Myntra's logo change should be applauded, not criticised

 

Here are a few reasons why I think the criticism directed at Myntra doesn't hold ground.

1) Fighting a legal battle takes a lot of money, effort, and time

It's an FIR, not a customer complaint or a public criticism. You can't get done by issuing a statement on social media. The matter can drag on for a long time. And there's no guarantee of the outcome favouring the company.

2) The more this issue dragged, the worse it could become

Imagine Myntra choosing to fight the battle. It would have spread the news more. And as with any trending topic, people would choose sides and not everyone will call it "silly", like so many are doing now. Moreover, Myntra couldn't possibly say it in a court of law without risking some serious criticism as a corporate citizen.

And hey, like Karthik Srinivasan explains here, the logo has been made fun of for a long time.
I am sure that at some point on one of their Zoom calls, the Myntra brand team head just gave up and said, "let's just change the damn logo".

Got it. So criticism isn't fair, but why applaud.
Because of the extremely measured response.

Apart from taking a long time to respond, Myntra could also have taken this opportunity to revamp its entire identity. But it didn't. It went for a change immediately, and only to the extent that the "offensive interpretation" was taken care of. And that has multiple benefits.

1) Extremely low cost of change

Given that it is largely an online marketplace, the brand's offline presence would be proportionately small: The corporate office, some offline stores, its stationery, and its packaging. And given its speed of response, it can very well negotiate not to change all this branding overnight. With a new identity, it would have become a larger and costlier exercise.

2) Extremely low scale of change
 

When you change just the colours of a logo, it had little implications on the B&W and single-colour versions. And most of Myntra's physical presence is in this form. Look at the packaging pics below.

In all these cases, the logo need not be changed at all!

I hope that come appraisal season, the brand team at Myntra puts together the numbers and tells their bosses, "And that's how it's done!"

Disclaimer: I don't work for Myntra. Views are personal.

Living a life

"Hey. Hi."

"Hi."

"Sorry I got late."

"No, that's ok... It's not that I was busy." [nervous laugh]

"Oh come on, sweetheart. I got stuck in an urgent meeting. The stupid client called at the last moment and I had to mail him that document."

"No, it's ok. I mean... I am sorry."

[Sigh] "No, I am sorry. It's just that it's a bit tough these days with the project."

"I am sure. Must be really stressful."

"Yeah quite a lot. Anyway, I don't want to talk about it. Let's talk about something else."

"Why not? I would love to know more about your work. Tell me na. How is the project going?"

"Sheena, please! No!"

"Arey, you are the one who says I don't want to know about your work. And today, when I am asking you, you don't want to talk!"

"Sheena, please try to understand. You are already so weak. It's been 6 months that you are in this same hospital room. And this new treatment is demanding too. I don't want to burden you with my office work stress. Why don't you take some rest?"

"No. I don't want to rest any more. That's what I do all day anyway. Why can't you understand? I need some change of routine... I am bored of my friends' gossip too. I need something new."

"Gossip!?!?"

"Sweet hea..."

"You want me to talk about my work so that you get more gossip!? That's what my work means to you!? I work all day, and then, come here and spend time with you so that I feel like I am home, and this is what you tell me? Great! What a life!"

...

...

Tears roll down her eyes. "Akash, yours is the only life I get to live."

Friends

"Hi."

"Hey hi. How have you been? It's been such a long time that we chatted."

"Yeah, quite some time. I am doing fine yaar. How have you been?"

"I have been doing good too. Life has become hectic, but I am better this way."

"Hmm, good to know you are fine."

"Hmm. So tell me. How come you called? Any special news?"

"No, nothing special. Actually, I was just feeling a little lonely. A bit out of place. So thought of calling you."

"I hope all is well. Anything serious?"

"No, not at all. Nothing wrong, nothing serious. In fact, everything's just perfect. Hmm, yeah, everything's fine. As I said, just lonely. It suddenly felt as if I had lost touch with myself. And then, suddenly thought of you."

...

When he hung up, he knew it was the longest chat that he had had in a long, long time.

"I am not letting that man get away."

'Right now, just calm down.'

"Calm down? Are you crazy? It's because of him that my brother is no more. He was only collecting nectar and returning home. Yes he is the owner of the garden; in fact he should have been thankful if nothing else. Instead, that b**t**d tried to squat him."

'That's what humans do to bees.'

"Well then, even my brother did what any honeybee would have done. We sting!"

‘But it's fatal for us. There’s no point blaming the man.'

