The Big G of Globalization and our Virtual-Pangea

** Disclaimer** This is an essay I wrote for one of B-School entrance exams.. therefore it's more of my brain and less of my heart doing the talking here.. Sincere apologies!! :)

When Rudyard Kipling said that East and West shall never meet, he also said,

“There is neither East nor West, Border, nor Breed, nor Birth,
When two strong men stand face to face, though they come from the ends of the earth”.

These words have come true today, with people from East and West standing face to face, realising the importance of not only sharing knowledge, technology and culture with each other but also working together to achieve continuous improvement in all aspects of their socio-economic life.

With the advancements in the field of communication technology, internet and social networking, people across the globe have come closer to each other. As the non-renewable resources such as coal and petroleum start depleting and interdependence among countries become more and more important, the global leaders have realised the importance of establishing relations with each other. The cultural ties between the east and west also seem to strengthening with musicians such as A.R. Rehman, Zakir Hussain and Ravi Shankar making an impact on the west and at the same time we see western musicians are performing in countries such as India and Japan.

However, India and China are not the only countries in the east and neither is US alone the representative of entire western community. To achieve true globalization, we need every country and culture to be an equal participant.

I believe that we are on the right track and soon it would be as easy to learn Mexican or Egyptian culture as today American culture is. We would soon be a part of a “virtual-pangea” where physical boundaries would become meaningless.

The Chance..

You know how everyone says that life give you only one chance.. I just realised how true it is.

And also the fact that people don't see what life is offering them unless it is snatched away.

Just trying to think of the possibilities here.. why don't people recognize the good things they have in life??

Is it because they don't know how precious it is..? Or are they greedy to the point that makes them think that something better would come up?

I would say it is a combination of both, where unknowingly,under the influence of "greed",people tend to throw away so many beautiful things in life...

I have been talking about things here but i didn't tell what they are.. it could be anything and everything in life.. a good job, a nice car, a beautiful shirt... but these are not important. What is important from the perspective of life is the people around you and the emotions they bring.. the different kind of feeling they invoke in you..

Like a trustworthy old friend.. or a ur girl/boyfriend, ur spouse, ur parents...

So the big qs really is, how do we know whats "My Precious" ?? as with all questions involving heart and mind , there is no correct answer and neither is there a wrong one.

But there is one thing I do when i see myself in such dilemmas.. I separate myself from that thing for sometime and try and see how big a void has the absence of it has caused.. The bigger the void, the more precious the thing is...

And more often than not you will find the material things in life to be at the bottom of the list.. It will always be the people around you that you will miss the most.

There are two things here.. One is to Love someone truly and second is to know that you love that person.

We always naturally start liking someone and gradually that likeness grows into Love. But what doesn't come naturally is the knowledge that we love that person. For the lucky few this knowledge comes before all is lost and the person is still around. But for the rest.. well i just pray that they jump over to the other side. And realise the power of the invisible elixir of emotions and love that surrounds us.. the elixir that is refilled everyday by people who love us.. friends, family, loved ones.

And that's the chance I was talking about.. I hope that whoever gets a chance to love and be loved, should not let that go away and realise who is the one..

the one that fills ur heart with endless warmth,

the one whose absence feels like missing every breath,

the one whose presence makes everything devine,

the one whose voice makes everything rhyme,

the one who would never leave u ashore,

the one u love and the one who loves you back more..

I will end with a few famous lines and one of my favourites..

Chaahe jo tumhe poore dil se.. milta h woh mushkil se

Aisa jo koi kahin h.. bas wohi sabse haseen h..

Us haath ko.. tum thaam lo..

woh meharbaan..Kal Ho Na Ho..

Har Pal Yahan

Jee Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama

Kal Ho Na Ho

Till then..

¡hasta luego!

The dream...

Tonight was a mixed day for so many of those age old sayings...



My manager asked me what my plans for future were and whether i was going to stay with Infy and whether I was planning for higher studies.. and i said yes.

Saying number one... Think before you speak.. and i was found guilty of making the same mistake again.



He asked whether I would be leaving Infy then.. I said yes if i get through a good college.. I will.



Saying number two.. Honesty is the best policy.. may be.. may be not. Honesty might be good for the soul but can be bad for your career.



I told him that yes I have plans for higher studies and would like to try once I go back..



When I asked him why suddenly this discussion came up.. he said he wanted to file H1-B for me as I was one of the top performers and there where projects in US...

Saying number three and the burden of realisation... arrow from a bow and words from mouth do not come back. It was so true for me tonight.

I had shut down down the doors to one of the biggets opportunities I would ever get.. I sacrificed it to my dream since last 5 years.. an MBA.

And immediately after the call I felt I have made a mistake.But it has so often happend to me that the decisions I have thought to be good for me have turned up futile.

Finally it made me wonder... Is life really about making the right decisions.. or is it about making the difficult ones and still have a smile on your face..and hoping against hope that the decision you made is correct.