The Golden Age

Various types of people enter and exit our life. Some stay throughout too.
One of all those types are the old people.
War stories, love stories, stories of miracles. Old people are full of them.
And stories are the lifeblood of the human race, linking us all together.
These golden people have seen the rusty, dusty and smooth sides of life, and they advise and teach us. One day you would too.

I try to apply the below which I was advised and taught by many golden personalities who crossed my path:

1. Patience
It is okay to pause/stop.
Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
And give time, to time.

2. Confidence
The older a person gets, the less of a damn they give about what other people think. It’s a skill worth studying.

3. Sacrifice
Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

4. Relationship
If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

5. Acceptance
The more a person sees of the world, the more they come to realize how varied are the people who live in it, and to accept their differences

6. Regrets
If you don't ask, you don't get.

7. Humility
The more of the rest of the world you see, the less important you consider yourself.

8. Gratitude
Because the longer you live, the more reasons you find to be grateful for your life. So be grateful for yours.

Lessons I learned @ FBI Academy

I have been a fan of the TV series - #Quantico.
The big time fans of other TV shows might want to criticize. But I hold on to my views, I am a fan of Quantico.

A group of young FBI recruits travel to the Quantico base in Virginia to receive training to become special agents. Unfortunately, some of them possess secrets that no one knows.

I have been learning from this show, the lessons of life. And here I have compiled a few of the lessons from it: 

√ Before you know the enemy, you have to know yourself. There are faces you present to the world, the story you tell about yourself to the world, but underneath that narrative lies the psychology that drives you.

√ People hide things from one another. They lie, they joke.. they tell you what they think you want to hear.

√ Finding the truth can be simple. It’s accepting the simplicity that’s hard.

√ Sources require trust. And trust requires vulnerability (weakness)..on both sides. Sources rarely offer up information without wanting something in return.
Just because someone is close to you, it doesn't mean that they aren't dangerous.

√ Seeing the action, doesn't mean you understand it. We will never know why the people we watch do what they do. We can have a window into someone's life but not their head. But that doesn't mean you stop looking.

√ If it seems all but impossible, that's because it is. But you never know, you may surprise.

√ Sometimes the only answer is that there is no answer.
Even though when I know that there is no easy answer, I can't stop fighting.
Hoping for another outcome.
A different result.
A creative solution.
An unexpected answer.
But in the end, you have to realize that you are powerless and life does not always give you a happy ending.
But it is still your job to do the right thing, the best thing.

√ You are gonna have to make tough choices. And you are going to have to live with the results. You will have to carry the weight, the responsibility. In time, you will realize that these challenges made you stronger.

√ It is what you do in those do-or-die moments, that's who you really are.

√ No matter where you are or what you do, all the souls of the lives that you cost, will be watching you.

This lesson is dedicated to all the professionals in particular:

Live up to the badge, not through it.



Source: Dialogues from the Quantico S01 TV Series.

Watchword

A synonym for proverb.
The study of proverbs is called paremiology which has a variety of uses in the study of such topics as philosophy, linguistics, and folklore.
But not moving to that, I would list down a few watchwords here that I never read until today and might be useful to you too, to make bon mot (good word / witty remark .in french) :

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
=> Having something, even if it is a lesser quantity, is better than taking the chance of losing it in order to attain something else that seems more desirable.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link
=> An organization (especially a process or a business) is only as strong or powerful as its weakest person. A group of associates is only as strong as its laziest member.

A drowning man will clutch at a straw
=> When hope of success is fading, people will try anything, no matter how unlikely it is that it will provide a solution.

A fish always rots from the head down
=> All problems in a company or country can be traced back to its leadership.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely
=> An observation that a person's sense of morality lessens as his or her power increases.

An army marches on its stomach
=> A group of soldiers or workers can only fight or function effectively if they have been well fed.

Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all
=> Love is such an important experience that even the pain of losing someone you love is better than not having loved that person in first place.

Don't cross the bridge till you come to it
=> Not to worry about a particular problem until it actually appears.

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater
=> Not to lose something important while trying to get rid of unwanted things.

Forewarned is forearmed
=> Knowledge in advance enables one to be prepared.

Have a nice day!  

Zero Talent

*The below might be a play of negative words, but request to read it in an optimistic way.*

The literal meaning of Talent is 'natural aptitude or skill'.
But the real world uses the word 'Talent' in contradiction to the amount of practice that has been performed in order to develop the observed skills.

