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Shrek – Rufus Wainwright – Hallelujah

Lyrics | Shrek – Rufus Wainwright – Hallelujah

Happy Republic DAY India..

“If” By Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

TAP e Aeroporto de Lisboa ao rubro!

Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building

Happy New Year – 2010

Feast of St Francis Xavier :3rd DEC

Born in the Castle of Xavier near Sanguesa, in Navarre, 7 April, 1506; died on the Island of Sancian near the coast of China, 2 December, 1552. In 1525, having completed a preliminary course of studies in his own country, Francis Xavier went to Paris, where he entered the collège de Sainte-Barbe. Here he met the Savoyard, Pierre Favre, and a warm personal friendship sprang up between them. It was at this same college that St. Ignatius Loyola, who was already planning the foundation of the Society of Jesus, resided for a time as a guest in 1529. He soon won the confidence of the two young men; first Favre and later Xavier offered themselves with him in the formation of the Society. Four others, Lainez, Salmerón, Rodríguez, and Bobadilla, having joined them, the seven made the famous vow of Montmartre, 15 Aug., 1534.

After completing his studies in Paris and filling the post of teacher there for some time, Xavier left the city with his companions 15 November, 1536, and turned his steps to Venice, where he displayed zeal and charity in attending the sick in the hospitals. On 24 June, 1537, he received Holy orders with St. Ignatius. The following year he went to Rome, and after doing apostolic work there for some months, during the spring of 1539 he took part in the conferences which St. Ignatius held with his companions to prepare for the definitive foundation of the Society of Jesus. The order was approved verbally 3 September, and before the written approbation was secured, which was not until a year later, Xavier was appointed, at the earnest solicitation of the John III, King of Portugal, to evangelize the people of the East Indies. He left Rome 16 March, 1540, and reached Lisbon about June. Here he remained nine months, giving many admirable examples of apostolic zeal.

On 7 April, 1541, he embarked in a sailing vessel for India, and after a tedious and dangerous voyage landed at Goa, 6 May, 1542. The first five months he spent in preaching and ministering to the sick in the hospitals. He would go through the streets ringing a little bell and inviting the children to hear the word of God. When he had gathered a number, he would take them to a certain church and would there explain the catechism to them. About October, 1542, he started for the pearl fisheries of the extreme southern coast of the peninsula, desirous of restoringChristanity which, although introduced years before, had almost disappeared on account of the lack of priests. He devoted almost three years to the work of preaching to the people of Western India, converting many, and reaching in his journeys even the Island of Ceylon. Many were the difficulties and hardships which Xavier had to encounter at this time, sometimes on account of the cruelpersecutions which some of the petty kings of the country carried on against the neophytes, and again because the Portuguese soldiers, far from seconding the work of the saint, retarded it by their bad example and vicious habits.

In the spring of 1545 Xavier started for Malacca. He laboured there for the last months of that year, and although he reaped an abundant spiritual harvest, he was not able to root out certain abuses, and was conscious that many sinners had resisted his efforts to bring them back to God. About January, 1546, Xavier left Malacca and went to Molucca Islands, where the Portuguese had some settlements, and for a year and a half he preached the Gospel to the inhabitants of Amboyna, Ternate, Baranura, and other lesser islands which it has been difficult to identify. It is claimed by some that during this expedition he landed on the island of Mindanao, and for this reason St. Francis Xavier has been called the first Apostle of the Philippines. But although this statement is made by some writers of the seventeenth century, and in the Bull of canonization issued in 1623, it is said that he preached the Gospel in Mindanao, up to the present time it has not been proved absolutely that St. Francis Xavier ever landed in the Philippines.

By July, 1547, he was again in Malacca. Here he met a Japanese called Anger (Han-Sir), from whom he obtained much information about Japan. His zeal was at once aroused by the idea of introducing Christanity into Japan, but for the time being the affairs of the Society demanded his presence at Goa, whither he went, taking Anger with him. During the six years that Xavier had been working among the infidels, other Jesuit missionaries had arrived at Goa, sent from Europe by St. Ignatius; moreover some who had been born in the country had been received into the Society. In 1548 Xavier sent these missionaries to the principal centers of India, where he had established missions, so that the work might be preserved and continued. He also established a novitiate and house of studies, and having received into the Society Father Cosme de Torres, a spanish priest whom he had met in the Maluccas, he started with him and Brother Juan Fernández for Japan towards the end of June, 1549. The Japanese Anger, who had been baptized at Goa and given the name of Pablo de Santa Fe, accompanied them.

