Way to real togetherness

There are times when nothing goes our way. There are times when good thing happens when they are least expected. Life is undoubtedly a sinusoidal wave if we express it mathematically which we follow blindly from crest to trough like a child. Our worse reactions transpire when we are at the extremes. And to express our extremes we today have something which was non-existent a few years back- the virtual media. Funny but there is an extremity to the extreme virtual reaction as well- deactivating our social accounts. Now, the social media platforms has surely brought us closer (at least virtually) but where have we lost our touch to express the real reactions in the real world. The question whether we are more vulnerable to lifeless life looms large. Last weekend I went along with few of my colleagues for dinner outing. We could see a family next to our table- parents and two kids- all immersed in their smartphones. And our instant reaction was "What's the point of family dinner if they are not interacting with each other, if they are not having fun?"

The definition of togetherness has changed in today's life. You think you have done your duty if you make birthday wishes on Facebook. You feel you are in touch with your friends if you are in that Whatsapp group which is inactive most of the times. I am sorry but the virtual reality is going to hit us hard sooner or later. 

Recently I came across a video that was about discovering real togetherness. I am embedding the video in this post itself. A must watch video. I must say the video took me back to my childhood. Fortunately I grew up during a time when there was no Orkut or Facebook. 

This is in fact the right time to break the shackles of the digital world. I remember when I was adamant about not installing Whatsapp but had to install it under the pressure of my friends. But no more. The time is to get down to the roots and connect in person by sharing real emotions in the real world. 

Real togetherness to me is

• bag packing to a random trip with the best of your buddies leaving back your smartphones
• going for a cricket match in the early morning
• eating out and interacting
• asking out a girl in real and not sending random friendship requests on Facebook
• taking up a real social cause with like minded people and doing something good on ground

The list is endless. But the common string to all the items of the list is nature. Without stepping out of your home, it's impossible to experience real togetherness. The world will become a 'wall-e world' if we lose our connection with nature. Remember how everyone became a couch potato because there was too much virtual convenience. Exactly. So go out. Expedite. That's the only way towards real togetherness.

For inspiration just watch the video above once more or follow the link http://www.kissanpur.com/.

The saga of 4G revolution

When Maslow's pyramid expanded its definition by adding Wi-fi as the most basic need of human life, you must have received it on a very light note. But by now you must have given up to this notion. Who would have thought that this will soon become the reality of our life? It is indeed tough to imagine life without a hi-speed internet. I remember my struggle with internet speed while working for one of the government clients at a hill station. Although, the speed that I was getting was the best one would expect in a place of that kind. But still it was limited to browsing and emailing as streaming a video or a movie was literally out of scope. The sad part was that on one hand I was staying at one of the most famous hill station of our country and at the same time struggling with internet. It was nothing short of an anomaly that consultants like us usually face.

It cannot be denied that we crave for high speed internet. When 3G came to market, I was elated. Then the smartphone market picked up too. Browsing has never been the same sine then. Now the market is ready for the next big move- the 4G market. Sure we are living in such a wonderful era. Witnessing and experiencing the whole internet revolution is a privilege in itself. The era has arrived when streaming a movie online doesn't involve buffering. It's like owning a large local hard disk where you can store infinite number of movies and videos.

However there are still times when I feel restrained because either the internet speed is not good enough to run a heavy online application or I have insufficient data balance. I wish this limitation vanishes in no time and I am quite hopeful of that. The 4G market is expected to bring such revolution. However if there is no speed/data restriction, god saves me. What I'll do with that unbelievable speed? There's no limit. Here's a small list:

• Streaming Game of Thrones on HD
• Checking out every other prank videos posted on youtube
• Playing counter-strike online with no interruptions
• High quality photo editing
• Reading harvard case studies
• Listening to songs courtesy online channels like Saavn.com, Gaana.com etc.
• Downloading ultra HD videos of Yosemite's night sky
• Uninterrupted online trading and transaction
• Storing all my important documents to cloud through google drive, drop-box etc.

Honestly there is no limit to what I would like to do with 4G speed. The revolution has touched our lives from very close. However it is pity to find that more than 3/4th of the population is still not accessing internet.  I wish introduction of 4G would push internet penetration in the rural space of our country.

Currently, I believe,  there are very few players who have introduced their 4G plan in the market. Airtel 4G (http://www.airtel.in/4g/) is the pioneer and the first to roll out 4G services but soon the competition will pick up. I must end by saying, 'Exciting times ahead'.

Diplomacy in personal disposition

It is in the nature of human-beings to deceive and to maintain a certain level of diplomacy. It is debated that the diplomatic way is not always the most effective way to find solutions. It adds to the confusion, delay the processes as if the whole objective of diplomacy was to stall everything.

Is diplomacy the only option that you have?

Two mantras I have always lived-by and will continue following it as it seems like the most important fact of our humanly nature.

"If you care to know about what other person thinks about you, say something really bad to him even if you don't actually mean it. If the person reciprocates in similar fashion, you have got your answer. If he doesn't reciprocate, you must apologize for your behavior and clarify"

The second mantra I picked it up from a senior colleague of mine. Not that it helped me immensely because I have never been able to implement it, but it really works.

"Never try to keep everyone happy because you can't. Your enemies are sometimes very good for you. You have to choose your companions well because if you think every single person you know is important, you were never more wrong than this."