The Gujarat Files - Rana Ayyub

 Vinod gave me this book. It's a self-published one by Rana Ayyub who was an investigative journalist with Tehelka and who did a series of investigations on the Gujarat riots and the subsequent happenings. Rana, an investigative journalist, goes as an American film maker to find out the truth about the role of the police and the administration in the Gujarat riots backed by her website, Tehelka, and its bosses. 

Rana poses as Maithali Tyagi, a filmmaker who wants to make a film about Gujarat and meets several police officers in trying to uncover the truth. There is nothing to directly implicate the bosses, Modi who was CM and Amit Shah, who was Home Minister, but enough is said to read between the lines. Reading the book brought back all those cases to mind - Sohrabuddin and Kausar Bi, Tulasi Prajapati, Ishrat Jahan and the other three boys, Haren Pandya, Ehsan Jaffri. The top cops she met give a lot of information quite willingly and say that the encounters were done at the behest of the Minister. Interestingly they also say that the encounters and other such dirty work was given to the lower caste officers. That Amit Shah went to jail and was banned from entering Gujarat was another piece of information I had forgotten. And that Modi and Amit Shah have been working with and for each other for a long long time is also refreshed. It's incredible where they have reached today.

Rana takes great risks and gets a lot of dope from sources who have been in the thick of the action but Tehelka tells her they cannot carry the story as Modi has become the PM. Rana however self-published it for reasons that are obvious - no publisher would probably touch this book and court trouble. That said, most of the information is what we have read about (not from these sources though). Her own story reads like a film script though - undercover journo, Mike the cameraman, Paani and other characters.

For sheer guts in doing what you did and also self-publishing this book, Rana Ayyub, take a bow. That said there were a few typos (excusable), the interviews were a bit jerky as she kept the relevant portions in I suppose. But highly readable and also important to read as well to know about a part of Indian history that's as controversial as the Emergency perhaps.          

A Most Unexpected Experience

Anjan called the  other day and said we could meet for lunch. Ram Jayam was in town and a few others would join - Ram, my brother, Vikram. Vidya, Vemuri, Vasu from Indian Express and Srikanth Tirumala. We were all chatting and suddenly Srikanth turns to me and says 'Hey Hari, I met this cousn of mine yesterday and he has a son named Harimohan. When I told him I knew a Harimohan he sauid he named him after a Hyderabad fast bowler Harimohan who also wrote the story for Golconda High School.'

I brushed him off. No way I said. You're joking.

I'll show you said Srikanth and sent me a forward and some pics. This was the text.   

"VN.Gopal named his son after up&coming Hyderabad Ranji Fast bowler HariMohan.             Happy to share Vangipuram HariMohan was also enthusiastic cricketer. Still playing small time cricket in Bay Area, California."

Gopal and Harimohan

And again - Father and son

I was still not believing him when Srikanth got Gopal on line and gave me the phone. Gopal sounded happy to be speaking to me. He played cricket as a youngster - cricket crazy he said. He would follow all league scores etc. He himself would play a lot of cricket even in Ramagundam where he worked for the FCI. He would bowl cutters and get many wickets. He remembered playing Kesoram Cements and getting them all out for 40.

'I watched your debut match at Sirpur Kagaznagar,' he said. 'You and Venkatapathi Raju made your debut.' 

That was a happy debut for me - I got five wickets - one and four. The second innings four was one of the best spells I ever bowled.

'I named my first son after Sandeep Patil,' said Gopal. 'He is now in Australia. And my second son was born around that time I saw this match. So I named him Harimohan.'

Hari looks like a happy, enthusiastic guy and I am sure he plays much better cricket than I do. I am so happy to be sharing my name with him anyway.

I am still not inclined to believe that Gopal named him 'after' me. But what a terrific story. I told Gopal to drop in at home sometime and we could catch up some more. He said he would.

I loved the story. I loved the way it came up. And I loved the connections. God does work in mysterious ways. Thanks Srikanth for adding a lovely moment to my life.  

A Nice Reminder Out of the Blue - Thanks Namrata

 One fine day I found a message in my Whats App from Namrata Thakur who worked with us at Gap Miners as an intern. She was a great learner always willing to push her limits. I remember she would make notes and discuss with me after class and once even fought to be part of a workshop I had done. This is what she sent.

 

I was like - hey where did you get that from?

And then this

Apparently she is reading it again. Makes all the effort seem worth it. Thanks for sharing Namrata. :)

Rakesh Jhunjhunwala on Money - Thanks Suresh for Sharing

 At EVOKE 2012, an idea-sharing event organised by the US consulate in Mumbai, Jhunjhunwala explained what money meant to him. His words of wisdom will continue to inspire generations to follow. (Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, the legendary investor who passed away on Sunday, August 14, morning.)

If you ask me what money means, I'd say it's used as a means of exchange, among other things. But J Paul Getty, one of the world's richest men, said: If you can count it, you don't have enough of it. Money is the harsh reality of life. Some love for it, some die for it, some use it well, some waste it, most fight for it, but most others desire it.

After having earned so much, I have realised one thing -- that money cannot be an end to itself. Money has got five crore good things, just one really bad thing: you can't take it with you. 

Take me as an example. At the age of 50, for a man who smokes 25 cigarettes a day and drinks six pegs of whiskey, doesn't exercise and eats like a pig, there is limited life. 

For the last 25 years, I have fought day and night to earn this money, but what is it doing for me? Or rather, what am I going to do for it? What is this money going to mean for my children beyond a certain level? We all know that money surpasses generations, countries, cultures and religion.

There is this famous saying in Hindi: 'Zar zameen aur jaydaat, har jhagde ka jad hai' ('Money is the root cause of all evil').

But I think that every rose comes with a thorn.

Money is a cause of dispute, evil and causes a lot of problems but in the end, it is something one should desire. Money means wealth, and wealth means power.

A lot of times, when I think about money, I realise that I have far less wealth than people think I have, but far more than what I actually need. Wealth also has a purpose in life.

If you were to ask me, I have come to one conclusion that I stand by -- that as long as I use the right means, I have the legitimate right and the ambition to desire the greatest wealth of the world.

Money also causes a lot of envy and misdeeds which I would like you to avoid.

I belonged to a middle class family. When I was young, I had very rich friends. But my father taught me: Always aspire, never envy.

So, if you meet someone who is rich or powerful, always aspire (to be like them), but never envy. Because envy causes anger and disputes.

What else can I say about money?

I can say that it attracts a lot of young women, it also attracts women of all ages, but they are not necessarily of the desirable kind. I am telling this to you from my experience.

