A Poet's aatmakatha

Writing poetry is so much fun !! Ever wonder what would be a Poet's dilemma ...So here goes his aatmakatha

These days , O India,in every nook and place !
The plague of writing poetry has created unchecked rage .

Eighty percent of the folks ,suffer from this disease ( kidding !!)
All you need is a pseudonym, to join the privileged race .

Poetry which in olden days ,was knowledge ultimate,
Is now condensed in the poetic name,shorn of former grace.

O ye rare product of this wonderous earth !
who will sing your praise, who will judge your worth ?

Uncontrolled is your growth, beyond the census grasp,
you are deemed an angel,dressed in human garb.

Immune you are to hunger, indifferent to thirst,
you have only one aim, to write and read your verse.

Extremely irritating are those poets indeed,
who with poetic pressure, is often ill at ease.

No physician in the world can cure his deep disease....

What all he writes over the year ,he would vomit all,
a sort of poetic diarrhoea infects his head and heart .

Everyone is making money , you are making rhymes,
There you keep awake at night , poetic lines repeat,

Applaud every verse ,and shout in merry glee ( am awake tonight to write this wonderful piece !!)

In every town and village , your presence is a must,
how much they care for you, how kindly they treat,

Whenever there is a gala meet or a bridal feast,
To while away the night, they hold a poetic meet,

All professions in the world command some respect,
Every art and craft has a minimal worth;

Every human need requires some expert,
Everyone dictates a price for his handiwork.

It flies away in smoke , in that instance of masterful rendition ;
"How fine he writes ! " is your sole reward   !!!!

sd/-
Roohul Haq

Expenditure !!

This is an off take of the spiralling prices and inflation creeping in our society ...an anecdote for deep analysis...

Should I pay the monthly rent ?
Or pay for clothes and petrol galore,
The doctor's fees or the medicines cost,
Or municipal taxes , taxing hard,
Tell me in God's name,where should I escape ?
With a rupee and a half, what to leave or take  !!

Rents have risen manifold,
Drinking water costs much more,
Power bills are still unpaid,
Land sells at frightening rates.
But oh the rents that kill and slay,
With a rupee and a half , what to leave and take !!

Children fees have to be paid,
Books and bags cannot wait,
The belly needs its food supply,
Adams race must survive ( pun intended), ha ha ha
Endless is my expense , how should I detail ?
With a rupee and half , what to leave and take !!

Helping the needy kith and kin , entertaining friends,
charity for the poor ,doing kindly turns,
decent punitive living style , yet impressive patience for occasional delight,
On top the love for cinema and shoppers fright,
Expenses have their own might ,
With a rupee and half , what to leave and take !!

Delicious food and chocos , I cannot resist,
Litigation too is a lingering itch,
A sweeper , a washer man, a guard,
And a Saree shop in the niche !
How can I from these escape ?
With a rupee and half , what to leave and take !!

There are fairs and religious fests,
And we care for self - respect,
On top , we are profligate,
And this despite our penurious state,
We are in financial straits ,
The economy is in shambles at the mercy of  politicians traits
With a rupee and half , what to leave and take !!

sd/-
Roohul Haq

Effectively Influencing Decision Makers: Ensuring That Your Knowledge Makes a Difference

A wonderful analogy from an expert coach ....

1. Every decision that affects our lives will be made by the person who has the power to make that decision, not the "right" person or the "smartest" person or the "best" person. Make peace with this fact.

As simple and obvious as this statement may seem, I am amazed at how few (otherwise intelligent) people ever deeply get this point.

When your child comes home from school and complains, "It’s not fair! The teacher gave me a 'C' and I really deserved an 'A.' " we, as parents, should say, "Welcome to the real world, kid.In life you have to accept the fact that decision-makers make decisions—and that you are not always the decision-maker."

Once we make peace with the fact that the people who have the power to make the decisions always make the decisions and we get over whining that "life isn't fair," we become more effective in influencing others and making a positive difference. We also become happier.