"Whatever! I am not letting him get away with it. I am going take my revenge right now. Get out of my way."

'Please. Don't make the same mistake your brother did.'

This one is dedicated to a very dear friend. What he shared one day inspired this.

----

I hate that guy even today. Had he allowed me that one chance, my life would have been so different today.

'Just a sec. Let me make a call... Hi, I will be home a little late tonight. No, nothing serious. Just chatting with a friend. Yup, ok. Love you too. Bye... You were saying, your life would have been different today. So was it like a different career or something?'

No, not really. Maybe I would have still wound up in this same job. But it would have been different.

'How?'

I... I don't know how to say it. Happy, that's the word. I would have been happy.

'Wow, really? Something that important to you?'

Uh huh. Well, it meant to me a lot at that time. He was a painter. And you know I wanted to be one too. I was really good with arts at that time. So I had gone to him with this painting of mine - it was one of my best paintings, an expression of rebellion - and I asked for his opinion.

But maybe he was in a bad mood or something. He didn't say one word of appreciation for the painting. He just trashed it completely. And on what irrelevant stuff! 'You have not used your strokes properly. You seem to be confused. This is the most horrible colour combination I have seen. It doesn't have any harmony to it. It is just plain random. This is not what one calls art.' Gosh!

'That bad, eh?'

Yeah! I mean, ok fine maybe it wasn't technically correct. But since when does a brushstroke dictate what a painting says? I could never hold a brush ever again after that incident. Painting was one thing that made me feel complete, you know. After that, it just felt like something went missing from my life.

'Hmmm... actually yeah, we never saw you participate in college fests and things like that. We thought maybe you broke up with your girl or something… Haaaah…. So anyway, what do you do these days then?'

Just work. I am on my own. I work as a researcher. You know, all the history and personal profiles stuff that you read about in the newspapers? That's me. I collect that information.

'Hmm-hmm. So does it make you enough money?'

Oh yeah, lots. You see, whenever these people in the media want to run a story on a famous person, they don't have enough time to actually start from scratch. That's where I come in. I provide the info, and get paid for it.

'So you would be knowing a lot about a lot of people.'

Well, not everyone. My expertise is that of the filthy rich people. I have all the information on most of the new celebrities, who rise from nowhere and suddenly become darlings of the world. Like this new Mr. Brook. Celebrated artist. You wouldn't believe, nobody knew him less than 2 years ago.

'Yeah, I am always amazed with these guys. I wish I could become rich so easy.'

No no no... He didn't make it easy through life. Every rich man wants to buy his sculptures now. But did you know, he was thrown out from his school. His ideas were so rebellious at that time, his teacher disowned him and refused to help him get clients. It's only now that he is seen taking credit for training Brook.

'But that's just one incident.'

No, he has led a tough life for more than 8 years, he's only achieved fame, like, in the last 3 years or so.

'Oh really? So tell me something... how many rejections did you face?'

‘He doesn’t have much time left’, he thought and sighed.

He was right. He ought to be. It was not the first time he was seeing someone die, definitely not the first of his kind.

‘Relax. You mayflies don’t’ live for long. Almost all of you die within a day.’

‘I know.’ He was unnaturally chirpy for someone who is just a few minutes from dying.

‘That’s how we are. We are born, we grow up, we mate and we die; all in a day’s life.’

‘Don’t you think one day is too short? Haven’t you ever desired to live longer?’

‘Why no! What would I do for another day? It would be terribly boring!’

‘I have been around for so long. It’s never been boring for me.’

‘Yeah, I hear you turtles live for almost 200 years. How old are you?’

‘I don’t remember exactly. I should be about 160.’

‘Wow! That’s a lot of time. What do you do with so much time?’

‘More or less the same that you do in a day. But our life isn’t as exciting or upbeat as yours. We are relaxed. We think a lot. We spend a lot of time mulling over things.’

‘Oh I see. So what would you do if your life was just a day long.’

‘Oh that would be so hurried. I will have to get a lot of things done in a single day. I would be so drained of energy. No, I don’t like being so tired and flushed. Probably that itself would kill me. I think I would like to live longer.’

‘But you don’t know how long you will live, right? What if today is the last day of your life?’

It couldn't hear the answer. It was dead before that.

‘Hmm. That’s something I have never thought about. I must think about that. There’s a lot of work I have to do before I die. What if today's the last day of my life?’

It was.

I want to start off with something easy, she said.

No, then I think the flesh and all will make you feel yucky. You should try this other option.