It is an insult. It says, “You have skills that in my judgment, you did not earn.”
Isn’t it a much greater ‘gift’ to have worked hard at developing a skill?
I don't mean that nurture has completely conquered nature.

We need to be educated in the ways of being happy.
We are raised to believe that success is equal to being the best.
Being the best is a term used for those who work hard and have potental out of the ordinary.
So talent does not exist but Einstein, Ussain Bolt, Sachin Tendulkar, etc exist.
They became so good because they loved and passionately dedicated their life to something that matched their abilities, body structure, mental preparation, environment to nurture their passion and love for the activity.

Most of us don't really discover what we love ever so we are merely average people who have average results. It is fine. But it doesn't mean to give up or feel low about. Develop, improve and be happy of yourself.

Talent may mean to possess a natural aptitude or skill but it also includes an inborn talent to work hard and develop the aptitude or skill which is not naturally bestowed upon. 

Speak Different !

Facts: 

Hindi language is made up of 11 vowels and 35 consonants.
English language is made of 5 vowels and 21 consonants.
Spanish language is made up of 27 alphabets.
Mandarin Chinese is made up of over 100,000 Chinese characters.

Greetings and introduction: 

Hindi - Namastey. Aap kaise hai? (नमस्ते | आप कैसे हैं ?)
English - Hello. How are you?
Spanish - Hola. Como estas?
Mandarin Chinese - Nǐ hǎo ma (你好吗)

Hindi - Mera naam Aashish hai (मेरा नाम Aashish है)
English - My name is Aashish
Spanish - Mi nombre es Aashish
Mandarin Chinese - Wǒ jiào Aashish (我叫Aashish)

Hindi - Aapase milakar achchha laga (आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा)
English - Nice to meet you
Spanish - Encantada de conocerte
Mandarin Chinese - Hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ (很高兴见到你)

Most spoken word in the world: 

Hindi - Thik (ठीक)
English - OK
Spanish - De acuerdo
Mandarin Chinese - Hǎo de (好的)

Universal word i.e. common across all languages: 
Not available yet. 
Though 'huh' and 'mama' are identified, but are still debatable. 

How to thank: 

...with a smile 😊
Hindi - Dhanyavaad (धन्यवाद)
English - Thank you
Spanish - Gracias
Mandarin Chinese - Xièxiè (谢谢)

The Horror

 - an intense feeling of fear, shock, or disgust.
In movies, you see it in the form of ghosts, monsters, vampires, i.e. dark and evil.

Just to share, I came across this short story on internet -
A girl heard her mom yell her name from downstairs, so she got up and started to head down. 
As she got to the stairs, her mom pulled her into her room and said "I heard that, too." 
This gives a chill to your spine.

Horror is all fiction and funny till a non-fiction experience.
While, terror is the feeling of fear and is in anticipation of an horrifying experience. It is different from horror.
As the saying goes, you are terrified before marriage and horrified after marriage. You know. 

As kids, we feared to look under our bed as we assumed monsters and ghosts to be under our bed.
Now I realize it was just darkness.
But it is darkness only till you experience the below:
A dad begins tucking his child into bed and the child tells him, "Daddy, check for monsters under my bed." 
He looks underneath for the child's amusement and sees his child, under the bed, staring back at him quivering and whispering, "Daddy, there's somebody on my bed."

Talking big!

As of today, the Biggest / Largest / Grandest 😱:

Planet - Jupiter 
Moon - Ganymede of Jupiter 
Star - RW Cephei

Continent - Asia
Country - Russia
City  - Shanghai, China

Ocean - Pacific Ocean
River - Nile, Africa
Lake - Lake Superior, North America 

Democracy - India
Population - China

Mountain - Mount Everest, Nepal

Forest - Amazon Jungle, South America

Diamond mine - Orapa, Botswana 
Gold mine - Grasberg, Indonesia 
Iron ore mine - Kiruna, Sweden 

Rail Network - U.S.A.
Road Network - U.S.A.

Airplane - Antonov An-225 Mriya (a.k.a. Dream or Inspiration), Ukraine. Status: In service

Ship/Vessel - Seawise Giant (a.k.a. Mont). Status: Scrapped in 2010

Railway station - Grand Central Terminal, New York City, U.S.A. with 44 platforms
Airport - Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia
Port - Shanghai, China

Army - China 
Navy - U.S.A.
Air Force - U.S.A.

