Business to the Buddha

Category: Business

  • The master is the servant’s servant







    A master and his disciples were sitting under a tree. The master saw a man taking a cow with him. Man had this cow tied with a rope, walking in the front and cow, naturally, following the man.

    The master saw this, said – “see that cow it taking the man somewhere.” His disciples saw in the direction and replied, master you need to check it properly, the man is taking the cow somewhere. Master replied – what you see is not always the truth. Disciple replied – “please explain, in this case how cow is taking the man?”

    Master replied – Do one thing unchain the cow, see who runs after whom? The master need not run behind the servant. Since the cow is tied, it has no other option but to walk behind the man but cow is the master. The cow has the freedom to go wherever it wants to do – if unchained.

    I read this story as a kid, in Osho magazine. Earlier this year, One day I remembered this story. How? Let me tell you.

    I and one of my colleagues were talking about Amitabh Bachchan. On one endorsement of his, I said that product does not gel well with his grand personality (my 2 cent, opinion). To that my colleague replied – “well that endorsement could be enough for him to arrange for salary of his whole staff for a year, at least.” Suddenly I stopped, remembered the story of cow and the man. I did not speak, just smiled.

    Well, I had this talk with my colleague in the beginning of the year why writing now? The reason is – we have a maid who is so royal that she wakes up at 10 AM or late. Comes home 2 or more hours later than I had gone to office – needless to say I prepare tea and breakfast for myself, and our maid is a full time maid. So she in a way is master, I go for earning her monthly salary (e.g. my office) well before she comes for work. The other thing – we are hopelessly dependent on her. The way man is dependent on the cow in above story.

    So the question is – who is the master and who is the servant?

    Mirdad says (The book of Mirdad) – “the servant is the master’s master. The master is the servant’s servant.”

    Disclaimer – 1. I’ve no intentions to demean Mr Bachchan he is a big personality.

    2. Neither I intend to demean my maid – after all she offers me my daily bread.

    Kind of related blog – Irony

  • Race – never ending







    I met Professor Arun Ramanathan a few months back (precisely in April). He taught us Corporate Governance and Business Ethics in our MBA. I told him a very practical daily situation I face. Whenever I walk, I am almost running, I notice that I walk very fast that I leave people behind as if there is a kind of competition happening. I am running to – say – win some competition.

    Courtesy Nilesh Yeram (my friend)
    Courtesy Nilesh Yeram (my friend)

    Why are we doing this? Am I alone in this kind of running (not just literal) without knowing where is the end or many professionals – like I do – are just running. Some running for money, some for a next bigger car or home, some others for a better position. Or is it that when people are young they just get in a race, a race no one knows who started but a race in which other peers are also equally involved (at least in the runners mind)? This is how ethics gets shelved in our personal and professional life. We are trying to be something. Is it of any consequence or what are the accolades related to that? It is of no interest in many cases. So the mentality is by hook or crook achieve the results.

    Two weeks back Rajagopaul uncleji shared a story with me. This perfectly relates to my discussion with Prof Ramanathan, so, sharing it here.

    Race

    I was jogging one day and I noticed a person in front of me, about 1/4 of mile. I could tell he was running a little slower than me and I thought, well, I shall try to catch him. I had about a mile to go my path before I needed to turn off. So I started running faster and faster. Every block, I was gaining on him just a little bit. After just a few minutes I was only about 100 yards behind him, so I really picked up the pace and push myself. You would have thought I was running in the last leg of London Marathon. I was determined to catch him.

    Finally, I did it! I caught and passed him by. On the inside I felt so good. “I beat him” of course, he didn’t even know we were racing. After I passed him, I realized I had been so focused on competing against him that I had missed my turn. I had gone nearly six blocks past it. I had to turn around and go all the way back.

    Isn’t that what happens in life when we focus on competing with co-workers, neighbors, friends, family, trying to outdo them or trying to prove that we are more successful or more important?

    We spend our time and energy running after them and we miss out on our own paths. The problem with competition is that it’s a never ending cycle. There will always be somebody ahead of you, someone with better job, nicer car, more money in the bank, more education, better behaved children, etc. But realize that “You can be the best that you can be; you are not competing with anyone.”

    Some people are insecure because they pay too much attention to what others are doing, where others are going. Take what has been given to you. Stays focused and live a healthy life. Run your own RACE and wish others WELL!!!

    Is not it a good thing to learn?

