Does your mirror tell you the truth?

Here's a new post by Harsha Bhogle on the axing of Yuvraj from India's ODI squad. The topic as such is quite uninteresting, but as always, Harsha's article touches on broader behavioral themes beyond cricket (and hence is interesting!)

"Contrary to some thought, humility and confidence are not oil and water, they are not immiscible. Being humble doesn't mean being weak, it is merely accepting that some things need to be corrected and going out and doing that. "

New York City - Pictory

Here's a very nice photo magazine on New York City -- one of my favorite cities in the world!

Why humanities matter?

Here's a good defense on why Humanities matter.

"Over the past century or so, people have built various systems to help them understand human behavior: economics, political science, game theory and evolutionary psychology. These systems are useful in many circumstances. But none completely explain behavior because deep down people have passions and drives that don’t lend themselves to systemic modeling. They have yearnings and fears that reside in an inner beast you could call The Big Shaggy."

I think every parent in India should read this and form an opinion on this topic pushing their wards into the throes of technical education!

Need for mentors

Here's a nice article by Harsha Bhogle on the need for mentors. While he largely talks about cricket, it is applicable beyond cricket as well in this fast paced world!

"It is not always necessary that growth as a player and as a person must go simultaneously; sometimes you can be a giant in one area and a dwarf in another, but it helps if the two go together. It is especially useful because with Indian cricket, and cricketers, there is a history, even a legacy, of arrogance. The message, sometimes subliminal, sometimes direct, is that the world needs them more than they need the world. As some of us know, that is but a momentary high, but it can be a devastating high."

Theories of Change

Here's an interesting article on the Theories of Change in the NY Times.

The members of the British Enlightenment "put more emphasis on our sentiments. People are born with natural desires to be admired and to be worthy of admiration. They are born with moral emotions, a sense of fair play and benevolence. They are also born with darker passions, like self-love and tribalism, which mar rationalist enterprises. We are emotional creatures first and foremost,"

"The children of the British Enlightenment are in retreat. Yet there is the stubborn fact of human nature. The Scots were right, and the French were wrong. And out of that truth grows a style of change, a style that emphasizes modesty, gradualism and balance. "

Do you know anyone like this?

David Brooks profiles Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court but here's something to think about!

"These were bright students who had been formed by the meritocratic system placed in front of them. They had great grades, perfect teacher recommendations, broad extracurricular interests, admirable self-confidence and winning personalities. If they had any flaw, it was that they often had a professional and strategic attitude toward life. They were not intellectual risk-takers."

In fact, I contend that in most cases, people even lack the so called "strategic attitude" that Brooks mentions. Dean Glen Hubbard of Columbia Business School refers to this as "strategic thinking ability." The challenge, though, is in identifying if one has this ability or not!

Political Quartets

Here's a good article by Ramachandra Guha on how the political scenario in India changed over time and on how the country survives despite the not so favorable changes.

"Where the original idea of India rested on the work of Tagore, Gandhi, Nehru and Ambedkar, the degradation of the idea of India has been inspired by the work and example of, among others, M.S. Golwalkar, V.D. Savarkar, Indira Gandhi and Laloo Prasad Yadav."

India Together

Finally found a good magazine that has well-thought out opinions by people who write very well and one that is not cluttered by annoying ADs or pop-ups. Here's India Together

And here is an interesting article on the marginalization of PV Narasimha Rao's legacy in the Congress party by Ramachandra Guha

Some geo"logical" coverage

This came in ToI today and apparently here's the reason why earthquakes happen. Okay, we all know that the person who made the comment isn't entirely clued in when it comes to matters of science, but my pique is with the newspaper.

Why is it that only, and only, these kind of articles that seem to appear in newspapers these days? So sad and pathetic! Whoever came up bright idea that the newspaper industry needs to go the tabloid way, has go it completely wrong.