Stock Market - New York Stock Exchange, U.S.A. 
Bank (by assets) -  Industrial and Commercial Bank of China 

Company (by revenue) - Walmart 
Company (by value) - Apple
Company (by franchises) - McDonald's 

Employer (Non-corporate) - United States Department of Defense 
Employer (Corporate) - Walmart

Currency - Kuwaiti Dinar (KWD), Kuwait

= INR 222.86



Word - pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis, the longest word in any of the major English language dictionaries and it refers to a lung disease.

et cetera. 

Source: via Google 😉

The Black and White Game

I believe we all have our share of wins and losses in every area of life.
But after each win/loss, in the end, there is a happy ending. Because, in the end, we improve and evolve.

Chess has been an area where I have excelled sometimes and there have been days, when I have failed miserably too.
In the end, I have learnt from it and it has shaped me well.
Let me share:

1. Strategizing: 
Only moving forward might not win us the game. Many times, stepping back or moving nowhere is a good move than moving forward rampaging.

2. Prediction: 
Good or bad moves solely doesn't lead to victory. Forethought does.
A series of bad moves ending with a planned good move might end the game with a win. Otherwise of it, might end in loss.

3. Sacrifice: 
Chess is the only game which teaches us directly, to sacrifice for a larger good.

4. Win. If not, then Draw: 
We have heard the saying "Winning and losing is a part of the game". Fact!
In chess, if we are losing with no probability of winning, then best possible way out is to offer draw rather than lose. If accepted by the opponent, then we don't face a loss.
Though, from the beginning, play to win.

5. Regret or Improve: 
Regretting is no worth, because in the end the king and the pawn end up in the same box.
Improving is the best step, because it increases the chance of winning the next.

Learn. Play. Improve. Evolve. 

World War I & II: Long Story Short

History. His-story. The story of others. 
We have learnt it in our own school days.
From Homo sapiens to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj & Mughals, World Wars to Indian Freedom Struggle, etc.
With 'yaad karo kurbani' by GOI, you will remember the sacrifices made by Freedom Fighters for the India's Freedom.
Let us refresh ourselves here on the history of both the World Wars.

WORLD WAR I

Nature of war?
War between countries for acquiring colonies, territory and resources.

When?
Between 1914 and 1918.

Where? 
The majority of the fighting took place in Europe along two fronts: the western front and the eastern front.
The western front was a long line of trenches that ran from the coast of Belgium to Switzerland.
A lot of the fighting along this front took place in France and Belgium.
The eastern front was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Bulgaria on one side and Russia and Romania on the other.

Who fought?
Allied Powers and the Central Powers.
The main members of the Allied Powers were France, Russia, and Britain. United States (after 1917).
The main members of the Central Powers were Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire, and Bulgaria.

How did it start? 
Although there were a number of causes for the war, the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the main catalyst for starting the war.
The terrorist group responsible for assassinating Archduke Ferdinand was called the Black Hand.
After the assassination, Austria declared war on Serbia.
Then Russia prepared to defend its ally Serbia.
Next, Germany declared war on Russia to protect Austria.
This caused France to declare war on Germany to protect its ally Russia.
Germany invaded Belgium to get to France which caused Britain to declare war on Germany.

How did it end? 
Allied victory.
The fighting ended on November 11, 1918 when a general armistice was agreed to by both sides.
The war officially ended between Germany and the Allies with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
End of the German, Russian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian empires,
Formation of new countries in Europe and the Middle East,
Transfer of German colonies and regions of the former Ottoman Empire to other powers,
Establishment of the League of Nations, and so on.

WORLD WAR II

Nature of war?
War of ideologies, such as Fascism, Nazism and Communism.

When? 
Between 1939 to 1945

Where?
World War II started in Europe, but spread throughout the world.
Much of the fighting took place in Europe and in Southeast Asia (Pacific).

Who fought? 
World War II was fought between the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, Japan) and the Allied Powers (Britain, United States, Soviet Union, France).
Most of the countries in the world were involved in some way.
It was the deadliest war in all of human history with around 70 million people killed.

How did it start? 
World War II started in 1939 when Germany invaded Poland.
Great Britain and France responded by declaring war on Germany.
Among the causes of World War II were Italian fascism in the 1920s by Benito Mussolini, Japanese militarism and invasions of China in the 1930s, and especially the political takeover in 1933 of Germany by Adolf Hitler and his Nazi Party and its aggressive foreign policy.

How did it end? 
Allied victory.
The war in Europe ended with Germany's surrender on May 7, 1945.
The war in the Pacific ended when Japan surrendered on September 2, 1945.
Collapse of Nazi Germany,
Fall of Japanese and Italian Empires,
Creation of the United Nations,
Emergence of the United States and the Soviet Union as superpowers,
Beginning of the Cold War, and so on.

