TO THE PARTNERS OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP VENTURE

TO THE PARTNERS OF A NEW PARTNERSHIP VENTURE

DON’T BECOME ABHIMANYU
The first thing you must know is how to get out of it if the things don’t go as planned. If you don’t decide this early you will end up an Abhimanyu.


THE CHANCES OF DISCORD ARE EQUAL IN HUGE SUCCESS AND DISASTROUS FAILURE
There are chances that the venture will be successful. Then each party would like to corner as much as possible.

Per chance, if it doesn’t work profitably and there are more liabilities than assets then each one would try to escape his part of the bargain.

Having the things well documented keep the thought process away from any kind of mischief the human mind is capable of.

WHY PEOPLE COME TOGETHER:

LAW OF ATTRACTION
It is the law of attraction or magnetism. Whatever you may call but the thing remains the same. A rose is a rose by any name. You seek what you don’t have. That’s all. No more or less.

But once you get what you want the novelty dies away. You get bored. Sometimes you feel it is not what you thought of. Again this is the human mind. So always be cautious and use your best judgement.

THINK WITH YOUR HEART

Most of the time we think with our brains. Always make a point to think with your heart. Because as the brain is an analytical organ it tells you its analysis of what is known. The brain is not capable of anything unknown to you through the five senses. So here comes the role of the sixth sense.

ALWAYS BE SURE WHAT YOU WANT OUT OF THE DEAL

Most of the time we are not sure what we want out of the deal. We have little knowledge and information. Try to get as much as of the available info from all known sources. Don’t shy away to test your knowledge before using it.

Once you enter it make sure you convey to the other party in no uncertain terms what is your goal. Also get the reason for the other person joining you as clearly as possible.

The problem starts when you begin with something in mind and after entering the deal you find you have not considered something important. Then you use some other means to convey your demands. In the process you lose focus and the discord begins. It builds up like cancer and is discovered by the other party. It is a natural law that when evil enters your mind it equally affects the other party. People take subtle maneuvering steps hoping that the other person will not notice. But again you go wrong here. You may know people for years but you hardly know them. Then certain instances change the outlook drastically. So be on guard whatever you do. It is better to fall apart timely than prolonging and making the relations sour to the extent you cannot reconcile.

If you find that you have missed something important try to convey to the other person and get the deal reorganized. If the other party doesn’t allow it then you will have the option either to continue with the status quo or to quit if possible. So always have a clause in your agreement to revise/ review it periodically or on happening of specified instances. It is good to have your principles in place but never so rigid that you cannot allow little adjustment here and there.

ALWAYS HAVE TRANSACTIONS OVER BOARD
Always route your transactions through bank. Never deal in cash. By chance if there are occasions you cannot avoid dealing in cash make a record of it and route it through bank at the first opportunity.

NEVER TRY TO SHORTCHANGE
In long relationships it pays to be clear and truthful. You cannot fool everyone all the time. So don’t try to fool anyone a single time. It is the personal reputation of a person which is most valuable of all.

DISPUTES SHOULD BE SETTLED AMICABLY
Nowadays almost all contracts contain arbitration clause. Try to figure out how arbitration proceedings will take place. Who will be the arbitrator or arbitrators. If there is more than one, you will need an umpire. Having more arbitrators may compound the situation further.

First thing is to make sure the communication channels are kept open and there is no possibility of dispute. If still it arises try to sort it out amicably. It still it cant be resolved go for the arbitration.

Always remember if this is the last venture you wanted to be in? If not, let the other person have his way and bow out. You will be amazed to find examples where the person bowed out has been re-inducted with full glory. I recall how Steve Jobs was thrown out unceremoniously from the Apple Computers. He started from scratch again and became successful in two ventures. Eventually he was called back at Apple and now he heads three successful companies. So the lesson is don’t use your energies for worthless causes. You can always start afresh with full vigour and bounce back. To happen this you must have a right value system in place. Always try to be creative. Creative people attract right type of people and get successful in whatever they venture.