If this is print media, then television doesn't seem to do any better. In fact, it is even more nauseating -- with every anchor is yelling at the top of his/her voice claiming a new expose in IPL. That is all they can talk about 24 hours a day. The sad part is, not very long ago, they (print and TV) used to deliver good content until, perhaps, all of them got mass injected with Soma or something like that!

Healthcare bill

Here's a very good PBS documentary on how the Obama administration passed the historic healthcare bill. However, like all Frontline documentaries it slightly dramatized though!

What kind of a leader are you?

Here's an interesting article on leadership!
"... found that many of the reliably successful leaders combine “extreme personal humility with intense professional will.” This kind of leader "knows the world is too complex and irregular to be known, so life is about navigating uncertainty. She understands she is too quick to grasp at pseudo-objective models and confident projections that give the illusion of control.She spends more time seeing than analyzing. Analytic skills differ modestly from person to person, but perceptual skills vary enormously. Anybody can analyze, but the valuable people can pick out the impermanent but crucial elements of a moment or effectively grasp a context."

Can you count happiness?

Here's an article by David Brooks on how we place emphasis on incorrect measures of happiness!
"In short, modern societies have developed vast institutions oriented around the things that are easy to count, not around the things that matter most. They have an affinity for material concerns and a primordial fear of moral and social ones."

Small Chinks of Light

Here's a nice article that appeared in Outlook India on the burgeoning Solar space in the country

Lack of Balance

Here's an article from David Brooks, who reviews the Obama presidency and subtly bemoans the lack of balance that people have when reviewing it.

I think striking a balance is one of the most difficult things to do for it makes one appear indecisive and wary of risk taking. In my opinion, people tend to extol greater virtues than necessary for people who take quick decisions and form fast opinions for their positions are more likely to be based on overtly simplistic and, perhaps even, self-serving interpretation of information. Below is an excerpt from the article.

"In a sensible country, people would see Obama as a president trying to define a modern brand of moderate progressivism. In a sensible country, Obama would be able to clearly define this project without fear of offending the people he needs to get legislation passed. But we don’t live in that country. We live in a country in which many people live in information cocoons in which they only talk to members of their own party and read blogs of their own sect. They come away with perceptions fundamentally at odds with reality"

India after Gandhi

Here's a brilliant review of a brilliant book. I'm reading it currently. While it'll certainly take effort and committment to complete, it is replete with phenomenonal information starting from the time of our independence.

"To comprehend India's achievement, imagine if Mexico became the 51st state of the United States, followed by Brazil, Argentina and the rest of Central and South America. Add Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain to give this union the Sunni-Shia mix of India. The population then represented in Congress would still be smaller and less diverse linguistically, religiously, culturally and economically than India's."

Why I Am an Entrepreneur: Mahesh Murthy

Here's a funny article that appeared on the Wall Street Journal on why/how Mahesh Murthy became an entrepreneur. This one line description of TamBrahms is hilarious, but true
"I was reasonably-well programmed to be on the path of TamBrahm Boy + Good In Maths + Coconut Oil In Hair = Studies To Be Engineer + M.S. Abroad = Good Job In Intel + Dutiful TamBrahm Wife = Good Suburban U.S. House + 2.3 Kids + 2.1 Toyotas = The Boy Has Done Well."

I'm My Own Grandpa

Here's a hilarious song that explains quite logically for one can become his own grandpa...! Here are the lyrics.

William & Warren, Inc @ Columbia

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet talk to the Columbia Business School students. Here's the CNBC link.

20 years of extraordinary committment

Here's a very nice article written by Harsha Bhogle on Sachin Tendulkar.

I like these lines for they show that he is still a human - a fact conveniently forgotten when idolizing him.
"...His eyes were red and swollen; you could see he had been crying copiously. For the interview he put them on, and once the camera had stopped rolling, admitted he didn't want to return, that his mind was all over the place, that he felt anchorless..."

NYT Article - Genius: The Modern View

Here's is a fantasic article from David Brooks on the modern understanding on genius. Reminds me of what I read in the book "Outliers"