Vision of Life; by Sanjay

Friday, October 25, 2024

Ye Diwali Togethernesswali, 2024!

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"Festivals are occasions not to just make new friends but to demolish the walls & build bridges, that's togetherness"...Me.

In this month when I walk on the roads in Diwali times, shops selling lanterns are lit with bright light & colours of those lanterns, many buildings get face lift by painting, showrooms, malls are decorated to welcome the visitors, in a way entire society’s mood is up, ready to spend, happily & you know, its Diwali time! This time’s Diwali is more special as it has got State elections along, i.e. just post Diwali our State’s assembly elections are aligned which means the festive times will be more wonderful for the masses, knowing the way elections are contested nowadays. And at the same time, I wonder how many politicians can really enjoy the Diwali as it’s in a way exam time for them & I can imagine their mind set as for diploma & later engineering, every time Diwali is just before semester exams taking away any mood of celebration due the tension of the exams ahead for me, yet I don’t pity for the politicians & for the obvious reasons, lol! Ok, leave away politics but this festival really has got something which changes the mood of the entire nation’s population & if something can keep this diversified 150 crore population bound together with one common thread, then, its cricket, its movies & then its Diwali! Rain or less rains, or even drought or there may be war going around the globe & inflation yet this time of the year everybody tries to open up their pockets & spend to make him/herself happy along with the close ones!

This is where (or say how) we can use the Diwali to introspect the way society is going on the wrong track as never before, I have seen or experienced the unspoken unrest (even hatred or anger) among the classes of the society against each other! Every day I open WhatsApp groups, watch Insta/FB posts & I find someone forwarding or posting forwarded messages which spits venom (literally) for “others” which we consider are not as “ours”! These walls between “others” & “ours” are slowly being built dividing even between the age-old friends, under the name of caste, religion, cadre (Direct or Promote, types), gender, region, State or even profession! People are being categorized first & then injected with the poison of all above types, taking away the very basic thing on which our diverse rich country or say society has stood for thousands of years! There always have been categories, castes, religions & so existed the differences but never they have been used to make us fight against each other which I am seeing happening around every day more bitterly! On my school group formed on WhatsApp, when it started few years back everybody was happy for the unions after four decades but today what I read on this group is someone posting some forward about some political party or religion or caste & immediately other reacting to these forwards & heated arguments starts, to such extent that people threaten/ curse each other’s to personal level, I wonder are these the same innocent kids which were sharing each other’s dabba without even knowing surnames leave apart caste or religion! And this is not on just school group, even on my engineering group my friends post hatred spreading news (mostly fake) or messages about religion or profession forgetting there are all sorts of friends on this group from all religions & professions, some are Muslim, some are North Indians, some are in govt job, some are builders (me, lol) & none of us become friends with each other for what we are by birth or by profession but because we shared the same class room but we have forgotten this basic togetherness today! This is where the importance of festivals like Diwali is much more than before as we can make this occasion to find that lost togetherness by understanding the purpose of celebrating festivals like Diwali, is what reason for me calling Ye Diwali Togetherneswali!

As if on one side many of us have prospered & have become so-called successful, then many more are not that lucky on financial, educational or such front & that’s one main reason for the ill entities which want to divide us, to build the dividing walls faster & easier between our society! When the society is divided the terms like “ours & theirs”, then it’s too much vulnerable for self-destruction & for that the only remedy or solution is togetherness, which comes by sharing, affection, understanding, kindness & love, but unfortunately, we are forgetting all these terms & that’s why the walls dividing us are becoming stronger! Let’s use the happiness & joy with which we celebrate Diwali to break down the walls dividing us & once again become the innocent, lovable young ones we were as that will only save us or else we won’t need any nasty neighbouring country to invade us as there will be nothing left to invade! And all we have to do is decide some simple things & act on them, first one is stop spreading hatred, even by sharing forwards which you don’t have written or created! Second is stop categorizing people on things like caste, religions, status, region, or such things but accept them for the qualities they have & respect them for what they are! I am no Saint or some Baba or Shri Shri Shri types person but I have understood one simple thing, before anything I am not just a human being & a living being too & so is another person or a dog or a tiger or a butterfly or a tree & I must respect them for they too are a living being! And if you respect something then only you can think about that thing & then you start caring & eventually loving that thing, so start this Diwali, is all I wanted to share!