2. When presenting ideas to decision-makers, realize that it is your responsibility to sell, not their responsibility to buy.
In many ways, influencing ultimate decision-makers is similar to selling products or services to external customers. They don't have to buy—you have to sell. Any good salesperson takes responsibility for achieving results. No one is impressed with salespeople who blame their customers for not buying their products.

While the importance of taking responsibility may seem obvious in external sales, an amazing number of people in large corporations spend countless hours blaming management for not buying their ideas. Former Harvard Professor Chris Argyris pointed out how "upward feedback" often turns into "upward buck-passing." We can become disempowered when we focus on what others have done to make things wrong and not on what we can do to make things right.

If we spent more time on developing our ability to present ideas and less time blaming others for not buying them, a lot more might get accomplished.

A key part of the influence process involves the education of decision-makers. To again quote Drucker: "The person of knowledge has always been expected to take responsibility for being understood. It is barbarian arrogance to assume that the layman can or should make the effort to understand the specialist." The effective influencer needs to be a good teacher. Good teachers realize that communicating knowledge is often a greater challenge than possessing knowledge.

3. Focus on contribution to the larger good—not just the achievement of your objectives.
An effective salesperson would never say to a customer, "You need to buy this product, because if you don't, I won't achieve my objectives." Effective salespeople relate to the needs of the buyers, not to their own needs. In the same way, effective influencers relate to the larger needs of the organization, not just to the needs of their unit or team.

When influencing decision-makers, focus on the impact of your suggestion on the overall corporation. In most cases the needs of the unit and the needs of the corporation are directly connected. In some cases they are not. Don't assume that executives can automatically make the connection between the benefit to your unit and the benefit to the larger corporation. 

4. Present a realistic "cost-benefit" analysis of your ideas—don't just sell benefits.Every organization has limited resources, time, and energy. The acceptance of your idea may well mean the rejection of another idea that someone else believes is wonderful. Be prepared to have a realistic discussion of the costs of your idea. Acknowledge the fact that something else may have to be sacrificed in order to have your idea implemented.

By getting ready for a realistic discussion of costs, you can prepare for objections to your idea before they occur. You can acknowledge the sacrifice that someone else may have to make and point out how the benefits of your plan may outweigh the costs.
Courtesy : Marshall Goldsmith

The future Scenario of Education

Just a modern take on the rituals of going into a class with different ethos...going forward


The speed with which the modern age is taking big strides,
Indicates that our culture will soon be revolutionised.

Future age will reject the institutions of today,
A new spring will flower forth in the coming age.

The entire education system will be overhauled,
A quarter of century is needed for this task.

Indian culture will receive a forward push and boost,
It will spring back to life donning western suits.

The style of education will be modernised,
which will stand reflected in the syllabi.

Subjects deemed useless will be all excised,
Students will be trained in modern merchandise.

History ,Theology,science and commerce will be thrown aside,
Geography ,biology and Maths-will also be exiled.

Dance ,music ,acting,singing,writing and several games allied,
Will be made compulsary in the syllabi.

Lecturers will have to be experts in sports and song,
Every professor will possess a degree in art and dance.

The 1st period will be reserved for races long and short,
for exercise and wrestling bouts,with none to cry halt.

Girls will wrestle with the boys,ply the mallet,try the gym,
engage in sit-ups,gossip,chat and spend time in merry din.

2nd period will be fixed for water -volleyball,
when boys and girls will play kabaddi,in spirit of "free -for-all"

In the 3rd period acting will be taught,
Vamps,villians and heroes,will learn to play their part.

The 4th period will be fixed for social study class,
and the flag of modern culture will be held aloft,

The full import of freedom will then be explained,
In all the tricks of freedom students will be trained.

Boys will choose their own mates,all rituals defy,
The tedium of marriage system will be simplified

Serious studies will be held in the last class,
The path of least resistance will the age adopt.

Listen to us ,O madam,we dont like your jokes,
Remember ,we are gentlemen and self respecting folks...