They landed at the city of Kagoshima in Japan, 15 Aug., 1549. The entire first year was devoted to learning the Japanese language and translating into Japanese, with the help of Pablo de Santa Fe, the principal articles of faith and short treatises which were to be employed in preaching and catechizing. When he was able to express himself, Xavier began preaching and made some converts, but these aroused the ill will of the bonzes, who had him banished from the city. Leaving Kagoshima about August, 1550, he penetrated to the centre of Japan, and preached the Gospel in some of the cities of southern Japan. Towards the end of that year he reached Meaco, then the principal city of Japan, but he was unable to make any headway here because of the dissensions the rending the country. He retraced his steps to the centre of Japan, and during 1551 preached in some important cities, forming the nucleus of several Christian communities, which in time increased with extraordinary rapidity.

After working about two years and a half in Japan he left this mission in charge of Father Cosme de Torres and Brother Juan Fernández, and returned to Goa, arriving there at the beginning of 1552. Here domestic troubles awaited him. Certain disagreements between the superior who had been left in charge of the missions, and the rector of the college, had to be adjusted. This, however, being arranged, Xavier turned his thoughts to China, and began to plan an expedition there. During his stay in Japan he had heard much of the Celestial Empire, and though he probably had not formed a proper estimate of his extent and greatness, he nevertheless understood how wide a field it afforded for the spread of the light of the Gospel. With the help of friends he arranged a commission or embassy the Sovereign of China, obtained from the Viceroy of India the appointment of ambassador, and in April, 1552, he left Goa. At Malacca the party encountered difficulties because the influential Portuguese disapproved of the expedition, but Xavier knew how to overcome this opposition, and in the autumn he arrived in a Portuguese vessel at the small island of Sancian near the coast of China. While planning the best means for reaching the mainland, he was taken ill, and as the movement of the vessel seemed to aggravate hiscondition , he was removed to the land, where a rude hut had been built to shelter him. In these wretched surroundings he breathed his last.

It is truly a matter of wonder that one man in the short space of ten years (6 May, 1542 – 2 December, 1552) could have visited so many countries, traversed so many seas, preached the Gospel to so many nations, and converted so many infidels

. The incomparable apostolic zeal which animated him, and the stupendous miracles which God wrought through him, explain this marvel, which has no equal elsewhere. The list of the principal miracles may be found in the Bull of canonization. St. Francis Xavier is considered the greatest missionary since the time of the Apostles, and the zeal he displayed, the wonderful miracles he performed, and the great number of souls he brought to the light of true Faith, entitle him to this distinction. He was canonized with St. Ignatius in 1622, although on account of the death of Gregory XV, the Bull of canonization was not published until the following year.

The body of the saint is still enshrined at Goa in the church which formerly belonged to the Society. In 1614 by order of Claudius Acquaviva, General of the Society of Jesus, the right arm was severed at the elbow and conveyed to Rome, where the present altar was erected to receive it in the church of the Gesu.

World AIDS Day:Dec 1 2009

Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis

Speech by Chetan Bhagat at Symbiosis …

Don’t just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced,
successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means
ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There
is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable
if your mind is full of tensions.

“Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run
with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there
is no point coming first. Same is with life where health and relationships
are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your
life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of
being excited and alive, will start to die.

One thing about nurturing the spark – don’t take life seriously. Life is
not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are
like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last
another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need
to get so worked up?

It’s ok, bunk a few classes, scoring low in couple of papers, goof up a
few interviews, take leave from work, fall in love, little fights with
your spouse. We are people, not programmed devices………”

Thanks to Gaurish U Salunke for sending me this mail.

26/11: Let’s not forget

India-National Anthem:AR Rahman and Indian artists

ICE : In Case Of Emergency Campaing

We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our closest family or friends.

If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn’t know who to call. Yes, there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case of an emergency? Hence this “ICE” (In Case of Emergency) Campaign.

The concept of “ICE” is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact during emergency situations. As cell phones are carried by the majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name “ICE” ( In Case Of Emergency).

The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they didn’t know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have stored as “ICE.”

For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc.
A great idea that will make a difference!

Remember:-
ICE will speak for you when you are not able to

Barak Obama – Nobel Prize

Cyclone Alert in Goa

The Indian Meteorological Observatory in-charge, K V Singh confirmed that the deep depression now lay 420 kms South-West from Goa.

