Sustainable Blogging

 How do you sustain a blog beyond a couple of years? Many ways, just like films have survived, telling pretty much 5 stories over the decades, be it Holly- or Bolly- or Tollywood. Some suggestions, having done it for over 14 years now..

1. Add pics to the events you describe.. and describe the events as they happen, before you forget.

2. Have an opinion, and express it. About anything and everything. Opinions make things interesting, within limits of course..

3. Review books, films, art, games.. extension of the above.

4. Meet people, create memories, and write about these, pics included

5. Summarise your quarters-learn from finance- balance sheets, for one.

6. Look for triggers on your friends' posts, or other bloggers' blogs..

7. Take a break, and come back with fresh thoughts.

Using Products Innovatively

That is, not according to directions- I am crediting Donald Trump for making my defunct brain function again, for this one! Thanks, bhai. My top 5-

1. Spray detergent in the air as you walk- poof, you get clean air.
2. Wear a suit made of magnets..your attraction levels triple!
3. Use a fly-swotter for all unseen viruses, and carry it wherever you go.
4. Use a garden hose to clean your furniture.
5. Use the big garden scissors to perform surgery (even plastic surgery)- no disinfectant please, that is strictly for injections!

Books That Need to be Written-Updated

There are many unwritten books, and many writers looking for fresh ideas. I thought I will make life easier- these are ideas for books.

1. If all the countries in the world give up nuclear arms..  being armless.

2. School Shootouts in the U.S.- an Encyclopaedia

3. Advice Gone Wrong- an even Bigger Encyclopaedia.

4. Election Speeches- the Biggest Global Compendium, since the start of democracy.

5. How to be an Intelligent TV Anchor

6. Why Bank Robberies are Passe, and Digital arrests are in.

7. Celebrity Suicides.. Who's Next?

8. Daya, Kuchh Gadbad Hai.. why CID Beats Sherlock.

9. How to Improve Your Quanti Fundas- and get into Quantico.

10. Generating and Managing Crowds.. elections and more.

11. Managing Social Media, and Becoming a Celebrity. (Linkedin Excluded)

Relaunching the Seminar on Thought Leadership

There was this course that I ran in IMT Nagpur a few years ago. We had around 40 students in it, and I had generated a list of thought leaders (authors, playwrights, inventors, explorers) or ideas that have impacted the world or society in a big way. The students in groups had to research the topic given and tell the class through a presentation how the given person or idea changed the world. There would be  a critique of the presentation from me and a couple of students from the audience, and a Q and A.

I still remember the course vividly, and hope that students do too. I am collaborating with my colleague Shweta Kushal at IIM Indore to relaunch the course here for our 5-year integrated program students. We both hope that we will learn a lot about history, inventions, art, etc. that changed society and our lives, along with our students. Two of my former students, Padmapriya and Jogeswari had also come in to guest lecture in the earlier edition of the course, and added diverse perspectives-one worked with an NGO, and the other was a director of a Golf tours company- Golftripz..

Reforms in Governance

This is wishful thinking in areas of governance that give the common citizen great amounts of irritation, if not angst.

All government services must be home-delivered at the customer's (citizen's) convenience. The government can employ people with minimum levels of education and lots of common sense to do the home-delivery, and charge customers for it if necessary-if the fee already charged is not enough. This can boost employment tremendously-it does not have to be in rural areas/farming. Could be a part of the govt. employment schemes, too.

There must be a fixed time period in which the delivery must happen, if not, the service should be free (or discounted appropriately).

There should be visible penalties (like a transfer to the boondocks) for non-compliance by the government official responsible.

No citizen should stand in a line begging for any favours. Approval of most things can be done online, or not depending on merit. A copy of the request can go to the Lok Pal of the respective jurisdiction, and maintained for a certain period until the window for complaints runs out.

You will see wonders happening, and bureaucrats lose their swagger in no time.

Delhi Government and Governance

What is governance? The Delhi governance imbroglio inspired this one.

Defence is a part of it, and so is law and order.

Apart from these, it should ideally be, at least in a democracy, people who serve the citizens. Citizen services include transportation, housing, health, water, drainage, education and so on. How to provide these in a fair and just manner is what the government needs to decide- and implement.
It does not include showing undue favours, transferring officials every few months, or wasting time on activities detrimental to providing services to citizens.

Democratic governments can do a lot of damage by not doing any of the things they need to do. Also by doling out free goodies to sections of people (or all the people) forever. That kills motivation to work for a living. The poor and helpless deserve help but usually don't get it.

Also, by wasting time in controlling the private sector without a good reason. Rules can be framed transparently, and independent regulators with professionals left to regulate various sectors.

The challenges are vast, and sometimes technology can help. Applications for a passport, ration card, driver's license (barring the test itself), registration of land, and many more can easily be made online with scanned documents and verification within a time-bound manner ( a service guarantee?) by officials concerned. If not, it should be deemed correct. Responsibility must shift to the officials for proving anyone wrong. This would improve governance manifold.

Creativity and Good Ideas

Reading a book on Creativity by a prof. whose name sounds Russian and is too complex to remember. Anyway, he has a theory about "Flow" of ideas. He quotes an interesting Q/A with Linus Pauling, a Nobel Laureate, and a student about how to get good ideas.

A student: "Dr. Pauling, how does one go about having good ideas?"

Pauling: "You have a lot of ideas and throw away the bad ones."

He also says finding pleasure in the right things is the best thing we can teach the young. And, that our schools and teachers are ineffective in bringing interest to the subject being taught. Parental models and behavior also usually sets wrong examples, hindering creativity and satisfaction among the children who grow up with wrong ideas.

Interesting thoughts based on interviews with highly accomplished and creative people including authors, musicians (Ravi Shankar) and the like.