Tag: biographies diaries & true accounts

What do you think Dhirubhai Ambani, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Sunil Mittal have in common? They started out just like you and me—with nothing but empty wallets and strong ambition. It is indeed time for a far more unique, practical and effective approach to success. There has got to be a better way, and there certainly is.

As the first and only opportunity consultant in the world, author Richard M. Rothman presents to us a very simple and accessible answer to this question.

The answer of course is: opportunity. As  How, you ask? We take a look!

Opportunity Is The Universal Starting Point

It’s the essential factor in all business and career success. Opportunities are the seeds from which all wealth grows. Regardless of where you are in life, whether you’re a businessperson, an employee earning wages, an aspiring entrepreneur, a student or a professional, your ability to capture the best opportunities will be the most crucial factor that determines your success.

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Capture, Build And Take

All five of the aforementioned successful men captured a series of breakthrough opportunities. They built upon opportunities that others had ignored. They took opportunities that even industry insiders ignored. And, they capitalized on them.

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Hard Work, Diligence And Persistence Are Insufficient

Hard work, diligence, persistence and a positive attitude are all very useful if you want to succeed. They’re essential, and business gurus are right to talk about them and explain how to develop them. But they’re insufficient. None of them will deliver success unless you also harness the power of opportunity.

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Opportunities Need A Process

To leverage the immense value of opportunities, you can’t wait for opportunities to knock at your door. What if opportunity never knocks? What if you don’t hear it knocking? And what if the opportunity that does turn up isn’t right for you . . . but you take it anyway because you waited so long? Opportunity is far too important to leave to chance. It needs a process.

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The wisdom of crowds rarely applies to opportunities

The wisdom of crowds rarely applies to opportunities any more than it does to investing. Buying a stock after everyone else has bought it rarely makes you money. The same logic applies to opportunities. You need to find opportunities yourself and turn them into the foundation of your success.

Many times, we overlook an opportunity sitting right before our eyes, whilst we’re on a quest for something bigger- it could be uncertain, but still, bigger! The Power of Opportunity helps you recognize that opportunity sitting right before you which could eventually end up becoming your ladder to success. We hope you like reading the book as much as we did! Don’t forget to tell us what you think.

Fluid like the poetry the world loves him for, the inimitable Mirza Ghalib was anchored only in his craft. Reflecting the truth of his time, his words stand testimony to the turbulent world he inhabited. Despite the chaos of his own life, Ghalib’s poetry burnt bright like a flame within him. His verses were rich with philosophical insights and spiritualism even as they were a comment on the politics of the time.

‘Ghalib could write the most playful verses about mangoes and the most opaque poems about the nature of existence. Arguably, the Ghalib era symbolized the peak of Urdu sukhan, its literary expression.’ writes Raza Mir in his perceptive account of Ghalib’s life and work in Ghalib- A Thousand Desires.

Here are 7 verses by Ghalib that have stood the test of time

On Poetry

Revered all over for his exceptional turn of phrase, Mirza Ghalib was seen as the epitome of poetic skill. In a verse that may seem boastful, he takes the adulation rained on him and makes it his own-

HaiN aur bhi duniya meiN sukhanwar bahut achhe

Kahte haiN ke Ghalib ka hai andaaz-e bayaaN aur

There are many others in the world, poets truly great

  Rumour has it though, Ghalib’s turn of phrase stands separate!

On Longing

Shadowed by adversity his whole life, Ghalib struggled to live the way he felt a poet of his stature deserved. In this verse he wonders about desires that remain unfulfilled-

HazaaroN khwaahisheN aisi ke har khwaahish pe dam nikle,

Bahut nikle mere armaan, lekin phir bhi kam nikle

Thousands of desires, and each one worth dying for

Many of my desires were fulfilled, but yet, I feel unrequited

On Love

As was customary at the time, Ghalib wrote on romance and the cruelty of forced separation from a lover-

Ji dhoondta hai phir vahi fursat ke raat din

Baithe raheN tasavvur-e jaanaaN kiye hue

The mind harks back to those days and nights of leisure

That were spent lost in thoughts of my love, with pleasure

On Illusion

Critical of the illusion of afterlife created by ritual-driven religion, Ghalib- a self-proclaimed Sufi- questions the idea of paradise-

Hum ko maaloom hai jannat ki haqeeqat lekin

Dil ke khush rakhne ko Ghalib ye khayaal achchha hai

We know the reality of paradise

Ghalib, let’s admit, these are comforting lies

On God

The tumultuous period of history that Ghalib lived through raised existential questions. Bemoaning the limits of human agency when faced with the unrelenting boundaries of fate, he wrote-

Na tha kuch to khuda tha kuch na hota to khuda hota

Duboya mujh ko hone ne na hota maiN to kya hota

When there was nothing, there was god

Had there been nothing, god would be

The act of being was my undoing

What would have been had there been no me?