    Other related blogs

    Chinu and the pebbles

    Money worth earning

    Swasthay – dwelling in oneself

    What more you need?

    When will we stop?

    Why are you doing what are you doing?

  • Give up Dominion







    Just imagine, there are only humans on the planet earth! I think that was what happened to the Dinosaurs. Perhaps they started killing other dinosaurs just to capture more land – territory – for their survival. They tried to prove their superiority and eventually got over powered by the universe with some meteoroid. Whatever the reality of dinosaurs was, try to see if there seems to be an analogy.

    We humans are almost doing what dinosaurs did. They were the kings of the planet, they tried to capture as much land from other species as well as their own species e.g. other dinosaurs. We are one step ahead – we are eating in the mind-share also.

    Wikipedia definition of mind-share – When people think of examples of a product type or category, they usually think of a limited number of brands. The aim of mind share is to establish a brand as being one of the best kinds of a given product or service, and to even have the brand name become a synonym for the product or service offered. For example – in India Colgate is Toothpaste, Maggi is instant noodle more recent across the world, searching something on net is – Google it!

    The mind-share in larger terms happens to be in many forms – Forbes creates a list of most rich, powerful, etc etc list. Recently, Economic Times published a list of 100 most power CEOs (business people) of India. Product or service as example given above, religion creates another different type of mind-share. But effectively, the problem with this kind of mind-share is – a complex of superiority. My brand is better, my religion is better, my company is better and I am most powerful etc.

    Here is another short video from the movie Instinct staring Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr. This is in continuation of the previous blog – We the takers!

    [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGriwjHA8bM]

    Here, Dr Powell ( character of Hopkins) says something interesting (source – script) –

    …We have only one thing to give up – our dominion. We don’t own the world. We’re not kings here, not gods. Can we give that up?

    Too precious!

    all that control? Too tempting, being a god?

    Dominion - source- http://eremozoic.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/ego-eco.jpg

    Actually, at times I feel that physical ownership can be given and taken easily. You own land and sell it to someone else, now the owner is changed. Tougher is mental ownership. I am a born Hindu, for me Hinduism becomes most sacred religion because I was taught this. Think of a Muslim or Christan child he was taught the same. We fight more wars based on our religious belief rather than anything else. Though I am a born Hindu (actually a Lingayat who do not consider themselves as Hindus as such) but I think the method of giving up this dominion is Yoga, Meditation, Prayers (any religious prayer without superiority complex) or Service (check Sikhism & the Art of Living).

    Why I put Yoga first because Patanjali has said first few very important steps to get rid of this mind problem. Why I specifically put Sikhism and Art of Living because I have seen Sikhs that way (go to a Gurudwara – the richest would be serving) and I have been involved with few service projects of Art of Living.

    Thank you Vijay you made me watch Instinct.

    Related blogs –

    Illusion of control, Ego, Forbidden word, Evolution

    When will we stop?, What more we need?, Cogito ergo sum

    Dichotomy of happiness, Cause, What difference will it make?

    Image source – http://eremozoic.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/ego-eco.jpg

  • We the takers!







    It was 2004 or earlier, one of my friends – Vijay Sharma, fond of watching Hollywood movies – gave me a CD. He told me – must watch. Being a rental CD I went home watched the movie without delay. This movie was Instinct staring Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr. Anthony Hopkins is playing an anthropologist – Dr Ethan Powell and Cub Gooding a Psychiatrist –  Dr. Theo Caulder. Ethan studies Gorillas in Africa and is lost in Jungles. After a couple of years caught, as he had murdered two people in Jungle.

    The movie starts with Hopkins leaving African jail to fly back to USA. While traveling from jail to the airbase, he is put in a closed enclosure vehicle with two ferocious doberman dogs. When the vehicle reaches airbase and guards open the enclosure, the guards find that the dogs are lovingly and peacefully sitting by Hopkins. What it means? Well, you should watch the movie to find it. But it is a subtle (well prominent) statement of what Dr Ethan Powell (Hopkins) is. After watching this movie way back, I started liking acting of Anthony Hopkins, a wonderful actor indeed. There are other wonderful clips in the movie on which I would write in future, here is one of the clips. You must watch the movie

    Between 10th and 11th minute in this clip, the gorilla is trying to open shoe lace of Dr Powell. Whatever the Director wanted to show, to me it was as if the gorilla is saying – “…leave your shackles… You are bound with your own stuff, do not be bound to what you have created. Just leave those jails of your own creation” The following is a dialog of the character Dr Powell (source – script)

    … ln there, deep in those forests, away from everything you know, everything you’ve ever been taught… by school or book or song or rhyme, you find peace, Juha, kinship, harmony, even safety. You’ll find more danger in one day in any city in the world… than you will ever find in those forests.