The State is expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall associated with gusty winds during the next 24 hours, as the low pressure over Lakshadweep and surrounding areas still persists.

The Meteorological Department has asked fishermen to avoid venturing into the sea as it might remain choppy due to continued rains.

At present the depression is placed at 13.5 degree North-70.5 degree east. Currently the depression is moving towards North-West and is later expected to move towards North-East and South-East.

According to the Meteorological Department Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are expected to get heavy to very heavy showers accompanied by thunderstorm during next two days.

Meanwhile, post monsoon showers continued to lash the city for the third consecutive day with an overall 8.1 mm of rainfall being recorded since Sunday.

Happy Diwali – Festival of Light

Happy Diwali

INDIA, I CRY / Remo Fernandes

Thanks Remo.

Blast in Margao-Goa, Near Grace Church

19 OCTOBER 2009

A second man injured in a scooter bomb blast in Madgaon on October 16, Yogesh Naik, died on Tuesday morning. He had been hospitalized at the Goa Medical College on Friday after the blast and had been in a critical condition since. Malgonda Patil, who was injured in the blast alongwith Naik, had died on Friday night.

Both the men were suspects in the blast and the police had registered a case against them under sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and the Indian Penal Code for waging war against the nation. Malgonda was from Sangli district of Maharashtra, while Yogesh Naik was a Goa resident. Goa’s Transport Minister, Sudhin Davalkar, meanwhile, finds himself fighting off allegations that his family may in some way be linked to last Friday’s blast.Davalkar’s wife spends three hours every day with Sanatan Sanstha, the Hindu right-wing group that’s accused of the blast.

The scooter used to trigger the blast belonged to Nishad Bakle, a man related to the minister. Davalkar has claimed that his wife volunteers with the Sanstha, and visits their ashram to meditate. Davalkar also says the scooter used in the blast was sold by his relative a few months ago.

There are also reports of the Goa Government considering a proposal to ban the sanstha for its alleged illegal activities.

17 OCTOBER 2009

Two persons were detained today in connection with the explosion in Margao town in Goa in which a member of a right-wing Hindu group allegedly linked to Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh was killed and another critically injured.The second person succumbed to his injuries on Saturday raising the death toll in the blast to

Goa Home Minister Ravi Naik said police were probing the links of right-wing group Sanatan Saunstha with the blast. “The scooter which was carrying the explosives belongs to Saunstha’s disciple Nishad Bakle,” he said.

A man named Melgunda Patil was killed in the blast while another, identified as Yogesh Naik, underwent treatment at the Goa Medical College hospital. He died on Saturday.

Police said both belonged to the Saunstha, which is allegedly linked to Pragya Singh.

The Sanatan Saunstha headquarters at Ramnathi in Ponda, 20 kms from Margao, was raided last night following the blast and two persons have been detained from that town in the wee hours of the day, police said. Further details about the detained persons were still awaited.

The blast, which occurred a few metres away from the site of ‘Narkasur’ effigy competition, a ritual held on the eve of Diwali, gutted three vehicles. Police have also found a bag containing a watch and an electric circuit about 20 kms from the explosion site.

16 OCTOBER 2009

It has been reported that there has been a blast in Goa – Near Grace church , close to the collectors office here in Margao around 9:30 IST.

2 people are seriously injured and shifted to Goa Medical College and Hospital where their condition continues to be critical, adding that the two have been identified as Melgunda Patil and Yogesh Naik Also 2 cars were damaged in this incident. Margao is the constituency of the Chief Minister of Goa Mr.Digamber Kamat.

The blast is during the Diwali season, when the Narkasur celebrations and competition were going on, the streets were crowded with people. The incident is reported as explosive hidden in a scooter found to be involved in this blast, there are no confirmed reports from police and officials as if now, the extent of damage is Low and the blast is been seen as a low intensity blast.

There are also unconfirmed witnesses that say this was a scooter fuel tank blast , where in someone lignite the fuel may be by mistake using a cigar bud. The police have cordoned off the area and got the bomb squad. People are not allowed to take their vehicles as if now.

May be the entire episode will be clear by day break tomorrow morning.

Goa Floods – Poinguinim,Agonda,Khotigao

As the incessant rains continued lashing the state , several people remained trapped in their houses in the border taluka of Canacona where over 250 houses have collapsed so far in the flood. (See pics as below)

Goa floods

The Goa State administration has confirmed that other 400 houses were inundated due to rains which has been hitting the state for last three days.Also Goa chief minister Digamber Kamat has rushed with other ministers as usual, to the affected area where the district administration coupled with army and navy has initiated intense rescue operations.The Official figures confirmed the death of two people who were washed away in the flood waters.

The CM addressing a press conference in the south district headquarters of Margao said that no efforts were spared to bring marooned people to safety.The villages Poinguinim, Partagali, Delem, Agonda and Khotigao remained under water. The sign of normally is near with brighter days Now..

MindSet..

Independence Day : India

15th August 1947 in pictures : 62 years ago

Happy Independence Day – 15th August

About Swine Flu : Do’s & Dont’s

India and now Goa is grappling with a swine flu epidemic.There is heightened panic among people following reports of growing number of HIN1 cases and the recent death of a school child in Pune. Here’s an FAQ on the dreaded virus:

How do people become infected with influenza A (H1N1)?
Outbreaks in humans are now occurring from human-to-human transmission. When infected people cough or sneeze, infected droplets get on their hands, drop onto surfaces, or are dispersed into the air. Another person can breathe in contaminated air, or touch infected hands or surfaces, and be exposed.

What are the signs and symptoms of infection?
Early signs of influenza A (H1N1) are flu-like, including fever, cough, headache, muscle and joint pain, sore throat and runny nose, and sometimes vomiting or diarrhoea. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

Is there any confirmation of transmission between pigs and humans at this point?
No.

How soon can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air.

How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live two hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent hand washing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
Currently available seasonal influenza vaccine does not protect against H1N1 flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:

* Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
* Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.  Alcohol based hand cleaners are also effective.
* Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
* Try to avoid close contact with people having respiratory illness.
* If one gets sick with influenza, one must stay at home, away from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. However, if one is having any respiratory distress, one should report to a nearby hospital.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands frequently. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Avoid touching surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people having respiratory illness.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. Oseltamivir is the recommended anti viral drug for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with the influenza A H1N1. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster.

They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms). The government has adequate stock and the drug is made available to government hospitals at the time of outbreak and would be available to you free of cost. The drug is to be administered under supervision of clinicians.

What should I do if I get sick?
If you live in areas where influenza A H1N1 cases have been identified and become ill with influenza like symptoms e.g. fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms.

Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.
If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others. If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

* Fast breathing or trouble breathing
* Bluish skin color
* Not drinking enough fluids/eating food
* Not waking up or not interacting
* Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
* Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
* Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

* Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
* Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
* Sudden dizziness
* Confusion
* Severe or persistent vomiting

Can I get influenza A H1N1 from eating or preparing pork?
No. swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

DOs:

* Wash your hands
* Avoid crowded places
* Stay more than an arm’s length from persons afflicted with flu
* Get plenty of sleep
* Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious food

DO NOTs:

* Shake hands or hug in greeting
* Spit in public
* Take medicines without consulting a physician

For people who are sick:

* Stay home and limit contacts with others as much as possible
* Rest and take plenty of liquids
* Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze
* Seek medical advice if needed.

Have passion

Article sourced from: Lasting Legacies (Tata Review- Special Commemorative
Issue 2004), brought out by the house of Tatas to commemorate the 100th
birth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29, 2004.

It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and
Gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate
department and was staying at the ladies’ hostel. Other girls were
pursuing research in different departments of Science.

I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in
Computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I
had not thought of taking up a job in India.

One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I
Saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirement
notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It
stated that the company required young, bright engineers, hardworking
and with an excellent academic background, etc.

At the bottom was a small line: “Lady candidates need not apply.”

I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up
against gender discrimination.

Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I
Had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers.
Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to
Be successful.

After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform
The topmost person in Telco’s management about the injustice the company was
perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was a
problem: I did not know who headed Telco.

I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of
The Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers (actually, Sumant
Moolgaokar was the company’s chairman then). I took the card, addressed it
to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly what I wrote.

“The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who
Started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel,
chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher
education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of
the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am
surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender.”

I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I
received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at
Telco’s Pune facility at the company’s expense. I was taken aback by the
telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to
Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I collected
Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like
laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to make the trip.

It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the city.

To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as I
Do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways. As
directed, I went to Telco’s Pimpri office for the interview.

There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was
serious business.

