Friday, November 23, 2012
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Music made the day : )
Thirteen years back in Gurgaon, when it didn’t have big
malls, theatres, and the star hotels – when it was more just a dusty village of Haryana closer to Delhi, few MNCs had just moved in. Phase 1 was the only market which
was then face of “new Gurgaon”.
During an evening on one of those days, while strolling in
the Phase 1 market, I heard this voice first time in a music store. It was a
deep resonating voice singing some semi-classical rendition. I instantly liked
it and asked the shopkeeper who the singer was.
“Channulal Mishra”, pat came the answer. I immediately
bought the cassette which was titled “Krishna”. I enjoyed it for many years.
Today while channel surfing, I accidently hit a news channel
where an interview of Shri Channulal Mishra was going on. I was so moved by his passion for music that
I couldn’t help but share this on my blog. The interviewer was asking him
questions like “as fame grows, artists often become egoistic – how has been
your experience over the years?”
His answer was irrelevant. He was talking about how music
has changed over the years in front of his eyes. He was citing nuances about
difference in “Kajris” as sung in Benares, in Muzzafarpur, in Chapra. On drop of a hat he would start singing a
rendition – explaining his point – talking about the raga. He was so immersed!
The interviewer Mr. Irfan finally had to admit, “Panditji, I
am rather an obstacle in this interview!”
Looking at Shri Channu Lal ji, it was apparent that he was so happy
singing!
During some reflective moments, when I delve sometimes into
question of what is it that we all are seeking in life. I usually settle for
“happiness’ as an answer. Watching shri
Channulal ji, I envied him. While just talking about music – he was so happy, so ecstatic. And as music dominates his thoughts, his life – he must be ever happy, ever ecstatic!
He says that he likes to “simplify” classical music to make
it easier for masses to appreciate. I like his approach, his music and above
all I love his voice. His renditions are available on You Tube. If you chance
to hit on – “Koi Shyam Manohar Loge”, I am sure you’d like it.
p.s.: Pdt Channulal Mishra is a Padma Bhushan awardee; had recently
sung for the movie “Arakshan” and singing title song of forthcoming "Mohalla
Assi".
Saturday, June 2, 2012
In the Context of Contexts...
Last year one of our senior managers who is currently based in A-PAC but is a US citizen came and met customers along with our MD. When I met him later and asked him about his experiences he talked about one customer visit where the customer was praising the company and our MD was defending!
After the call the Senior Manager asked the MD what was happening and it’s then that our MD told that the Surgeon was actually not praising but was being sarcastic! The US Manager couldn’t pick the clue and thus was so surprised by the interaction. You have to be an Indian to understand when another Indian says something and may mean exactly opposite!
While I was still thinking about this, I came across an interesting article in Times of India. This article basically was excerpts from Ruchir Sharma's new book “Breakout Nations...” It was reading these excerpts I came across the concept of “High context cultures” and “Low context cultures”, which some of you might be familiar with.
This concept was first talked about by an anthropologist Edward Hall.
During the 1950s he worked for the US State Department, at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), teaching inter-cultural communications skills to foreign service personnel. It was there he developed the concept of "High context culture" and "low context culture", and wrote several popular practical books on dealing with cross-cultural issues. He is also considered to be the founding father of intercultural communication as an academic area of study.
In nutshell a “High Context Culture” is in which there is great emphasis on context but very little emphasis on content (and Vice-versa).
Meaning (M) is a function of: Content/ Information (I) in a Context (C).
So if you compare the HC culture with LC culture on these parmeters (Content/Information AND Context), below diagram would explain the two cultures:
Reading a bit more about “High context culture”, I began to understand:
1. Why we Indians behave the way we do
2. The dilemma of the senior manager in the incident above
Interestingly, the excerpts referred to "High context" societies as cultures in which people are noisy, quick to make promises that cannot always be relied on, and a bit casual about meeting deadlines. These societies tend to be built on close ties built over long periods of time, creating an environment in which a lot goes unsaid-or is said very briefly-because much is implicitly understood from context.
