizard, to wrest control of the fort from the Mughals. Sinhagad’s slopes were well wooded, and reportedly full of wildlife. We never got to see any large animals, but the plentiful birdlife was fascinating enough. I especially looked forward to two species not to be seen around Pune: the handsome crested bunting and the melodious Malabar whistling thrush.

 

Three-fourths of the way up the slope was the outer line of defence for the fort in the form of settlements on smaller side plateaus. Here, in a few huts, lived the forest-dwelling buffalo-herders, the Dhangar Gavlis, and the erstwhile military guards, the Kolis. We would enjoy refreshing glasses of buttermilk from the Gavlis and chat with them. Baba and I would walk over to their settlements where we were charmed by the herds of their well-nourished buffaloes with glistening black skins, even more attractive than the two milch buffaloes we owned at home. I thus grew up to be rather different from the usual brand of urban nature lovers, who view the rural people, their farms and livestock as the principal enemies of India’s nature. I, on the other hand, admired the buffaloes as much as the gaur and was equally at home with the farmers and buffalo-keepers as with the scholars of Pune.

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One of the birds I most enjoyed watching was the green bee-eater, which perched in large numbers on the electric wires that ran from the pole on the road to our house. I found their melodious trills and graceful aerial sallies to catch flying insects attractive. I noticed one day that the characteristic single pin feather sticking out of their square-cut tail suddenly went missing for some weeks. I asked Baba if this was another species. We looked up the many bird books in our library but found no answer. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘why don’t you write to Sálim Ali himself?’ I did so, posing this question, and was delighted when three days later I received a letter in his own stylish hand, saying that at certain times of the year, the birds moulted their feathers. At this time, the pin feather would be missing for a few weeks but would grow back after that. Indeed, it did.

 

Sálim Ali used to visit Pune frequently to pursue his study of baya weaverbirds. I fixed an appointment to meet him on his next visit and was captivated by his knowledge, wit and charm. So, at the age of fourteen, I decided to become a field ecologist like him. Baba was quite happy with my decision. He himself was a field economist and had conducted surveys on various subjects: for example, bus transport and fruit production in western Maharashtra, primary education in Satara district and, importantly, a survey of the wages and living conditions of millworkers of Mumbai. This last study was undertaken at the request of B.R. Ambedkar who was then in charge of labour issues in the Bombay state provincial government. The committee was headed by the state labour commissioner, but Baba shouldered the responsibility for the actual surveys. As a result, he had become a close friend of Dr Ambedkar.

 

Srushtidnyan was the only Marathi popular science magazine published at that time. Iru Kaku suggested that I write Marathi articles on topics of my interest—ecology and animal behaviour—for the magazine. I was particularly fascinated by the social behaviour of birds, the noisy family groups of babblers and the night-time gathering of crows, mynas and my favourite bee-eaters. I used to travel around Maharashtra for athletic competitions as a member of the Pune team, and one evening in Solapur, we sat on the ground at dusk as the concluding prize distribution ceremony of the athletic meet was in progress. There I witnessed a sight I have never forgotten, of well over a thousand green bee-eaters flying overhead, uttering their musical tring-tring calls as they slowly settled to roost for the night in the clumps of trees surrounding the playground. Between 1956 and 1958, I wrote a series of articles for Srushtidnyan dealing with animal behaviour, kicking off my lifetime hobby of writing popular scientific articles for the general public.

 

Sálim Ali was forty-six years my senior, and from the time I first met him I remained in constant touch with him, interrupted only by the six years I spent at Harvard University.

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Get your copy of A Walk Up the Hill by Madhav Gadgil wherever books are sold.

Ageing Like a Boss: Insights from ‘Pause, Rewind’

Posted on by prathod

Ever wondered how our brains change as we get older? In the book Pause, Rewind by Nawaz Modi Singhania, we explore this fascinating aspect of human health. This exclusive snippet from the book gives us a sneak peek into how our lifestyle choices, exercises for our brains, and other social factors can all play a big role in keeping our minds sharp and active as we age. So, let’s dive in and learn how to keep our minds as vibrant as ever with some natural anti-ageing techniques.

