Will It End?

In our 67th year of independence, 14 years after the Kargil War, on 24th January 2013, 2 Pakistani diplomats were refused entry into our country based on no facts or accusations.

 

According to sources, the permissions and denials were a ‘part of the process’.

The process of strengthening the strain between New Delhi and Islamabad?

They were refused permission to be a part of the Jaipur Literary Festival that takes place annually in the month of January in the city. It is an occasion to celebrate multivocality. The lawns of Diggi place are adorned with Bhojpuri and Maithili, Rajasthani and Santhali, Hindi and English, Spanish and French, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu, Sanskrit and Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and many other languages. Here in an environment that resonates with art, literature and language of a being, these 2 diplomats were refused entry.

Nobody denied them entry because they were followers of Islam, or because an intelligence report stated that they meant harm to their visiting country. But, considering the happenings of the 9th of January, where two Indian Jawaans were brutally killed at the LOC by the Pakistani army, wouldn’t having 2 Pakistani officials squandering around the country raised a major intelligent issue.

Since the past 66 years, the two nations have fought 3 major wars, 1 undeclared war and several other skirmish military disputes that arose from time to time. Even after successfully signing peace treaties such as Indus Waters Treaty, Simla Agreement and the Tashkent Declaration, these two countries have been in a never ending state of conflict.Today we accuse our closest neighbour of terrorism, anti-India military actions, ‘warmongering’ and stealing our resources among other things.

The crux of the conflict however lies in the ‘Kashmir Issue’ that started in 1947, when the Maharaja of Kashmir decided to be a liberated state neither accepting a Pakistani or an Indian future. However Pakistan sent tribal lashkars to talk to the Kashmiris about this decision of autonomy. The Indian government saw this as invasion into their territory giving rise to the NeverEnding Indo-Pak conflict. Due to its strategic position and unique and exquisite nature, Kashmir has been of particular interest to both countries.

Both nations have the chance to decide whether to continue the conflict in order to gain exactly what they desire or pull out and therefore lose. If both India and Pakistan cooperate, they will be better off by avoiding greater numbers of casualties and avoiding the possibility brinkmanship, considering the nuclear capability on both sides. But as seen till today, both countries refrain from Communication diplomatically through understanding or bargaining tactics and continue to build their own military, nuclear arsenal. Are the two countries sitting on a time bomb built to destroy?

So if India hands Kashmir over to Pakistanwill it solve the entire issue or will it be the start of much bigger problems?

How can a compromise be brought about considering the continuous breach in their promises and or overwhelming accusations? Aren’t we heading towards redundancy with no possible solution?

Are the writers, diplomats, artists, musicians and The Common Man of these two nations, going to keep on facing the brunt of this scenario?

Will it ever end?

The Power of a Vision

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“The empires of the future are empires of the mind.”

— Winston Churchill

Most successful leaders emphasize the importance of a visionary attitude. It makes one wonder – what is a vision? A vision is different from a dream or a goal. It is somewhere in between. Dreams are intangible and maybe even vague, they are the necessary pre-condition to a vision. A vision is an amalgam of these dreams as seen through a sharper focal lens. There is the element of ‘visibility’ in the word, one must be able to clearly picture the dream, to transform it into reality first through one’s mind. “Thoughts become things”, says the author Mike Dooley.  Goals, on the other hand, come after the vision.  They are the steps towards the vision and are vital in their very tangibility. One needs goals to follow a vision, as a measurable means to the end.

To have a ‘visionary’ attitude, however, is more than having a dream and transforming it into a goal. It is also, to quote John Scully, to see possibilities before they become obvious.  This ability is at the core of success of any profitable business model and drives companies such as Apple, Google and Amazon.  Indeed, the companies which generate the highest profit are also known for their innovations.

When one is an entrepreneur, vision becomes more important. Ray Kroc, the person who founded McDonald’s, pictured his company long before it existed and envisioned how to get there. He invented the company motto (‘Quality, service, cleanliness and value’) before he even started the company and  he kept repeating it to employees for the rest of his life.  Management experts stress on the importance of creating the ‘brand identity’ of a firm. This identity can only be built on the vision of the company.

But why should individuals who are not running organizations have a personal vision? The answer is simple. It’s simple optics really. What you focus on expands.  When you have crystallized your dreams into a vision, it’s a compact aim to focus on. The more you focus on it, the more you reiterate it, the faster you manifest it. Also, you attract the resources and people that help you fulfill your vision. “Show me your friends, I’ll show you your future” claims an adage.

So have a vision. Know where you want to be. How else will you get there?

Everyone Needs a Pep Talk

Here is Kid President, a 9 year old, looking you in the eye, compelling you to wake up and listen to your heart. It is a simple positive message; do something worthwhile with your life regardless of the difficulties.