I would also like to tell you about my experiences with my father and what he had to tell me about money.

All his life, he was only concerned about one thing: What I should be doing with my wealth. He was a middle class guy and I lived with him for as long as he was alive. He never lived in my house, I lived in his. My father was never concerned about how much wealth I had, his only concern was how much charity I did.

When I became rich and he came to know of it for the first time, he called me up and said, "Naya paisa hai, aur naye naye paise ki garmi bhi bahut hoti hai" ("It's new money, and new money is accompanied by a lot of heat"). He told me that increasing one's expenses was very easy, but reducing them was very difficult.

My father taught me the importance of dena (giving) and daan (donating). He said that if anyone knocked on my door and asked for money, I must give him Rs 100 or Rs 1 lakh, depending on what I felt like, but never let him/her leave empty-handed. Always donate, he said.

When my father came to know that I was among the Forbes list of billionaires, he said, "I am very happy to know that you are on the list. But aren't you shameful? You have billions of dollars of money, but you can't give away a few dollars in charity? Go and die in a pail of water," he told me.

A lot of people ask me: How does it feel to be rich in a poor country?

Let me correct you, I don't think India is a poor country. We are very rich in culture, food, resources, thought and also in our film industry. So, I don't feel guilty at all.

Renowned British beaureaucrat Winston Churchill once said: Equality of mankind is a myth, equality of opportunity is a possibility.

So, as a rich man, I would like to ensure that all Indians have equal opportunities.

Looking back, I feel I would not have been so rich if India had not been a prosperous country. When I started my career in the stock market in 1985, the index was 112 (points). Today the index is 20,000, which itself is reflective of the growth and prosperity of our country. If this prosperity had not come to our country, I would never have been as rich as I am today.

I also feel very happy and lucky that I worked in the post liberalisation era. Today, I feel India is entering its second path of liberalisation. It is this liberalisation that has allowed people to generate wealth. You get to see so many young billionaires in India today.

And people from other parts of the world are unhappy at the fact that India has more entrepreneurs and billionaires than China. It only reflects that India promotes private enterprises and encourages capitalism better than China.

I also strongly feel that the only way we can get rid of poverty is by creating growth. At the same time, let us not worry about how the cake is being divided. Let us instead worry how large the cake is going to be. The moment the cake gets large, it gets divided better.

German socialist (Karl) Marx was a true visionary, especially when he said: You will achieve capitalism, through the means of communism.

Do you know which countries today have the highest per capita income, the highest rate of taxes and the highest rate of social welfare? It is the Scandinavian countries. Also, 70 per cent of babies in these countries are born out of wedlock. This only means that these countries have achieved the highest level of socialism and social welfare through the means of capitalism.

I would like to appeal and add that us Indians should work to make a much larger cake than we currently have.

Will I ever stop working if I have ten times the wealth I currently have? The answer is, I won't!

Let me tell you I am still a middle-class man. I value every paisa I spend.

When you pursue a woman, the hunt is always better than the kill. It's the same about money. The enjoyment in earning it is far better than having it.

What has money done for me?

It has allowed me to travel in a Mercedes instead of a Maruti car, I live in a 5,000 sq foot flat instead of a 1,000 sq feet flat. In place of smoking a Four Square cigarette, I now smoke India Kings, I drink Blue Label whiskey instead of Diplomat. Besides that, money hasn't made much difference to my life.

The giver of wealth is God. Rakesh Jhunjhunwala is what he is today because he has the grace of God and the blessings of elders. Never forget that in your life.

All the adjectives in life --- beauty, power, hunger, wealth, happiness etc -- are all temporary and are each given to us by Him. So when he gives us so much wealth, he also entrusts some duty on us. That this money be used for social purposes. I don't think giving is giving, I think that giving is duty.

Today I donate 25 per cent of my income to charity. In 2020, either a billion dollars or 25 per cent of my wealth, whichever is lesser, I am going to donate as charity.

Money has a purpose and a responsibility. Making the first million is always difficult, the second is not so difficult, the third is even easier.

What you do to money is not very important, but what money does to you is very very important.

Let it not change you as a human being. Let it not change your attitude towards your friends, family and the people who you've grown up with.

The things money can buy are certainly important, but the things money can't buy are the most important in the world -- integrity, love and happiness.

What else can I say about money? Strive for it, fight for it and use fair means. Love, but don't love for it.

Everybody comments on what s/he doesn't have. Today, I have far better things in life than money, but not health. God has given me everything -- wealth, success, a good wife and good friends. I wish He gives me good health.

I would like to conclude by saying: Never forget that money is the means to the world, but not the end of it.

Thought for the Day - Others Seem to Hold My Emotional Handles

 Each time I get upset, I seem to be manipulated by someone who has an emotional handle into me.

I don't think that's true.

If I have given them those handles, it's time to remove them. They cannot turn my handles. Makes no sense. I'll be a puppet if they have control over those handles.

Unhook the handles. Let no one bother you.  

Thought for the Day - If I Replace 'Doing' With 'Enjoying' Life Would be a Party

 'Doing' things or work is heavy.

Instead if we say we are 'enjoying' work, it feels different. Drop the doing. Start enjoying.

Thought for the Day - Feeling Hurt is Pure Manipulation

 Feeling hurt is pure manipulation.

Stop making others responsible for your feelings. Own your feelings. Stop manipulating.

Thought for the Day - Remove Excessive Feelings, You'll Be Fine

 There's a danger to feeling excessively. It takes you into realms that are imagined.

Instead, remove all the extra feelings you have built in and things are fine. Deal with life as it comes - with acts, not with feelings. Much easier.

Thought for the Day - Empathise Only as Much as Needed

Do you catch yourself thinking too much about other people and how their lives are etc? Do you let that get to you?

One way to get into spirals is by empathising a lot more than needed. There is some term for them - empaths - or something. Over empathy can drag you into other people's spirals way more than they may be feeling it themselves.

Save yourself the trouble. Stop thinking so much about the other people and stay with yourself. They can take care of themselves. You take care of yourself.  

Thought for the Day - When Things are Uncomfortable, You Need to Answer the Right Question

 There are times when we leave a conversation or whatever dissatisfied, uncomfortable. Something does not seem to fit. It's a gray area. If we leave it like that, it does not resolve itself.

Normally we tend to make some conclusions and leave them at that.

But the gray area is about a question not answered. It could be a subtle thing that you are seeing differently. What happens is that one of you concludes that this is the right answer and both reluctantly agree. It might fit one person's scheme of things but it does not fit the others. There is discomfort. We leave with a conclusion that is not satisfactory.

