An ode to the Amby

My earliest memory of the Ambassador car ( Amby to car lovers ), was when I was maybe  8 or 10 years old. My uncle had one, blue in colour with a silver top. Oh, the rides we took in it. The drives from Chennai to Nellore (about 168 kms) and Chennai to Tirupati (about 125 kms) used to take a jolly good 6 to 8 hours, with the engine frequently overheating. To cool it we used to park under the trees (where are they now ?? ) on the so called highways, (or rather they were dirt tracks in those days.) and eat our home packed tamarind rice and curd rice.

We ( my brother and me) used to sit in the car for hours and take pseudo rides. It was the friendly grandpa, grandma & beast all rolled into one. Come rain or shine, and it would trundle along. Mechanical troubles?  The friendly local mechanic was enough to get you back on the road.

The back seat was a bedroom, and I remember sleeping there so many, many times. I dreamt then of having one of my own.

My dream was realized in the late 90’s when I bought my own Amby. (A second hand diesel car)..Just cannot forget the rides in my AMBY ( my very own S class) .  7 to 8 of the family crammed into the seats. The trunk and top packed with luggage; and the car used to merrily chug along. (Believe me, we would be doing 40 kmph, and it would seem like 90.)  

Just fill diesel in the tank, and it would rattle along gloriously with all sorts of noises coming from the engine and the underbody. But , as surely as the sun will rise in the east , the Amby used to take us home without a breakdown anywhere. Sold it in the late 2000’s, due to increased traffic and pollution problems.

Sad that HM stopped production in 2014. Just thought of the Amby this morning. Hence writing this piece. Hope to buy one for keeps before it become a museum piece.

By,

An AMBY Fan

Vinod Kumar. P

STICK & SHOOT CAMERA

Podo’s sticky pad is a marvel of material engineering. It helps the camera stick to any surface, and can always be washed and reused. The Podo camera is light-weight and unbelievably powerful. The camera’s pixel size is comparatively higher than your iPhone camera pixel size, which means much clearer images even in low light. The camera also takes brilliant 720p video at 30fps, which you can stream directly on your phone. You can even use multiple Podo cameras with one phone, giving you complete control over what you want to capture, and how you want to capture it! Plus, the Podo also comes with a precisely machined wide-angle lens on the front, so no matter how close or far you keep the Podo, your subject is always in the frame! But first, will you look at that delicious minty blue color!?

beautiful Virtual Reality headset

I visibly imagine myself being an entrepreneur

If you’ve ever read Napoleon Hill’s famous Think and Grow Rich, then you’re familiar with the concept of setting your “chief aim.” As Hill explains it, your chief aim is your intention. It’s where you want to go. It’s what you want to build. It’s who you want to be. He underscores the importance of planting it firmly in your mind -- going so far as to write down your chief aim, and then say it out loud every morning and every night until it manifests itself in your reality.

Obviously, reciting a bunch of words from a page isn’t going to turn you into a multi-millionaire overnight. That’s not its purpose. The reason Hill encourages aspirational individuals to write down their chief aim and to remind themselves of it daily is to provide clarity. Clarity paired with extremely focused work ethic is the true recipe for success.

Other successful people use variations of this approach. Kevin Harrington is a serial entrepreneur and best known for inventing “the infomercial.” He has sold billions in products and been a judge on Shark Tank. In a recent interview, Harrington explained that he largely attributes his success to a simple quote which inspires him to take a positive approach to life.

“I have a saying that I live by, and it goes like this," he said. "'Whatever you visibly imagine, ardently desire, sincerely believe and, most of all, enthusiastically act upon, it must inevitably come to pass.'"
This is a quote originally from the late Paul J. Meyer, an author and global authority on goal setting, motivation, time management and personal and professional development.

“I visibly imagine myself being an entrepreneur -- and have been since I was 15 years old, sealing driveways for extra money," Harrington said. "I ardently desire being an entrepreneur. I sincerely believe I will be an entrepreneur. Now, a lot of people say those same things, but do you know where they fall down? They don’t enthusiastically act upon becoming an entrepreneur, and that’s what I did, every single day.”