I know many of you will laugh at me for this sharing, some even may say (behind me of course) that what I think of myself some Swami or what, but let me tell you something, it’s not what I think of myself or you think of me is going to change the downslope road our society has taken but what we do to correct our course will only decide ours & our kid’s fate, & you may be reading this piece even after Diwali; yet, for doing a right thing, no time is wrong time! So, let Diwali's brightness help us to demolish these walls between us forever & all it takes is just a small act of love & kindness, go ahead, take that first step for our future & make this Diwali, Togethernesswali !!

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2024/01/choosing-your-home-along-with-future-of.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Creating Togetherness; team Sanjeevani Way (Click link below)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72157627904681345

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Friday, October 18, 2024

School named RatanTata!

“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
― Warren Buffett

“If there are challenges thrown across, then some interesting, innovative solutions are found. Without challenges, the tendency is to go the same way” … Ratan Tata

“When you see in places like Africa and parts of Asia abject poverty, hungry children and malnutrition around you, and you look at yourself as being people who have well-being and comforts, I think it takes a very insensitive, tough person not to feel they need to do something”… Ratan Tata

“What I would like to do is to leave behind a sustainable entity of a set of companies that operate in an exemplary manner in terms of ethics, values and continue what our ancestors left behind”… Ratan Tata

Well, who better than Mr Buffett would be there to guide me when the subject of sharing is our version of him i.e. Mr Ratan Tata & I am not comparing them as you, only a fool compares the moon & the sun as both are the best & unique at their place, the way these two names are! And by that logic also Mr Buffett & Mr Tata live exactly in two different worlds just the way sun makes our day bright & moon light up our nights but both can’t exist in the same time but their light is always there to guide us & so are the words of wisdom from these two for us! By now, State elections have been declared & most people have paid their tribute on social media showing their respect (?) for Mr Ratan Tata on his demise, btw most these people came to know Mr Ratan Tata was alive till 10^th Oct 24, only after they got message on their Insta/ FB or WhatsApp chat box & then they also posted their tribute. In many Chowks (nukkads) Ganeh/ Durga mandals displayed board of Shrdhanjali to Mr Ratan Tata, as well that day including our Hon PM to Bollywood Celebrities every person who has account on FB/Insta posted something about Mr Tata & those who are not having such account (there are still such good men/women) forwarded message on WhatsApp to their groups about Mr Tata & the day ended, so did life’s journey of Mr Ratan Tata! Now you will say, what are you doing, joining the bandwagon on which you are laughing, well yes if you think so as I can't control what you should think & answer is I am writing this post not just as tribute to Mr Tata but to thank him for what he (read as Tata group ) hast taught me & to pass that on to my sons as well my team & to anybody who is interested in improving hem/herself!

Let me clear at the first, whatever I am sharing about Mr.Ratan Tata it’s my exposure from news about him, his speeches I came across on social media & to read about Tata groups contribution not as business-house but to the society. I have never ever seen Mr Ratan Tata nor worked for any of his business, so this is sheer my take away the way Ekalavya did from Draunacharya in Mahabharata (plz google), and this I mentioned just for analogy as Mr Tata is Draunacharya in many aspects but I am not even 1 % near Ekalavya, but I tried, is what I can say! While I was going through the posts & forwards tsunami then many even went to say Mr ratan Tata built Tajmahal Hotel & was adopted & what not! Well, he never built original or say first Taj Mahal Hotel but his grandfather Mr JRD Tata did, though Mr Ratan Tata did build new Taj i.e. phase 2 of Tajmahal Hotel adjoining to old one as well Mr Ratan Tata wasn’t adopted in Tata family but his dad was by JRD Tata! But who cares, as people were busy in posting & forwarding their respect for Mr Ratan Tata & everybody wanted to do that, that’s what brand Tata is, this is my subject of sharing! Rather the three quotes of Mr Ratan Tata which I have shared at start itself are enough to make you know what kind of person he was & how much you can learn from him!