 It upsets us.

That's when we need to be honest and figure what's the right question? What's the unanswered question? Being honest is that - find that gap in that space and address any dishonesty that does not add up. There will be one question that will make it come to light? That will make things light. Find that question and stay with it without trying to quickly conclude.

You will find out the gap and you can address it. Once you find it, the heaviness lifts. It becomes easy and light.

Find that question and address the gray area. You will get over the discomfort. In fact you will get over most discomforts in life if you stay with the quest to fill the gaps with the right answers (not the convenient answers)   

Flags Everywhere - 75 Years of Independence on Show

 I heard somewhere that some 20 lakh flags were distributed by the GHMC in Hyderabad. I did not have anyone knocking my door to give me a flag but when I walk around the colony I saw some houses had put up the flag. Then I saw that the same houses put up more than one flag. Some flags were on poles, some hung cross the front walls and so on. I saw autos having flags, cars having big flags. At the petrol station I saw the attendants dressed out in tricolour and flags and balloons all over. I even saw an auto driver with the flag driving against the flow in a one-way -freedom at its best.

The people in our colony organised a parade with the children  - or rather a rally -with cycles and walkers shouting Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata ki Jai. My friend Dr S Patnaik donated a new flag post and a bigger flag this year.

One interesting visual I saw was near a shop at Maitrivanam where a bunch of Muslims, dressed all in white, put up flags, balloons, a picture of Mahatma Gandhi, and played patriotic songs. It was really nice to watch.

My financial consultant sent me a package through Amazon - a flag and many small paper flags and some stickers. Going by the number of flags one would say that certainly we are at the height of patriotism. Now what exactly is patriotism? Love for the country. Love for its people. For its laws. For its Constitution. That's what I would think.

Tomorrow I am wondering what will happen to these lakhs of flags? 

But those minor worries apart - I never saw so much fervour ever.    

Shyam Singha Roy - Movie

 Many people recommended this so I watched it. An aspiring film director is making a short film to showcase his talent. It's fun and games as he shows great diligence in getting the right cast etc and finds the perfect heroine for his short film. However during the making of the short film he gets whacked on his head and that provokes certain sleeping thoughts in his subconscious with not nice results - for instance he calls his girl friend just when they are about to sleep by another woman's name, putting an end to that relationship.

That's still pretty small considering that he is jailed for plagiarism and he finds a lawyer who fights a losing battle - the publisher of the original work has a copy of the book written by Shyam Singha Roy (terrible background score that yells SSR all the time). Word to word he has copied and I am happy the opponent lawyer did not ask for death by hanging the way they were going. But in a twist they find that SSR's story fifty years ago is relevant. But who will believe this story?

Here and there it goes until it is finally resolved neatly - with clinching proof that this young director is indeed possessed by SSR or is SSR himself. Some questions arose of course - if SSR had to write his story again, why would he write this same story again? Why not a new story? Why write same stories that have been written fifty years ago? Then, if he can remember certain parts of his life word by word I am sure there must be other stuff he can do as well - but SSR sticks mainly to rewriting his story and in the end meeting his wife Rosie (who was a devdasi whom he had rescued causing much heartburn in the local masses including his murderous family). Actually come to think of it, SSR himself cops a couple of fellows and his two older brothers cop him. Jail for plagiarism?

Anyway, not to ask stupid questions and enjoy the movie. Nani makes it all believable and its only when we have more time on our hands do we come up with questions like this. But those apart - the wailing behind of Shyam Singha Roy - like he is a Singham did not make sense nor was it pleasing to hear. 

   

Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

 I needed to get this off my list so I got myself a copy. Niezsche's work is considered one of his best and he has his Prophet Zarathustra coming down from the hills and telling his followers his ideas about the world. He believes that man is living below his potential and that a superman lives within us and our job is to sacrifice ourselves to bring the superman into existence.

One line stayed - that we do not enjoy life enough. I agree. We're too worried about dying that we do nto live enough. Anyway in many discourses he speaks of joys, passions, reading and writing, chatity, friends, neighbour-love, old and young women, child and marriage, voluntary death, priests, the virtuous, poets, the higher man and so on and so on. He speaks from the sense of a common man and 'overturns many precepts of Christian morality'.

Written in a style that was not very easy to comprehend but one can sense is full of deep thought. Knocked it off the list and that's about it.

    

Thought for the Day - Choose Your Mountain

 So we choose our mountains to climb in our life.

Pic Satish N

What we choose to climb is our choice.

So choose carefully - because you are climbing some mountain or another always. Make it worth it. Make it grow you.

Don't climb any random mountain. Drop those useless ones - find something worthy.

Thought for the Day - It's Air that Keeps Our Story Alive

 Consider this.

Pic courtesy - Satish Nargundkar

There's air that we breathe that keeps us alive. As long as we are alive, our story is alive. The moment we stop breathing, our story ends.

It's this invisible air that is keeping our story alive.

So what are we doing with our story? With all these breaths that are keeping us going. What exactly have we built, created? What do we plan to create with our remaining breaths? 

Unfold your story. Breathe in fully.

Feedback Series - Arts Management

 Now this is one course I love taking - the Arts Management course in the Department of Dance at the University of Hyderabad. The course is to help the students manage their career as an artiste and involves everything like learning approaches. skill development, self management, performance management, people management, marketing management, financial management and even  energy management. 

Class of 2022

All these years I have not really asked for written feedback but this year I did. I'll post it here and keep adding as and when I get more.

1)

Hello Sir,

I'm wholeheartedly giving my feedback. 

I learned a lot of things from your class, the way you motivated us is the next level. Before the Arts Management course I don't know how to manage my dance career, but after listening to our classes now I got a clarity regarding my dance career that is how to manage an institution, how to earn money, what is the right way to achieve our goals, what is the exact plan to reach our dreams and how to walk in the right path. These things I learned a lot from you. The Vision Statement is the first thing I started to build a career..the 4 steps to rapid skill acquisition i.e. deconstruct the skill etc...habits, the 2 minute rule and learning mindset...these are the building steps for my career sir...My goal is to start an institution, you gave clarity by teaching the 4Ps and the 3 As and finally you gave clarity about the financial management with all these works. I already started implementing these rules which you have taught...Teaching is different but you have los of patience sir...you are listening to each and every student's problems and their experiences and guiding them accordingly in the class.Thank you so much sir.

