Entreprenuerial mindset.?

An interesting conversation I had on chat. Slightly modified, and with due permissions from the person I was conversing with.

me: How is the progress for you. Generally interested
Ismail: Nothing much conquered. I was on leave. I am finding out a few more options for myself, apart from the Journalism thing
me: Not much headway on the job side?. Are you pursuing it, or you continue to be interested in getting your things done.
Ismail: As Journalism thing will take some more time. But on jobs side, I am still looking for it. I have been talking to people for entrepreneurship options
me: Any other area you are looking to touch ?
Ismail: Yes. Clean energy - startups. Have been trying to get a contact through my friend from XYZ State - he is also working for the same thing. There is a company called random systems.
me: Any specific technology. Generating power from some solvents?
Ismail: Yes. And he has his own work going on. But, again that is just an initial ping to the company, nothing close to materialising. Thinking of joining this as the company is doing good work and has lot of potential - would also help me in MBA application - I want to base my profile in entrepreneurship (if possible)
me: Where are you looking for your mba. In India or US
Ismail: If can get scholarship - then from US otherwise from ISB
Me: Your excitement on Journalism side seems to be going down. Any thing in particular there. Or am I wrong here
Ismail: It is not going down, it has not yet caught up. I am going slow, because it is dependent on the funds. If that doesn't happen there would not be much activity happening for this year - So that would hamper my job/career/application for MBA. So once I know for the funds then can start working on it with more enthusiasm - same had come out after my initial discussions with him. Also, he only would need the guidance and mentoring in setting up the system/hardware so that I can help him from anywhere -if the plans do not happen to be big enough
me: I have two points to note for you on entreprenuership
a) Continue to hold a sense of purpose, when you think entreprenuership. Not entreprenuership per se, as a purpose, but the specific work you are doing. And you should be in love with that purpose. So entreprenuership is not a career goal. The purpose is the goal, and if it needs entreprenuership so be it. The urge should be that strong.
b) Don't feel limited. For example, if Journalism was a purpose for you, you may be doing innovative things, and not feel restricted by funds (though that is always the issue). There will always be some constraints.
So on b), you may be really owning the cause, rather than feeling dependent on it.
Ismail: I understand that - But in long term I want to be working for/running a VC firm. Where in I can help mentor start ups and take them to the next level. As of now, I do not feel passionate about a particular idea - I feel excited about any idea with a good potential. Start ups would need funds and mentoring both, which is good for their growth. As of now, as per my understanding, I would get an entry into it after an MBA
me: why do you want to mentor start ups and start ups only and whom do you want to mentor in start ups
Ismail: because 1) the ideas are new. 2) they can be more return generating 3) They also need funds and mentoring/guidance. I also, feel that these companies are micro level growth engines. I feel start ups and early stage companies have high energy levels
me: So is that what you are most passionate about. How to generate or evaluate new ideas, how to generate more return, and how to help generate funds for such orgs
me: Or do you want to be at a place, which is high energy but may not be a vc firm
Ismail: The first one
me: Investigate each of your thoughts more deeply. You may not be inclined to a particular idea or a domain but you may be inclined to a skill. That itself may be a purpose
Ismail: ok - getting the point
me: So take a deeper look and revisit my two suggestions on top
Ismail: ok thanks surely I would
me: purpose is a very broad term and there can be atleast 10 types of purpose, and in each there may be many options
Ismail: sure but this would surely take the idea forward
me: Once you are clear about a purpose you would find it easier to manoevour
me: It can also change from time to time.
Ismail: ok thanks
me: Fundamental point is that we as human beings want to grow. and it keeps getting redefined, of what is most important part of us to grow. That is the purpose.
Money etc. is only the visible reward at some times to do a checkbox on some of this purpose. At times, money itself is the purpose. But be sure, what you are chasing when. Sometimes when you are chasing money only as a purpose, then constrain yourself with values. That what kind of money is good and what is not. But that is all we can say about money. It is just one of those 10 type of purposes we may have.
Ismail: I have got the direction to think - thanks
me: Sometimes, I wish, I can put such chats on blog !! May be that itself is an idea !!!
Ismail: yes, may be :-)

Bachhan Sahab on CNN-IBN

Bachhan Sahab was on CNN IBN tonight being guest editor and with Rajdeep Sardesai.

Watching Amitabh always raises awe, inspiration, wow. I have always maintained that when Amitabh is on screen, it is impossible to do anything else. People speak about his bad days on screen. Even in those days, you would continue to watch him and feel sorry, but still won't be able to take eyes off him.

He did a wonderful job today, yet again. The last part was the most interesting, where Rajdeep asked Bachhan Sahab to ask him back any difficult question. What Rajdeep thought was easy, slowly turned out to be pretty tough and embarrassing. This is how it went.

Bachhan Sahab asked him, what gives media the authority.
Rajdeep, said the credibility of research

But then Bachhan asked him, what gives media the authority to pass judgement
and then the question wandered into TRP stuff and media's dilemmas of balancing things out, and yet continue to pass judgement.

By the time, Rajdeep realised the gravity of the question, and was becoming uncomfortable with it, the program got over. But I think Bachhan Sahab by this time had already made the point, in a very subtle way

Anyway all the talk of Bachhan Sahab took me to his blog, and I found something wonderful there. A small kavita from Harivansh Rai Bachhan Ji.. I quote here

मैंने शान्ति नहीं जानी हैं !
त्रुटि कुछ है मेरे अन्दर भी,
त्रुटि कुछ है मेरे बाहर भी,
दोनों को त्रुटिहीन बनाने की मैंने मन में ठानी है !
मैंने शांति नहीं मानी है !