The spoken word is often flowery and vague; apologies are long and formal. Such societies believe deeply in tradition, history, and favoring the in-group, whether it is one's family or business circle, and thus they are vulnerable to corruption. E.g. India and Brazil!
"Low context," in contrast, describes societies like the United States and Germany in which people are individual oriented, care about privacy, and are more likely to stick to timelines and their word. People tend to be on the move, to have many brief relationships, and thus rely on simple, open communications and codified rules to guide behavior.
In high context cultures, information is either in the physical context or internalized in the person. Behavioral rules are implicit; in other words, the context is supposed to give you the cues you need to behave appropriately. In these cultures, members tend to use a more indirect style of communication.
In low context cultures, information is part of and conveyed through the verbal content of the communication. The rules and expectations are explained and discussed; individuals tend to prefer a more direct communication style.
Examples of countries that would prefer this communication style include the United States and most European countries (Not France and Italy, though)
In high context cultures, this type of information is less likely to be displayed. There is no need for them to post a sign telling you to clean up after yourself. The expectation is that you should know what to do in situations like this.
The implications are obvious. Interactions between high and low context peoples can be problematic. For example:
• Japanese can find Westerners to be offensively blunt. Westerners can find Japanese to be secretive, devious and bafflingly unforthcoming with information!
• French can feel that Germans insult their intelligence by explaining the obvious, while Germans can feel that French managers provide no direction!
Here is some more fun:
No prize for guessing which colour (Blue/Red) box depicts which culture (HC/LC)!
Way of Life:
Punctuality:
Party:
Queue:
After the call the Senior Manager asked the MD what was happening and it’s then that our MD told that the Surgeon was actually not praising but was being sarcastic! The US Manager couldn’t pick the clue and thus was so surprised by the interaction. You have to be an Indian to understand when another Indian says something and may mean exactly opposite!
While I was still thinking about this, I came across an interesting article in Times of India. This article basically was excerpts from Ruchir Sharma's new book “Breakout Nations...” It was reading these excerpts I came across the concept of “High context cultures” and “Low context cultures”, which some of you might be familiar with.
This concept was first talked about by an anthropologist Edward Hall.
During the 1950s he worked for the US State Department, at the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), teaching inter-cultural communications skills to foreign service personnel. It was there he developed the concept of "High context culture" and "low context culture", and wrote several popular practical books on dealing with cross-cultural issues. He is also considered to be the founding father of intercultural communication as an academic area of study.
In nutshell a “High Context Culture” is in which there is great emphasis on context but very little emphasis on content (and Vice-versa).
Meaning (M) is a function of: Content/ Information (I) in a Context (C).
So if you compare the HC culture with LC culture on these parmeters (Content/Information AND Context), below diagram would explain the two cultures:
Reading a bit more about “High context culture”, I began to understand:
1. Why we Indians behave the way we do
2. The dilemma of the senior manager in the incident above
Interestingly, the excerpts referred to "High context" societies as cultures in which people are noisy, quick to make promises that cannot always be relied on, and a bit casual about meeting deadlines. These societies tend to be built on close ties built over long periods of time, creating an environment in which a lot goes unsaid-or is said very briefly-because much is implicitly understood from context.
The spoken word is often flowery and vague; apologies are long and formal. Such societies believe deeply in tradition, history, and favoring the in-group, whether it is one's family or business circle, and thus they are vulnerable to corruption. E.g. India and Brazil!
"Low context," in contrast, describes societies like the United States and Germany in which people are individual oriented, care about privacy, and are more likely to stick to timelines and their word. People tend to be on the move, to have many brief relationships, and thus rely on simple, open communications and codified rules to guide behavior.
In high context cultures, information is either in the physical context or internalized in the person. Behavioral rules are implicit; in other words, the context is supposed to give you the cues you need to behave appropriately. In these cultures, members tend to use a more indirect style of communication.