-Gone Bhargavi, MPA, 2022

2) 

Hai sir
Sahithi here

I am really very happy with your course sir, because learning dance is regular and it will go with a flow. But knowing our laggings and also making them correct is very important for us to grow, you gave that for is as much as possible. At first we thought it is a basic theory subject, but in entire MPA course, your course is the best one (heartfully).
And moreover you are treating is like your menties....it is a very good strength for us, may many students like us waiting for someone like you, we know our wrongs and lags, but we don't know how to correct them, but you are making them in right way.

Sahithi

3) 

Hello sir,
The course taken on Arts Management was inspirational. The topics covered under this course helped me to look at my goals logically and helped me figure out the small steps in achieving them. It gave me the right direction to work and help me build a positive attitude towards life.
As the sessions involved a lot of discussions, it helped me to speak up my mind and put my thoughts out there. It would have been better if we could even involve other Professors in one such session as you mentioned and if the course could be introduced from the 3rd semester itself as we would have time to monitor our development accordingly and would be able to have a healthy discussion with you regarding our progress.

Lastly, I would like to thank you regarding the efforts you have made in preparing the course pattern which is very unique and different topics that can be used in the field of dance which gave me the ability to look at my life from varied perspectives.

Thank you once again.

Jeevana Srinivas

4) 

Hello sir,

I would like to thank you for the wonderful sessions given by your sir.. Though I have attended few classes but in those only I have understood what is going to be the next life.. especially the 4 P's and 3 A's concept was very interesting for me.. and this subject is like a kind of motivation for us.

I also observed that you have lot of patience sir.. which I really don't have but by seeing your patience even I also want to be like you sir.. In a simple words you are the best teacher, mentor, motivator and a person inside out..

Thanks
Yamini Reddy

5) 

Hello sir,

I am S S R N Lavanya.I fully enjoyed your lectures, you explained everything in detail and it made it easier for me to understand. The topics we learned are very useful for our future. After listening to your lectures we got some clarity about our future gaols, and how to deal with it. We planned everything with our visions we will work for it Thank you so much for showing the best way sir.

Thanks
S S R N Lavanya

Darlings - Movie

 2022. Hindi. Alia Bhatt's first ventures as producers I thinks and commendable one justs for taking on somethings experimentals and reals. It's known that we hypocrites would not like our protagonists to kills or thinks of anything nasty untils we are forced to - and that some people in our ecosystems like mothers etc cannot be killers. But we sees that every days yet - we will rejects it even if its a storys.

So we have two darlings, Alias and Hamzas, in a lovey dovey love marriages, but only that Hamz is an alcoholics and a fellow with a splits personality. One is sweets and calls his wife 'darlings' and the other beats her ups and throws her down flights of stairs etc. But Alias believes he will change each time despite her widowed mother Shefali telling her that a scorpions cannot change its natures. So they go on until Alias loses her baby and she decides to turn things around a bits. What we do realise is that there are enough scorpions and frogs all around us. Nice ending. Makes you think. Good performances all arounds.

Thought for the Day - Life's Only About Now, Don't Fight the Future

 You realise that all we have is now. That the future and any speculation on it is pointless. To hold people to promises to be redeemed in the future makes no sense because the future is not here yet.

You're better off living and killing off each moment as it comes and goes. Don't project this moment into the future and mess what could be a better future than you can conceive. Don't limit it, don't fight it.

Let it come. Until then, be grateful for the last memory. For the present. The future will unfold magnificently. If you let it.  

Thought for the Day - Replace Judgment With Wonder

 When we replace judgment with wonder, we move from knowing the answers to being in a questioning mode. A wondrous mode.

So?

So, instead of one possibility, we now have many possibilities. Isn't that beautiful?

Thought for the Day - Each Scene is a Story in Itself

 It's true. Every scene is a complete story in itself.

If we go deep into it.

Our life is like that. If we delve deep into our life, we find a story in every moment we live. Live deep.

Thought for the Day - Real Work is Only When you Lose Yourself In It

 Whatever you are doing, real work is only done when you lose yourself in it.

Until then, it's not work.

Thought for the Day - When Things Overwhelm, Slow Down

 When things overwhelm you, slow down to your pace.

Overwhelm means that you are running faster than your pace. Take it easy. Cut your pace. Chill. The world won't end. 

Do it at your pace. The world will adjust.

Smile. You're the boss of the world.

Thought for the Day - The Wisdom of Life is in Removing the Unnecessary

 Simple as that. Deal with only what's necessary, what's before you. Cut out all else form your thought and your energy.

You'll be in great space. Just you and what's necessary, what is before you. All your extra thoughts about others, what they think, what they feel etc, just dump. Nobody is even thinking about you.

Life's simple.

Thought for the Day - Laughter Cuts Attachment

 When there's pain, there's attachment.

Not the best time to laugh but try it - laughter does cut attachment. 

Look at your situation. Find humour in it. You realise that pain and humour are closely connected (see how much we laugh at Tom and Jerry and their pain).

God gave us the perfect antidote for pain. Laughter. Look for it and you're done.

Thought for the Day - Expectation is Self Punishment

 To expect is to set yourself up for self-punishment.

It's better to be grateful to whatever comes your way.  But then we feel, we have a right to expect. When we love a person, a thing, a star, we expect them to be a certain way. That is the measure of our love.

Our love is built on expectations - you give this (and that what I see as love) and then, I will give you love back.

But that might not be love - simply because you love the person for what they are.

But then you say angrily, what about all that I am giving that person, my unconditional love etc? If I do not give all that will that person remain? Without all that, that person, thing will vanish because I have nothing to give, to worship, to love.

Ah, I guess one must love the person or thing in whatever capacity they/it appears to you - no more and no less. And just because you made her/it bigger in your eyes does not mean they need to behave a certain way.

Scale down expectations. Scale down transactions. Take what is. Leave what is not. You will find you have enough time for yourself, your own life.  

Zero to One - Peter Thiel

The tag line - 'Notes on Startups or how to build the future' is what it is about. Thiel. promoter of PayPal along with very big names like Elon Musk and others, knows what he is talking about. He says build something that doe snot exist - that was zero - and take it to one. No incremental approaches, radical ones.

Startups, he says operate on the principle that you need to work with other people to get stuff done but you also need to stay smart enough so that you actually can. Which is true for most successful businesses I guess. Also, a startup is the largest group of people you can convince of a plan to build a different future.

One question he asks is - what important truth do very few people agree with you on?