How can one not love this miniature chubby cheeked version of a President telling you to contribute to the society and not remain boring?

He is modest and truthful in his criticism where he roars “It Hurts Man”, judging Robert Frost on his ideology of taking the road “Less traveled . Yes, he’s right. The road less traveled will hurt and there will be thorns and bumps along the way. But why not use the clearer road that, those before us have traveled and cleared?

A petite, suited bundle of awesomeness instructs you not to stop believing your dream unless its stupid, cause stupidity again makes you boring.

Be simple and awesome!

Well everybody needs a pep talk, try this one.

 

Make Your Year Count

2013

Life is short, there is not much time to think and there isn’t a Santa Claus, fulfilling all your Christmas wish. So, here’s a question, Do you want to have year that matters or do you want to be disappointed and screaming at the end of a period that you thought would be important?

If you have desire to have a better life than a train wreck of a so called life that stretches over 365 days of frustration, then ask yourself this.

Why are you here?
Let’s not go into an overwhelming discussion accompanied by a panic attack on this question. Simply answer it. Why are you really here? There may be plenty answers to this question, but No, not all are equal. There may be a few that dull and unnecessary. Filter those out! There are better ones that will shape your life and make it worth living.

What do you want?
Fame? Power? Money? What do you want your year to bring about. What is your goal?
Let me help you, a life worth living is the one that is meaningful and happy. Are you heading towards that? Towards building something that counts.

Does it matter? How much?
If you want this to be a year that counts, don’t underestimate the power of human excellence. It is your best bet. If it matters, trust yourself, there’s noone else going to better those days but you. Everybody else around you can be supportive, but you are the executor. Trust yourself.

Who’s on you side?
If you are going to make a difference, you’re probably not going to do it yourself and alone. Your mentors, allies, friends and peers? Are they by your side? Who’s crewing your boat? Connect, inspire that will bring out the best in people.

Where is your true north?
If you are going to live a year that matters, have an ethical compass, a belief system, that points you towards the Right. In what direction do you want to head that makes your life ‘good’?

What’s it worth?
Its not going to be a time party at a holiday destination with booze and food on the house. Its going to be more than hard work, dedication and perseverance. That is the unconventional truth. Only you can know how much it is worth. Is it worth it?

Everyday day of the year and every year that follows, map a path. Map a path towards unleashing your potential. Build a capacity to dream, wonder, create, imagine and love.

Let me ask you once more, is your year going to be worth it? Do you have it in you?

Chandigarh Youth to Business Forum 2013

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Chandigarh Youth to Business organized By AIESEC at Indian School of Business, Mohali Campus was held at 19th and 20th January. Youth to Business Forum is a unique meeting point for youth leaders from around the world and leading organizations. Over 200 youth leaders and selected organizations met, shared perspectives and propose possible actions around issues.

The theme of the forum was Envisioning City 2020, the agenda was designed in a way to empower the delegates to connect themselves to the businessmen in the room and paint the perfect picture for the city.

The Panel Discussion, with Mr. Gautam Munjal playing the Moderator, proved to be as enlightening and engaging as ever with Mr. Jyoti Kamal, Mr. Vikram Jain, Mr. IP Singh, Mr. Robin Aggarwal and Mr. Vivek Atray sharing their opinions about Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Progress and Innovation through their personal stories and experiences.

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She Leads opened with Ms. Ramita Vig, President, AIESEC India asking some serrated questions that cut through many inconspicuous denials and proclivities of ours that inhibit the growth of female leadership. Mrs. Sangeet Growar , in light contrast highlighted that Female Leaders are simply individuals with leadership potential, and the tag of them being out there to prove the existence of “empowered women” itself violates the virtue of
gender equity.

Mr. Shashank Mehta, Co-founder Climate Connect, to deliver the session, “Champions of Change : Founders’ Series”. Through an interactive method of asking the delegates for their opinions, he smoothly sailed through the structure of his session defining Business, and explaining how adaptation to change is the only way to ensure sustainability of organizations. Three valuable tips to the youth to scale heights, through the most unusual and hilarious examples- “Be Passionate and Persistent” , “Be early in the game” and “Be prepared and break the attern”.

Mr. Vinay Johar, CEO of R Chillies took over the stage to proceed with the Founders’ League and began with sharing his inspiring story. “Business needs to solve a problem, and it needs passion”. He addressed the delegation with humour and a refreshing round of questions. He highlighted how quality always rules over quantity- Creating, marketing and delivering ONE best product!

Mr. Kiruba Shankar, the Highlight of our Forum, elucidated upon how the greatest resource of our time – Social media platforms- can be used by the youth for strengthening professional connections, carry out revolutionary campaigns and several other usages.

Everything that Youth to Business Forum aimed to achieve was attained and encapsulated in the closing plenary.

Check Out the Full Photo Album:

y2b pics

Day 1 Video: