Here are few of ULTIRAGS Social Network Posts …
While i was away from my blog, it meant i was expressive elsewhere 🙂
#43 – FB-25Mar2018
Suddenly, a thought struck to me…delete my FB account!
I have been using it as a forum to express. Probably one a week and when I have a story….not sure how addicted I am to Facebook and what could be the withdrawal symptoms ??. But, I want to give it a shot. Have done it for smoking….hopefully it would work this time as well.
If I enjoy the same or more staying away, I will have a story and if I don’t I will come back and will still have story. I would be active on LinkedIn and my personal blog www.ultirags.com.
I need to transfer some stories from FB to my blog…until then…..
#42 – FB-25Mar2018
Behind an auto it was written;
In the war of EGO, the loser always wins….
🙂
#41 – FB-30Dec2017
Trip Summary – Hampi, Karnataka
Another trip to remember! And, what a trip it was! History, Adventure, Family, Friends and Fun….
Hampi was the capital of Vijaynagar empire till 1570. What a city it could have been!
A portugese traveller “Paes” described “a city as large as Rome and very beautiful to the sight; there are many grooves of trees within it, many orchards and gardens of fruit trees and many conduits of water which flow in the midst of it, and in places there are lakes”
Wow….the ruins were so beautiful….wonder how beautiful it would have been during it’s grorious days.
The Vijayanagar empire had four dynasties;
- The Sangamas – 1336 to 1485 AD
- The Saluvas – 1485 to 1491 AD
- The Tuluvas – 1491 to 1570 AD (considered as golden period of this empire)
- The Aravidus – 1571 to 1646 AD
It was during king Sri Krishnadevaraya of the Tuluvas dynasty that this empire rose to its peak.
We spent about 5 days. I would go again and spend more time in the ruins….every stone must have had a story to tell.
Few pictures to summarize my experiences in Hampi…with Daljit Singh Rana, Mohini Rana and Revathi Raghuraman
PS: Don’t forget to take a guide if you plan to visit and plan for about 4 days at least if history interests you.
#40 – FB-25Dec2017
Battle of Talikota – 23-Jan-1565
End of a golden era of Vijayanagar empire!
It took a united army of 5 Deccan sultanats and two traitor generals to defeat the mighty Vijayanagar empire.
Another story of betrayal in the history that changed the fortunes of a winning army.
With this defeat, the Vijayanagar empire’s capital Hampi was turned into ruins in a day; with scenes of savage massacre and horrors never witnessed before.
Hampi, here I come…please tell me the story of your glorious past.
#39 – FB-18Dec2017
Golkunda Fort – tale of a city
A legend says that the name of Hyderabad city was given by the king Md. Quli Kutub Shah in the memory of a palace by name “Hyder Mahal”; A Mahal where his beloved “Bhagmati” lived. This city is believed to be originally in her name “Bhagyanagar”.
He was the fifth emperor of Qutub Shahi dynasty. The Qutub Shahi dynasty ousted the Bahmani sultanat and established control in the deccan region. He also build the famous “Charminar”. He is considered as the founder of the city in India, Hyderabad.
The name of this fortified city Golkunda comprise of two telugu words “golla” and “kunda”. This meant shepherd’s mountain. It may have come for its original inhabitants.
Originally, this fort was under control of Kakatiya dynasty and was captured by Bahmanis.
This fort has survived for centuries. It is also known for its engineering feats; the acoustics and the water supply system. A self contained city that was also secured with a terriffic sound signalling systems that could travel long distance and alarm of any danger.
The place was known for its rich reserves of precious diamonds. “Kohinoor” is one such diamond that came from the golkunda region.
Attracted by the amassed wealth, Aurangzeb captured this fort. It was not easy to breach the security. It is believed that he took help of a traitor to breach the security of this fort.
The fort also has the jail where the famous Ramadasu was imprisoned for a considerably long time. The wall inside this jail has some of the image carvings done by him during this time.
Today in ruins, this fort might have witnessed so many events and may hold so many secrets.
…spellbound thinking about the grandeur past this fort may have witnessed…
A day out to remember, thank you Srikar Chilakamarri and my young friend Vinay for bringing me here and giving a wonderful company to visit this historical delight!
#38 – FB-10Dec2017
The Turning Points
Life’s a journey! Very true; just that it’s full of turns! Sometimes we see them ahead and sometimes they just appear!
Yeah, there are highways without turns! And, a ghat section full of turns!??
When we miss a turn; we seem to be lost! Does not appear so, it’s a part of our journey and will end where it has to.?
One of my interesting turning points was getting into the IT industry! I am very certain many of my era would have a turning point story into IT!
I started my career as sales engineer; selling welding electrodes. Sales was one career that I was very certain to take post my engineering. A turn that was seen well ahead! And, I did well in Sales (I think so;-)).
When most of my college mates were changing their career into IT, I wanted to continue in Mechanical. After about three years, I decided to try sales position in IT.
My friend Vikram’s mother connected me to a person to help me with an lT sales job. And this person connected me to a company involved in IT bodyshopping. Upon meeting this person, I was made to believe that to sell software, one needs to know IT programming. And, he sold me a course in Java that this company offerred??. The turning point!
Post completion, my friend Naveen introduced to his contact who was looking for a Java programmer. I got this job!
Thanks Vikram Jayaprakash and Naveen Jayachandran !
An interesting turn in my life! From Sales to Programming (about 18 years ago).
#37 – FB-2Dec2017
The Sudden Star…
I was the captain for a house in my school during 11th and 12th standard. For the annual track and field events, we were in the selection process. I never planned to participate in any of these events (never thought I had any stuff). During the selections, one of my house members came to me and said he would also like to nominate his name for the selections of 100 mtrs sprint race. Later, I realized we already had two sprint champions in the team and they were reluctant to run for the selections as they were school champions. Upon insisting, one of them said “who would dare challenge us!” This argument gave birth to a challenger! I asked the folks there to lend me a pair of spike shoes and we ran for the selections! I won that race!! That year I participated in 100 mtrs, Relay Race, Putting the Shot and High jump. I won a medal in all of these.
Thanks for the challenge….Suddenly, a Star was born; from nowhere!
#36 – FB-29Oct2017
Trip Summary – Cincinnati
Q: How to work while asleep?
Ans: Travel to US from India, have discussions and impart training; all of these in a week.
That’s right a week in Cincinnati; with the Jet lag taking over the body and mind.
It appears in my dream, I may have been to a wonderful place and may have met wonderful people; at work and outside of work.
I met new people, made new friends and met a family away from family. Talked to my cousins and friends. These are all real, no dream!
Thank you Ramju Dore, Lavanya, Sai & Rishi for the kind courtsies extended today. Home away from home, indeed. ?
And just when i started recovering, I am heading back home! (there goes another week ??).
24 hours of travel and loss of a day….but happy to be heading back home… 🙂
#35 – FB-27Oct2017
On my birthday (18th Oct), my mother presented me with a khadi waistcoat. She went to a distant place in Bangalore along with her sister and spent about half day to select this one for me!
It’s very cold out here but I still feel warm….wondering how?
Mother! …..yeah, that could be reason!
#34 – FB-15Oct2017
The EasyChair
My mother said this was purchased about 60 years ago by her father.
An unsaid rule; the elders of the house get preference to use this chair. ?
I recall, my grandfather and mama using it for their afternoon naps. Other than them; my grandmother, mami, my mother and my aunt used it often. And, countless visitors over the decades.
Amongst us (the next gen), this was the most sought chair as it assumed the power with ease…??
My mother got this home as remembrance of her father and uses it to ease herself everyday.
I am completely relaxed as I sit on it today…there no power in the chair, just pure ease and joy!
True to it’s name “the easychair”.
#33 – FB-10Oct2017
Story of stories
I have grown hearing and reading short stories. My dad was working in a public sector organization and would come home during lunch hours. He would narrate stories everyday during his post lunch nap. The most common plot “his children (we) were forest rangers”. He would narrate the stories really well and would fall asleep before completing the story ??. My grandmother and mother would narrate mythological stories. They were my favorite story tellers! Amar Citra Katha, Chandamama and Tinkle have been my favorite story books.
