Today I read an interview by Tal Ben-Shahar in TOI[Sunday, 18th Feb 2007] where he has summarized the essentials of happy living!?! It is of course based on personal experience and working at his own pat discomfiture. The header of the Interview says that he has paid some tributes to Hinduism & Buddhism.This vindicates the ancient wisdom of the sages and seers, even in our very modern and rational times. Material wealth does not ensure 'happiness' which has more to do with the mind than with what we have. The happy state of mind that follows the fulfillment of our cherished wishes will stay at peak for a few hours to a few days. The euphoria wears off and you are back to searching for something afresh to feed happiness fuel.
Of the several things that he[Tal B-S] suggests I found one thing particularly relevant to me. This is summarized as Lesson 2: [In a box titled Happiness Lessons ]. To quote:
" Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning.Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable [bold mine]. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters [ bold mine], moments throughout the week that provide you with pleasure and meaning. "
This is what I have been using to keep myself going without deteriorating the feeling of richness in the life that has been mine till date. As a professional engineer I had my dreams when I entered service: of making a significant contribution to technology within the boundaries of company policy. There was hardly any activity [that could be classified as a challenge] that led to developing technology, within our enterprise. In our enterprise all developments were driven by customer demand or insistence. None of the lofty self-initiated, inner-drive fuelled heralding of technology was possible. A company driven only by goals of maintaining the bottom lines, with the proportional amounts of turnover that were the dictates of the market and political situations that obtained in the country, rather than by any kind of insight or foresight or deliberate planning, had little to offer in terms of professional satisfaction that could have gone to make those 'highs' in one's professional life, an important component of happiness.
In the initial years, I had somatized this 'dissatisfaction' into bouts of hyper acidity and then the same manifested as migraines. The medical books tell us that migraines have, apart from food allergies, unfulfilled aggressiveness(UA) as one of the possible reasons. I tend to identify with UA as the chief reason, in my case. The first decade and a half I was battling the 'emptiness' of my professional life by trying to shift department, I mean work area, but then with company policy revolving around turnovers and bottom lines.
The one or two opportunities that lasted as brief as 47 to 50 days in my nearly two-and-a-half decades of professional life, pales in comparison to the years added to my life. If today I am better adjusted to the situation that obtains in my life which I call as a less than mediocre existence, it is only because I learnt the futility of pursuing the 'richness' that I desired in the environment I was in. So, I turned to the other passion of my younger days which was on a low key because of my being busy with enriching my professional life with relevant kind of experience.
Yes, I dusted my Sanskrit books somewhere along the line may be around 1984-89, and later more off and on, then again after 1999-2000. I read with absorption and lot of struggle to understand Kashika by Vamana and Jayaditya[K by V& J]. The challenge of piecing together this near-cryptical 'elucidation' of Panini's seminal work on Sanskrit Grammar viz., The Ashtadhyayi has given me sleepless nights and frustrated me often. This has satisfied my technical knowledge seeking appetite which I badly missed in my Engineering Life. I have always wondered on the technical perfection of Panini's systematization of Sanskrit Grammar. V & J have stayed faithful to the Panian order of the Vyakarana Sutras, bringing into relief the excellently organized Mind of Panini.It has ever been a treat to my mind since. For this, has triggered my creativity with the promise and prospect having my ideas bearing fruit, without the need of external help unlike in the case of following Engineering Excellence.
Thus it has been V&J's book which has kept my spirits high giving me a sense of accomplishment filling the emptiness of the lack in Engineering Excellence. I hope to see some very meaningful output coming in a few years from now and depending only on me. Swami Vivekananda has defined true education as the unfolding of the knowledge within. True ! one cannot really accept anything that is at variance form one's experience.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Logic of Taxation -2
There was this comment on my earlier blog on the same subject. The reader has got me wrong in that I wasn't pleading for the government to go soft on people serving in 'government'. I was talking for all people in service. The idea was to explore a way of keeping the Earnings-to-Tax ratios of the businesman and the serviceman on an equitable footing if not loaded in favor or the serviceman. The honorable reader had called my writing 'whining'. Well he/she is entitled to his/her opinion.
I still strongly feel, that we must write, argue & plead, with all the pen-power,lung-power, and the constitutional enforcements of individual rights that we can muster, to make an impression on governments, for in a democracy the voice of the people will have to be heard. I learn that India is one of the countries that taxes less!!! Of course in countries which do tax heavily, the government also takes welfare of taxayers, into consideration in the form of giving out dole, for those who are either unemployed or are thrown out of jobs due to market forces.