This speaks to a much bigger lesson about what it truly takes to manifest your reality and ultimately build whatever it is you want to build. It doesn’t happen immediately -- nor should it. You first must face obstacles and learn lessons. You must embrace your challenge with persistence, focus, discipline and enthusiasm.

"I do 100 events a year,” Harrington said. “And I know I don’t need to do them, but I want to do them. I want to continue approaching entrepreneurship with excitement. I want to continue stretching my curiosity muscles. I want to continue improving, because that’s what it’s all about. It’s about the process, and the love of the business.”

To adopt this mindset, the next time things aren’t going your way, ask yourself: Can I imagine my goal?; Do I sincerely believe I can make it happen?; and, most of all, am I enthusiastically acting upon my ambitions every single day?

If you answer "yes" to all three, then be patient. Remember, “It must inevitably come to pass.” If it worked for Harrington and Hill, maybe it will work for you, too.

WINNER TAKES ALL....

A yank has analysed Modi spot on. Worth reading. A bit long.
Forwarded as received
An American Bakt??
..... Jason K

As an American and a self confessed Indophile, I had a lot of insights I gleaned while traversing the length and breadth of the country. Incidentally I take care of funded projects and this exposes me to a interactions with the poor and ultra poor of the country. Hopefully I will debunk a few myths about India, which my North American colleagues should know, along with some Indians who will hopefully read this post:

1. Like it or leave it, the hinterland of India is firmly behind Modi. They don't give a rat's ass if you call them his followers, or "bakts" as I have heard. For the first time they have a leader and a party that has gone through almost 3 years without a single financial scam against their name. For a country used to spectacular monetary frauds and a silent PM who took plausible deniability to laughable proportions, this is a great and welcome change 

2. Muslim don't hate Modi. Educated intelligent non Muslims (read Hindus) hate him more! Simply because he has hijacked their agenda and has started influencing public opinion more than carefully crafted editorials or freebies doled out during elections. Armchair experts who discussed Indian politics over the ubiquitous cup of 'chai' are being given a nice proverbial kick on their rounded rumps. The man is shaping opinions and this isn't being liked by sections of the media who were interestingly the same set of people who are still smarting from Brexit and our own Trump presidency.

3. The only issue that Indians seem to have against Modi is the specter of the riots that he had apparently engineered as the Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat. Which in itself seems weird, since their own Supreme Court has absolved him of any wrongdoings ! But a section of media and over zealous continue to fashionably pursue his censure. Incidentally they went after him for a so called fake encounter where a lady was killed, only to eat their words when the lady was lauded later as one of their own on the Al Qaeda website ! Haven't heard anything from his detractors on this point after that...

4. I get a sense that a lot of Indians consider it a status symbol to oppose Modi, as it makes them appear intellectual and secular. Case in point was the CM of Delhi (along with a lot of intellectuals) who questioned his educational qualifications. But again went completely silent when he was exonerated by the University that confirmed their authenticity. It's the worst kind of 'spit and run' politics that you can imagine. People will keep spitting and hope that something sticks. Specially because no one can find one thing against this man which will get validated 

5. Public memory in India is notoriously short in India. The 1984 carnage in which the martial sect of Sikhs were mercilessly slaughtered has been forgotten by the state of Punjab, which has today booted out the Akali Dal and brought in the Congress. I see that not only as an example of short memory, but also as a positive and mature sign, as a very corrupt incumbent party was thrown out. But then if this is being welcomed by a lot of intellectuals, why is a section of polity so perturbed by the BJP getting substantial Muslim votes in UP? Just like how the Sikhs have forgiven the Congress, maybe the Muslims have forgiven the BJP! Mind boggling double standards... Like the Sikhs, why can't Muslims also want good governance and development? 

6. As the third largest economy in PPP terms, India stunned the world by pulling out 86% of its currency that was in circulation. While it is still debatable whether it was a good move (as an Economics major, am not completely convinced), the country seems to lap it up. My sense is not whether it was a good or a bad move; it was a VISIBLE move, which when you analyze with the BJPs track record of no scams, seems to make Modi even more credible. 