What will happen if evil disappears from the world

The other day when I went for evening walk I saw the security guard at the VNIT carrying a 'danda'. I jokingly asked what is the need for 'danda'? He replied that although many people come for walk and peacefully go away there are some miscreants creating scenes and troubles inside the campus and he has to show them 'danda' to scare them away. He looked unhappy with the new situation.

After I walked further I started pondering on the words of the SG and realised that the very existence of a Security Guard depends on the evil. If there is no fear of any kind why would there be a Security Guard. My chain of thoughts took me further and I realised that many people will be out of their jobs if evil suddenly disappears. There will be no need for armies, police, arms, ammunition or even doors and locks. What people will need is just to keep safe from the natural calamities or vagaries of nature.

There are so many viruses and therefore the anti-viruses in biological sense as well as the software stuff. But I cannot imagine life without evil. First thing is the virtuous people will suddenly lose their importance. Honesty will no longer be a virtue as everyone will be honest and truthful. No one will be greedy and people will not bother to amass wealth. And there would be little cause left in the life except realization of self.

The world will no longer be place of amusement. The life drama needs very much evil as it needs good. A hero is of no use if there is no strong villain in a movie. So to keep the drama of life interesting the god has created good and evil together and gave the man choice. This way the show goes on.

Aping America - Do it the Right Way

When I met Manish (my friend Girish Kothari’s kid brother) when he last Nagpur our discussion focused on the way of family life in general in the USA. He happened to tell me that Prachi’s (his wife, occupational therapist) friends’ husbands were carpenters, plumber or the like doing insignificant jobs where they could find more time for home. This he told helped the wife to concentrate on her career whereas the husband worked part time and could take care of the children. This way the children could remain in touch with at least one parent when they were home.

When I compare this to the life in India it is totally different. In our system we are aping the American way of life in fashion, lifestyle, eating and so on and so forth. Still our mindset is that the husband should be more qualified than the wife and should earn more. A girl’s parents spend money for her education and bring up her at par with boys. But when the time comes for marriage the parents have to find a more qualified and earning boy and for that they have to spend a fortune and be submissive to the groom’s side.

After the marriage both the life partners continue to work to make a better career and earn more money. The wife needs to look after the home as well as the children. This adds to the pains of the wife.

Now see what Manish has to say about the Lifestyle of Americans living in USA

Finding a partner to settle down in USA is a challenge which is bigger than finding a job.

Seriously, since the concept of trial and error is so bad that one person cannot settle with one partner (most of the time) in today's day and age.

But those who are lucky to find the right one are blessed with good family values.

"Work ethic" is so strong that a career oriented woman can choose a man, who at the most would qualify as a skilled labor, and still be happy with their life. The notion of man only running the house or being more qualified than the woman is not there which is good since equality can be seen at practice here, not only preaching.

Career oriented women like high ranking officers in a bank, traveling sales executive, president of a company, doctor, therapist, shop owner, franchise owner, cleaning service provider etc etc look for husbands who are mature enough to understand that their lifestyle is going to be a little different. Kids though born by the woman would be raised primarily by the Dad since he is home more often than her.

It is OK since the kid needs the parental love - both parents cannot be available all the time, but if it is the Dad, then be it. The work gets divided where sometimes Dad does the grocery and cooks food while the Mom is trying to get the kids homework done. Dad may do the cleaning of the kitchen, while Mom gives bath to the kids and puts them to sleep. If Mom has to go on an urgent call (Doctor) or travel out of town, then Dad does all the above happily.

There are so many truck drivers we know that are happily married to high ranking professionals who do not mind driving for living and let their wives earn more money and take care of investment, buying house etc, while the husband is focusing on day-to-day chores.

We also know of mechanics/facility maintenance folks who are dirty with their greased hands and still cook dinner at home for kids and take them to the garden for a walk or play with them in the backyard since Mom is a therapist and is working late with patients who need urgent care.

Responsibility is a big thing and they share it very well to keep a well balanced life...