I am not as creative as my dad so I narrate stories written by others (Amar Chitra Katha).
Oh… got to go, its story telling time (yawn). ??
#32 – FB-27Sept2017
Waterproof shirts
Two weeks ago, I purchased an Arrow shirt for INR 500. Arrow shirts for 500 rupees? No way, must be Narrow shirts ??.
I liked the fit of the shirt and wore it today. It rained and I noticed water droplets on the shirt, as on lotus.
Reminded me of some local towels that I had purchased in the past that would never get wet ??…we would call them the waterproof towels, reuse any number of times without the need of washing.
It appears my new shirt could protect me well, even during rain. The label says unstainable…I say it is a waterproof shirt.
#31 – FB-18Sept2017
Confessions of a smoker
It all started as a style statement! I would smoke about 10 to 15 cigarettes in a day.
And, on a “tough” day even more. I may have smoked for about 15 years!
Initial years, I seemed to have enjoyed every smoke. Few years later; after every cigarette, I would never feel fresh but continued to smoke.
My mind would reason that I am addicted to nicotine and the body needs it. I had convinced self and others about this theory. 🙂
One day, I stopped smoking!
Just realized, it must have been over 9 years since I stopped smoking. And, I am certain I will never smoke again.
The confession: My body was never addicted to nicotine, it was the routine that it was addicted to.
Identify the routine and break it. It is doable…
🙂
#30 – FB-16Sept2017
Carpentry; sometimes little things give more pleasures in life. Here is one more story…
We got our house painted three years ago. The painter painted the kitchen island table (made of teak wood) with a “dark brown” paint! And since then, it has been a pain to see the table. I would always tell to myself “don’t worry, someday you would fix it”.
My agony increased with the changing season, two of our house doors had expanded and it was getting difficult to latch them up.
Getting a carpenter would have been an easy way out but I have always liked doing such work myself.
It was today that I got the courage to pay attention to these issues.
End of the day report:
- Both doors fixed.
- The “dark brown” paint removed from the kitchen table…a coat of wood varnish pending.
I could not have finished the task without the help of our younger daughter. What’s more, we collected some wood chips for our terrace campfire. Thanks Neha, we make a great team!
I love to say this today and always, “Finish what you started”.
#29 – FB-27Aug2017
Trip Summary – Mysore, Karnataka
A trip to mysore is always memorable. This time I thought of making it educational to the kids (read as adults ;-)).
In a village near Ramnagar we learned about – Sericulture (or silk farming), is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk. Entire village did that! We ran into a village local and he explained the entire process with lot of enthusiasm and interest.
The jagerry making process was our next pit stop. So simple and requires almost no hi-tech stuff. Do request a glass of sugercane juice with chillies.
Melukote, a trek to Yoga narasimha swamy temple build on a hilltop, 1000+ years ago. And, the famous Kalyani at the foothill of the hillock. A place that displays the rich history and culture of our country.
Ancient Thondanur lake aka Moti talab. Lake of great historical importance. Even today, ancient sculptures are found from the bed of this lake.
KRS, Balmuri falls and Mysore palace’s “Sound and Light” were all amazing and loved by the entire family.
The lazy and laid back life of Mysore is a perfect getaway from hectic and stressful Bangalore.
Nam ooru mysuru, nim ooru yav ooru….says Revathi Raghuraman
#28 – FB-4Aug2018
25+ years ago i used “Ramesh” for “Local” [house of ramesh/ ramesh enterprises]
But today, “Ramesh” is a brand. 🙂
#27 – FB-4Aug2018
In a conversation with a friend, he translated a Hindi phrase to English (word to word translation). This is not the first time he did that.
Snake smelled him (उसे सांप सूंघ गया) ROFL
- Eating drinking nothing, glass broke 75 paise (खाया पिया कुछ नहीं गिलास तोड़ा बारह आना‚…)
- Remove monsoon winds (हटा सावन की घटा)
- The ground dropped beneath the feet (पाँव तले जमीन खिसक गयी)
Try translating idioms, phrases of your local language to English and get KICK in your conversation…
What do you say Daljit Singh Rana?