I am not sure if that’s a good thing to start off with. You know, it isn’t the same as the rest of it. It’s not like it will give me a taste of the actual stuff.

So what do you wanna do?

I don’t know! It’s the first time for me. You are a regular. You tell me.

I told you, but you are not sure of either option. What’s exactly on your mind?

Umm… ok. How about this? You first taste it, see if it is prepared right, so that I get to experience only what is considered standard, not something that's badly made.

You know, it’s quite simple to make. You can’t go wrong with it. With the other one too, you can be sure that it’s the standard coz that one doesn’t even require any preparation.

Are you sure I should do this?

Well, you said you wanted to. I have never forced you, I never will.

Yeah, but I don’t know if it’s right. What should I do?

It was a chicken or egg situation.

He punched the thick mattress on his bed. It still hurt. A shriek echoed in his room. If this was freedom, he thought, it would scare his guts to find out what bondage was like.

What happened to me? I was never like this. I could paint well. Heck, I painted well. And now I can’t. I just can’t. Am I the same guy?

‘No, you are not,’ He smiled. ‘I trapped you… finally!’

That wasn’t possible. He was not the one who could be contained. Not by anything. Not by anybody. Not even by Him.

‘That’s the trick,’ He said. ‘I can’t bind you; not physically I mean. But your mind… ah, that I can! Just one thought, one small germ of a thought, and I don’t have to do anything else.’

Was that it? Was it all that was stopping him? No, it can’t be!

‘It isn’t. Denial is very much a part of it, an important one.’

And he couldn’t take it anymore.

Mind over Matter

Should I thank this girl to make me come back to blogging? On second thoughts, no. My ego won't allow me to boost someone else's :).


Today's 26 November. 2 years ago, Mumbai was hit by the hatred of a few people. And 14 years ago, my cousin had gotten married. They live a very happy life now, my cousin and her family. All, except one, of the attackers, aren't even alive. The only one alive is on death row.

Why he would have done it was easy to figure out. Most probably, something bad happened to him, and then, someone did a little brainwashing and voila! There was a terrorist ready to chop a few innocent heads off.

What bothers me more is everyone else, who want this man dead. Why would they want it? It's not that they personally will benefit from this guy's death. It's not even that they would lose something very important to them if this guy remains alive.

Yes, he is dangerous to be left out in the open. But that doesn't mean he should be killed.

What would have Batman done? He who has taken a vow not to kill anyone. What would have Mahatma Gandhi done? He who believed 'an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind'. What would have I done? I who don't have a belief as strong as these guys.

Maybe I would have made sure that he adopts a child and sponsors his living. That would have made him realise how easy it is to kill and how difficult it is to live.

Maybe I would have forced him to stay alone and away from everyone else, like Robinson Crusoe. That would make sure he can't kill anyone, and is still made to work for keeping himself alive.

Maybe I would have narrated to him stories of the victim's families and friends... told him about the grief, the loss, and the practical tragedy his actions resulted in. That would have brought about a broader understanding of the world.

It doesn't matter what I would have done.
'coz I am not the one doing anything.
I am not the one asked to kill innocent people.
And not the one asked to kill guilty people.

I am just a bystander, who will observe this, and move on, once the tamasha is over. My life is good!

The event won't matter to me 14 years later. And I am pretty sure the marriage still matters to my cousin and everyone else.... including me.

Tom Hagen

A post that I wanted to write for a long time. Here goes:

How does it feel to be Tom Hagen?

You have spent your entire life with the Corleone family. For decades, you have been the counsel of the Don. You have given the business everything you could. You have stood for, fought for, bled for the family. And you have always genuinely believed that you were accepted as a member of the family... and being a non-Sicilian didn't matter much.

Or so you thought!

And then, at the most critical stage of life, you are reminded that you are not a Sicilian... much less a Corleone. You are told that you aren't good as a war-time counsel. And you are pushed away by the very people you lived for, and were willing to die for.

How does it feel to be Tom Hagen?

Naya kya hai?

There's a unique way of starting conversations among Gujarati people. Shu Khabar? Everywhere else, it's almost the same... What's Up?
With news media though, it's somehow become exactly the same.


One day, Pakistani players are in the news because of an IPL auction. Next day, SRK comes out in support of them. The third day, Shiv Sena comes out against them. And by the fourth day, IPL and cricket are history, and SRK and Shiv Sena are fighting over the film to be released.

Does the film have anything to do with Pakistan? No.

Does the film have anything to do with cricket? No.

Does the film release have anything to do with Pakistani players? No.

Still, the fight is on.