Pause, Rewind
Pause, Rewind || Nawaz Modi Singhania

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Preserving and improving the grey matter as we age

As one ages, there tend to be subtle changes in the structure of the brain that affect the chemistry within and the functioning of the grey matter. This begins in middle age and as we head into our sixties, the actual brain size gets smaller, reducing the blood flow and the levels of neurotransmitters and hormones. The shrinking of the brain in its volume—particularly in the frontal cortex—affects memory, learning and other complex activities. As our vasculature ages and our blood pressure tends to rise, there is an increased risk of strokes and ischemia. Further, when the white matter of the brain develops lesions, the communication between the neurons is not as efficient as it once was, leading to the most common form of dementia, Alzheimer’s.

 

Actually, by around the age of forty-five, the objective memory performance of an average individual lowers in comparison to what it was in their twenties. However, for most people, these mental slips are minimal and do not progress. For those who are affected though—especially if there is a family history—this is a major concern, because cognitive decline affects independent functioning. It can cause great anxiety and serious problems.

 

Becoming Cognitive Super-Agers

There is ample research and growing evidence of the fact that lifestyle choices impact cognitive health throughout our lives. Habits such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, lack of sleep, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are known factors that lead to cognitive decline. However, the good news is that these can be controlled and improved upon.

 

First off, exercise! In its impressive array of health benefits, the important one of staying physically fit is how it effectively helps deal with the factors associated with cognitive decline, including relieving insomnia, dealing with anxiety and depression and more. Remember the happy hormones we spoke about? (Refer to Chapter 1, titled “Exercise and It’s Significance”, under subtitle, “Benefits of Regular Exercise”).

 

The next factor that helps is nutrition. A Mediterranean-style diet, which includes fruits such as avocado and blueberries, nuts, vegetables including the dark leafy ones, dark chocolate, whole grains, beans, seeds, moderate amounts of fatty fish, poultry, dairy products, and limits red meat, sugar, white flour and fried foods, promotes overall health—cardiovascular and otherwise. It lowers your risk of certain cancers and can protect against cognitive decline. Moderate consumption of alcohol (red wine, mostly) too is known to reduce the risk of cognitive decline.

 

Exercises for the Mind

As you age, performing mental activities gets even more crucial. In daily life, these can include reading, writing, solving math problems and crossword puzzles, playing chess and bridge, engaging in group discussions, listening to or playing classical music, amongst others. Try the memory game we spoke about previously, where you read the newspaper each day and later try to list twenty things you read. Recall the birthdays or phone numbers of twenty important people in your life. As long as you are stimulating the mind, one way or the other, it helps and does lower the risk of brain decline.

 

Keep it Social

Social interaction has a profound positive effect on health and longevity, especially with reference to friends, more than family. Research shows that people with strong, healthy ties to others are more likely to live longer, have better lives and are less likely to experience cognitive decline than those who are alone. So make sure to maintain a strong network of people with whom you can have meaningful conversations, where you support and care for each other and help reduce each other’s stress levels. Call each other often, eat meals together, step out for a walk, travel if possible, catch up for a movie and generally motivate each other to live a happy, healthy life.

 

Sleep it Off

Next, sleep—in terms of quality and quantity—is important in ensuring overall health and preventing cognitive decline. The body relies on sleep, along with good nutrition and exercise, for a variety of essential, central functions that are controlled by the brain. While the right amount of sleep differs from person to person, experts recommend at least seven to eight hours of sound sleep a night

 

Put Your Life In Order

Get organized—make notes, jot down what you need to do in terms of tasks, appointments and other events, and check them off as they get completed. Organize yourself in other ways as well. You should have a place for everything in your home—keys, glasses, medication, mobile, charger, bag, remote, etc.—and have everything in its place. Make this a habit, regardless of your age, because the better you manage and organize yourself, the better your memory is going to be. Training and organizing your brain this way regularly employs the grey matter, keeping the brain’s functionality and efficiency sharper.

 

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Get your copy of Pause, Rewind by Nawaz Modi Singhania wherever books are sold.