Quickly Thiel proves that the dotcom bust threw up some answers such as - 

- better risk boldness 

- a bad plan is better than no plan   

- competitive markets profits

- sales matters just as products

To protect their market company tell lies about 1) monopoly lies 2) competitor lies 3) ruthless people

In a good start up, present value cash flows should be increasing.

The characteristics of a monopoly are

-Proprietary tech

- network effects

- economies of scale

- branding

To build a monopoly 1) start small and monopolise (start with a very small market and monopolise)

2) scale up 3) don't disrupt

To be a successful startup he says, the last will be the first (as opposed to the coventional first moved advantage)

Thiel takes off on Gladwell and rightly so and says we must believe we can control the future and we must be definitely optimistic. With good design, careful planning, long term planning we can pretty much get what we want to achieve. He says we are not lottery tickets. I agree.

Where it comes to money Thiel says Venture Capitalists aim to identify, fund and profit from promising early stage companies. hey hope to get a cut of 20% of returns. The law they follow is to invest in companies that have the potential to return the value of the entire fund. Every single company in a good Venture portfolio must have the potential to succeed at a vast scale. So they make few investments.

Thiel says instead of picking anything and being good at it, you must focus relentlessly on something you're good at doing if its valuable for the future.

Thiel says there are Conventions, Secrets and Mysteries. Startups are about secrets. Why there are not enough secrets is because of incrementalism, risk aversion, complacency and flatness. He says there are secrets of nature and secrets of people.

When you uncover a secret he says don't tell everyrone. And to find secrets, look where no one else is looking.    

When looking at founders, he says look for good co-founders who complement your skills, there must be a clear delineation of ownership, processes and control, who is off the bus and who is on it, and why equity makes immense sense.

The PayPal mafia was a happy bunch of co-conspirators he says who were happy together.

One way to figure how the startup works is 

- from the outside everyone in the company should be different in the same way

- from the inside every individual should be sharply distinguished by her work (they should be known for one thing)

In the end he says sales is as important as the product.

Thiel leaves you with seven questions

1) Can you create breakthrough technology instead of incremental improvement? - engg question

2) Is now the right time to start? - timing q

3) Are you starting with a big share in a small market? - monopoly

4) Do you have the right team? - people

5) Do you have a way to create and deliver your product? - distribution q

6) Will your market be there 10-20 years from now? - durability

7) Have you identified a unique opportunity that others cannot see? - secret

Thiel says that most founders are eccentric. He lists a bunch of American royalties in the end.

Overall good stuff. I bought this because one potential coachee wanted coaching on startup and left me with the book. I think it makes sense in many ways. Go radical, go for secrets no one has uncovered, start small, get into a monopolistic situation, give importance to sales and think long term. Sound stuff. And glad he went after Gladwell because Gladwell does leave you with questions without any real solution.   

 

Let Them All Talk - Movie

 2020. Meryl Streep plays a Pulitzer prize winning author who has been awarded an award in Europe - but she cannot fly - so the agency decides to send her by ship. She takes along with her two friends from thirty years ago, and a nephew. The executive from the lit agency also joins her furtively to get a sense of what she is writing about (I don't know why - because she will give it to them when the time comes anyway right?) Anyway turns out that there are more secrets and the author has drawn liberally from her life causing some divorces etc. (The most interesting parts were the escapades of Diane West which she reveals quite matter of factly!) In the end it all seemed rather pointless so despite it being a Meryl Streep movie, I would not recommend it.

   

Rocketry - Movie

 2022. Directorial debut by Madhavan and a story that was worth telling. I do remember the scandal caused by Mariam Rasheeda's accusations and the ISRO scientist being accused of selling information in return for sexual favours - but as usual no one told later that the case was thrown out, Nambi Narayanan acquitted, that he got compensation and that he got a Padma Vibhushan. Even more interesting is that no one is being held accountable for the charges made and the damage caused not just to Nambi Narayanan and his family but to the space satellite program itself. One wonders how such flimsy charges can hold, how those who make such charges get away without any accountability. I also remember how the authorities has put out lurid details of the Talwar case and never substantiated any of it. So I am glad Meghna Gulzar made Arushi and Madhavan made Rocketry. As a directorial debut, handling such a sensitive and complex case, well done Madhavan. 

I liked it. Worth watching certainly. Having watched Rocket Boys recently I am now up to date with our space program, with Homi Bhabha, Vikram Sarabhai. APJ Abdul Kalam and others. Thanks guys for making these and educating us!

   

Anjali - An Interview with Niveditha Indrajit

 Niveditha and Anjali in a freewheeling interview. Niveditha began as Anjali's art teacher, grew her from merely painting to exploring several aspects of her artist's side, expanded Anjali's mind (and ours) when she proposed an exhibition (we had to scale down from the Marriott to our home but it was fun and not just one, we had two exhibitions), and further on to explore herself as a person and how to look at life with different perspectives, taught her all she knew about dogs and how to care for them and in the process built on Anjali's great love for dogs and animals, and slowly morphed into her mentor, guide, friend and laughter companion. So it was no surprise that they did an interview and here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnSoNqPWGw4

  Good one Niveditha and Anjali. I enjoyed watching it. 

Anjali - True Love!

 Every day at 330 pm, Akela rushes out to the front yard and sits in this position waiting for Anjali who she knows will come sometime between 345 and 350. She sits still and waits until Anjali comes and then dissolves into some funny shapes overcome by joy at seeing her mistress.

Akela waiting!

I can hear her rush at 330, as if some alarm went off. What is it if its not true love?

And the Canteen Fundas Saga Ends!

 What started as a column in the Edex page of the New Indian Express on August 27, 2019, thanks to Vasu, the then Chief Editor and Daniel Thimmayya and Seema Rajpal who handled the education supplement, Canteen Fundas came into existence as a 450 word column. The column was envisaged as a conversation between three students - one senior and wiser and the other two junior - Rakesh being senior and Rinku and Rahul being junior. It was a print version initially so we had to send in our columns by Monday latest and they would appear the next Monday. I would share the column with a few friends and family, some students and like minded people initially, and then to some more.

Then the COVID 19 happened and the column continued as print edition until it shifted to digital version. Then the word count was limitless and we called it eCanteen Fundas. In the early days we had to sending a concept by Saturday so the illustrator could do an illustration and the article could go in on Monday. They would do such lovely illustrations too.

I'd write the article and then run it by Shobhs and Anjali for their editing inputs and they'd patiently help. I even hired Anjali at 250 rupees an article to run through and give me a go ahead. Many articles I would reach out to those who were experts in that area so I would not make an error. Many times i would revise the article and trouble Seema who might have set the page but I felt the revision would convey the message better.