Interestingly, the RTI Act has been at the opposite end. Very less hype around it, and far-reaching effect. Every now and then, a scam comes into light. Just like it was earlier. The difference now is that it's not investigating agencies who are the torch-bearers, it's common men and women who seek more information using RTI. While both talk of huge monies, RTI for some reason never gets the same importance as case mentioned earlier.


Another similar case is that of suicides.
As the National Crime Records Bureau (NRCB) reports here, every hour of 2008, roughly 14 people committed suicide. Still, when a suicide is portrayed disturbingly in '3 Idiots', suddenly suicides among students come into limelight. And as is the way with media, all blame of every student suicide after the movie release is attributed to the movie and nothing else.

I wonder why long term impact or re-percussions are given so less importance? A policy change is immediately criticised if there is any negative consequence today. Tomorrow's benefits? Who cares?

Probably the difference between 'what's new' and 'what's news' is only in language.

The year gone by

Today, on 31 December 2009, as I look back on the year gone by, I feel very content. And I pat myself on my back for all the things I did this year:

I became a healthy and fit person, committed to being that way.

I remembered to wish all my near and dear ones on their birthdays and anniversaries.

I was there when my friends wanted to share their joys and sorrows, and sometimes even just random thoughts, with me.

I stretched myself to set larger goals and achieved them.

I spent some time following my hobbies, and also learnt a few new things.

I acknowledged each and every person who made a difference in my life in this past year.

I also took time out to make a difference in the lives of people in my life, sometimes even by doing nothing.

--

I say this in the past tense because, today I declare my new year 2009 to be this way and, in my declaration, the future has already happened. Hope you too have a great time declaring and making things happen in the new year.

Happy Living!

Why I love 'The Batman'

This line of thought has been existent in my mind since I read a post comparing Batman with Superman a few years ago. And after watching the movie 'The Dark Knight', I have decided to put it down in as much detail as I can remember.

Compared to other superheroes, I love Batman the most. And it is not just the mystery and the glamour that he carries best, it is also because of the following reasons:

1) He does not have superpowers
Superman can fly. He has X-Ray vision. He also has superhuman power that no one else has. In case of Spiderman too, it is his agility and supernatural strength that makes him what he is. Everyone in the team of The Fantastic Four has his or her own superpowers. Batman has none. He is an ordinary man with no gift whatsoever. And still he can do what he does.

How often can ordinary men strike fear in hardcore criminals? The Batman has created such a scare among the goons and mafia dons of Gotham City that just a look of the Dark Knight makes them run for safety. And he does this with just gadgets and guts!


2) His energies are focussed
Show a damsel in distress or an old woman about to be crushed by speeding truck, and you know Superman or Spiderman will come to the rescue. Nothing bad about it. Except that, most superheroes waste a lot of time and effort, by wanting to make a difference anywhere and everywhere. They assume responsibility of the wellbeing of the entire human race, just because they are "gifted".

Not the case with Batman. He picks his battles. He is clear that he will fight crime and criminals. His energies and time are not split across all the calamities human beings bring upon themselves.


3) He does not fight alone
Yes, like almost every superhero, the Batman too has a secret identity. but unlike most superheroes, he does not work alone. He is open to ask for support, and make himself vulnerable to that extent. His butler, Alfred, the engineer who works on his suits, gadgets and vehicles, his girlfriend, all know that it is Bruce Wayne who 'moonlights' as the Batman. In the movie 'The Dark Knight', the auditor conducting a due diligence check on Wayne Enterprises also comes to know about him, and the Batman is fine with that. He is also open to the idea of growing his team, and including Robin and Batgirl.

While this does make him vulnerable, it saves him the trouble and dilemma of whether to reveal his identity to people he is "hiding" from. This makes it very difficult to blackmail him into anything.


4) He is ok even with being branded a criminal
The Batman is clear about his goals. He exists to fight crime. Other things don't matter much to him. He is ok with breaking laws to achieve his objective, and he is also ok with being branded a criminal. He is not in it for the fame or appreciation.


5) He is a superhero by choice
It was his vow that Bruce Wayne became Batman. He was not gifted with great powers, and therefore great responsibilities. It was him who decided his power, and it was him who decided his responsibilities.

What's more, he can stop whenever he wants. And still, every day, he becomes the Batman by choice and by his commitment to his vow. You can't force him into becoming the Batman, it is entirely his choice. And this makes me admire him more.

Arts and Sciences

The whole idea seems cliche actually.

We have been probably talked about this for years now, especially whether a particular thing is an art or a science. This post is a different take on the argument.