"All war represents a failure of diplomacy."
- Tony Benn, speech, February 28, 1991

India ka report card

We all demand to know the use of every rupee we pay as tax.

We all demand a transparent government.

Just talking without the knowledge of facts is irrelevant.

So, let us have a look at the 'Central Government ka Pai Pai ka Hisab' in a brief way.

We have paid Rs. 19,57,440.32 crores by way of taxes and non-taxes to the central government for the FY 2015-16.

[All numbers below are approximate and out of Total Revenue of Rs. 19,57,440.32 crores]

What comprises the CG's Total Revenue:

a. Income tax by corporates: 23.14%

b. Income tax by non-corporates: 14.90%

c. Securities Transaction tax: 0.38%

d. Custom duties: 10.70%

e. Excise duties: 14.48%

f. Service tax: 10.73%

g. Other Commodity Taxes: 0.05%

i. Taxes of Union Territories without legislature: 0.20%

I. Gross tax revenue [sum of a to i]: 74.58%

II. Gross non-tax revenue (i.e. receipts of interest, dividends, profits, fiscal services, economic services, defence services, social & community services, grants-in-aid & contributions and other general services): 25.42%

The disbursements of the Total Revenue:

Organs of State (i.e. Parliament, Ministers, Audit, Justice, Elections, etc.) : 0.40%

Tax Collection Services: 0.54%

Other Fiscal Services: 0.01%

Administrative Services: 3.32%

Pensions and

Miscellaneous General

Services: 5.68%

Defence Services: 7.66%

Social Services (i.e. Education, Art & Culture, Medical & Public Health, Family Welfare, Housing, Water Supply and Sanitation, Labour and Employment, Social Security, Relief on account of Natural Calamities, etc.): 4.30%

Economic Services (i.e. Agriculture & allied activities, Rural Employment, Special Area Programmes, Irrigation and Food Control, Energy, Industry & Minerals, Transport, Communications, Science, Technology & Development, Tourism, Foreign trade promotion, Civil Supplies, General Economic Services, etc.): 30.22%

Interest Payment and

Servicing of Debt: 23.37%

Grants-in-aid & contribution: 15.71%

Disbursements to Union Territories without legislature: 0.42%

States' Share: 25.86%

Excess of disbursements over revenue (i.e. revenue deficit): -17.49%

Major points to be noted:

1. A fair amount of total revenue i.e. 30.22% goes into the economic development of the country.

2. Grants-in-aid & contribution accounts for 15.71% of the total revenue but how much reaches the needy is still a question of fact.

3. 4.30% is towards social services which seems still low to correct the social picture of India.

4. Pensions and Miscellaneous General

Services accounts for 5.68%. A good proportion goes to the alive but leakages exist in the uncollected accounts and dead accounts (i.e. money taken out by babus, agents, scamsters, etc. in the name of ill/dead as alive)

5. 25.86% goes to the States i.e. 1/4th of the pie of the CG which I presume that it somewhat goes towards correcting the states' deficit leaving the CG in deficit.

Source:

http://indiabudget.nic.in/afs.asp

Assumption:

The below analysis is restricted to the Cental Government's performance to the Consolidated Fund of India on revenue account.

For the below analysis for the FY 2015-16, revised figures of FY 2015-16 from the published 'Annual Financial Statement of Central Government for FY 2016-17' is taken into consideration and is assumed to be fair and complete.

Disclaimer:

The analysis and views are personal.

Playing with numbers!

My love for numbers has made me write this one. MS Excel and the phenomena of reconciliation of anything and everything has increased my liking for numbers very much.
Still I admit I'm not the master of it and hence this blog post to get a understanding of it by you and me.

Riddle: Three Guys at A Hotel

Three guys rent a hotel room for the night. When they get to the hotel they pay the INR 3000 fee, then go up to their room. Soon the bellhop brings up their bags and gives the guys back INR 500 because the hotel was having a special discount that weekend. So the three guys decide to each keep INR 100 of the INR 500 and to give the bellhop a INR 200 tip. However, when they sat down to tally up their expenses for the weekend they could not explain the following details:

Each one of them had originally paid INR 1000 (towards the initial INR 3000), then each got back INR 100 which meant that they each paid INR 900. Then they gave the bellhop a INR 200 tip. However, 3 * 900 + 200 = INR 2900.