    Do you understand that?…

    In the end, of the clip Hopkins is calling humans as “takers”. We are the takers! We take stuff from others or nature and try to prove our ownership to it. In the movie clip above Cuba Gooding is a taker by asking for his time, saying “you are free, you can leave now”. In the overall movie he is taking Hopkin’s opinion  for his book, promotion and professional success. In Dr Powell’s words we have taken a lot from the nature and claiming it to be ours – for example the petroleum, land by deforestation etc. Apparently many problems such as depleting underground water is our creation, Uttarakhand flood to name a few.

    Lately, I have been working on a project related to sustainability. It was interesting that by chance, I watched the movie instinct once again. We are indeed takers. We have taken a lot from the nature, in many senses destroyed the ecology – natural calamity are results of that. We are the takers – we will die leaving everything here but still we boost our ownership!

    Related blogs

    Ego, Forbidden word, Evolution

    When will we stop?, What more we need?, Cogito ergo sum

    Dichotomy of happiness, Cause,

  • Marginal analysis







    We, as a community, are too evolved to be simple. We complicate many things which are Simple.

    One of my friends wrote on Facebook few days back – “Trying to figure out whether the marginal utility of the next shot increases or decreases.” At times this marginal analysis becomes a problem in our life.  We think too much about the outcomes and benefits of taking an action rather than taking the action.

    I believe life is indeed very simple. I have observed struggles of families living on the Footpath of Mumbai. I always wondered the tough life for them. It is another thing that we may talk about them encroaching on footpath and so on, which actually results in few death once in a while, when some people – when drunk returning home from late night parties – drive over the footpath dwellers.

    Poor on footpathWhat surprised me lately was, observing a few kids playing on footpath. The kids were happy, playing with discarded polythene. They do not have toys or an Android (Akash) etc to play. They are enjoying their life, dancing on the footpath. At times they are wearing something, many a times nothing. But they were happy. Also, their families (parents / uncles) were happy smiling with the kids.

    I started thinking – how often we get such time to enjoy with our family?A typical young parent is struggling in office long hours during the week. Do we have time? In Mumbai I travel about 2 hours one way (my stupidity if not Mumbai on the wrong side), how much time and energy I am left with to be at home and just relax? Think of someone who has kids and traveling so much daily. Does he/she have time to be with the kid as I say the footpath family has? For the footpath family life is simple. They enjoy life with whatever they have. I thought that they do not think so much, they do not do a lot of marginal analysis. They take decisions with whatever “limited” options and resources they have.

    They do not own few Mercs and don’t eat in five star hotels, they do not hide behind big words such as inflation, GDP and “we do not need to worry when rupee is sliding!” These people are just working on daily wages not having a proper shelter, yet I have seen the smile with their kids, happy in whatever they have. Most precious thing they have is Time. Time to spend few peaceful minutes with kids though on a footpath.

    We do a lot of marginal analysis – if I buy a Honda Amaze worth X amount and Y liter mileage. Is it going to be a good decision over a  Mahinda Quonto worth A amount and B liter mileage.Than what is the maintenance cost and this and that and whatever and parking place. EMI per month, expense per month. Utility of the vehicle over the cost of the vehicle.

    I feel we have made progress. Alas! we have made ourselves miserable.  We need some introspection.

    Image source- http://www.rediff.com/money/slide-show/slide-show-1-column-can-we-trust-indias-poverty-figure-well/20130724.htm#1

  • Just do it… ok try it







    It was a rainy day of 2007. As usual Sachin and I got down from our 7th floor rented apartment to have a ” morning cutting chai”. Cutting Chai in India is a 1/2 cup tea generally preferred over large quantity. Irony is – people drink as much as 8-10 cuttings a day not realizing it.  I was to go to office after that small tea time and Sachin, back to get ready for office. Evident, I was in formals with my laptop bag. We were talking and enjoying that our tea with some drizzle. The perfect thing – tea during the rain!