We always consider these two as two separate concepts. What I believe is that these two are stages of an evolution. Think of them as first floor and second floor. Science is the first floor, and arts is the second.

Why do I say so?
The idea is based on a lot of thoughts related to activities we consider analytical, and therefore scientific, and other activities which we consider creative, and therefore artisitic. For almost every field of man's efforts, things start with taking more and more information and organising all of it.

Let us take the example of a science considered as one of the purest of sciences - physics.

The quest to the physics knowledge bank that we have today started out with the inventions of the natural numbers, and then moved to whole numbers, rational and then real numbers. Of course, on the way, we invented equations, mathematical operations. We also created all theories of phenomena that we considered natural and factual in the world around us - geometry, gravity, repulsion, e=mc2, et al.

But then, we got stuck at finding out the square root of -1. Here, the analytical brain stopped, but the creative brain took off... and created an imaginary number i. It led to more discoveries and inventions.

What's more, it is in the field of physics (the pure science) that we have probably the most number of creative theories. The Big Bang Theory, sub-atomic particles, multiple Universes, string theory, the list goes on. Most of them have their own set of believers and critics. But none of them can conclusively prove or disprove their own convictions. Talk of purity of science!


Let's look at the arts field. How does one start off in painting or photography? By understanding the science of colour combinations and brush strokes. And by understanding the impact of lighting and perspective on the final photograph.

What are the first things taught to dancers? Understanding their body movements and the science of beats.

What is the first thing taught to musicians? The science of the sargam (Sa Re Ga Ma or octaves).

It is from this basic understanding of science that becomes the launchpad for take off in the unexplored and unexpressed forms of colours, images, dances and sounds. Take any good piece of art, and chances are that the fundamentals of that work would be in place too.

If science and art were indeed opposites, what would you call this post - an article on science because it's rational, or a piece of art because it's a unique point of view on things around us?

Amazing songs, amazing lyrics!

I listen to both Hindi and English songs very frequently, mainly while on the move. Some of them serve good to pep me up while others are good when I am in a mood to appreciate poetry. A rare few are good for both these reasons. And the following 3 are the creme of the rare lot.

Song: Move Your Body
Album: Johnny Gaddaar OST
Lyrics:

Life is a gamble, boy,
so you know that you better play your cards right
If you wanna take the chance,
then you know that you better stand up and fight
This is just a game
So you gotta keep on playin'
'Cause you know what I am sayin'
Then you know you might even win this tonight!

Tell me can you handle it,
Kya hoga woh hai teri kismat
Tell me can you handle it,
Lekin baazi khelega iss waqt


Song: Animal Song
Album: Affirmation
Band: Savage Garden
Lyrics:
(while I love the entire song, this is the best part!)

I've been having difficulties keeping to myself
Feelings and emotions better left up on the shelf
Animals and children tell the truth, they never lie
Which one is more human
There's a thought, now you decide


Song: All The People in the World
Album: Safri Duo Episode II
Band: Safri Duo
Lyrics:

All the people in the world
Every boy and every girl
Just imagin that we could
It isn't hard to do

All the people in the world
Every boy and every girl
Just imagin that we could
Face up brother hood

Give it up...
You just got to give it up
You just have to give it up
You just got to give it up


I recently did a course called the LandMark Education 'Curriculum for Living', and most of these lyrics also fit with the learnings from that course. Maybe that's why I noticed these lyrics in the first place, because I have been listening to these songs for quite some time.

The weird side of me

While technically speaking, the title is incorrect, since there is no other side of me.

I was tagged for doing this, more than a month ago, but couldn't get myself to complete the list. Now that I have, here is the post.

Before i give my list, a small detail on what the tag is about:
- Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
- Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself.
- Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
- Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here's my list of 7 weird things about me:

1) My drawers, wardrobe, office bag and office desk are extremely unorganised, while my files and folders on the computer, and articles on my blogs are very organised. (I started 5 different blogs just so that the topics don't overlap and confuse my readers!)

2) I would eat ghar ki roti's by tearing them in exactly 4, almost identical, parts. I have been doing this ever since I have been carrying a tiffin box from home for lunch, that's about 8 years now.

3) I won't be seen dead with a crumpled handkerchief in my pocket. It would be perfectly folded 4 times to form a small square, and would be placed perfectly in my pocket.

4) I would know what's cooking in the kitchen, just by smelling it. But I can never tell for sure whether last night's food has gone bad or not, even after tasting it.