Let me share something which I came to know about Tata products which most of us may be using but never realize. My first encounter with the name (read as brand) Tata was in school days, as on all trucks passing in front of my home from the NH-6, Bombay- Calcutta, where engraved by “T” which I later came to know is Tata & the Tata Namak i.e. slat we use to buy, that was just beginning! As I started my journey on the path of life, I came across many tata brands & ventures, few I could afford to use then & few I just kept reading about such as Taj Hotels & whether I can avail some tata brand or not, one thing was common its commitment to their customers & service, which stand above everything. About Ratan Tata, I first read about Ratan Tata when in the 90's the infamous Telco (a Tata group company which makes automobiles) worker’s strike happened. That time we were just out of engg college & to get a job in Telco was as equal to get H1B visa (please google) & being a civil engg, though I knew I will never make to Telco yet there were Tata Hydro & Tata Power for the civil engineers, where to get in was equally tough & there I come to know Tata has a dam also in its ownership & my respect for the company grew more, as who owns a dam!! And the more I started reading about Mr Ratan Tata & the brand the more I was in awe of both of them as here is a company headed by a man which believes in building society along with making money, something not our country’s businessmen are known for! Will share a list of a few Institutes which Tata’s started & few of them are still run by them…

· Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (3 C, 9 P)

· Tata Institute of Social Sciences (1 C, 4 P)

I have deliberately shared the names with link so if anyone wants to know more about these institutes then he/ she can do so by clicking the respective links (well, there are few mad like me) & one look at above names & you will know the contribution of Tata’s & why Ratan Tata is great! Well, many of these institutes has not been started by Mr Ratan Tata but as a successor or say boss, he not only allowed them to function but make them grow as well start some new ones also, that itself is a big thing as how many of us take ahead legacy of our parents especially when its spending money for the society, try answering this question & you will know why people respect Ratan tata!

Years passed by & if in the first phase of my career I tried in my limited authority to follow Mr Ratan Tata in two ways, i.e. first try to do your work in as best possible way you can & make money while doing so which may be less in comparison to others & second, try to give back society something in whatsoever possible way you can! This is how I came in contact with TERI, The Energy & Resource Institute which was earlier Tata Energy & Resource Institute! Imagine when there were not many people who even knew the terms like Energy, Pollution, Environment at that time this guy starts an Institute dedicated to Energy saving & do mind to preach or give lecture is easy but to spend from your own pocket when there is not even acknowledgement for your efforts is something like fighting on border for people whom you don’t know, this is what ratan tata is great! And when I started my own business, I was lucky to be able to make some money & witness or avail a few Tata services which I never even dreamt about & being in a Taj hotel was one such. There I realize, it's not about luxury as you can buy the best of the artefacts & build a lavishly decorated hotel but it’s about the service & how you make your customer feel special is what makes Taj Hotels the best, that’s Tata touch, is what I started understanding! At the same time social media was the in thing & yet here also Mr Ratan Tata is special the way he always faces (read as used) the public forum, while most big names use social media to remain in news by making controversial statements about others Mr Ratan Tata never uttered any such thing about anybody barring once about when he commented on Mr Mukesh Ambani’s High Rise residence, & that only shows his human side! And about this aspect there was a famous saying in Telco factory’s canteen, whenever he used to visit the factory, he used to eat his lunch with the workers in their canteen, where the signage says, “Our workers eat the same food which our officers eat” which he changed to, “Our officers eat the same food which our workers eat”! My wordings may not be exact but essence is, be grounded & keep no barriers between the organization which is the main cause of unrest today in our society, the barriers of caste, money, position, religion & many such with which Mr.Ratan Tata was never bound by!

On business fronts also his ride was not easy, making us realize the more powerful a kingdom, thornier is the chair which heads that kingdom! There were setbacks right from loss making Rs 1 lakh car i.e. Nano, to facing international brands in the automobile sector & getting taunted as truck maker’s cars for the domestic vehicles but it’s under Ratan Tata’s leadership, the company answered to its critics in the best way i.e. by performance! This year only Tata beat Suzuki (Maruti) for the first time ever on the sale of domestic vehicles (cars) & it’s not overnight success, do mind! At the same time England’s pride Jaguar & Range Rover cars are now owned by an Indian i.e. Tata, what more honour can be there for a company! On the leadership front he stepped down to give way for young blood a decision which backfired, he again intervened & did the damage control, showing the world he means business also! Frankly most of these things are available on many domains now, so what I learned from Mr ratan tata, that is the core of my sharing, & here we go in pointers…

1.Give hundred percent to make any product, even if it may make you face losses on the money front.

2.Do make money but learn to use it for the right cause.

3.You are a businessman & your job is to run your business in profit but before that you are a human being.

4.Sucees must make you humble as then only you deserve it.

5.Never be afraid to take a stand for what you believe in.

6.A long-lasting brand can be built only if you build a character for yourself.

7.Last but least, (which is all time gyan.com but very few can live that), it's not what you have earned defines you but what you will be leaving back, will decide that!

Well, as I said I have not reached to practice even to 10% of what I have narrated but I am sure Mr Ratan Tata, had he could read this would have been happy for my understanding & I keep trying, this I am writing for my sons & my team! BTW, in a country where people spend days & months in celebrating or mourning over life & death, Tata group company’s work wasn’t stopped for the death of Mr ratan tata even for a minute, that’s what I say, living & even dying by the example! There have been hundreds of messages about Mr Ratan Tata (for just one day) but to try to walk on his path for ever, will be the best tribute which he would have liked to have, adios with this note, my team, mind it!

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2024/01/choosing-your-home-along-with-future-of.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below...

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Think Green, Think Life

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Sunday, October 13, 2024

Tadoba; New Season, Same Excietment!

“Love is when you always look forward to seeing the same person everyday with more excitement”… Me.

Well, don’t start jumping on conclusions as the sharing is not about love or romance or relationships as one that’s not my forte & second, this aspect of life (i.e. love) is a very personal thing & can’t be generalized! So, if you are wondering in what context I used such a quote then it’s about my feelings for Tadoba forest (what else!) & I know most of you have got bored with me & my tdaoba franticness, then it's ok if you don’t read ahead, lol! But as I said, when you love something then that thing never stops surprising you & the excitement is ever increasing to meet those surprises & Tadoba exactly does that to me, the recent trip though very short one wasn’t an exception to this law of surprises or love! Actually, when you start feeling suffocated in the city & miss that fresh green fragrance in your lungs,& your ears crave for the music of birds chirping with alarm calls in along & your eyes search for sight of yellow black stripes, then you have become a wild lifer by heart. This is what always happens to me when I am away from the forests, which was for four straight months this time, thanks to heavy rains this year across central India. And what better destination to head for Tadoba when you start feeling like a drug addict, your system misses that adrenaline rush when your gypsy rolls on the bumpy roads, which I did. It was October first week & season opener for the core area though buffers were open yet the rains have made safaris difficult during this monsoon & as I said, it was a short trip with just four safaris yet its Tadoba which never stops surprising you in every safari! And most importantly it fulfilled my wish-list yet again by sighting the mighty Chota Matakasur tiger, which was giving a dodge to me for nearly the last four years! And then there were spotted deer herds on the background of every shade of green along with some wonderful birds & yes, one of the Tadoba's Super Moms, Zunabai tigress with cubs, & will cover her in Super Moms chapter yet there was a lot to tell (and learn) in this rip too!

First, the forest of Tadoba is at its best in the month of October & the main reason is, freshness post monsoon which reflects on every tree, creepers, stream, roads & on the animals also! You will get tired while identifying the shades of one single colour Green & the fragrance of many flowers on the creepers fill your lungs with joy & every water body is flowing with fresh water (a rare sight for we the city people) & right from the orange yellow coat of Tigers to Sambhar Deer to velvet on the horn of Spotted Deer, entire forest wears welcoming attire for the winters ahead! Though the sightings (of tigers what else) is bit difficult but with the grace of the God (and of tadoba) I have seen enough of tigers & can afford to enjoy the forest also & yet when its Tadoba, you can always hope for those yellow black stripes also which becomes orange red in this season! Starting with first safari which gave us opportunity to study a big pack of wild dogs again with wonderful reddish gold colour & same ferocity, it’s amazing to know these playful little creatures can so violent & deadly when they are in hunting mode. Many tourists consider them as cruel the way they hunt & eat their prey alive but it’s not fault of wild dogs but their small size which makes them unable to kill their prey in one go the way tiger or leopard do. So, the only option they have is bleed the prey when its sambhar or spotted deer or nilguy & make it exhausted with the chase & eat it alive which is very disturbing to watch. Here also though we couldn’t see the action but the forest was filled with the shrikes of their kill as the pack was eating it alive! Another animal which ates the wild dogs is none other than the tiger as these dogs attack small tiger cubs as well disturbs prey in the territory of the tiger, so whenever the tiger senses presence of wild dogs around it attacks them with full force & tries to shoo them away!

The best part of this trip was I got to see five male tigers & just once saw a female tigress about which I will cover in another chapter. This is very special as get to see even one male tiger is always difficult because of the large territory size a male tiger has & then it doesn’t have to guard for cubs which is a job of a mamma tiger & free to roam around at its will. Through this trip I get to observe different behaviour of male tigers & a few things about choosing right safari options which I will share here. We have booked a half day safari option for buffers on the Kolara side which covers Belara, Madanapur & Kolara gates as this gives us access to all these three zones. When sightings in one zone are not surety which usually happens in these times of year then it’s better to take such an option which allows you to cross the zones so you can cover all territory. Here in these three zones one male tiger rules named Xylo & we come to know he has not been seen for the last five six days, a normal thing for a male tiger when it has got such a big area to move around. As this Xylo guy primarily prefers to be in Belara zone first we decided to check that zone & to our wonder at one spot few gypsies of that zone were waiting as they saw him walking for marking his territory. One you see a male tiger then to locate it is easy as the tiger never changes its course of walk especially while on area marking as it follows a fixed path which the local guides & drivers are well versed with. So, Mr Xylo, a huge guy, gave us a good show & at one point it came so close to gypsy that his stare could pierce my mind asking me, what this can’t you guys allow me to do my job! And the reason is, the buffer's forest is thick and dense with shrubs, grass & the roads are narrow & turning, so unless the tiger comes on the road you don’t know where it's emerging from, in one case near our gypsy itself! And there are fewer deer or monkeys (prey base) in buffers in comparison to the core part so you don’t get to learn from the alarm calls the track of the tiger & you are dependent on visual sighting of the tiger only! What forest dept can do is, cut away the ground shrubs & grass, at least along the roads so it will be easy for the driver & the guides to track the tiger & maintain safe distance & avoid it coming close to the gypsy even by accident! Yet while Xylo was emerging from the fresh grass, the image of him staring at me was engraved on my mind & that’s one of the best take-aways from this trip.

Next day we were greeted by another male tigers’ pair famous in tadoba as Mama-Bhanje (Uncle & Nephew) as this unique combo of two male tigers though young are hanging along together & hunting also jointly, a rare thing for male tigers. At the same time, they are not siblings which makes this bonding more special as on one side the biggest threat to the tigers is, their own fights over territory & prey but here are two male tigers which are not bonded with blood yet are getting along, is it sign of behaviour changes of tigers?

And then to save the best, I got to see the Father-Son relationship of tigers which is common in Lions, remember Mufasa & Simba from Lion King? (Please don’t ask what’s this, just google) Same bonding & affection I witnessed with Chota Mataka. named a big male tiger & his fully grown-up male cub named Kalua (because of his blackish face). As I always say, these names are given by the locals & because of birth prodigy or location of birth or somebody mark & forest dept doesn’t accept this but give every tiger an identification number yet for the ease of readers I use names only! Chota Mataka is by no means Chota i.e. Small by size but probably biggest tiger in tadoba forests & rule a large part of forest i.e. territory which includes three female tigers. All of their cubs belong to Chota Matka & he is comfortably hanging around with these grown-up cubs which are now separated from even their respective mom tigresses, again a rare thing for a male tiger! When we saw CM (Chota Matka has been fondly called by the locals), he was limping with his left front leg & it was swollen, probably because the throne of a porcupine is what our guide guessed! I informed this to local forest officers so they can keep an eye on him, as agreed this is forest & things happen as per nature but the way we have treated (read as destroyed) the wildlife over the years it’s our duty to intervene & try to protect the existing wildlife, especially the tiger, as its being apex of the forest chain! This is where tourism can help the forest dept by becoming their eyes & ear & this is why every part of forest must be open for tourism!

Seeing CM & his sub adult cub hanging along & probably hunting also together, my guide asked me, “sir, tigers ka bartaw badal raha hai kya?” i.e. sir, is the behaviour of tigers changing? Because a male tiger never allows his grown cubs, especially male cubs to hang along as that's a direct threat to his prey as well relationship with other females! I replied, maybe yes, as though for thousands of years the tiger is considered as a loner i.e. not living by pack or group like lions but maybe lack of space is becoming the reason for their changing pattern of life. Though it’s too early to make any conclusion but what I observed as well guides & drivers are seeing everyday there indeed is something changing in the patterns & no wonder it’s from Tadoba because this is the place where Tigers have learned to live with humans already & may now it’s time that they are trying to live with their own specie! This aspect forest dept & wildlife researchers need to study as its delight for tourists but tigers roaming in groups can be a big hurdle in coexistence because their aggression may increase as when in group, we always tend to dare more is what we have observed even in the humans also! Here is where forest depts role comes in picture more strongly as to make more spaces, water holes available for the tigers so that they also can disburse all over the forest & not needed to concentrate in some particular area for their needs such as road from Kolara gate to Jamani village, we can add water holes here so this stretch can be used by some tiger which is empty at present & many such small things can be thought of & I am sure park management also must be working on it! Oh yes, at Tadoba, it’s not just about tigers & clicking them but during that you can see hundreds of things around right from butterfly pair’s dance in air, behaviour of Sambhar deer when tiger is around & many such! With all such learnings I left Tadoba, eager to visit again with more excitement, soon!

You can watch more moments at the link below…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/albums/72177720321143099/

Sanjay Deshpande

smd156812@gmail.com

Sanjeevani Dev.

Please view my sharing about finding a Right Home/ Office in Pune, at YouTube link below & share if liked...

https://youtu.be/27j3I3rwGPQ?si=-ODYBxVI2Dl_C345

Please do visit my blog links below to read about real estate & home buying!

https://visonoflife.blogspot.com/2024/01/choosing-your-home-along-with-future-of.html

http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.com/2023/02/blog-post.html

Take your issues to Hon PM at link below...

https://secure.mygov.in/