Filtered Gyan

  I haven't read such a lucid and impactful book in a long time. I am amazed how beautifully Yuval Noah Harari has presented the entire history with facts, interpretation of the data and logical reasoning which leaves you mesmerized as it helps you answer so many questions you had about history - be it regarding how human beings evolved, how they transformed over the entire course of history, how and why various expeditions were carried out, why British were able to colonize and rule so many countries and so on. A must read if you are interested in human history.

  In today’s connected world a variety of gadgets, apps, connected devices and virtual assistants are constantly feeding us information and push notifications to catch our attention. Few of the most popular apps like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and other news apps are capable of generating an endless feed. One can keep browsing from one post to another till the eyes start hurting but the feed does not end.  In a quest to assimilate this endless flow of information we forget to acknowledge that we are in effect abusing our mind and body. Not only this strains our system as we are not allowing our mind and body any rest but also the information itself creates a lot of stress. Slowly this starts showing up as fatigue, irritation and lack of focus. Hence it is very important that we acknowledge the role of digital information and social media in our lives. It is important to stay updated and there is also a fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) but not at the cost of everything else becaus

  Naval Ravikant is an icon in Silicon Valley and startup culture around the world. He founded multiple successful companies  (Epinions during the 2000 dot-com crash, AngelList in 2010). Naval is also an angel investor, betting early on companies like  Uber, Twitter, Postmates, and hundreds more. More than a financial success, Naval has been sharing his own philosophy of life and happiness, attracting readers and listeners  throughout the world. Naval is broadly followed because he is a rare combination of successful and happy. After a lifetime  of study and application of philosophy, economics, and wealth creation, he has proven the impact of his principles. This book collects and organizes the pieces of wisdom he has shared and shows you how to achieve the same for yourself. This book is available in various formats for free download on  his website .

  I bought this book a few months ago when we had the opportunity to listen to the man himself,  Mr. Chandra , Chairman of the Board of Tata Sons at an event hosted by  Cathy Bessant , the Chief Operation & Technology Officer at Bank of America. When two such stalwarts come together for a fireside chat then the range of topics and the depth of discussion is mesmerizing.  During the session Mr. Chandra mentioned about his book " Bridgital Nation " and its contents. I promptly ordered the same from Amazon. This book has a wealth of insights specific to the problems faced by India and he points out with examples how India can leapfrog from where it is today by the prudent use of technology and automation. In the current scenario the book becomes even more relevant as India tries to evolve as a business and manufacturing hub. He points out that if there is support from government in the form of policy then by the right use of technology we can overcome the many challenges cur

  Did you notice - As soon as you die your identity becomes a "Body". People use phrases like: "Bring the Body", "Lower the Body in the Grave", "Take the Body to the Grave yard", etc...People Don't Even call you by your Name, whom you tried to impress your whole Life.... Live a Life to Impress the Creator not the Creation. Take chances.. Tell the truth... Learn to say "NO"... Listen to your Heart... Spend money on the things you love... Laugh till your stomach hurts... Dance even if you are too bad at it... Pose stupidly for photos... Be child-like.... Moral - Death is not the greatest loss in life...Loss is when life dies inside you while you are still alive...Celebrate this journey called LIFE... Enjoy life...

  According to research we remember 10% of what we Read 20% of what we Hear 30% of what we See & Hear 50% of what we Discuss with others 75% of what we Experience ourselves   and a staggering 90% of what we TEACH to someone else. So the best way to get a grip on a topic is to TEACH the same to someone else. This forces your brain to connect the dots and helps you imbibe the knowledge in a manner where you understand the topic and are able to explain it to others in your own words.   So go forth share your knowledge with others, it will actually benefit you more than the those being taught. It will help you understand and retain that topic much better.

  Year 2020 will be remembered for a long time for the string of unexpected and unpredictable events that have happened and continue to happen, impacting lives of people across the globe. This has caused us to adapt to a lot of changes very very rapidly in a very short span of time. Staying indoors, maintaining personal hygiene, social distancing, work from home, wearing mask, valuing human lives etc. It has surprised everyone how a tiny virus can bring the entire world on its knees. And people are now bracing themselves for biological warfare as experts say that this is definitely not the last pandemic... In the Pre-covid era, there was a lot of discussion around 'CHANGE’ and being a change agent - how the world is changing very fast and that we all need to embrace change with examples of giants like Kodak and Nokia who failed to change with time and so on.  However, in the last few months everyone has embraced change either voluntarily, forcibly or reluctantly. People have accep

  If you want exceptional results then you have to be prepared to do things that exceptional people do. They challenge themselves. The push the envelope continuously.   You can also fulfil your dreams. Get out of your comfort zone. Quit playing safe. Do something new! Embrace change. Face your fears. Push the envelope. Achieve stellar results

  This is by far one of my favourite stories which is truly timeless and very apt for the corporate world. And the perspective this story/experiment  provides is so powerful that once you read it, the lesson will stay with you for the rest of your life and will help you be a better leader. As leaders, many of us have to manage a diverse group of people, who are often, scattered geographically and usually from different cultural backgrounds. Now throw in couple of more ingredients into the mix - remote working and the various modes of collaboration like text chat, emails, online meetings and you will realise how important it is to communicate effectively and get your ideas across to the other team members, colleagues and even to your own supervisors.  In 1990, a psychology student at Stanford University, conducted an interesting experiment.  It was referred to as the " Tappers & Listeners " experiment.  The rest of the world first heard of it when the authors Chip and Dan

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her.  She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up.  She was tired of fighting and struggling.  It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.  She filled three pots with water.  In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.  In about twenty minute she turned off the burners.  She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.  She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.  Then she ladled the coffee into a bowl.  Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots.  She did and noted that they were soft.  She then asked her to take an egg and break it.  After pulling off the s