Time just flies.. 31.5 million seconds have silently ticked away from the start of the year. I vividly remember this day last year.. I had taken a day off from work to clean up the website and write the message – “Be Awesome – Happy 2011“.. Between that day and today, CWS has also clocked quite a few important moments!

Before I go into it, I want to put in a strong disclaimer.. Look what banking does to you. You start off with a disclaimer

A parent of a 3 year old will find his or her child’s developments to be very special.. Although, in the bigger scheme of human existence, the child is not doing anything exemplary.. You may call it love, bonding etc or if you are cynical.. you can term it as emotional attachment, stupidity etc.. Well the fact is it exists..

Such is my love for my 3 year old CWS… Yes! CWS completed 3 years in March 2011 with some amazing interviews.. The likes of Chinmayi (playback singer) and Arvind Gupta (Toy Maker) were featured.. It scaled new heights to interview a couple of Padmashri awardees as well – (Ananda Shankar Jayant and Anil Gupta).. Still a long way to go in its journey.. But what joy is it if we dont sit back and enjoy some interesting milestones along the way.. Yes! CWS completed 100 interviews this year.. Ofcourse, the journey has only began.. Still a long way to go in pursuit of the role models for Indian youth..

From The Aha Moment of the Week

This CWS story made me realize that I look at myself as an Venture Capitalist.. The VC who invests in various potentials in me.. Some of them click.. Some of them see the light at the end of the tunnel.. Most of them dont.. But the ones which click go some distance.. It was an interesting year.. My tryst with craziness continued as I was intellectually curious and continued to learn from different aspects of life..

Life.. they say is a journey to find a direction.. and this year.. I just did that.. I was looking for a direction in everything I did.. be it work.. or cws interviews or books or poems or art works.. In everything, I was consciously searching for my niche.. A light that would guide me in the long run.. In some I found my purpose.. in many I didn’t..

For example.. I read books voraciously.. as though I had never seen books before.. I didn’t just read text books but all kind of crazy books.. On a wide ranging topic from Buddhism to banking.. from fiction to philosophy.. I realized that there is just too much to learn.. I was clear I had a to find my niche.. else I would continue to search indefinitely.. Sometimes.. the mind never lets you open your eyes.. But when you find your purpose.. the mind doesn’t let you close it either..

There was a common string across everything I did.. The very thought of India, Indian culture, food, languages, art, history, geopolitics, challenges at hand, the future… excited me.. it turned me on.. India was what I was fascinated about.. So much more to learn from India.. So much more to learn about India! So much more to give back to India! There was India in everything I did.. Coffee With Sundar was searching for India’s role models.. Aha Moments, my art works were based on Contemporary Indian themes..

“Go as far as you can see; when you get there you’ll be able to see farther” ~Thomas Carlyle The search has only began.. but I realized that it is worth searching.. I also realized, more of then than not.. the search within would involve facing some serious questions from heart.. the ones which I had conveniently evaded all these years..

“Eagerness to learn is the beginning of all wisdom.” said Akbar the Great!
Experiment till you find what you are searching for.. To be awesome, one must constantly be seeking.. Just like buddha’s gyaanoodaya.. hopefully, one would achieve a state of clarity… A stage when self doubt turns to confidence..just that right amount of confidence.. not too much.. not too little, but just the right amount that you complete the journey one has embarked on..

Remember.. your mind is your final frontier and being awesome is just a state of mind.. To be in that state.. one should persistently be a seeker.. Seeking makes you humble because there is so much to learn.. And always seek excellence.. As Robin Sharma says.. Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency..

A new year is dawning at us.. Be awesome! And to be awesome, be a seeker.. Be a seeker! Happy 2012!

source: cricinfo

SWEET TASTE OF SUCCESS.. Love you India.. Love you Tendulkar.