#26 – FB-2Aug2017
Trip Summary (Sydney) – “Wonderful and Memorable”
- Pub hop; Harts Pub and Marble Bar. Tried for more but i couldn’t make it (Daljit did).
- An evening to remember with Daljit. Shit, Mazza Nahi Aaya! :-).
- Events are “meaningful coincidences” if they occur with no casual relationship yet seem to be meaningfully related.
- Synchronicity, a lovely philosophy that Cyntia Franco believes in.
- All wanderers are not lost!
- Inspirational!
- It could be a beginning to more trips…looking forward to more India travel…with Daljit Singh Rana
#25 – FB-15July2017
A truth about self is difficult to express but life becomes easy once expressed. A lie about self is easy to express but life becomes difficult once expressed.
I am a lazy guy and love an easy life 😉
#24 – FB-4/Jul17
Alu paratha is stuffed and has everything that makes it tasty then why do we like it with pickle/curd?
Our “JOB” has everything! We still look for something more to go with it.
The difficult part; what could that be?
The best person to figure that out is “us”.
Four years ago, I picked up writing!
Looks like it’s the pickle i needed!
Find out yours!
#23 – FB-30/Jun17
The solutions panel
This story goes back to my early days in IT industry. Adjacent to our office was a shack run by an old couple. Tea and some snacks such as idly, vada and paddu were served here.
The preparation was managed by the lady. And, the old man would look after the customers. I would often join with the sales team lead by my friend Srigopal.
Most of the serious business discussions happened in this shack. In few difficult discussions, Gopal would put his hand around the old man and narrate the business problem. The old man would listen carefully and end with his master solution in tamil “everything would be fine”. Since then this place is known as “The solutions panel”.
Whenever i see an old couple running a shack, i am reminded of this old charismatic solutions man.
The solutions panel indeed…with my friends and other solution seekers..
#22 – FB-16/Jun17
Confessions of a non-performer;
I stopped working
I stopped learning
I gossiped all the time
I was resistant to change
I wanted it my way
I lacked motivation
I would delegate all my work
I lost skills
I would play politics to hide my incompetence
I was difficult to work with
I was a cribber
I was always unhappy
I would find innovative ways to avoid working
I stopped looking at opportunities
I would escape from responsibilities
I stopped taking accountability
I would suspect everyone
I would always look for stealing limelight
I stopped taking risks
I would bore people
I was no longer an inspiration
I was not adaptive
And l said to the world, “i was a victim!”
Hmmm..if “I” is figured out, you should not be far from becoming a “performer”…
#22 – FB-13/Jun17
Gossip – at work / off work is an addiction; gives momentary pleasure!
In a longer run it could destroy the personality of self, like all addictions do 🙂
#21 – FB-3/Jun17
Human behavior and vegetables…
Potatoes; easily mixes with any vegetable and most of the times it makes the dish very tasty…very accommodating eh..
Ladyfingers; generally best when prepared alone and tastes really well…selectively mixes with few vegetables. Hmmm great personalities?
Onions, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Carrots, Beetroot, Radish; goes together well when served as salad – retains it’s individual tastes…inclusively exclusive guys….
Bitter gourd; goes well when cooked alone. When mixed, makes the dish bitter. Agents are required to overcome the bitterness…tough guys huh…
I cooked bitter gourd with potatoes today and for a change it came out well. Yummy…an amazing combination when deep fried and served with dal rice
What’s my behavior today? Bitter gourd or Potato or Onion?
#20 – FB-27/May17
God – an invisible power
A deer in a forest about to give birth just then lightning strikes on the hey she was planning to deliver the baby. While the hey is on fire she spots a tiger about pounce on her and on the other side she sees a hunter aiming at her. Problems all around her!
She decides to deliver the baby and run immediately so that the the tiger and the hunter could be distracted away from her new born. She prays for the well being of baby and focuses on delivering her baby.
In a moment, lightning strikes again and the hunter’s aim mistakenly shot at the tiger instead of deer. The lightning also scared the hunter and he ran away. Suddenly, it started raining and the rain put off the fire on the hay.
The deer peacefully delivered the baby and was safe, from the tiger, the hunter and the fire.