When I shared the article I would get all kinds of responses. Krishna, Chitra would read every article and comment on it. Tanuj would have a breezy take on it. Papa Raju would comment on those he liked. Tops would almost always comment. Pratap would send a thus up. Naren would comment. For a brief while Sheelu was very interested and then it got too much for her. Mahesh Bhogawar would share it on his groups. Farrukh Azam and Arif would always comment on the school group while Malli, Sridhar and others would comment on the cricket groups. Abhinay would comment on them here. Vasudha would instantly analyse and take the lesson. Smitha would always give me an instant and positive feedback on how it would help young kids. Dr Anuradha would comment on how it made her Mondays so bright and so would Dr Pushpa. Too many to mention really but one thing that I really liked was that it would somehow establish connection every week.

Now, it has come to an end. Yesterday's was the last piece. I received this lovely mail from editor Seema.

"Dear sir 

Hope you are doing well. 

Times are changing and with that, Edex revamp is underway. In a mission to be more helpful to students, we are rebuilding our content from scratch, in which, news and columns will be a part of something that's much, much bigger. 

Keeping that in mind, we are evolving what we do now. You must have noticed on the current website, we are focussing more on newer aspects like exam alerts and so on. Columns are undergoing a retake as well, as discussed with you in an earlier conversation. 

On that note, it has been decided that E-Canteen Fundas will have to be halted.

On a personal note, there have been so many instances where I've drawn wisdom from your columns. The columns in which you were focussing on leadership especially are pieces that are close to my heart and something that I have been following in my personal life as well. I am sure this is true for our readers too, who look forward to the conversations between Rakesh, Rinku and Rahul that are enriching and offer eager youngsters treasured pearls of wisdom.

One more thing that I have always admired is the amount of work that you put into your columns. Apart from references to books, and philosophers, your attention to detail, so much so that you send revised columns and are always thinking about what will connect the best, is admirable, to say the least. It is inspiring. And urges us to do our best too.   

We've come a long way since our print days and we still have a long way to go. We hope we can count on your wisdom going forward as well. 

Meanwhile, if you have any feedback for us, we are all ears. Please know that it is highly valuable to us. 

Thank you for the opportunity of featuring your words on our platform.

Warm regards and full of gratitude, 

--

Seema Rajpal

+91 8939-801211

The New Indian Express"

And today I sent out a note to all on my broadcast list to thank them for being with me on this journey.

 "Dear friend, for the past three years, from August 2019, you’ve shared my weekly journey with Canteen Fundas, with Rinku, Rahul and Rakesh, and listened to their conversations, worries and apprehensions. It’s been a journey that has been deeply satisfying for me, and I hope it has in some measure been of use to you. 

As all good things, the time has come for Canteen Fundas to end. The last column of yesterday is indeed the last of this series.

Writing the column has given me a lot of purpose, provoked thoughts and mostly helped me keep my sanity through the pandemic and the rough times of the last few years. 

I’m so glad I could share this journey with you. Your comments and calls, your thoughtful and measured responses, have not only kept me going, encouraged me, but also made me write better, think better. Made me a better person through this process surely.

Thank you so much for indulging me for all this time. Hopefully when there’s another column, we’ll meet again like this. 

Until then, with the deepest gratitude for staying with me all through patiently. Lots of love and affection. (From  Rinku, Rahul, Rakesh and me)"

And I got a flood of messages which I will retain here.

 Oh, oh Hari, Enjoyed reading them. Good life lessons that sometimes we tend to forget – G Krishnan

Thank you for writing beautifully 👏👏👏👏  You are an inspiration to me and many. God bless you always.... Keep following your dreams. Keep writing....😇😇😇😇 – Namrata

Oh...that is sad. Moving on to someting else?- Anwar

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾. Wow, three years. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and philosophy with us.- Kiri

Oh damn, will definitely miss all the above. It was nice knowing all of them - Don

Rinku, Rahul and Rakesh; 3 guys, 3 years. Next time add more characters...😊 – Sanjay

Hello sir, we had absolute joy and great insights reading your thoughts in Rinku, Rahul and Rakesh's conversations. Thank you for the efforts of sharing them every Monday. It kept reminding us our university classes and the many lessons we discussed. Will cherish them. Hope to read your column soon! – Sravya

Thank you for all sharing to us sir. I started reading from  just a few months ago. Chala manchi concepts ni conversations ga your writings was so simple to  read and very thought provoking. Congratulations on these successful writings sir. Many more to come ✨ - Gangadhar

Will miss your column Hari. Waiting for a new series & wishing you all the best – Sarita

Hari bhai E-canteen fundas can be captured in a book form or pdf for publishing..Sridhar Pulei

Bhidu, whatever you write...comes straight from the heart and is supposed to serve a purpose. I'm sure your piece has helped a lot of deserving teenagers 👍��...looking forward to the next round...!!! – Satish Singh

The canteen fundas are thought provoking,  enlightening..  I used to wait for the post... I shared almost all posts to many people including youngsters, corporate employees etc... I will miss them... Waiting for another column very soon💐💐💐 –Venkataramana

So the mindfulness was a swan song 🎉 Great fundas bro, the RRR trio kept piling on the pro tips which I will surely miss, until you swing the bat again in the near future. Looking forward bud 🤝 – SV Ramana

Great efforts Hari bhai. you kept the motivation going during unforeseen pandemi times 🙏🙏💐💐🤝🤝👌👌👏👏 – Dr S Sridhar

Hari your summation of each article with a pro tip is always thought provoking. I enjoyed sharing the articles with my family, friends and especially my kids. I always thought after every article that the subject is so simple but still all of us tend to ignore it or keep it pending. Thank you for all the subtle insights u have given us all these days. Hope this is  just the beginning of more interesting things to come. Looking forward to many more. Well done Hari.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 – Vijay

Great 👍 looking forward for the upcoming column. Keep Up The good Work Hari – Akram

Well done Hari bhai as usual you rock 👏👏 – Mohib

It really is a very good column mama. Sad it's ending – Yash

Oh no!! Why???. 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️

Good afternoon, They were too good and thought provoking...Will miss them and will wait for another series from you Sir. Thanks – Naveen Chauhan

Oh how sad Harry ! But all good things have to come to an end 🤗 And fresh good things will start ! – CV

Thanks Hari. I have enjoyed reading your posts and appreciate the wisdom you have shared. Best wishes - Vivek Pande