My grandfather & I watched every world cup since I was born.. We cried for every world cup exit.. Taatha.. your dream moment is here today India finally won the world cup.. may your soul rest in peace… Love you very much

source: here

I am very happy to inform you that it has been 3 years since I moved my website to http://coffeewithsundar.com

From my experience I realized that.. there are a lot of amazing people out there.. They keep bumping into our lives.. And even before you realize.. they are gone.. in between, they leave a lasting positive change on us.. I call such people who leave a positive change as role models..

I believe one’s thinking and dreams are shaped by what he sees and whom he interacts with.. I also believe that we the Indian youth.. the pulsating youngsters of the world.. need more guidance from leaders who are setting examples in day to day life.. These role models are the need of the hour for our country! CWS is a small step in that direction.. to provide a platform where I can show case potential role models for Indian youth!

CWS has been able to sustain for 3 years because of so many every day role models around us.. Special thanks to all the interviewees who have spared time from their busy life.. Also a special thanks to the audience, who have not only given me a lot of feedback and have continued to visit the website, but also given some very good contacts & suggesting good interviews..

India definitely deserves many role models.. And here in CWS, I work with one single objective.. to find such role models! I dont know who.. where.. when.. would have a positive change because of CWS interviews.. But I know that it will happen or probably it is already happening..

As it has been said.. A journey of 1000 miles begins with the first step.. In my journey with CWS, I have always put my best foot forward! And the rest as they say is history!

Happy Birthday Coffee With Sundar!

I am happy to inform you that CWS has been chosen in the Blog Junta’s Editor Choice.. They consider CWS among other blogs as “Read Worthy Blog”.

Thank you very much Blog Junta for choosing CWS! Thank you readers for your constant support.

Looking back, It was an interesting year! At times, I chose to be crazy… At other times, craziness chose me!! I did things which I could never imagine doing! What would you say about taking a weekday off from work and watching Endhiran movie back to back twice? Or Even better.. How about this.. Calling a girl’s father and asking if he could give his daughter’s hand for someone who is 2 months younger? (which is me .. Btw, that was for an arranged marriage & of course, you can guess the result! Because slippers are not transferable through ISD calls, I survived ) Well, It wasn’t all that crazy always.. But I lived my life with a single principle.. “At 60, would I ever repent for doing or not doing an act?” This question brings a clarity at times of clutter.. A method in the times of madness.. A solution in the times of confusion.. In the process.. I learnt a whole of things things..

I learnt that it doesnt matter what others think about you or your pursuits.. What might be crazy for you.. might just be a routine task for another.. So don’t be surprised when you hear “Oh, come on! Whats so great about it!” Earlier, I used to talk a lot about what I plan to do etc.. But soon I learnt to shut up (Actually 25 years is not soon.. but better late than never ) especially talking about important things in life! (Which probably explains, why I talk & talk… and talk only non-sense ) Even research says that when goals and dreams are spoken out aloud before completion, our mind tends to get satisfied earlier and stops giving its fullest.. (Courtesy: TED)

Another interesting thing I learnt was.. When you go to your limits.. nothing happens.. your limits just keep expanding.. As Robin Sharma says, when you surf the wave, the wave gets bigger.. I tried a lot of things this year pushing my limits.. Ofcourse, you see some manifestation of those in the form of Aha Moments and Tamil Kavidhai.. I tried a hundred other things.. Some of them succeeded.. A good number of them failed.. I just realized that there is so much to learn.. Learning everyday is the only way to stay young!

Speaking about learning, I learnt something very interesting about learning.. Btw, by learning, I am not just talking about mugging for exams in IIMB or NIT Trichy.. How can I forget the super cramming for FSA regulations… Phew!! It was really crazy to come back home at 9:30 pm and study regulatory & legal rants and then off I leave to work next morning at 8 am.. I am not talking about those.. In general, pursuit of knowledge is very very difficult I felt.. because, it required me to come of my comfort zone..