The guys couldn't figure out what happened to the other INR 100. After all, the three paid out INR 3000 but could only account for INR 2900.

Can you determine what happened?

ANSWER TO RIDDLE

It all boils down to the fact that their math is incorrect.

They did NOT spend INR 900 * 3 + 200.

If the guys get INR 300 back and each takes INR 100. Then they spent exactly INR 2700. INR 2500 for the room and INR 200 for the tip. Remember they got exactly INR 300 in total back.

Number types:

Numbers can be classified according to how they are represented or according to the properties that they have.

Main types:

Natural numbers:
The counting numbers {1, 2, 3, …}, are called natural numbers.

Whole numbers:
The numbers {0, 1, 2, 3, …}.

Integers:
Positive and negative counting numbers, as well as zero:{…, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2,…}.

Rational numbers:
Numbers that can be expressed as a ratio of an integer to a non-zero integer. All integers are rational, but the converse is not true.

Real numbers:
Numbers that have decimal representations that have a finite or infinite sequence of digits to the right of the decimal point. They can be positive, negative, or zero. All rational numbers are real, but the converse is not true.

Irrational numbers:
Real numbers that are not rational.

Imaginary numbers:
Numbers that equal the product of a real number and the square root of –1. The number 0 is both real and imaginary.

Complex numbers:
Includes real numbers, imaginary numbers, and sums and differences of real and imaginary numbers.

Hypercomplex numbers include various number-system extensions: quaternions, octonions, sedenions, tessarines, coquaternions, and biquaternions.

Number representations:

Decimal:
The standard Hindu–Arabic numeral system using base ten.

Binary:
The base-two numeral system used by computers.

Roman numerals:
The numeral system of ancient Rome, still occasionally used today.

Fractions:
A representation of a non-integer as a ratio of two integers. These include improper fractions as well as mixed numbers.

Scientific notation:
A method for writing very small and very large numbers using powers of 10. When used in science, such a number also conveys the precision of measurement using significant figures.

Knuth's up-arrow notation and Conway chained arrow notation:
Notations that allow the concise representation of extremely large integers such as Graham's number.

Types of integer:

Even and odd numbers:
An integer is even if it is a multiple of two, and is odd otherwise.

Prime number:
An integer with exactly two positive divisors: itself and 1. The primes form an infinite sequence 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23, 29, 31, ….

Composite number:
A number that can be factored into a product of smaller integers. Every integer greater than one is either prime or composite.

Polygonal numbers:
These are numbers that can be represented as dots that are arranged in the shape of a regular polygon, including:
Triangular numbers, Square numbers, Pentagonal numbers, Hexagonal numbers, Heptagonal numbers, Octagonal numbers, Nonagonal numbers, Decagonal numbers, and Dodecagonal numbers.

There are many other famous integer sequences, such as the sequence of Fibonacci numbers, the sequence of factorials, the sequence of perfect numbers, and so forth.


Refer for more: https://en.m.wikipedia.org

I'm talking War!

No history, no violence, no freedom and no terror.
The war, I mean here, is our everyday battle we fight i.e. to strive for better. It is no less than a war in itself.
When I look back through the 2 decades+, it has been an extraordinary journey. Striving, achieving and looking forward for more.
Everyday, whether it is weekday or weekend, it comes with it's own challenges and opportunities in every walk of life. Some lost, some regretted and some grabbed. In every way it is a daily war and give a deep thought for the below.

The way to war:

If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.

Thus we may know that there are five essentials for victory:

1. He will win who knows when to fight and when not to fight.

2. He will win who knows how to handle both superior and inferior forces.

3. He will win whose army is animated by the same spirit throughout all its ranks.

4. He will win who, prepared himself, waits to take the enemy unprepared.

5. He will win who has military capacity and is not interfered with by the sovereign.

A few tactics/tricks/motivators which are aggressive and might help me and you to strive for better:

1. Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy’s resistance without fighting.

2. If the mind is willing, the flesh could go on and on without many things.

3. Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win.

4. Even the finest sword plunged into salt water will eventually rust.

5. Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory. Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.

6. Treat your men as you would your own beloved sons. And they will follow you into the deepest valley.

Striving to achieve anything requires dedication, patience, perseverance and pain. 
While going through pain, remember that: Pain is temporary, Glory is forever! 

Reference:
Eric Jackson at www.forbes.com

The Quest for Glory - II

The first Games held under the auspices of the IOC was hosted in the Panathenaic stadium in Athens in 1896.
The second Olympics was held in Paris.