Congratulations Sir💐💐 for successful completion of Canteen Fundas Series.  Canteen Fundas weekly articles helped me in many ways,  personality development, problem solving skills, looking at the things from different point of view. I will be looking forward for your Next Articles Sir.🙏 – Sravan HCU

Omg! Your columns have given me hope, supprt and wisdom in times of distress. True, everything must end one day.. Thank you for giving me goodness, and wisdom through your lovely characters, Hari! – Ram Roam Films

Sad. You should put them together and make another book. What say..Vidyuth

Didn't realize it's been three years... Week after week, you've shared with the young, "fundas" of daily life. Liked the way you structured these columns too: presenting a dilemma and articulating a solution in simple conversations. I enjoyed reading these... I wish you start a new column, or even a book again. Perhaps another novel, or something about cricket. Look forward... Best wishes – Jayanth Kodkani

Thank you so much for sharing the whole series😊 - Sruthy, UoH

🙏👍thanks for making us look forward every week...Hari...you are a rockstar..let's catch up.soon..Jaideep Pal

Loved reading them...Will wait for your next column – Lekha Nair

Dear Hari I read most of the articles thoroughly.twice I referred to the book you quoted from.i found it useful to apply some in my lday to day life. I highly recommend students to go through them . because I felt I would have benefited a lot if there was a column like this in newspapers.i remember The Hindu on Wednesday had a column. We are students althrough our lives.always needing some practical guidance something which is applicable in my life.being in the teaching line I strongly believe in a systematic approach to any problem and for that I feel any counseling based on a scientific approach is necessary.that way I really liked and read and sometimes re-read your columns.i feel Students need this rather than random advices.i shared some with Abhi.so a big Thank you.A job very well done.A column I always looked forward to.done with real passion and diligence.my best wishes in all such future endeavours from you.Hari.All the best and I will miss Rinku Raul and Rakesh bhaiya.- Nalini

No wonder yesterday's column was much more elaborate and loaded... 😀..it was a nice idea which must have resonated we with the intended TG .. 👍- Salil Datar

🙏🏻"Lots of Learning" from your experiences shared through the column bhai..enjoyed every topic and discussion points throughout. I look forward to many more moving forward. Thanks RRR and off course Hari bhai – Naren

End of one innings and beginning of the next , looking forward to your next column !  🎉- Pratap

Not done.. can't stop suddenly.. your messages were really so cool and satisfying.. I have been sharing your fundas with my near and dear.. Many thanks dear Hari for the lovely messages..Lots of love, Good Wishes and Regards, - Mahesh Bhogawar

You did a fantastic job in creating these characters and the central message to be conveyed - Suresh

Farewell, friends. Enjoyed Canteen Fundas, whenever I read it. Well done, Hari - Bro Jospeh

Thankyou sir! The stories resonated with me for sure :) - Kartik Kak

Surely it is a commendable effort from your side- presenting the management fundas in quite an interesting manner to the present generation through RRR (Rinku, Rahul & Rakesh). Await your future series- which I hope will be more interesting & participative Best wishes - Dilip

Hello Sir! Enjoyed reading your columns with nice and easy way of teaching great life skills and lessons. Though little irregular in reading them these days, I have saved all links to read them soon. Best wishes for all your future endeavours. Thank you.🙏 – Parijatha

It was good reading all your columns they have really helped Mohit a lot.looking forword for columns

Best wishes – Arvind

Thank you so much Hari for sharing the article all the time and help us to periodically introspect and progress.- Chandra

Thanks for sharing some great tips. 🙏🏽- Srikanth

Hey Hari. It was truly wonderful reading Canteen fundas. I've even managed to share it among some other friends and groups. Looking forward to seeing you come back with something new soon.😊👍🙏 – Sunil Jyothi

Hi Hari. Congratulations on writing this series so diligently and such diverse topics on management, self improvement, leadership, optimal performance, group dynamics etc. This should definitely become a book and I’m sure it’ll be hugely successful and perhaps mandatory reading from High School through graduation. Congrats once again! 👏😊👍 – Anil FT

 hey..Are u considering making the CF a book? Lot of insights-for not just Rinku, Rakesh and Rahul..Achyuth

Enjoyed every piece of this column Hari......you should make it a ready reckoner and possibly a Book. I am no expert here, but the idea is that a large section of people benefit from these invaluable pieces.

 Best wishes and looking forward to your next column !! 👍🙏 –Diwakar

We, your readers, too have been thoroughly entertained and enlightened by Canteen Fundas all along. Forget SS Rajamouli's film, your 'RRR' has been a bigger hit🙂. A sad moment but it's certain we'll all treasure and re-read the saved copies.Thank you, Hari.Tanuj

All the best in your new avatar 🙌👍 Subaraman

Good luck boss, For future endeavors Vasudha

Congrats Hari for keeping the column alive and relevant for 3 years.💐💐 Looking forward to new beginnings now👏👏Puppy

Awww...this is so sweet Reena

hi Hari, thank you, these articles have always added value to us. Hope there is some other avenue where you will be able to write such articles and keep sharing with us 🙏🏻Girish Belur

I will miss your articles sir. I have not missed a single article till now. Hope we will receive the articles soon☺️Kavitha Kulkarni

Awww.....it's the last one?? 😔 Sagarika

Thank you Hari for your thoughts sharing journey, many a times I was one of the trio (RRR : Rinku, Rahul or Rakesh) and I used to do course corrections with my approach/thought process. Suggestion: Am not sure,if all this put in a book preferably an e-book the reach will be beyond boundaries. Thanks again, will be looking forward for another spell from your end. It has so much of commonality with our life, relating is very easy. It did help me many times to correct my approach. Thanks again. Looking forward for the compiled book. Keep inspiring -Sreenu Lambu

Congratulations for completing 3 years and keeping us entertained...looking forward to more writing from you Vanathi

I'm yet to respond to your last piece, and you send me this :) The universe is telling you to do something else. Something bigger and better is waiting for you. Really enjoyed your insights, Hareeeeeee. - Krishna D

Oh. Another column ends!  Was a good one. - Sathya Saran

Sad to see your column end. You made me think. Ponder and react. Will miss that. - Vivek

Well done Bhai - Koni

All good things …… ….…. lead to the next better ones 😊 ! All the best 👍🏻 ! Kanchan

Oh, that's sad. Enjoyed your column and learnt from it, Hari. Now bigger and better things await you for sure! It can take new shape in a different place. - Chitra

Hearty congratulations the successful completion of your very interesting and engaging column Sir. Looking forward for many more - Aruna Bhikhsu