7. Where Modi lost the trick (in my opinion) is when he promised to put in a couple of million rupees in the accounts of the poor and underprivileged. And his promise of better days. That has backfired and seems to have given fodder to a lot of Indians who were expecting him to work miracles. And am not surprised. Since I do know that in the land of spiritual enlightenment, miracles are often expected and taken for granted.
Finally, I know after what we did (remember Trump as POTUS), me as an American may get laughed off by a lot of intelligent and secular Indians for my opinion. But I will still risk it.

Give the man a chance ! He is doing the right thing and has balls and guts and spine. The man did an open truck rally in the holy city of Kashi, for Christ's sake ! Try walking in those bylanes (I speak from experience) to know how massively mental it really is. I had a memory of JFK in Dallas. One crazy sniper would have plunged your country into chaos. Be happy that it didn't happen. And hope that it never does. Who knows it better than us Yanks, as we have had the maximum assassinations or attempts on our serving Presidents.
Stop being fashionable and ridiculing those who support him. You may think it is cool to do so, but the joke is on you. Most of the country loves him. So while you could agree to disagree with his policies, what you don't realize is that ridiculing his supporters only makes them more supportive. It's just like how Android users ridiculed IOS as the worlds worst 'closed software'. But the moment they opened their eyes to what the iPhone could really do, they changed not only their opinion, but also their handsets

Do you realize that when you speak to Modi detractors, they completely lose their ability to be objective about their opinions? I have yet to come across a single detractor who is open to looking at Modi objectively and probably moving to the other side. However there are many Modi supporters who I know have criticized his policies and probably changed their allegiance. Makes me thus wonder as to who the real 'bakts' are? The ones who follow Modi or the ones who debunk anything and everything that he does?
There seems to be no spirit of bipartisan acceptance at all. It was shocking that even the army surgical strikes were debunked by a few political parties in India. Sorry folks, we know we have Trump, but even the most uneducated American would stand behind any President when it came to my country. When you start questioning the credibility of your own armed forces, there is something something seriously seriously wrong with you. The star spangled banner is the supreme authority in the US of A and the tricolor should definitely be theirs. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be the case in India

I know America won't be great again, simply because we are a great nation and will remain so. Trump will be gone in 4 years but Modi seems set to rule India for 5 years beyond 2019. Consider it your greatest fortune. Imagine a few more years of scams and a silent PM who couldn't translate his extra ordinary brilliance and credentials into what could have been in my opinion the greatest prime ministership of all time. Mr Singh has a resume that could be the aggregation of academic achievements of 10 to the top of class Harvard graduates in any year ! Do read up about this extraordinary individual and the extraordinary and unbelievable set of scams that he presided over. Not because of his ineptitude, but the mind numbing control exercised by a dynasty who are now unwittingly destroying their grand old party.
Sorry if this sounds like a diatribe, but I love India and all it's people. It takes one look at Dr Shashi Tharoor's speech at Oxford to realize that it's not India Shining or developing. India is simply now regaining its rightful place in the world pecking order. And if you want to continue steaming ahead and getting there, the 'chai' seller of Gujarat seems to be your best bet. And God save you if you need a general election to choose him over the buffoon (sorry) who goes by the name of Rahul Gandhi.

MODI and the Indian Economy

According to leading  Chinese media personnel, India’s economic  reforms under Prime Minister Narendra Modi may have had a limited impact till now, but he has “clearly made the country more proactive”.

The Global Times article says,  “Modi equipped with newly gained confidence on India’s growth prospects has clearly made the country more proactive.” This was visible during the recent BRICS Summit in Goa as India “outmanoeuvred” and “consigned Pakistan to be a regional pariah”.

India did this by calling all countries in the neighborhood except Pakistan for the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectorial Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) meet which was held in tandem with the BRICS meeting.

The article is all praise for India’s move to organize both meetings in Goa simultaneously. It says that by bringing regional countries together with BRICS members, India “breathed legitimacy and substance” into BIMSTEC.

Many analysts criticize Modi for failing to get Pakistan’s name as a sponsor of terror included in the BRICS declaration.

However, the Global Times article reads it otherwise. It acknowledges that no BRICS member would ever “openly endorse” either India or Pakistan because of the tensions between both countries. Still, India used the BRICS stage for its gain. “India in a way secured its stance vis-à-vis Pakistan by taking advantages of its agenda-setting powers for the summits.”