5) Left to me, all my PowerPoint slides would be in black, white or greys... background as well as text!!!

6) I am indecisive about most of the important things in my life, but would have very strong opinion about most of the trivial things in life.

7) I would watch even the most boring Hindi movies multiple times, but can't stand a very good movie more than a few times.

Won't be tagging anyone for now. But would update this post once I find 7 people to tag.

Competence vs. Change

Recently read an article by Seth Godin in Fast Company.

Here, he says "In the face of change, the competent are helpless."

To say that I was confused would be an understatement. Wasn't winning and being the market leader all about building competence? Wasn't core competency the most important edge a company could have?

On the face of it, it starts making sense after pondering for a while. Competence after all is a person's ability to be quite good at doing a particular job. And since he is good at doing it in its current form, he is resistant to any change with it.

This 'sense' is shortlived, though. Because the understanding of the word 'competence' is incomplete. Looks like even Mr. Godin got it wrong.

Competence, as defined by Wikipedia here, means it is about skills and abilities and knowledges. In other words, competence is not knowing just one successful formula and applying it everywhere. It is actually about knowing a full range of formulae and also knowing which one to apply in what situation.

Given that, a competent person might embrace change, not resist it, because he is constantly looking at better ways to do it.

In that sense, change = better competence!!!

Swimming Pool vs. Well

I was watching a 'satsang' on TV today, that made me think about this.

The person gave this beautiful example about swimming pools and wells to substantiate his points. While the original point is ignoreable, this analogy isn't. He explained that with a swimming pool, we need to put in the water, whereas in case of a well, all we have to do is remove the dirt, and the gravel in there. Ground water automatically finds its way into that well.

What got me thinking about this was that this is the case with life.

Come to think of it, we expect the world to be treating us as a swimming pool, giving us what we want. Shouldn't we be more like a well, finding our own sources of what we need (ok ok... also of what we 'want')?

Of course, it's tough. Because we would have to start with doing the dirty job of cleaning up. But I guess it's worth it!!!

What is Management?

No, I do not want to talk about the definition of management here.

What I want to talk about is the art of people management. Not an original idea though, but I have been lucky enough to experience this early in my career and realise its importance.

Read umpteen books on management and each of them would give a different funda on the topic. Each would look at one aspect of the whole practice and try to philosophise on it.

The practice, no doubt, is an art. But I have realised that most of people management does not involve getting things done. It involves removing obstacles in the path of things being done.

Let's look at it in more detail.

I am a strong believer in Theory Y, which says that given an opportunity people want to work, and that they get personal satisfaction in accomplishing the tasks given to them.

Given this, it is natural that left to themselves, things will get done. What, then, is the role of a manager? His / her role is to make sure that the doer faces as less problems as possible, while carrying out the task assigned to him. Because a self-motivated employee would go to his senior only when he is unable to do the task himself. He is not looking at avoiding the work. He is looking at finishing it in the best possible manner.

In such a case, all a manager needs to do is to help the employee solve the problem, and then, get himself off the scene. Once the problem is solved, the manager is no longer required, and his presence may possibly even lead to inefficient working of the employee.

So that's management as I see it - remove obstacles from your employees' ways, not get yourself in their way ahead.

What is God?

A couple of days back, I read an article saying that 90% of people believe that their prayers come true.

This made me wonder a lot of things... why do people believe in God? What makes them think that something like God exists? That made me think about myself. Do I believe in God? If no, why do I say, "I hope something would happen or not happen." More importantly, what is God?

Most of the things that happen happen "because" of something else. There is a big cause and effect cycle that goes on... day in and day out. The cause could be either somebody's action (including mine) or something we call forces of nature.

If we believe in the first part, we have to accept that we are responsible for whatever happens to us, if not individually, then collectively. If we belive in the second part, and look at forces of nature, they are nothing but results of different probabilities. We all know the concepts of gravity, heat, pressure and the like. They all follows rules, and probabilities.

Since these probabilities are something that cannot be predicted, we can call them God, but then, the generally accepted concept of God means that he can do anything, not necessarily between 0 and 1. It can't be God.

What does this all lead to? It leads us to two things:
1) We are all subject to the rules of probability. Things that happen to us, could have happened to others. It is just a matter of 'chance' that they happened to us. We are not the start of all and end of all things.
2) We are in control of most of the things. To what extent is this control, I don't know. But yes, what we do matters more than what we pray for.

So, probability is God. But as the rule of probability goes, everything would be 50:50 in the long run.

In the end, as Neo puts it - "The problem is choice".

What choice did you make today?