It was an invisible power along with her faith to continue to focus on what she was doing, rescued her from the situation.
A wonderful story retold by Revathi Raghuraman. Thanks!
Original story published in Taranga (Kannada weekly magazine) by the editor Dr. Sandhya Pai.
#19 – FB-1/May17
All journeys start great (well almost)
job
pre-school / school
college
love
marriage
social work
devotion
parenting
travel
relationships
more…
Sustaining the wonderful start isn’t easy throughout the journey.
Why? I don’t have an answer either. Does our intent change during the journey or does our expectation?
Abraham Maslow’s pyramid of human behavior seem applicable in every journey listed above. The start and end seems more clear, it’s the intermediate that looks confusing. But then no journey could complete without these confusions…
I just know the start…rest is a journey!
– A goal less guy
#18 – FB-21/Apr17
The Myna bird sighting legend from my childhood;
1 for Sorrow
2 for Joy
3 for Letter
4 for Guest
Many of our beliefs, fears and superstitions foundation are laid in our childhood days. Some of these come from external environment; but many come from our home and immediate surrounding.
“Eat fast and full otherwise devil will catch you”
“If you do not do your homework, I will handover you to the Police”
“If you don’t listen to me I will lock you up”
“If you see only one Myna, it would bring you sorrow”
This childhood superstition is so strong even today when I see only one Myna, for few moments I desperately look for another one.
Surely, the Mynas are unaware of my superstitions!
That being said, I saw two Mynas together today morning. Some good news awaits for me today!
Yeah, wish you a very happy wedding anniversary my dear wife. Whether Myna brings in joy or not, you definitely have lit my life with Joy and happiness.
#17 – FB-9/Mar17
The Traffic Signal Supermarket…
In a famous traffic signal in Bangalore, I saw vendors selling bottled drinking water, packaged buttermilk and cotton napkins amongst other products suited for this summer. I am now looking forward to seeing crispy dosa and spicy manchurian soon!
Considering the traffic in Bangalore, it might be a roaring business already in some traffic signal.
There are opportunities in calamities; just need to find a person in trouble
#16 – FB-3/Mar17
People who are systematic are upfront and leaders are upfront. People who are systematic are leaders…in all walks of life!
#15 – FB-29/Jan17
Wonderful day today…
Six months ago I had purchased an exhaust fan. I realized I had purchased an oversized fan while installing it. Gave it back to the store for replacement. Past six months I have been procrastinating this task of getting a replacement from the store. It was sucking my energies whenever I was reminded of it.
Today, I would’ve procrastinated again! I casually asked my daughters if they would accompany me to the stores. The elder left her task in hand and immediately offered her help. In next 30 minutes I was back in home with the replaced new fan. For tasks procrastinated for long, request help from others to complete it.
New learning! Thanks Nidhi for your help. What a relief.
Everyday is an exciting day…..
#14 – FB-14/Dec16
Education guides us with a path to success and experience let us know what works and what does not during this journey. The best lessons of our life has been through our own experiences!
#13 – FB-7/Dec16
WhatsApp journalism;
1) forwarded as received and
2) forwarded as received and followed by a discussion on the forwarded message.
A typical life cycle of such conversation
forwarded as received –> share opinion –> healthy debate –> turns to argument –> Strong opinion expressed–> Individual judgement passed –> broken relationship(s)
The WhatsApp Reporter, “Reported as Perceived”
#12 – FB-1/Dec16
An old story from Chandamama…
A person went to the village headman and asked him “what breed of cow should I buy?” The village headman said “buy GIR breed”. A little later, another person came to the headman and asked ” I have decided to buy Rathi breed of cow. What do you say?”. The village headman replied “good choice, go ahead”. Unable to resist, his assistant asked the headman “why did you give two solution to the same problem?”. The village headman said “the first asked for a solution while the second sought a confirmation”.
A wise man indeed…
#11 – FB-30/Nov16
Success…as people see it!
1) The successful enjoys the outcome but loves to remember journey.
2) Others, love the outcome and find the journey inspirational.
3) Few others, love only the outcome and not concerned with the journey.
Success…as we see it!