Sd/-
Roohul Haq

Faith and related terms

Faith : A dynamic entire belief and acceptance. Faith is a feeling in the whole being. Faith is a certitude without any proof

Faith is a thing that precedes knowledge, not comes after knowledge. It’s a glimpse of a truth which the mind has not yet seized as knowledge(direct spiritual knowledge ;not mental knowledge)

Belief : Intellectual acceptance only. Belief is something that occurs in the head, that is purely mental

Conviction : intellectual belief held on what seems to be good reasons

Reliance : Dependence on another for something ,based on trust

Trust : the feeling of sure expectation of another’s help and reliance on his word, character etc

Confidence : the sense of security that goes with trust

One can have confidence in life, trust in the divine ,trust in one's own destiny,that is ,one has the feeling that everything is going to help him, to do what he wants to do.

ASPIRATION and DESIRE

Just got a hang of the two poignant words used commonly in our day to day living.

MENTAL ASPIRATION : A mental aspiration means that the thought-power aspires to have knowledge ,for instance,to have the power to express itself well or have clear ideas ,a logical reasoning

One may aspire for many things ;that all the capacities of the mind may be developed and placed at the service of the divine.This is a mental aspiration

VITAL ASPIRATION : You may have an aspiration of the vital. If you have desires or troubles, storms ,inner difficulties, you may aspire for peace, to be quite impartial, without desires or preferences, at the divine’s disposal. This is a vital aspiration

PHYSICAL ASPIRATION : You may have a physical aspiration also ;that the body may feel the need to acquire a kind of equipoise in which all the parts of the being will be well balanced and that you may have the power to hold off illnesses at a distance or overcome it fast when it enters trickily and that the body may always function normally ,harmoniously ,in perfect health. That is a physical aspiration

SPIRITUAL ASPIRATION : A spiritual aspiration means having an intense need to unite with the divine, to give oneself totally to the divine, not to live outside the divines consciousness so that the divine may be everything for you in your integral being ,and you feel the need of constant communion with Him, of the sense of his presence ,of his guidance in all that you do. There is a complete harmonizing all the movements of the being. That is spiritual aspiration

DESIRE  AND ASPIRATION : When you have experienced both , you can make the real distinction

In aspiration there is what I may call an unselfish flame which is not present in desire.

Your aspiration is not a turning back upon self…desire is always a turning back upon oneself.

From purely the psychological point of view ,aspiration is self giving always, while desire is always something which one draws to oneself.

Aspiration is something which gives itself, not necessarily in the form of a thought but in the movement, in the vibration or in the vital impulse.

The essential difference b/w the love in aspiration and love in desire is that love in aspiration gives itself entirely and asks nothing in return---it doesn’t claim anything;

Whereas love in desire gives itself as little as possible ,asks as much as possible ,it pulls things to itself and always makes demand..

Desire is a vital movement ,aspiration is a psychic movement

When one has had a true aspiration ,unselfish and sincere ,one cannot ask the question anymore;for the vibration of aspiration ,luminous and calm ,has nothing to do with the vibration of desire ,which is passionate ,dark and often violent..

Diwali Magic !!

 आज दिवाली के शुभ आवसर पर एक दो पंख्तिया सुनाता हूँ ...

इस दिवाली की यह जो रात आई है

मनं में बहूत सारे आस और तमन्नाये लायी है

आज होती है मनं की आसार पुरी जज्बातों की

कष्ट मानवता  का  बाहर  फ़ेंक डालती कतिनायो का

जज्बा लिए खेले लोग मिलकर इस त्यौहार में

दिलो को मिलाती तडपे नैनो को

यह बेशुमार ताश पत्तो का रस जो पिलाये

जुबान पर मितायियो का करे स्वाद रचन

बच्चों से करे आतिशबाजी पटाको और फवारो का

यह है सारे संसार का त्यौहार दिवाली दिलदारो का

आओ मिलकर खूब मनाये अतिउत्तम उत्सव दिवाली

करो प्यार का मिलाप और बांटो स्वाद प्रेम का

जीवन के कश्ती में यह सुलगता रहे बेहद उत्सव

समर्पण करू इस दिवाली में खुशिया बेशुमार

दिवाली है  द्वीपजलो का ,बहारो का ,रौनक और चमचमाती आतिशबाजी का  !!