Till today, I suck badly in geography.. (for that matter, history, biology, organic chemistry, physics.. whatever.. So much for choosing an example ) But I am so blissfully ignorant about it.. To improve in geography (which I haven’t done so far), requires me to come out of my comfort zone.. It requires me to place myself in completely uncomfortable state.. Same was the case with holding a pencil or pen for poem.. On day one, you are going to suck big time.. Coming out of the comfortable mediocrity state of life is generally very difficult! If you can do that.. it is definitely worth the effort..

‎As Brian Tracy says.. “You can only grow if you’re willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new..” I tried a lot of new things this year.. A good number of my experiments this year was in a field… which I had never cared about or bothered  a year earlier.. it is called ARTS Although my late awakening in arts is puzzling everyone around me.. (Actually there is a hypothesis that my great grand uncle’s paternal aunt’s maternal mother was an artist and I am carrying it in my genes..) Art did puzzle me in quite a few things… In the process of dabbling with arts, I learnt that there are some “talented” people! Bow! Hats off to all of them.. But I am not one among them.. I believe that hard work and passion are great substitutes for “talent”.. In general, as Robin Sharma says, Genius isn’t genetic. It’s engineered through conscious choices and daily practice.

From my experiments with truth (Oh sorry, that is already taken by Gandhi! ), From my experiements with arts.. I am beginning to believe… insanity is the only rational way of passionate existence Life like art, is quite undefined.. There is some method to the madness.. yet it doesn’t have a well defined output like a computer program.. There are guidelines, but not specifications.. In such an environment.. you need to be crazy by following your heart.. else you will be all over the place.. While being passionate.. there are going to be good days and not so good days… Every day is not going to be a master piece.. You know it very well.. that there are going to be arts (or days) which are not the best pieces of arts (best of your days).. But you can sleep peacefully at the end of the day, if you know that.. it was your best piece of art “you could have produce that day”.. You can sleep peacefully if you know that.. even though it wasnt your best of the days, you have done the best you could do that day! Giving your best is a very fulfilling experience irrespective of the results! Pursuit for excellence is the only thing that matters at the end of the day!

A new year is dawning at us.. And here is a great opportunity to start breathing at our best.. at every moment of life! Its a great time to start becoming awesome in whatever you do! Remember, as the great Kungfu Panda says.. There is no charge for Awesomeness!! ”Be Awesome! Happy 2011″

I would like to end this post with quote from Mark Twain!

Work like you don’t need the money.
Love like you’ve never been hurt.
Sing like no-one’s listening.
Dance like no-one’s watching.
Live like there’s no tomorrow.

BE AWESOME!!!!

I request you all to join the CWS Facebook page here

From The Aha Moment of the Week

My entire Aha Moment collection can be seen here!

“First of all, drawing the nude human figure is a very important aspect of becoming a good artist. If you can draw the human body extremely well, you can then draw anything! Adopt the mindset that the human body is simply another drawing subject.

If you have an opportunity to take part in life drawing classes, you will quickly find out that the artists do not see the model as a sexual being. They are much too busy using the opportunity to improve their drawing skills. The model becomes no more sexual than a vase or box! He or she is simply something to draw!”

Open you mind.. And expose yourself to greatness!

From The Aha Moment of the Week

Long way to go.. But satisfied with this one

Thenpaandi cheemayile..

But for the moment.. as Subroto Bagchi says.. LET THE RIVER FLOW..

Unofficially done with IIMB

The Rejection

“I love you Vandana,
Give me a chance!
I want to be your partner
For a life long dance!!”

It took you by surprise,
When I proposed
But you hardly took a second,
My poem got disposed!

“You know me not..
and you love me why!”
I mumbled something..
feeling very shy!!

“Vandana, I seriously like you..
Give me a chance”
You were emotionless and
you took a strong stance

“There is LOVE
and there is LIKE
Dont be stupid
and act like psyche”

You convinced me..I will find an angel,
while you depart!!
Why cant you be my damsel,
My heart fell apart!!

Communications died
My heart cried..
But somewhere I did try
And wont repent when I die!!

What wrong did I do
cringes my heart!!
Vandana, I sincerely love you
But I will respect your thought!