Enjoyed reading your column. The concept of Canteen fundas and your lucid style of writing on complex issues faced by youth has had a great impact. Eagerly waiting for more from you. - Mohan

Oh why have they stopped? Ahh too bad. I liked these ones - Sunil

Sir kind request if all these articles could be published as a Book. This wisdom should not be lost in time. - Lt Cdr Hemanth Kumar

Hi Hari, I shared your journey from Feb 2022,.Thank you for making me a part of the journey even if it was for a few months. Really appreciate and enjoyed the columns. Best wishes.Adithi

Awwww. Will miss the canteen fundas. Why is it ending - Shobhana

Hi sir...i hope you're healthy and fine.. thank you for the columns sir, they were helpful and the content was easy to understand. It was a pleasure reading them. Thank you for sharing the columns and hopefully more will follow in future. - Abdulla

RRR - we will miss you. Our week end readings will not be the same. Come back soon.🙏❤️Dr Krishnan

Yes Sir,  I'm very grateful for those Weekly Canteen Fundas that you've shared with me.  I loved them all. Hope to get your future articles. Kindest Regards! Nayak

Good one mate Hopefully you will start a new column mate  good luck in your future endeavours it sure was a pretty good journey am sure - Ved

You have written so many beautiful articles that made me think. Rather i am  grateful to you. -  Mangalatai

Marla and I attended a lecture by Thich Nhat Hahn in Los Angeles back in 1990!  Was nice to listen to him. He was soft spoken and spoke of this. I remember his "mindful dishwashing" example from then, and still practice it. Makes it (and other activities) enjoyable instead of a chore. Great way to end the series. - Satish

Ah! It was a fun and educational journey with you, Hari! I'm truly sorry that it ends. I'm also truly excited to see what begins in its wake! Tune me in, please. - Chaitu

Harimama, I have read almost all of the articles. They are great. You should publish this as it is great guidance for kids. Eager to see what your next series will be - Ajay

  😀-AThe 3R's will be missed terribly but  not Hari! Indeed they were peptalks disguised as small talk which are very essential for the teenagers of this generation who are devoid of basic social skills! Thanks, Congratulations & All the best Dear Hari! - Stay Blessed!🤝🌹 Benny

Thank you so much for all the  lessons you gave us through these stories Hari sir 🙏🏾 Truly inspiring! - Aditya Jella

Hi Hari, 

Thank you for making me part of the journey. The conversations and the deep messages have been extremely useful and reaffirmed that by being positive and mindful it is possible to live better. I shall be sharing these posts with the kids in the future too and hope that they find answers to problems they may be facing or simply move in a better direction. Thanks once again😊 Looking forward to the next series 👍🏼 - Anita Kiran

It’s pure discipline to write👏 It’s so much kindness and empathy to share your writings with others so that they benefit and get motivated👌 Salute you for your dedication 🙏 - Lalitha Anand

It's our pleasure to go through all your articles sir, thanks for sending us. Looking forward for your upcoming ones - Kumar Datta

Hello sir It has been pleasure receiving canteen Fundas column every week I enjoyed it.It was interesting, funny and very informative at the end. Infact u have put the conversations between the characters at a different dimension. Thank you sir for making me part of this journey looking forward for many more. Best wishes for ur future writings sir. Specially i liked the titles of the column - Radhika DoD

It was satisfying and helpful reading canteen fundas sir....Will eagerly wait for the next one sir.. 😇 - Anuradha Nayak

wow Hari. Was it 3 years. You did fantastic. 150 columns.. 150 topics. All were great and thought provoking. Thank You for taking time to guide the readers. Will be missing your articles. Hopefully you will start something else. - Priyanka Gontla

Enjoyed your articles. Forwarded to my daughter to help her. Learnt many a thing from your articles. Thanks and eagerly waiting for the new ones. - Mukundan

Hari....do bring out a compilation/compendium of all these articles. They need to preserved for posterity. - Bharadwaj

Dear Sir, I have learnt thru your writings a lot. It was very simple n superb. We pray n wish for your good health wealth and abundant of energy n happiness. Looking forward to see your writings again. Thx n regards. - ECS

I'm very grateful for those Weekly Canteen Fundas that you've shared with me. I loved them all. Hope to get your future articles. Kindest Regards! - Nayak

What! Why? I thought they would graduate and the series would morph into work related topics :( - Sheelu

Hey Hari. Will miss Rinku and the gang. Wish them well. - Madhav

While reading all your canteen fundas, I got some insights for doing my daily things a bit better. Also it helped to empathise in a better way with people around me to see things from their perspective. - Malay

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼another successful completion of teaching and learning😃 Thank you Hari, for sharing this series and journey with me too! Totally enjoyed exploring and learning, as much as Rinku, Rahul and Rakesh with your skillful nudging directing one to explore ones internal ability to discern and deal with concerns thoughtfully! 😃So onward to the next my Friend…👍🏼Best of luck and looking forward to whatever it is you’re gifting this time around to us fortunates! - Anu Naresh

Oh no uncle, this is so sad to hear!! The articles were amazing, the content was very informative and the conversation like format between the four made it very interesting!❤  If there is any similar project you're going to be working on, please do share it as well. I'd love to continue reading such content😄 -  Akshar

Dear Sir, It was hard for me to recollect that it has been almost 3 years since you began the Canteen Fundas column. I recollect our long conversations on few things that triggered me to reflect a lot. Your articles always bring an insight, idea or a thought to ponder on.  A lot of my Mondays I always began with your article. Thanks for always sharing the article with me. At times, I forgot to acknowledge, but I always read them. Looking forward to catching up with more characters like Subbu, Rahuul, Rinku and Rakesh. - Abhinay Renny

Dear Hari, thank you for sharing all the fundas!!! I enjoyed reading each one of them and honed/unlearned/relearned  some of the life skills. Look forward to your new columns. All the best for your future endeavours. - KN Chandrasekhar

Great job Hari .. I enjoyed reading all of them thanks for sharing 😊 - Prashanth Manjrekar

Dear Harimohan garu,

Thanks for making us a part of this wonderful journey.  I have learnt several things regarding attitude, time Management, organizational behavior etc through this journey. I strongly feel that you have to publish them as a book. Thanks again and best wishes to you. - Dr Anuradha Jonnalagadda

Thank you Harimohan..Your thoughtful articles have always given me a new perspective towards life..very often I have forwarded your articles to my children and they too have always found important life lessons in them..Thank you so much for your amazing articles. Wishing you all the very best for your future endeavours👍👍 - Suresh Chandra Chibb