Opening Ceremony:
Months before each Games, the Olympic Flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals.
A female performer, acting as a priestess, ignites a torch by placing it inside a parabolic mirror which focuses the sun's rays; she then lights the torch of the first relay bearer, thus initiating the Olympic torch relay that will carry the flame to the host city's Olympic stadium, where it plays an important role in the opening ceremony.
As mandated by the Olympic Charter, the ceremony typically starts with the hoisting of the host country's flag and a performance of its national anthem.
The host nation then presents artistic displays of music, singing, dance, and theater representative of its culture.
After the artistic portion of the ceremony, the athletes parade into the stadium grouped by nation. Greece is traditionally the first nation to enter in order to honor the origins of the Olympics. Nations then enter the stadium alphabetically according to the host country's chosen language, with the host country's athletes being the last to enter.
Speeches are given, normally opening the Games.
Finally, the Olympic torch is brought into the stadium and passed on until it reaches the final torch carrier, often a successful Olympic athlete from the host nation, who lights the Olympic flame in the stadium's cauldron.

Closing Ceremony:
The closing ceremony of the Olympic Games takes place after all sporting events have concluded. Flag-bearers from each participating country enter the stadium, followed by the athletes who enter together, without any national distinction.
Three national flags are hoisted while the corresponding national anthems are played: the flag of the current host country; the flag of Greece, to honor the birthplace of the Olympic Games; and the flag of the country hosting the next Summer or Winter Olympic Games.
The president of the organizing committee and the IOC president make their closing speeches, the Games are officially closed, and the Olympic flame is extinguished.

India at the Olympics:
India first participated at the Olympic Games in 1900, with a lone athlete (Norman Pritchard) winning two medals- both silver- in athletics.
The nation first sent a team to the Summer Olympic Games in 1920, and has participated in every Summer Games since then. India has also competed at several Winter Olympic Games beginning in 1964.
Indian athletes have won a total of 26 medals, all at the Summer Games.


For a period of time, India national field hockey team was dominant in Olympic competition, winning eleven medals in twelve Olympics between 1928 and 1980. The run included 8 gold medals total and six successive gold medals from 1928–1956.

India is scheduled to compete at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016. The Indian Olympic Association is going to send the nation's largest ever delegation (thus far 91 athletes; 8 larger than their previous record of 83 delegates in 2012) in Summer Olympic history

All the best to all Nations, and
Chak De! India







Reference:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

The Quest for Glory - I

About: 

The Olympic Games are the leading international sporting event and considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with more than 200 nations participating. The Olympic Games are held every four years, with the Summer and Winter Games alternating by occurring every four years but two years apart. Over 13,000 athletes compete at the Summer and Winter Olympic Games in 33 different sports and nearly 400 events. The first, second, and third-place finishers in each event receive Olympic medals: gold, silver, and bronze, respectively.

History: 
The origin of the Olympics is shrouded in mystery and legend. The Ancient Olympic Games were religious and athletic festivals held every four years at the sanctuary of Zeus in Olympia, Greece. Competition was among representatives of several city-states and kingdoms of Ancient Greece.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin founded the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1894. The IOC is the governing body of the Olympic Movement, with the Olympic Charter defining its structure and authority.

Evolution and Issues:
The evolution of the Olympic Movement has been through the creation of the Winter Olympic Games for ice and winter sports, the Paralympic Games for athletes with a disability, and the Youth Olympic Games for teenage athletes.
The Games have grown so much that nearly every nation is now represented.
This growth has created numerous challenges and controversies, including boycotts, doping, bribery, and a terrorist attack in 1972.
The growing importance of mass media created the issue of corporate sponsorship and commercialization of the Games.
World wars led to the cancellation of the 1916, 1940, and 1944 Games. Large boycotts during the Cold War limited participation in the 1980 and 1984 Games.

Importance:
Every two years the Olympics and its media exposure provide unknown athletes with the chance to attain national and sometimes international fame.
The Games also constitute an opportunity for the host city and country to showcase themselves to the world. Host cities continue to compete ardently for the right to host the Games, even though there is no certainty that they will earn back their investments.
Research has shown that trade is around 30 percent higher for countries that have hosted the Olympics.

Symbol:

The Olympic symbol, better known as the Olympic rings, consists of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five inhabited continents (Africa,America, Asia, Oceania, Europe). The colored version of the rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—over a white field forms the Olympic flag. These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag. The flag was adopted in 1914 but flown for the first time only at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It has since been hoisted during each celebration of the Games.