Again in those mature democracies where taxation is higher, there is also consciousness among people that everyone acts as an 'informer' to fix him/her tax evasion by notifying the IRS. And being hounded by the IRS is one of the most dreaded fears of an honest citizen. Till a few decades back, tax evasion was one of the biggest menaces but, democracy maturing and the general upward swing in real earnings for most Indians due to a buoyant market has even put politicians on a 'working spree'. I mean we are able to find more state-governments, and the center being lead by people who want to show they are working. IOW, more people seem to be wanting to pay the taxes. Forget about those in service in 'respectable' establishments in the public and private sector, who are taxed at source, but even among the businessmen of reasonable reputation the desire to pay taxes is rather pronounced.
I would like to visit this subject of taxation - I mean my version of equitable taxation a little later; after I collect the necessary statistics to work out the simple Math required for furthering, my argument for Equitable Taxation.
I still strongly feel, that we must write, argue & plead, with all the pen-power,lung-power, and the constitutional enforcements of individual rights that we can muster, to make an impression on governments, for in a democracy the voice of the people will have to be heard. I learn that India is one of the countries that taxes less!!! Of course in countries which do tax heavily, the government also takes welfare of taxayers, into consideration in the form of giving out dole, for those who are either unemployed or are thrown out of jobs due to market forces.
Again in those mature democracies where taxation is higher, there is also consciousness among people that everyone acts as an 'informer' to fix him/her tax evasion by notifying the IRS. And being hounded by the IRS is one of the most dreaded fears of an honest citizen. Till a few decades back, tax evasion was one of the biggest menaces but, democracy maturing and the general upward swing in real earnings for most Indians due to a buoyant market has even put politicians on a 'working spree'. I mean we are able to find more state-governments, and the center being lead by people who want to show they are working. IOW, more people seem to be wanting to pay the taxes. Forget about those in service in 'respectable' establishments in the public and private sector, who are taxed at source, but even among the businessmen of reasonable reputation the desire to pay taxes is rather pronounced.
I would like to visit this subject of taxation - I mean my version of equitable taxation a little later; after I collect the necessary statistics to work out the simple Math required for furthering, my argument for Equitable Taxation.
Thursday, February 8, 2007
The Logic of Taxation 1
I have always wondered about the logic of taxation. Of course the government machinery needs to run and everyone needs to chip in. The one with more money in his pocket has to put in more. One great reason for the one with more money to put in more into the exchequer is that he has more. But the question is why he should put in more. Again you will be told that you were able to lay hands on that kind of money because "government" made possible a society that obeys certain laws. It kept the criminals in check. It helped move away from 'might is right' law of the jungle, and made the physically weak intellectual create money and hold it with him/her without having to lose it to the the physically or numerically strong. Thus a part of your tax goes into this infraest of structures.
Next, there are the ones who make a pile in service and those who get it doing business - multiplying money by putting into some product or service that has a market and using the 'services' of those who are available at a price. The market logic dictates how much money gets into the service provider's pocket(here I mean the individuals who sell their labor(intellectual or otherwise). I agree that the Laws of Economics and the Market are inexorable. The businessman definitely gets to multiply his investment multifold, assuming he isn't a failure, the ratio of his income to the taxes he pays, how does it compare with that of a person who has only a service to offer i.e.his income-to-taxes ratio?
The man in business has several legal avenues to divert his precious money from getting into the exchequer. The man in service does have some of these too, only he doesn't have money left with him enough to get these going, I mean after meeting all his living expenses... I take the man in service to mean one who only has a service to sell but hasn't invested in stock or who is not in some odd or roundabout a way a businessman in some respects too!
Now, if Government were God should it not be concerned with maintaining the Income to Taxes ratio of the Businessman and the Serviceman on an equitable footing and in fact if Government is there to help the 'weak' survive long enough to be strong should it not be loaded in favor of the serviceman?
The question is: Does it really happen? Do governments really maintain these ratios?
Next, there are the ones who make a pile in service and those who get it doing business - multiplying money by putting into some product or service that has a market and using the 'services' of those who are available at a price. The market logic dictates how much money gets into the service provider's pocket(here I mean the individuals who sell their labor(intellectual or otherwise). I agree that the Laws of Economics and the Market are inexorable. The businessman definitely gets to multiply his investment multifold, assuming he isn't a failure, the ratio of his income to the taxes he pays, how does it compare with that of a person who has only a service to offer i.e.his income-to-taxes ratio?