On the Beloved

At a grand mushaira in a haveli, among illustrious poets of the time, Ghalib presented a ghazal on the beauty of a beloved’s curl of hair which brought him euphoric praise from the gathering

Aah ko chaahiye ek umr asar hone tak

Kaun jeeta hai teri zulf ke sar hone tak

For a sigh to be heard sometimes takes an age

Who survives while you with your stray curls engage?

On Preachers

Ghalib eagerly embraced the idea of equality and unity that could bring all religions on an equal footing. His disdain for religious orthodoxy is reflected in the scathing sarcasm directed at the clergy-

KahaaN maikhaane ka darwaaza Ghalib aur kahaaN waaiz

Par itna jaante hain, kal vo jaata tha ke hum nikle

Where the tavern door, and where the preacher, Ghalib?

But all I know is this; he was entering as I left

Ghalib’s verses are layered with meaning, each with its own story to tell. Pointing out a common misconception, Raza Mir writes, ‘A ghazal is not a slave to amatory sentiment; it can and often does break free of the shackles.’ Ghalib’s poetry brings together his experiences to make a symphony which enriches the song of this beloved bard.

For more about Ghalib, read Ghalib- A Thousand Desires.

Do you only dream of achieving success one day or are you working towards achieving it? It is imperative to realize that success, which is in the uncertain future, is but a sum of our efforts in the present. Enthralling personal life experiences shared by ‘Doctorpreneur’ Dr B.S. Ajaikumar, in his book, Excellence Has No Borders make you realize that hard work, tenacity and self-confidence can go a long way in attaining the unimaginable.

Read to know more about this doctorpreneur:

 Ajaikumar faced many challenges in his childhood and his adult life. In hindsight, the former built him up for the latter. Growing up in the shadows of his superachiever elder brother, Ajaikumar, had learnt to work for his parents’ attention and affection.

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His upbringing being relatively different from his brother’s seems to have given rise to insecurities within him. This feeling drove him to study hard as he was determined to do well and emerge from the shadow of his older brother. His success in doing so gave rise to him becoming accustomed to taking on challenges with gusto: If something wasn’t a challenge, it wasn’t worth the time or the effort.

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Losing twenty million dollars in the dot-com bust pushed him into misery. It led him to almost end his life. What saved him was a singularly assertive thought that he was a fighter and he loved challenges. He was confident that he would do whatever it takes to build himself up from ground zero after the dot-com bust.

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Poor condition of the Indian hospitals and Ajaikumar’s determination to achieve what he put his mind to, pushed him to travel across India and study the cancer situation. He considered this trip as a turning point in his life as he decided to give up the American dream that he’d built for himself and return to his motherland.

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As an established oncologist, he considered it his moral duty to return to serve his people and help them live a healthy life.

To read more about Ajaikumar’s life experiences and his takeaways from them, read, Excellence Has No Borders. Tell us if it inspired you as much as it inspired us!

As it listens to the sounds you create

The entire world stands in awe

Forgetting themselves each one asks

Is this the scent of flowers, or a flute that plays? 

In the age of record stores, it was rare to go into a record shop and not see a recording of Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, the master of the bansuri or bamboo flute. One of India’s most popular artistes, he is in Mumbai today, Paris tomorrow and San Francisco the day after.His mesmerizing flute can be heard in many of Hindi cinema’s most popular songs, in a composition by the former Beatle George Harrison, as well as in recordings with renowned musicians from across the world. Sathya Saran’s Breath of Gold will inspire and introduce everyone to the story of this amazing artist.

Not convinced? Read on to know more about Hariprasad Chaurasia:

By combining tradition with innovation, Pandit Chaurasia expanded the scope of expressiveness of the bansuri and was, thus, awarded a plethora of awards, including the Padma Vibhushan. (Source: India Today)

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If it were up to his father, he would have been a wrestler.Yet, he broke away from the life that was chosen for him and wrote his own destiny.

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In his early teens, Pandit Chaurasia took lessons in Hindustani classical music from noted Benares vocalist Raja Ram. After hearing one of his performances, Bholanath, a well-known flutist, made Chaurasia his disciple and made him go through eight years of rigorous training. (Source: Britannica)

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Pandit Chaurasia also studied with Shrimati Annapurna Devi, daughter of Ustaad Allauddin Khan. In Bombay, he also got the additional exposure of performing in one of India’s cultural centers. Through years of experimentation and dedicated practice, Pandit Chaurasia brought global recognition to the bansuri. (Source: IAAC)

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Hariprasad Chaurasia has also been a guru to innumerable students in his Mumbai and Bhubaneswar gurukuls, and at the World Music Department, Rotterdam Music Conservatory, the Netherlands, where he is artistic director.

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Hari- ji, as he is fondly called, never gives up, and nothing can keep him from his music. Not the trembling of his hand, not a sudden shortness of breath. He overcomes it all with the strength of his will and his ability to laugh off every hurdle age places in his path.

 If you want to know more about this musical genius check out Breath of Gold.

In a world teeming with ordinary men there is sometimes an extraordinary soul that streaks across the horizon like a shooting star. J. Krishnamurti was a man who stood tall at the other end of the spectrum. While wars raged across the world over religious differences, he spoke about renouncing all religion. When people were frantically pushing forward in the race towards their aspirations, Krishnamurti made them pause and look within. Drawing young listeners towards his perspective as well as inspiring the elderly, he travelled the world and connected with many through his talks and books. In 1961, Aldous Huxley- one of his many renowned admirers- wrote that listening to Mr. Krishnamurti was ”like listening to the discourse of a Buddha.”

Read on the know 10 things about the man who changed the way we look at life-

1. Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on May 22, 1895 in Madanapalle, a small town west of Chennai, to devout Brahmin parents. His father, Jiddu Narayania, was a Theosophist associated with the Madras office of the Theosophist Society.

2. In 1909, at the age of fourteen, J. Krishnamurti became the protege of Annie Besant, a political and social reformer who also served as the president of the Theosophist Society. This development changed the course of Krishnamurti’s life as Besant proclaimed him a saviour or World Teacher and took the young protege to England where he was educated privately and groomed for the role of World Teacher.

3. Krishnamurti experienced life in different ways while receiving his education in England and at the Sorbonne in Paris as he travelled in Europe and the United States with Annie Besant.

4. In 1911, Mrs. Besant founded the World Order of the Star of the East with Mr. Krishnamurti at its helm. His early visits to New York in the 1920’s sparked controversy as the city’s tabloids created sensational stories about the ‘saviour’ and his zealous followers.

5. It was in 1929 that J. Krishnamurti broke away from the order and awakened to his mission to set human beings ”absolutely, unconditionally free.” He rejected the notion that a cult leader could take people towards salvation and in light of this belief, decided to disband the organization.

6. In another life-altering move, Krishnamurti renounced all organized religions and ideologies based on the belief that prescribed teachings obstructed self-awareness and consequently took people away from self- knowledge.

7. A revered teacher and philosopher, J. Krishnamurti maintained physical discipline with a vegetarian diet and regular practice of yoga. A teetotaller and non-smoker, he dressed in Western suits or traditional Indian wear according to his surroundings as he travelled the world giving talks and inspiring renowned leaders and thinkers.

8. Krishnamurti established the principal Krishnamurti Foundation in 1969 in Ojai, a resort town in California, and took on the responsibility of being chairman of the board. The foundation also operated the Oak Grove School where students received training in regular academic subjects while being encouraged to think independently.

9. Krishnamurti’s message to the world was based on an emphatic pursuit of unflinching self-knowledge. He believed that people must take up the challenge of exploring within themselves to understand their own psyche. It was this self- knowledge, unadulterated with external influences of religion, society and politics that, he believed, would change society for the better.

10. Despite his failing health, J. Krishnamurti continued to share his philosophy with the world till the age of 90 when he lost his battle against cancer and breathed his last at his residence at the Krishnamurti Foundation in Ojai on 17^th February 1986.

In his books, J. Krishnamurti delved deep into the tangled net of ideas, organizational beliefs and psychological mindsets in which humanity is caught. In his three-volume series on Commentaries on Living with over fifty essays in each volume, Krishnamurti explores topics as diverse as knowledge, truth, fulfillment, meditation, love, effort, seeking life and death and education.