“This is the girl who wrote to JRD,” I heard somebody whisper as soon as
I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job.
The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while
the interview was being conducted.

Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so I
told them, rather impolitely, “I hope this is only a technical interview.”

They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed about
My attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of
them.

Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, “Do you
Know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have
never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed
college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker
throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work in
research laboratories.”

I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited place.

I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their
difficulties, so I answered, “But you must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will
ever be able to work in your factories.”

Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So
This was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would
Take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we became
good friends and we got married.

It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the uncrowned
king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him
till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some reports to
Mr. Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in his office on
The first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD
walked in. That was the first time I saw “appro JRD”. Appro means “our”
in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay House
called him.

I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM
Introduced me nicely, “Jeh (that’s what his close associates called him), this
Young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate.

She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor.” JRD looked at
me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or
The postcard that preceded it).

Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he remarked. “It is nice that girls are
getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?”

“When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir,” I replied. “Now I am
Sudha Murthy.” He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As
for me, I almost ran out of the room.

After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman
And I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was
In awe of him.

One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after office
hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how
to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, I
realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident
for him, but not so for me.

“Young lady, why are you here?” he asked. “Office time is over.” I said,
“Sir, I’m waiting for my husband to come and pick me up.” JRD said, “It
Is getting dark and there’s no one in the corridor.

I’ll wait with you till your husband comes.”

I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting alongside
made me extremely uncomfortable.

I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a
simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There
wasn’t any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, “Look at this
person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is
waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee.”

Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, “Young lady,
Tell your husband never to make his wife wait again.” In 1982 I had to resign
from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a
choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my
final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I
wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused.

Gently, he said, “So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?” (That was the
Way he always addressed me.) “Sir, I am leaving Telco.”

“Where are you going?” he asked. “Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a
company called Infosys and I’m shifting to Pune.”

“Oh! And what will you do when you are successful.”

“Sir, I don’t know whether we will be successful.” “Never start with
diffidence,” he advised me. “Always start with confidence. When you are
successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we
must reciprocate. I wish you all the best.”

Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed
like a millennium.. That was the last time I saw him alive. Many years
later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying the chair JRD once
did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later,
he wrote to me, “It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad part is
that he’s not alive to see you today.”
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy
person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must
have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have thrown mine
away, but he didn’t do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown
girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity
in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and
mindset forever.

Close to 50 per cent of the students in today’s engineering colleges are
girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments.
I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me
what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the
company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly.

My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the
passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model
for his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of his
employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the
same vastness and magnificence.

(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the Infosys
Foundation involved in a number of social development initiatives. Infosys
chairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)

House On A Rock

Clingstone, an unusual, 103-year-old mansion in Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay, survives through the love and hard work of family and friends.

House On the Rock

Henry Wood, the owner, runs the house like a camp: all skilled workers welcome.
The Jamestown Boatyard hauls the family’s boats and floating dock and stores them each winter in return for a week’s use of the house in the summer.

Mr. Wood, a 79-year-old Boston architect, bought the house with his ex-wife Joan
in 1961 for $3,600. It had been empty for two decades.

Clingstone had been built by a distant cousin, J.S. Lovering Wharton. Mr. Wharton worked with an artist, William Trost Richards, to create a house of picture windows with 23 rooms on three stories radiating off a vast central hall.

The total cost of the construction, which was completed in 1905, was $36,982.99

An early sketch of the house. Mr. Wood is as proud as any parent of his house, and keeps a fat scrapbook of photographs and newspaper clippings that document its best moments.
Many of the historic photos he has were provided by the company that insured the house for its original owners.

The Newport Bridge is visible from the windows of the Ping-Pong room, to the left of the fireplace.

The house is maintained by an ingenious method: the Clingstone work weekend. Held every year around Memorial Day, it brings 70 or so friends and Clingstone lovers together to tackle jobs like washing all 65 of the windows. Anne Tait, who is married to Mr. Wood’s son Dan, refinished the kitchen floor on one of her first work weekends.

There are 10 bedrooms at Clingstone, all with indecently beautiful views

The dining room table seats 14. Refinishing the chairs is a task on the list for a future work weekend.

Sign by the ladder that leads to the roof reads: No entry after three drinks or 86 years of age.
“It used to say 80 but we had a guy on a work weekend who was 84, so I changed it,” said Mr. Wood, ever the realist. It would have been a shame to curtail the activities of a willing volunteer