The man in business has several legal avenues to divert his precious money from getting into the exchequer. The man in service does have some of these too, only he doesn't have money left with him enough to get these going, I mean after meeting all his living expenses... I take the man in service to mean one who only has a service to sell but hasn't invested in stock or who is not in some odd or roundabout a way a businessman in some respects too!
Now, if Government were God should it not be concerned with maintaining the Income to Taxes ratio of the Businessman and the Serviceman on an equitable footing and in fact if Government is there to help the 'weak' survive long enough to be strong should it not be loaded in favor of the serviceman?
The question is: Does it really happen? Do governments really maintain these ratios?
Monday, February 5, 2007
My weight control experiments..3
The other thing that I am avoiding on my diet is sugar. Sugar is one thing that transforms into fat. My brother V advised me to avoid coffee with milk, with or without sugar, that is the popular drink in India and an addiction in my case as he knows. It is time for me to move away from addictions or whatever, if I have to see positive results in these weight loss experiments.
So, I have stopped taking coffee on a regular basis.Even if I do take that will be at least without sugar.I have already replaced my morning cuppa with lemon tea with a little or no sugar. This must help in reducing the next 5 Kgs. This is the goal to be reached by 28th Feb 2007 i.e. to 85 Kgs.
But this also gets into trouble very often. Where coffee or tea need be taken by choice I can almost avoid. But when it is given for my 'guest appearance' I am sometimes hesitant to refuse. Now, that adds to my avoidable weight. I avoid eating the sweet at the customer lunch in my factory. But what do I do when I am offered the same at a birthday party? I was in the same predicament today, at the spread in lunch in my Dad's ceremony! Now seriously I have to decide and design some compensation techniques, to 'remove' the excess calories dumped into the body.
One question crops up in my mind again and again. How did the people half a century ago, I mean my father's generation, eat unrestricted food but lived up to 80 or more years. My grandfather for instance. He died at an age of 84 years. Only three things distinguish the likes of me from the men of old.<1>The absence 'stress' in their daily lives.<2> Food grown more organically <3> Their lives included a little more exercise due to the physical labor that was normal.
But what about my dad who died of 'stroke' after being in bed for 3.5 months! He was 79.There is my aunt of 82years from the same stock as my dad, who is obese, but she is able to move around still. Is it that our time on this planet is writ and any of these efforts to maintain our bodies is all a sham of modern medicine whose understanding of longevity is as much as that of a tribal? BTB I am averse to body-maintenance, through medicine as I have already expressed unless there is some higher purpose to living.
So, I have stopped taking coffee on a regular basis.Even if I do take that will be at least without sugar.I have already replaced my morning cuppa with lemon tea with a little or no sugar. This must help in reducing the next 5 Kgs. This is the goal to be reached by 28th Feb 2007 i.e. to 85 Kgs.
But this also gets into trouble very often. Where coffee or tea need be taken by choice I can almost avoid. But when it is given for my 'guest appearance' I am sometimes hesitant to refuse. Now, that adds to my avoidable weight. I avoid eating the sweet at the customer lunch in my factory. But what do I do when I am offered the same at a birthday party? I was in the same predicament today, at the spread in lunch in my Dad's ceremony! Now seriously I have to decide and design some compensation techniques, to 'remove' the excess calories dumped into the body.
One question crops up in my mind again and again. How did the people half a century ago, I mean my father's generation, eat unrestricted food but lived up to 80 or more years. My grandfather for instance. He died at an age of 84 years. Only three things distinguish the likes of me from the men of old.<1>The absence 'stress' in their daily lives.<2> Food grown more organically <3> Their lives included a little more exercise due to the physical labor that was normal.
But what about my dad who died of 'stroke' after being in bed for 3.5 months! He was 79.There is my aunt of 82years from the same stock as my dad, who is obese, but she is able to move around still. Is it that our time on this planet is writ and any of these efforts to maintain our bodies is all a sham of modern medicine whose understanding of longevity is as much as that of a tribal? BTB I am averse to body-maintenance, through medicine as I have already expressed unless there is some higher purpose to living.
Saturday, February 3, 2007
My weight loss experiments...2
The serious weight control that I had to work out egged me on to visit several sites in addition to Real Age.From what I read I decided to do it in stages of 5 Kgs each. The first stage was to be achieved by diet control alone.