India was also lavishly praised in the article, for becoming the fastest-growing large economy in the world at present, beyond China and Russia. It says, “India is now confident in talking about economic matters. After all, the setbacks undergone by its fellow countries make India’s  economy shine  in comparison.”

More power & positivity to Mr.Modi.

THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERING..

THE SPIRIT OF VOLUNTEERING..

Volunteering -  As I started  to think about volunteering at about 7 / 30 this Saturday morning, images that came to mind are ones of the havoc the rain &  floods caused in Chennai last month, and the way in which volunteering helped rescue Chennai.

Volunteering -  the word in essence speaks about the spirit of the person involved,  his / her mindset, his upbringing, his mental strength in the face of adversity &  above all his / her sense of compassion. In today's superfast world, volunteering can take many forms.

One can volunteer to be a counsellor for drink / drug addicts, one can volunteer to write exams for blind students, to teach computer or English to under privileged kids, to clean the nearby temple, to sponsor the education of  an economically challenged kid & so on.

Ask any Chennaiite whose house was flooded during last month's rains.I personally  have seen senior citizens being literally carried by faceless people to safety. I have seen orphaned children being fed by helping strangers. High net worth individuals,  driving Innovas stopping at a drowned colony & carrying packets of food on their backs to feed the hungry. Nine months fully pregnant woman being taken to the hospital on a boat & so on.

If these faceless volunteers were not there, what would have happened to all the above people ??

So,  volunteering has changed lives. Lives of all the affected people who were helped by these volunteers. These mentally & physically shattered people were given a helping hand by these selfless volunteers, who took it upon them to help these distressed people in times of need. Helped them regain their feet, and stood by them till the worst was over so that they can get back to their lives.

Further, volunteering also changes the lives of the volunteers. Research has shown that it improves the quality of life & health of  those who spend time helping others. Physical & mental problems of everyone,  & older people in particular have been cured by the simple act of helping others on a regular basis.

To summarize, volunteering changes the lives of  not only the community  but also the volunteers in equal measure.

As the saying goes –  HELPING HANDS ARE BETTER THAN PRAYING LIPS . . . .

****

GIVE INDIA A CHANCE

My Thoughts,

Well Prime Minister MODI is here; and we expect him to change India overnight in every conceivable way. But, there still are some things for which we do not need MODI. These are things each one of us can do ourselves.

Take a look at this list:

1. Stop Overpopulating:

 India has a population of 1.25 billion people. And we add 1.55 Crore people every year.  We just do not have the place.  Many other countries like US, Russia & China have SIX times more place. The more the number of people, the less of everything for everyone. And MODI is not responsible for this.

2. Reduce Waste:

 The waste collected in our cities alone is 68.8 million tons a year or 188,500 tons a day. MODI just cannot clean it. We have to generate less waste & try to clean ourselves up.

3. Get Fitter:

Sedentary life is a major risk for several lifestyle ailments. Quit or atleast reduce smoking & drinking.  Forty-eight per cent of Indian men consume tobacco. Smoking is the third-largest risk to life in India. YOU need to stop this; not MODI.

4. Plant Trees:

Trees & forest cover are vital. They provide shade, secure the environment & keep natures cycle turning over smoothly.  But, India today struggles to have 33% tree cover. This is a serious challenge & needs to be changed. MODI can help, but YOU need to do it.

5. Read more:

Indians need to read more.  The young of India barely read books. They prefer music and films (77%), news and current affairs (72%). Maximum time was spent on TV, followed by radio and the internet.  Books came last.  This needs to change. YOU need to read; MODI cannot do it for you.

Let us start doing the above TODAY; and our lives will change for the better from TOMORROW. And well, let MODI run our country for us.

JAIHIND . . .

THE RULES OF LIFE

The rules of life:

1. Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble.

It is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2. Friendship is like a book. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

3. All things in life are temporary. If it’s going well, enjoy it, that won't last long. 

If it’s going badly, don't worry, that won't last long either.

4. Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, it’s just a bend, not the end!"

5. When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems, He has faith in your abilities.

6. Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles, it takes away today's peace.

Vinod Kumar. P

Ph : 0091 938 106 1000