    This morning too, without any exception the day for all those small temporary shop owner was starting. The temporary shops are established in the morning and wrapped-up – literally – in evening (many times without a trace). Generally, you may find an ecosystem of shops in India (specially in Mumbai). A chai-wala (tea stall) next to a idly-dosa or Sandwich (breakfast) stall. These things become complementary and good business ecosystem as well as service ecosystem for people.

    We were enjoying tea and Sunil – a paratha wala (temporary shop – sample image) came. He had his paraphernalia in a hand driven cart (Thela gadi – sample image). He asked for help to chai-wala (being neighbor and knowing each other). Reason was – his thela gadi was not balanced and he had to take down stuff, in fact go back and bring something more too. Chai-wala refused – “its raining and blah blah..”. I found it strange, told “him tomorrow you may need his help”. He laughed. I felt bad at the plight of the paratha wala, kept my bag aside went out of shade helped him take stuff down. As it was raining, I was wet and had some blots on shirt because of his few dirty things. I felt happy helping Sunil in need, though I got wet and my shirt was dirty. But the help was selfless act. The whole day my morale was high and I felt very happy.

    Recently when I started reading Sikh literature I see emphasis on selfless act (seva). Seva is preached by the Art of Living foundation as well. Really if you help someone or do something without expecting any returns you feel very good. Just start doing it… ok try it. I bet if you would not enjoy doing it.

    Remember – no expectation and complete selfless act.

  • Incentive to cheat – Problem with Democracy







    I read a book – Games Indians Play by Mr Raghunathan a Professor in IIM-A and CEO of GMR group. I have written on this book earlier too – Individually smart collectively dumb. The problems with Indian – supposedly sharp – minds is given below in story format.

    This story is from a book – ‘The prayer of the Frog’ by Father Anthony de Mello, S.J. This book has very interesting stories on religion, spirituality and human relations etc. The story precisely explains how we – Indians – think and act.

    …

    A great festival was to be held in a village and each villager was asked to contribute by pouring a bottle of wine into a giant barrel.

    When the banquet began and the barrel was tapped what came out of it was water. One of the villagers had had this thought: “If I pour a bottle of water in that giant barrel, no one will notice the difference.” But it hadn’t occurred to him that everyone else in the village might have the same thought.

    …

    This happens in Indian political system. Everyone thinks that yes there is corruption, but I am paid 100/- let me vote this corrupt politician. Others would not vote him… similar to the story above. Every poor person gets an incentive to cheat – that cheating is a responsibility of politician – development Vs one time benefit to voter – 100 rupee note or a quarter of alcohol etc.

    The interesting part is we Indians more complex yet cheat always. We think in two fashion. 1. the way story suggests above and 2. why should I do it when everyone else is cheating?

    Option two suggests that every Indian knows what others are going to do and thinks why should not I do the same?

  • Interdependent co-arising intra-country example







    In previous blog “Coalgate…” I touched on the topic of Dutch Disease. The concept of Dutch disease rebounds me to the interdependent co-arising once again (interdependent co-arising means – we are all dependent on each other.). This concept of Buddhism is applicable in every walk of life. If we (each individual) do not understand it we are going to remain in the problems we face. Check previous blogs on the same below.

    Interdependent co-arising farmers example (ground level example) – this blog is about how interdependent co-arising relates to a smaller level of activity of one businessman / farmer. This could be you or me in our regular work environment.

    Interdependent co-arising macroeconomic example (world level example) – this blog is about how interdependent co-arising relates to macro-economics.

    This blog is a country level example of interdependent co-arising (Pali original concept – Pratītyasamutpāda – at Wikipedia).

    What is Dutch disease?

    The inflow of capital leads to an appreciation of the currency, making imports cheap and export expensive. The name comes from the Netherlands experience following the discovery of gas in the north sea. Natural gas sales drove Dutch currency up, seriously hurting the country’s other expdutch-diseaseort industries.

    In late 50’s Netherlands found huge source of natural gases. This resulted in 1. investments (largely foreign direct investments) in that sector 2. decline in other sectors e.g. one example could be people moving for jobs in that sector (consider Indian IT sector as reference) 3. investments (specially foreign investments) in that sector resulted in stronger currency. The excessive investment made Netherlands currency stronger resulting in making exports expensive eventually resulting in decline of export from Netherlands. Manufacturing suffered and thus jobs in manufacturing too go to step 2.

    This convoluted – action/reaction and impact at not so obvious industries – example again suggests to us that even if industries are not linked directly they are linked in some way. This link is interdependence. This interdependence should make one value the existence.