A staple rice eater, and rice being a carbohydrate source, the first thing I did was to reduce the quantity of rice eaten to a third of what I ate usually. That is, restricted the rice eaten to three handfuls of cooked rice per meal.My wife cooperated by not using oil in cooking.
I added salads to increase fibre in diet. At the office canteen cut vegetables were available raw, so I made this a major part of the meal. I cut out curds and other deep-fried-in-oil goodies that are thrown in on some days.
A month into this regimen and I weighed myself. I weighed 89.2 Kgs. That was a drop of 5.8 Kgs. This was noticed by our ED too.This 'achievement' was followed by a tour- the real problem- and the travel did add some weight - yeah I was up by about 1Kg.
I am still on this. Beginning, Feb 1st, 2007 I have added walking. I plan to walk to my office a distance of 3.5 KM. This I do as briskly as I can but it does take 45 mins. By end Feb I hope to lose another 5 Kgs.
A staple rice eater, and rice being a carbohydrate source, the first thing I did was to reduce the quantity of rice eaten to a third of what I ate usually. That is, restricted the rice eaten to three handfuls of cooked rice per meal.My wife cooperated by not using oil in cooking.
I added salads to increase fibre in diet. At the office canteen cut vegetables were available raw, so I made this a major part of the meal. I cut out curds and other deep-fried-in-oil goodies that are thrown in on some days.
A month into this regimen and I weighed myself. I weighed 89.2 Kgs. That was a drop of 5.8 Kgs. This was noticed by our ED too.This 'achievement' was followed by a tour- the real problem- and the travel did add some weight - yeah I was up by about 1Kg.
I am still on this. Beginning, Feb 1st, 2007 I have added walking. I plan to walk to my office a distance of 3.5 KM. This I do as briskly as I can but it does take 45 mins. By end Feb I hope to lose another 5 Kgs.
Friday, February 2, 2007
My weight loss experiments
On the 26th of June 2006, I felt uneasy about my heart beat.A visit to a Cardiologist's had me doing an ECG. The doctor advised me to go for a Lipid Profile and EKG. The very next these tests were done and the doctor's advice was that I must reduce my weight, and walk briskly for 45 minutes a day.
This I did religiously for the next 45 days. My wife pitched in by forcing me to reduce food intake to a third of what I ate daily. After 15 days my weight did drop by a modest 3Kgs. I weighed on the 26th June 95 Kgs. I stand 5ft 11in[178 cms] tall. My BMI was greater than the safe 25 on the Real Age BMI calculator. I was classified as moderately overweight. With this sudden reduction in food intake soon I had pangs of hunger which I fought successfully but was caught by a bout of hyper acidity. I was forced to increase my food intake. This gave a weight increase once again. My weight loss program was further interrupted by the frequent tours that I had to undertake. I stayed in hotels and ate customer's dinners, and before long my weight came back to what it was originally, 95 Kgs! Four months had passed by this time.
Things were going fine when, around November end some Insurance company started soliciting me for Home Loan Insurance. I thought this was a necessity, so I invited them to go ahead with an offer. Soon by the last week of December, I was asked to go for a medical examination, with the caveat that if anything was found amiss, there would be riders in the policy or an escalation in the premium. I was confident that nothing would be wrong. On 23rd December 2006 I went in for the medical examination. After collecting pre-and post prandial blood samples, I was asked to go for the TMT. The TMT reports were cause for concern.The doctor advised angiography citing irregular heart rhythm as the reason.
I had doubts on the veracity of the conclusions of the doctor and I thought I must go in for a paid TMT and EKG on my own at a different Lab. This I did the following Sunday i.e. 30-12-2007. This report was a revelation.The doctor of course reassured me that there was nothing alarming, but I must be on some prescription drugs, that need be taken for life. My heart sank. I hated medication.... for me drugs were something that one used to prolong life after 70.
The only consolation was the confirmation in the second opinion that I was not in a need for angioplasty.My suggestion to the medico that I will enforce a strict diet regimen, do some exercise did not impress. He simply asked me to go ahead with the prescription drugs and do whatever I thought was right on the diet and exercise part. for one thing, this drove home to me the need for strict diet control even on my tours. It strengthened my resolve to work out a serious program of weight reduction.