Mastering Prince Dhruva’s Six-Month Success Sutra

Posted on by prathod

Experience the essence of success through the inspiring story of Prince Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das. Rooted in the timeless trio of desire, endeavor, and prayer Dhruva’s journey showcases steadfast determination and the influence of mentorship. Read this excerpt, to extract insights that surpass age and background, presenting valuable lessons for those on the path to success.

Get ready for the Ultimate Six-Month Success Formula!

Dhruva
Dhruva || Gauranga Darshan Das

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The trio for success –

1. Desire,
2. Endeavour and
3. Prayer One’s ‘desire’ must be pure and strong,
one’s ‘endeavour’ has to be sincere and determined,
yet without the Lord’s sanction, one can’t be
successful, therefore, ‘prayer’ is necessary.

 

After being instructed by his mentor in the process of worshipping Lord Vishnu, Dhruva went to Madhuvana. Arriving at the bank of the Yamuna, he entered the river to take a bath. Later that night, he diligently observed a fast.

Then, as advised by Narada Muni, he began his worship of the Lord in the beautiful forest of Madhuvana. Dhruva’s austerities in the forest set a great example for all seekers for eons to come. The level of his determination and the intensity of his resolve was unparalleled even as a five-year-old child.

 

Increasing Intensity of Austerities

Dhruva began worshipping Lord Vishnu sincerely and restricted his eating only to fruits and berries named Kapittha and Badara, only once in three days, to keep his body alive. In this way, he spent one full month.

 

In the second month, Dhruva survived on some dry grass and leaves that he took only once in six days. Without wasting even a moment searching for food or other things, Dhruva became absorbed in his worship of the Lord.

 

During the third month, Dhruva’s austerities and his absorption in Lord Vishnu increased. He simply drank water only once every nine days. Thus, he remained rapt in meditation and eventually entered a trance while worshipping the Lord.

 

As the fourth month set in, Dhruva’s sadhana spiritual practice intensified further. He mastered pranayama or breathing exercises, and would inhale air only once in twelve days. Being completely fixed up in his position as a devotee of Lord Vishnu, he took only air as his food.

 

By the fifth month, Dhruva’s meditation reached its crescendo. He had completely controlled his breathing, attained perfection in the process and was able to stand simply on one leg. Like a motionless column, Dhruva fully concentrated on the form of Lord Vishnu in line with the teachings of his guru, Narada Muni. He continually chanted and meditated on the mantra ‘om namo bhagavate vasudevaya.’

 

The power of sincere meditation on the divine form of the Lord makes one completely absorbed in a trance.

 

Complete Self-control

Dhruva attained complete sense control. His senses were not at all agitated by any sense object. Generally, the greatest obstacle in spiritual life or even in one’s normal life is the distraction caused by the senses—our eyes constantly chase beautiful objects, our ears long to hear pleasant sounds and music, our hands hanker to touch soft objects that give pleasure to the body, our nose continually pursues sweet fragrances, and the tongue wishes to taste palatable dishes even if they may hamper one’s health. In this way, an average human being is constantly tormented by sensual attractions that are nothing but distractions. But Dhruva’s senses were riveted on his goal—worshipping Lord Vishnu.

 

Another great obstacle for a person engaged in spiritual practices is mental distractions. In fact, the senses become distracted because of a distracted mind. Whenever the senses come in contact with sense objects, they create various pleasant and unpleasant impressions within the mind. For instance, when a person sees a beautiful object, a pleasant impression is immediately created in the mind and when the same person sees an ugly object, an unpleasant impression is generated in the mind.

 

Thus, the mind becomes a storehouse of millions and trillions of material impressions that keep popping up regularly and distract the person from his or her goals. Therefore, mind and sense control are vital to attaining success in any endeavour, especially in spiritual life.

 

One who can control one’s mind and senses is a deserving candidate and becomes entitled to success.

 

Although immature in age, Dhruva exhibited complete sense and mind control in his devotional meditation on Lord Vishnu. He was also fully determined to follow the path instructed by his guru.

A student who is sincere in following the instructions of a potent guru is sure to attain success in spiritual life.

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Get your copy of Dhruva by Gauranga Darshan Das wherever books are sold.

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