Hope you guys like it.. Like every time I am sure you are going to ask who is Vandana.. Vandana is an imaginary girl.. whose name I use whenever I write about a girl on CWS..

I look around..

I look around and realize
that there is soo much talent around me..
I look around and realize
that I hadnt opened my eyes..

I look around and agonize
that I am nothing in front of thee..
I look around and agonize
that I wasted my time unwise..

I look around and recognize
that there is soo much passion in me..
I look around and recognize
that its only a matter of time
before I bring the surprise..

“I apologize for the delay between the last post and this one”.. Incidentally it is the most common starting phrase used in blogs these days.. The sentence verbatim or its variant is found in over 74% of the blogposts.. �And more than 60% of the statistics including this one, are all fudged up If I start apologizing for the delay in the blog posts, I guess I would only be writing “Sorry Posts!!!”�:)�So, I will probably not start off my post like that!

Well, the year 2009 is about to end.. It is probably that time of the year when you look back at how the year went.. Enjoy thinking about the good moments.. Form a few new year resolutions, which you know for sure wont last more than a couple of weeks.. but why not just give it a try!!!

Its true that 2009 is going to end in a few hours! Its true that I have been reflecting how the year was.. But I just realized that this could be my last “calender year end” in School. I am just beginning to get a sinking feeling.. that the finishing line of my student life is in the vicinity..

I am not one of those guys who topped from LKG to Phd. I was an average student during my early days. I am sure my cousin would agree that I had failed in one of the class tests, but the teacher had forgotten to underline in red I scored some 70 odd percent in my 7th std exams, when my cousins were competing with each other at 94+ percentage range. If I was a stock in the capital markets, the only way it was heading was down I am sure, not one soul (including myself) would have banged their bucks on me Probably my grand father was an exception. They say bad things happen! Sometimes good things also happen! I dont know how, I am sure somebody managed to convince my hindi teacher not to commit suicide. Reason is simple.. I topped my school 10th std.. Worse still, I topped the school in hindi of all subjects! From there I went to REC Trichy, then Google and now here at IIMB.

I was brought up in an environment where I was told “Work hard! Study well & You will succeed in life!” I am a Josephite! I was preached “Fide et Labore” – Faith & Toil are the secret of success! I have sweared by it all my life and even now I buy into it completely. I would say they played a big role in helping me become a gold medalist in Trichy and for securing the Dewang Mehta Award for the Best Student in Management. As a side note, IIM Bangalore teaches you to glorify your achievements in such a way that you can convince yourself and the rest of the world that you are god’s gift to man kind. So, take the previous statement with a pinch of salt! Coming back to the point. Born and brought up in a typical upper middle class tambram family, where Grade points and the percentages count more than anything else, I have lived a life of a typical first bencher with thick specs leading a non-exciting life. (To be honest, I am neither a first bencher nor do I wear thick spectacles.. But I am sure thats what will come to your mind if they hear words like Geek or Nerd) I agree that these characteristics has taken me places both physically and figuratively! �But somewhere deep within, my heart says.. Give me another chance.. I wanna grow up once again!

Its not that I want to change my past completely. Also I am not talking about rewriting my operations paper where I got an amazing C grade.. I am very happy with my life. I wouldnt be writing this if I wasnt assured with myself. But what I am talking about are those things where I put in “a bit too much”. For example, I was doing a lot of programming in REC Trichy! I have no problems with that! I enjoyed programming. But there was a 4 day weekend and all my bangalore friends in Trichy (called the Kandus) went to Kanya Kumari. If I remember correctly, I was learning Java, which I never used in my life after that.

I had a lot of good friends! Really good friends! But I just realized that I was never really a part of a gang of friends! Like the Kandus or The Bongs or the Tams or the A tops or the G tops etc etc.. You know what I mean.. When you go out with a group of friends to a restaurant.. I am talking about the difference between booking a table for 2, 3 or 4 vs booking a table for 10 or 15. I would say I have been a part of big gangs dinners about 5 times in my past 10 years! And I enjoyed every moment of that and I cherish those! Not that I dislike the smaller groups.. Just be a part of a big group once to realize what you have missed in your college days!!