This I did religiously for the next 45 days. My wife pitched in by forcing me to reduce food intake to a third of what I ate daily. After 15 days my weight did drop by a modest 3Kgs. I weighed on the 26th June 95 Kgs. I stand 5ft 11in[178 cms] tall. My BMI was greater than the safe 25 on the Real Age BMI calculator. I was classified as moderately overweight. With this sudden reduction in food intake soon I had pangs of hunger which I fought successfully but was caught by a bout of hyper acidity. I was forced to increase my food intake. This gave a weight increase once again. My weight loss program was further interrupted by the frequent tours that I had to undertake. I stayed in hotels and ate customer's dinners, and before long my weight came back to what it was originally, 95 Kgs! Four months had passed by this time.
Things were going fine when, around November end some Insurance company started soliciting me for Home Loan Insurance. I thought this was a necessity, so I invited them to go ahead with an offer. Soon by the last week of December, I was asked to go for a medical examination, with the caveat that if anything was found amiss, there would be riders in the policy or an escalation in the premium. I was confident that nothing would be wrong. On 23rd December 2006 I went in for the medical examination. After collecting pre-and post prandial blood samples, I was asked to go for the TMT. The TMT reports were cause for concern.The doctor advised angiography citing irregular heart rhythm as the reason.
I had doubts on the veracity of the conclusions of the doctor and I thought I must go in for a paid TMT and EKG on my own at a different Lab. This I did the following Sunday i.e. 30-12-2007. This report was a revelation.The doctor of course reassured me that there was nothing alarming, but I must be on some prescription drugs, that need be taken for life. My heart sank. I hated medication.... for me drugs were something that one used to prolong life after 70.
The only consolation was the confirmation in the second opinion that I was not in a need for angioplasty.My suggestion to the medico that I will enforce a strict diet regimen, do some exercise did not impress. He simply asked me to go ahead with the prescription drugs and do whatever I thought was right on the diet and exercise part. for one thing, this drove home to me the need for strict diet control even on my tours. It strengthened my resolve to work out a serious program of weight reduction.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
My Marriage Anniversary
I was in KS' office.We were planning an official trip together.The dates had to be in February.I told him that 5th and 6th I had a ceremony at home, 7th and 8th were reserved for a meeting with a customer who was going to be at our doorstep.
KS said,"We can leave on the 8th afternoon".
"What about the meeting with the customers?", asked I.
"Involve juniors, man", said he, citing examples of meetings where the main persona comes in to just start the meeting and then they are off to anywhere in the world.
I paused for a while and said,"OK I can ask M to take over and we perhaps could leave by the 8th afternoon flight, but there is just one problem, my divorce papers will be on my table the next day."
KS didn't concentrate on what I was saying. Absent-mindedly he said,"You can sign them on your return"
"KS..Did you hear what I said?"
"Yeah..what did you say?"
"I said my divorce papers would be on my table next day if I leave on the 8th Feb", I said.
"Why what is the problem?", KS rolling his innocent eyes around.
"It is my marriage anniversary,sir!", I exclaimed,"that is the surest invitation to feminine wrath, you understand..." (aside)"whatwith a fight that just concluded and is cooling off"
"Uh-Oh! I am sorry, yeah I remember you've told me about this" he said, rolling his eyes in embarrasment.
The final date for travel was fixed for 12th and 13th and the confirmations from others were obtained.
I later related this incident to my wife. We had a hearty laugh. She wanted me to relate this to some of my friends and ask for their comments.
KS said,"We can leave on the 8th afternoon".
"What about the meeting with the customers?", asked I.
"Involve juniors, man", said he, citing examples of meetings where the main persona comes in to just start the meeting and then they are off to anywhere in the world.
I paused for a while and said,"OK I can ask M to take over and we perhaps could leave by the 8th afternoon flight, but there is just one problem, my divorce papers will be on my table the next day."
KS didn't concentrate on what I was saying. Absent-mindedly he said,"You can sign them on your return"
"KS..Did you hear what I said?"
"Yeah..what did you say?"
"I said my divorce papers would be on my table next day if I leave on the 8th Feb", I said.
"Why what is the problem?", KS rolling his innocent eyes around.
"It is my marriage anniversary,sir!", I exclaimed,"that is the surest invitation to feminine wrath, you understand..." (aside)"whatwith a fight that just concluded and is cooling off"
"Uh-Oh! I am sorry, yeah I remember you've told me about this" he said, rolling his eyes in embarrasment.
The final date for travel was fixed for 12th and 13th and the confirmations from others were obtained.
I later related this incident to my wife. We had a hearty laugh. She wanted me to relate this to some of my friends and ask for their comments.
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