A talk which makes you question yourself

Wow! My first reaction after watching this talk and I couldn’t stop myself from sharing this talk with you all.

But before I share about this talk let me ask you all few questions! Don’t you ever feel that you are here for a bigger purpose than just serving a 9-5 job? Won’t you regret your whole life if the death struck you today?

For me this talk by Elora Hardy made me ask these two basic and profound questions. While in this talk, she is talking about her life and how she is planning to give back to the society but somewhere; it would really make you think ‘What are we doing’?

In this talk she elaborates that she had always wanted to be a designer and at a very young age, she also achieved what she always wanted, but then the question struck her? And she left everything and came back to her country, Bali.

Today, she is a creative Director at IBUKU in Bali. IBUKU is a sustainable construction company, but it is surely not an ordinary sustainable company because when she decided to start this company she thought about Bali and what Bali is known for i.e. bamboo. So, IBUKU is a company, which uses only bamboo for construction. Her designs are not only creative, but also amazingly innovative.

While she has not done any course in architecture but her love for this job and her interest in this has given the whole world a new material to build houses, restaurants, schools and warehouses. She has also shown that the houses build using this bamboo are not only sustainable but also durable and beautiful.

Till now, she has designed a house and now she is working on building a completely green hotel in Bali using only the bamboo which can provide an avenue for the people to connect with nature.

She wants to do it so that she can show the world the potential of the bamboo and inspire more people to connect with the bamboo.

But what really make this talk powerful are the three ways she talks about how the human beings get evolved

The first of these is: -

Drastic change/crises, i.e. when an earthquake strikes or someone dies then your life takes a drastic different path and this type of evolution is not in anyone’s control.

Second Reason is

Shift along the society at society pace:- In this you just keep moving along the path the whole life while never achieving the satisfaction you always wanted.

And the final reason is: -

Why you are here today/ What’s get you up in the morning: - It’s about the stand you take, whether you are prepared for it or not, irrespective of educational background or anything and that’s what made Elora leave here successful career and come back to Bali.

I do know that it would be a difficult decision for many of us but notwithstanding of anything, one day we really have to choose which path we want to take for our evolution.

Watch her talk at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOSQksSlr9c

It's time to get angry

Dear friends,

Many of you don’t know me, many will say ‘unsubscribe’, many would not like to read  at all but I need to write..

It’s not about me, it’s not about you. It’s about the place we stay in, the society we live in, the systems we have!!

I often wonder when a mosquito bites me why do I think of a repellant, why a coil or hit, why don’t I have the courage to question my municipality?

Why do I buy water in a bottle? Why do I purify water at my home? Does the water bill say that the tap water is only for washing clothes or having a bath? Why don’t I get drinking water in my tap?

Why should I pay a toll tax on every single black, nice looking road? Why a basic road is not my right?

Why do I buy an inverter or dream of a generator? Why don’t I get current in my wires?

Why do we call the private schools as public schools.. I always thought schools run by the government should be called public schools!!

Why- the cricketers who sold the ethics of game sit in parliament or come as experts on channels?

Why someone known for beating his wife and had charges of holding drugs is a celebrity to judge dance shows and all of us watch and clap too.

Why is it that the so called high profile tainted journalists still run public shows and we all watch it..

Why don’t I know the fine on jumping red light or for not wearing a helmet but am very well aware of power of 100 rupees: the cost of duty of most of the traffic guys across the country!!

Why is a girl raped in a roaming car in the capital of the country almost every month and all that the government says is that “girls should be careful..”

Why does the trial and judgment of social activists just takes a few weeks but Raja, Raju, Reddy roam around!!

Why even after killing hundreds of people on road the blue line buses remained on roads? Do you know any city apart from the capital of your country where the city buses crushed people on a daily basis?

Why didn’t we come on the roads when someone made elephants of stones for crores of rupees in U.P. where people still dig pits to sleep in winter or die of hunger?

Why a tainted, corrupt minister is called to IIM and Academy for IAS and applauded – unstopped on his desi style?

It’s so easy to call someone corrupt but have you ever thought; The act of bribe starts by giving not by taking.. it starts from me not from him or her.. so why don’t I look at myself first ?

I strongly believe that the Logic is always for NOT doing something.. Doing does not need logic, doers don’t believe in logics!!

Just a couple of years back some people came and played with us, killed our pride and people. We were angry.. some people thought  that the attack in Mumbai was on rich people and therefore something would change..

Nothing happened.. we all go to gateway of India on every anniversary in November, burn some wax, sing some songs and come back. Nothing changes- the government is back, Z security is back and people are back at the Gateway of India…

It’s time to come out, stand up...move.. do something.. Sitting in drawing rooms or discussing over a mug of beer will not solve anything..

Please remember this country does not need thinkers any more, enough of them.. what you need is an action .. an initiative !!

Even when the government listens to Anna & the team, the voice has to go on… corruption is not limited to the government only !!  we all need to start with ourselves and march..

It’s time for you to join.. Time to create lots of Jantar Mantars- across the country..

Lage raho !!

Anshu

----

Anshu Gupta (Ashoka Fellow)

Founder Director

GOONJ.. 

Lets have a view of GooglePlex

Hi everyone

How'z doing!

I went to Google on 5th and thought to take you all with me. I can't cover it completely because of their non disclosure policy ,but i have got some video of it ...and hope you like it.

But, there is one thing i can definitely tell you ,Googleplex is really a amazing place to be...

Interesting place with Interesting people and yes with all the free food and free drinks.

Also uploaded some pics on picasa, so do have a look at it and if anyone faces any issue do let me know through comments.

Do let me know your opinion regarding Googleplex and if you would like to know something more about Google.

Regards,
prashant

Stanford and A.S.E.S.

Le'ts have a view of Stanford

Hi there ,Thought to do something strange....

I hope you like it ...ASES Stanford...

Do let me know how u find the Stanford

Thanks,
Prashant

An Interesting Business Venture……

P.H.D.- Party Hard Drivers was stared in 2007 by Ankur Vaid ,Saurabh Shah and Mishal Raheja, three college pass out lads who like others college students  loved to party and enjoy the city’s buzzing nightlife. But then something struck them ,it was the rising number of accidents due to drunk drivers in the City and they thought to convert their interest into profession by giving a service whereby people can hire drivers for these specific situations.

One thing which really helped them during their initial years a lot was the Mumbai Police which was really doing a great job at cracking down on drunk driving and which lead to people seriously consider the option of Drivers rather than themselves driving the cars.

(PHD) works with one Motto ‘you drink but let us drive’ and the reason of their venture success is their belief in ‘No driving while drinking’. For the last three new years the PHD people are doing a great job to keep the city safe.

Their company provides chauffeur service for clients to be driven home after a night of hard clubbing, and PHD is really doing a good business and that’s the reason it is able to expand just from 20 drivers to 200 now. For a little sum of 500, the PHD driver will drive you from 10 PM to 3 AM and 50 overtime, in simple words more the party more the investment and thus more fun without any danger.

But PHD do have its share of difficulties in the form of completion by big players like knight drivers, private cabs, personal drivers and other organized industry.

PHD is working in a service industry and looking at their example I can only comment one thing ‘your idea should be very simple and you should have the passion to go for it’.If you have passion then I am sure you will find a niche market for yourself same like Vaid ,Saurabh Shah and Mishal Raheja have find it in their venture.

PHD is still operating in Mumbai only but they are thinking to expand it in our metropolitan cities in near future.