    The  “Dutch disease” should make us once again think about the invisible connections we share with each other.

    Image source – http://globalprosperity.wordpress.com/2010/08/19/oiling-africas-gears-for-democratic-change/

  • #CoalGate, corruption, politics & economics







    A few days back I completed this book Globalization and is discontent by Dr Stiglitz, a nobel laureate. I wrote on that recently – Interdependent co-arising a macroeconoics example. Besides this macroeconomics example, I had this intra-country example of the same concept of interdependent co-arising. Stiglitz has written so many things more than 10 years back which are happening in India currently. However, here I am just interested in quoting a small part of the book which relates to the corruption of coal mine allocation in present day India. This example is from page 71 of the book –

    …

    There is more to the list of legitimate Complaints against Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). Such investments often flourish only because of special privileges extracted from the govt. While standard economics focuses on the distortion of incentives that result from such privileges,  there is a far more insidious aspect: often those privileges are the result of corruption the bribery of govt officials. The Foreign Direct Investment comes only at the price of undermining domestic processes. This is particularly true for investments in much oil and other natural resources where foreigners have a real incentive to obtain the conversation at low prices.

    Moreover such investment have other adverse effect- and often so not promote growth.  The income that mining conversation brings can be invaluable but Development is a transformation of society. An investment in mine – say in a remote area of a country – does little to assist the development transformation, beyond the resources it generates. It can help create a dual economy, an economy in which there are pocket of wealth. But this duel economy is not a developed economy. Indeed, the inflow of resources can sometimes actually impede development, through a process that is called “Dutch disease”

    …

    So effectively, what Stiglitz said was bribing of officials for mining in developing / undeveloped countries. Further, the dual economy this FDI may create is not best for country to develop. I would take this example of Dutch disease in my next post – “Business to the Buddha”.

    Here what I want to highlight is this – the current issue in India – #CoalGate scam is a clear example of what Stiglitz wrote more than 10 years back. Indian Prime Minister – Dr Manmohan Singh – being an economist might have been aware about this and perhaps therefore kept Coal Ministry with him. This is just an extrapolation. Otherwise why would Law ministry and Law minster would want to change parts of report? According to the Supreme Court of India, the changes are Heart of the report.

    After reading the book – Globalization and its discontents – I realized that Stiglitz is not against Globalization but against the way Globalization is happening. So, when you read the above part, you should not infer that Stiglitz is against Globalization.

  • Interdependent co-arising – macro-economics example







    I hae written on Interdependent co-arising (older blogs at the link) earlier.  The concept simply means – we are all dependent on each other.

    Those who want to know the concept in layman term follow this blog – interdependent co-arising example of a farmer.

    Definintion of interdependent co-arising is below with a macro-economics example. In late 90’s the East Asian countries faced a very serious economic challenge of decades. The financial system came down like a house of cards. Dr Joseph Stiglitz – Economics Nobel Prize winner of 2001 – shares the concept of interdependent co-arising (dooming in otherwords) in his book  – “Globalization and its discontent“. On Page 106-107 he invariably – and inadvertently perhaps – explains what is interdependent co-arising. Hope economists would understand this lesson, if not from the Buddha then from Dr Stiglitz.

    Beggar-Thyself Policies

    Of all the mistakes the IMF committed as the East Asian crisis spread from one conuntry to another in 1997 and 1998, one of the hardest to fathom was the Fund’s failure to recognize the important interactions amont the policeis pursued in the different countries. Contractionary policies in one country not only deepened that country’s economy but had adverse effects on its neighbors. By continuing to advocate contractionary policies the IMF exacerbated the contagion, the spread of the downturn from one country to the next. As each country weakened, it reduced its imports from its neighbors, thereby pulling its neighbors down.

    The beggar-thy-neighbor policies of the 1930s are generally thought to have played an important role in the spread of the Great Depression. Each country hit by a downturn bolster its own economy by cutting back on exports and thus shifting consumer demands to its own products.A country would cut back on export by imposing tariffs and by making competitive devaluation of its currency, which made its own goods cheaper and others countries’ more expensive. Howeer, as each country cut back on imports it suceeded in “exporting” the economic downturn to its neighbors. Hence the term bagger-thy-neighbor.

    …

    Solution to all these economic, social, personal, spiritual or other problems?

    Its interdependent co-arising itself. We all need to help each other grow – grow the pie and share it well, if not equally!