--हरिवंश राय बच्चन

I and Gayatri were having some further discussion on Bachhan and what further occurred was this...

There is something about people at the top, some common thread, that runs across among all people who have sustained at the top.

Is it humbleness or
Is it that they connect to the common man so well,
Or is it that there minds have so much clarity, they are so uncluttered
Or is it that they have a certain sense of responsibility to be there

Good to listen to Bachhan Sahab. You continue to mesmerise us....

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Mile Sur mera tumhara was re-launched today. The ragas of this song are ageless. As I was listening and feeling a deja vu, few interesting things happened. My two children 4 years and about 6 year old, very quietly sat down to listen to this, unprompted and listened to every moment of this. I was heartened to see, that some basics of ours have not changed.

But something did change. As the song kept going on (and it is a fairly long one), the channel running it had to take an advertisement break. A harsh reminder to the fact that we are now in 2010.

DeBono continues to be extremely relevent

Though I had read the first book on lateral thinking sometime back and was fascinated by the ideas of how jelly like the mind is, this post by Dennis Lewis makes to be a nice review of these concepts.

The whole notion of passive thinking which is natural thinking, to an active thinking which is learned and practiced is essential to getting unstuck in our lives.

Things need to move beyond. But how. There is nowhere better practical advice on this, than what De Bono tells. It is not about intelligence, but about wisdom.

Flatten your Jelly

De bono's book on Lateral thinking in first few chapters talks about the nature of mind. That mind is like jelly. The contours or how some drops of water would flow on jelly is a function of both. The prior contouring of the jelly, and also the way the water falls on it. Sometimes, it just flows on the same contours or channels, sometimes new channels are created but they stay to be a function of the old channels.
Sometimes in life, when we are stuck and don't seem to be making headway, let's become conscious of our own Jellies in mind. What has driven those contours and channels in past. Has the weather changed. Are they just relics now, serving no purpose.

-- Yours truly

Personality of a true software professional, or why can software engineers be proud of what they do.
- Given that software is nothing but a whole bunch of logic, and yet that if it has to be meaningful it ultimately has to pass the test of the user loving it, you the software engineer stand in the middle converting that in-nate to something precise to meet the needs. That is a skill. A skill to listen, to understand, and to put in the effort to show it back to the user that hey, was it this that you wanted. So live for the day to get that appreciation. Because if that joy is seen on the face of the user, be happy that you listened it right and had the grace and care to work on it to deliver it. Be proud of the process, because that is who you are.

For that matter, it is not just software but any engineering. That is why true engineers are always humble.

-- Yours truly

Obama's win:it's contextual importance

There is a lot that has been said about Obama's win. I can only think of this. Having come from a long 300 years history of foreign rule, and having read and heard so much about white man's burden, I think now is the time again
---- Time again for a black man's burden to civilize the world. Civilization where humans love and respect each other's differences and don't want to just have one kind of uncivilization, by killing each other.

Locals: Deprivation or is it inevitable

Why are locals feeling deprived in Mumbai and Maharashtra. Do outsiders have a sinister motive against them. Do they have an agenda. Is the whole of India conspiring to deny the locals of their genuine rights of the land.
Is what maharashtra seeing different from what happens globally.
The economic integration of communities across cultural, regional boundaries brings about such forces of change so as to create these local churns. Sound economics always rewards merit. A democratic system focussed on equality and equality of opportunity always rewards those who takes risks, are pro-active and willing to take on. This is my observation, mostly based on similarities with Darwinian evolution that locals by compulsions of the thought would tend to be left behind compared to those who are mobile. Indians and Chinese in America are successful not because they are Indians/Chinese nor because they are in America. They are successful because as individuals they consciously chose to take a direction of mobility, economic growth and risk sometime in their life and were willing to take on its consequences. Race does not matter. The same phenomenon is seen in migrations across europe or even intra american migrations. Such behavior is pretty distinct from the fact that locals by choice are typically much more stroner compared to locals by compulsion. locals by choice are communities, which know their core competence well and are able to survive and compete on their own terms. This is a more pro-active agenda of self protection. Take for example, Bengal and Gujarat. Both have very strong ethnic biases. Both have a a typical system of running business that does not allow other communities to foster their growth and hence resists migration. Gujarat because of the way, it shields itself with a spirit of local enterprise and go. Bengal because of the way it fosters unionism and non-enterprise, it prevents migration of intellectual capital into the state. Both the states preserve the interest of the local community. One does it by fostering open economics and enterprise and yet is pro-active about its internal community. The other works in closed economic model and does not allow market forces to come in and settle.

Maharashtra has a choice to make. Which way does it want to go. Raj Thackery has to decide. I feel sorry for Raj that Maharashtra has grown by allowing immigration and loosing it's own character atleast in Mumbai. They can make it look now more like calcutta or like ahmedabad if they want to protect local interests or they can just leave it like mumbai as it is today, There are choices and they need different approaches to move forward. Burning taxis is definitely not going to make it either of those. It can however make it look like capital of Zimbabwe. That too is a choice.