Motto: 
The Olympic motto, Citius, Altius, Fortius, a Latin expression meaning "Faster, Higher, Stronger" was proposed by Pierre de Coubertin in 1894 and has been official since 1924. The motto was coined by Coubertin's friend the Dominican priest Henri Didon OP, for a Paris youth gathering of 1891.

Coubertin's Olympic ideals are expressed in the Olympic creed:

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

Reference:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

The Human Recharge

The Human Recharge

As you might have guessed it out by the title I gave this one, it is all about Sleep below.
The 5 alphabet word "S-L-E-E-P" was never a part of the school curriculum or if it was, then, I believe it was a very small part to the whole.
Surprisingly, it takes around 1/3rd of our 24-hour day, i.e. 1/3rd of our life, and still we aren't aware about it's what, where, when, why and how.

The importance of sleep is only known when you are tired and deprived of it.

A tired day must end with a sound sleep. True!
But before going through a tiring day also needs a sound sleep.

 

Sleep affects how we look, feel and perform on a daily basis, and can have a major impact on our overall quality of life. To get the most of our sleep, both quantity and quality are important.

 

Sleep plays an important role in your physical and psychological health i.e. all round health. 

Ongoing sleep deficiency can cause various sleep disorders and is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke.

Sleep is involved in healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels.
A sound sleep can improve memory, help you concentrate better, keep you in great mood, make you look attractive, get you to fall less ill, and help you in the ability to make better informed decisions.

 

To conclude, the 1/3rd of our life that we spend sleeping, far from being "unproductive", plays a direct role in how full, energetic and successful the other 2/3rds of our lives can be.

 

 

 

 

Image source: National Sleep Foundation.

 

Avoiding Accounting

AVOIDING

 

Keeping the books is one of the most challenging aspects of running a company. It’s also one of the most important.
Accounting errors can be damaging—even fatal—to businesses, but mistakes are surprisingly common.
Here’s how to avoid the most common accounting mistakes that plague businesses-

1. Not Seeking Help When Needed:
You've heard the expression "penny wise and dollar poor" in reference to people who'll spend a few hours of their time to save a few dollars.
You've got to realize that your job is to run your business - a contractor builds, a painter paints, and a realtor sells.
Sometimes it's just not worth your time to spend hours upon hours going over the details of your accounting records or researching how to correct an error you've made.
If you believe you'll make more than you'll spend by tending to other issues than your accounting issues, then you should consider outsourcing the problem to a professional accountant or bookkeeper.

2. Don’t hire your brother-in-law:
Surprisingly, some business owners think it’s a good idea to hire family members to handle their accounting.
This invites financial trouble, as well as domestic strife. Neither of which, it turns out, are particularly good for business.
Hiring a professional might be more expensive than hiring a family member, but the cost will be easily offset by the lack of productivity-draining family turmoil.

3. Don’t overspend on tech solutions:
This is in fact not a direct contradiction of the first point. It’s a reminder that fancy new accounting software will not necessarily pay for itself.
Before your business sinks too much into a system you don’t need, evaluate the tools that are designed specifically for small businesses.
These platforms focus on the areas that concern small enterprises most—cash flow, invoicing, compliance, and the like—and won’t bog you down with unnecessary functions that don’t apply to your business.

4. Don’t mix business with personal finances:
Business and personal finance are a bad combination. And yet, too many small business owners use a single checking account for both sets of finances, a problem that becomes worse still when they commingle the expenses on their company’s books.
Was that 48-pack of microwave popcorn for your home or office? Who used the company credit card for INR 500 worth of video games? You need clear boundaries.
Mixing business and personal finances can also cause problems with the Income Tax Authorities, which is now taking an aggressive stance on things like claiming your island vacation as a business expense.
The ITA will take a sample of a period of a few months and, if they see a lot of personal expenses there, they will extrapolate that to the whole period under audit and compute taxes on it. It can get really expensive really quick.

5. Accidentally Recording Transactions in a Prior Period:
Once you've "closed the books" for a fiscal year, you really shouldn't go back to change them.
Still, some accounting applications don't allow you to lock a prior period financials so you can post current year's entries in a prior period if you're not careful.
Other accounting software programs allow you to make this mistake if you haven't configured the software to lock prior period financials.
Review Prior Period Balance Sheet for Changes. If you've recorded transactions in a prior period, the Balance Sheet will change.
Therefore, you can check your prior period Balance Sheet to make sure it hasn't changed since you last closed your books.
If it's changed, you'll need to investigate.