#10 – FB-31/Aug16
ಕೋಳಿ ಕೂಗಿದರೆ ಬೆಳಗಾಗುವುದೇ?
The story – An old women in a village thinks the day breaks in the village due to her pet rooster’s crowing. One day in order to establish her importance, she takes away her rooster before the day break. She came back in the evening only to find it is business-as-usual in the village!
Interesting story! Does it not sound familiar in the corporate?
A proverb in Kannada. It literally means “Would the day not break without the rooster’s crowing?”
Story retold by Revathi. Thanks.
#9 – FB-16/Apr16
बुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय,
जो दिल खोजा आपना, मुझसे बुरा न कोय।-कबीर दास (a 15th-century Indian poet and saint)
One of my all time favorite!
It means…
I kept searching for a bad person, couldn’t find a one.
When I searched within, I found the worst.
#8 – FB-16/Apr16
काल करे सो आज कर, आज करे सो अब ।
पल में परलय होएगी, बहुरि करेगा कब ॥
– कबीर दास (a 15th-century Indian poet and saint)
I could not relate much to it during my high school days! With the age, i noticed procrastination increased. There seemed a linear relationship between procrastination and age!
Well, looks like we have been procrastinating for a while now! संत कबीर दास जी said this over 500 years ago! Wow!
#7 – FB-16/Nov15
Social reforms?
Think independently; contribute individually!
#6 – FB-18/Sep15
It could be interesting to assume you have never worked on that thing before! “I know it all!” may hinder innovation, may make one complacent and may make one’s work uninteresting.
#5 – FB-5/Sep15
Acharya Devo Bhava!
I thank all my teachers who have been instrumental in my up bringing. Thank you for being a guiding star.
While all teachers have played significant role, few teachers have been very special to me.
From my memory book, i open few pages;
Shri S N Singh (History Teacher) – I always knew i could be led easily (as a team member). But this teacher thought i could lead as well. He was the first to identify this and gave me an opportunity to become house captain. Sir, thank you very much. I always think about you and you are indeed very special to me.
Shri S. S Panda (Sports Teacher): He came to me one day and asked to prepare for Volley ball regional meet held at Sambalpur. I was surprised to hear as i never knew that i could play this game. But this teacher saw this in me and gave a chance to play. I turned out to be a one of the best in the school to play this game and even today it is my favorite sport.
Shri Mohanty (Chemistry Teacher): This teacher was just awesome when it came to understanding concepts. My concepts in chemistry was founded so well that even today i can teach what i had learned 30 years ago. Inorganic chemistry was made simple.
Shri L. Prasad (Biology Teacher): I scored the maximum in this subject in 10th. This teacher was responsible. Took me through every line of the text and laid a terrific foundation. Nobody could teach genetic engineering as he did.
Shri C. R Choudary (Maths Teacher): Would not think for a moment to punish the students when they go off-track. Thank you for your interactive session on mathematics. Encouraging students to solve the puzzle of maths.
Smt. Prabha Krishnan (My First Teacher and my mother): She was my kindergarten teacher. She taught me everything i know today. Instrumental in upbringing. Amma thank you for being a guiding star always. You are my favorite teacher and my hero!
Today, few of my students wished me. I got a lump in my throat. And as i am writing this, my eyes are filled with tears. Tears of joy!
Thank you students for reminding me to say a BIG thanks to all my teachers!
Wishing all teachers a very happy teacher’s day.
#4 – FB-1/Sep15
A customer: If everything is in green why am I feeling blue?
If you have met your customer expectations first few times; you have raised the bar of their expectations! Its time to capture their new expectations.
#3 – FB-31/Jul15
I read somewhere “if you do not get what you expected, you get experience.“
Very well, no wonder why this world is loaded with experienced people.
#2 – FB-30/Jul15
“Busy people always find time!”
One of my customer said upon thanking him for accommodating a meeting request in his busy schedule!
#1 – FB-25/Mar15
Humour is the ability to laugh at ourselves to brighten any situation or conversation by finding the light, quirky dimensions. Humor helps us to forgive or to admit our own errors. It diffuses conflict. It makes hard times less heavy. When we cultivate humor, we are letting go of other emotions: bitterness, resentment, or anger.