In low context cultures, information is part of and conveyed through the verbal content of the communication. The rules and expectations are explained and discussed; individuals tend to prefer a more direct communication style.
Examples of countries that would prefer this communication style include the United States and most European countries (Not France and Italy, though)
In high context cultures, this type of information is less likely to be displayed. There is no need for them to post a sign telling you to clean up after yourself. The expectation is that you should know what to do in situations like this.
The implications are obvious. Interactions between high and low context peoples can be problematic. For example:
• Japanese can find Westerners to be offensively blunt. Westerners can find Japanese to be secretive, devious and bafflingly unforthcoming with information!
• French can feel that Germans insult their intelligence by explaining the obvious, while Germans can feel that French managers provide no direction!
Here is some more fun:
No prize for guessing which colour (Blue/Red) box depicts which culture (HC/LC)!
Way of Life:
Punctuality:
Party:
Queue:
Sunday, May 20, 2012
On Top of the World
“27 ton fuel, 3 hour flight, 200 people’s hard work – this is what it takes to reach one cup of coffee here at 9000 feet. If you don’t have respect for the coffee, I don’t care. But it is important to appreciate the hard work which has gone into it, Major. So finish your coffee.”
This dialogue was mouthed by Brigadier Pratap (KK Menon) to Major Chaudhury (Rahul Bose) in one the better made movies on Indian Army titled “Shaurya”.
In our recent trip to Ladakh, we motored to the highest motorable road in the world at Khardungla (18380 Feet). As we ascended to the cafeteria, Brigadier Pratap’s words kept echoing in my ear.
My respect for our Military increased manifold as we passed through this experience.
This dialogue was mouthed by Brigadier Pratap (KK Menon) to Major Chaudhury (Rahul Bose) in one the better made movies on Indian Army titled “Shaurya”.
In our recent trip to Ladakh, we motored to the highest motorable road in the world at Khardungla (18380 Feet). As we ascended to the cafeteria, Brigadier Pratap’s words kept echoing in my ear.
My respect for our Military increased manifold as we passed through this experience.
It was mid May and still it was white everywhere –thick layers of snow covering everything.
I shuddered thinking what it would be for the soldiers to be here and protect passes like this in Decembers and Januarys. One of the Jawans told us that come whatever, the Jawans posted in nearby strategic heights (Siachin & Kargil) never desert these posts.
On our naive sounding question as whether they fought enemy, they replied that their recent fights have been with the grueling weather. Kudos to our Jawans for making life work at 18000 plus feet and letting us have this wonderful experience. If this was not enough, the Jawans also served the tourists with warm flavored tea and a piping hot bowl of Maggi at a nominal cost at the world’s highest cafeteria. Back in Leh, on the day which was kept aside for acclimatizing to the dizzying heights, we had visited the Army Museum and learnt more about our young Kargil heroes
and saw the ammunition recovered from Pakistani soldiers.
This Laddakh trip, which we (me and wife) undertook with my best friend Rajeev Nagi and his wife Henu , was one of the best holidays I ever had. We witnessed it all - The azure blue sky, the pure white snow, the sand dunes and blue streaming lakes. Nature at its best!
While returning from Nubra Valley, about a kilometer before Khardungla, we got stuck in the narrow pass as a Truck turned turtle blocking the only narrow road. With snow all around and icicles hanging like glass knives, initially it looked adventurous – I and Rajeev even had few sips of Cranberry Vodka with nature’s pure ice in small plastic cups.
The light snowfall began and it all started turning gloomy. Soon Men started relieving themselves openly and women went behind the last vehicle in the long queue. We just wanted to get out of that place. It took two and half hours for Army to clear the road before we could move. Though we were told these were routine incidences there, a mere thought that what if it would have taken much longer. What if the nature had turned against us -was enough to scare.
Another dialogue of Major Pratap came back to me, “This democracy, leftist, rightist, socialist, human rights, moral science all these cease to exist 100 kms before this LoC…..”
Here are some pleasant memories which made this trip so worthwhile – on top of the world:
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