During my early days I dreaded Holi! I always felt that it spoilt my dresses! But by the time I passed out I wanted play holi and be a part of the fun! But people built such a “nice guy” impression about me that they didnt want to play with me! Just think about this.. I was walking in front of Octagon in NIT Trichy and they pour buckets of coloured water on the guy in front of me and.. they just keep a dot on my forehead! I wasnt feeling happy! I was praying that the guy would pour the colours on me!

In NIT Trichy, we had movie screening every weekend. I havent even seen a single movie there and I was proud about it! I have watched movies in hostel rooms.. loads of them.. But I have watched only a handful of movies with the dorm room packed with junta. I have been a part of lots & lots of small groups… But have hardly been a part of a big group, like the kandus gang.. watch friends, discuss gossips, porn, affairs etc etc. dont know what not..

In section A trip during my first year at IIMB, all the tams got together and we were singing songs like “New York Nagaram” etc… We do that even now in L block first floor. These are amazing moments to cherish in my student life.. I wish I had many such moments.. Give me another chance..

I always wanted to do something on stage and address the audience.. Well I did.. I did teach in seminars & courses.. I loved those.. But I didnt sing or dance on stage The last time I sang in front of an audience was 10 years back.. “Kasu Mela Kasu Vandhu” with Kumara Ganesh in 10th Std. What a hit it was! You know.. its a special feeling when you practise for these stage events together as a group.. Work real hard.. and celebrate with “hi-fi”s and hugs after finishing it off in style.. Closest in the recent past I can think of was the play I acted in the first year @ IIMB by name “Sure thing”. I will miss these for sure.. Give me another chance, I will learn music & dance.. perhaps theatre…

What is talking about school days without talking about girls.. I had countless number of crushes.. Most of those thoughts got crushed in my heart.. I managed to express a few.. not to the girl.. but to some of my friends.. Against all odds, I had a girlfriend.. and not very long ago, I lost her too.. I hated to admit to the world that I had a girlfriend.. I hated to admit when I realized that I lost her. Give me another chance.. I wanna boldly express my feelings.. caring more for the girl and a little less for the world around! Give me another chance.. I wanna express myself…

May be I could have gotten away by adjusting my priorities a bit.. Just A LITTLE BIT.. For example, during my ten week internship at IIT Madras, I could have gone for the beach ONCE not twice.. JUST ONCE.. May be.. I could have coded a bit less on the rare�occasion�when it rained in Trichy.. �and jumped in the rain… I could have taken that trade off.. May be.. I could have a seen ONE MOVIE in�theater�in the whole of my undergrad days.. I am compensating that by going one every week in the past 5 weeks.. May be.. I could have gone home a bit more often during my IIMB days and made my parents happy.. May be.. I could have watched cricket match cheering every single ball with a crowd.. and when the batsmen get out or when the bowler gets belted away..�scold�him loudly.. not with words like LOSER… but with words like SUCKER.. May be I could have attended the hostel block party.. instead of studying Managing Organizations in which I got a C grade anyways… �May be I could have done with a bit more “Vella” sessions or “Bakkar” sessions with junta.. just talking utter non-sense.. When my friends mocked.. I could have done away by uttering.. “What the FUCK” instead of “What the HECK”.. Dont know when was the last time I uttered these gaalis..

I didnt grow up the same way as what most of the guys would have.. But I have had my own fun.. I have done things which others havent.. But having said that.. I could have some of these things different.. Give me another chance… I wanna grow up once again..

I have spoken to a number of people.. through CWS or other wise.. All of us have aspirations.. Things which we wish we could have done better in the past.. Here is a new year dawning at all of us.. Here is another chance to grow up once again.. I wish Coffee With Sundar Readers a very happy new year – 2010!!! Grow up once again!