6. Incorrect Balance in Asset or Liability or Revenue or Expense:
Asset accounts should have debit balances, while liability accounts should have credit balances.
Revenue accounts should have credit balances, while expense accounts should have debit balances.
Some causes of this error is posting entries to the incorrect account, the most common causes of having an incorrect balance in these Balance Sheet or Profit & Loss accounts is posting entries to the incorrect account, with the incorrect amount, misclassifying accounts, and duplicating adjusting entries.
In the rush to get the books done after a long day, math mistakes can happen quite easily, even when using calculators.
Math mistakes can also result from posting entries to the wrong account or even just making typos.
One math mistake results in a tangled web of accounting errors, leading to bigger problems.
The Trial Balance must be checked monthly to make sure assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses have the correct balances.
If there's an account with an incorrect balance, you can pull up the detail of that account to find the entries that caused the error.

7. Letting revenue and expenses go unrecorded:
It's an easy mistake to make.
A lot of businesses tend to ignore small-scale revenue and expenses, letting them go unreported because they don't seem all that important.
But even minor transactions can add up over time, to the point where they can undermine the business's record-keeping overall.
If any revenue or expenses go unrecorded, the company simply won't be able to have an accurate view of its accounts.
If that's the case, then it'll be impossible for SMB leaders to remain fully informed of their firm's financial status at any given time.

8. Not Saving Receipts:
You diligently recorded all your expenses in your accounting records.
You’re expense statement is a work of art, without any errors or omissions.
Then, you’re asked by the ITA -- prove it.
Save your receipts or make scanned copies of all of them.

9. Confusing profit with cash flow:
To a seasoned business leader or accounting professional, the difference between the two is clear: Profit is revenue minus expenses, while cash flow is all of the money that comes into or leaves the company's accounts.
When firm leaders get confused here, they run the risk of running out of cash, and that can cause a host of serious problems.
By keeping this distinction in mind at all times, SMB leaders will always know how much cash is – and is likely to be – available, and that will lead to better, more responsible spending and decision-making.

10. Falling Behind in Entries and Reconciliation:
Suddenly, months have passed without making any entries in the books nor reconciling any business checking statements, credit card statements, sales tax accounts or other types of financial accounts.
This means financial statements and reports are not current.
Without up-to-date information, it is challenging to make sound business decisions.
Not entering financial data can also lead to problems with suppliers, where invoices to be paid may go unnoticed, leading to problems in getting materials or even a bad credit rating for the business.

On the whole, the importance of accounting can be summed up with one epic statement from the movie Jerry Maguire, 'Show me the money'.
Books of accounts indeed show us the money and its worth.
More than that, such books shout aloud the areas where we are wasting it and the areas where we are earning it.
Accurate accounting serves the long-term interests of the business.
An inaccurate balance sheet is not only a legal liability, but a significant one for the business as a whole.
If the books aren't balanced, it can be quite difficult to make accurate decisions regarding the funds of the business.
Truth in accounting is one of the fundamental professional principles upon which the integrity of the profession rests.

Image Sources:
www.fineartamerica.com
www.globalaccountantweb.com

Jugaad: The Innovative Fix

Jugaad: The Innovative Fix

Jugaad is generally used as word to represent an innovative fix or a simple work-around.
This word is often used to signify creativity to make existing things work or to create new things with meager resources.
It is an Art of Converting an Adversity into Opportunity.

Jugaad is increasingly accepted as a management technique and is recognized all over the world as an acceptable form of frugal engineering at peak in India.
Companies in India are adopting Jugaad as a practise to reduce research and development costs.
Jugaad also applies to any kind of creative and out of the box thinking or life hacking, which maximizes resources for a company and its stakeholders.

Pictures convey messages louder than words.
Hence, a few images shared here as part of the extent of the jugaad phenomena:

Problem: 1 cooler and 2 rooms.
Solution:

Problem: Every gully cricketer has found problem in finding stumps.
Solution:

 



 Problem: Broken shower.
Solution:

Problem: Car safety.
Solution:

Problem: Cooking gas/stove problem.
Solution:

Problem: Bike horn.
Solution:

Problem: We, as kids, had a standing journey on a scooter at all times.
Solution:

Problem: Hair straitening.
Solution:

The images above might be a good humour but truly an out of the box thinking!
All the above can be tried with all precautions in place at your own risk.


Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugaad
http://www.scoopwhoop.com/humor/pic-of-jugaad/