You vs your Material

While moving back after spending considerable time at one place, the stuff, which you want to take with you, occupies your mind more than the next steps in your carrier. From childhood I always heard one phrase, what you are, is more important and everything else is im-material. I think it’s got new meaning now, the material (things) with whom you decorate your home, eventually becomes part of your life. While sorting out things you don’t even want that piece of paper or small wire let go. All those memories, good or bad, are associated with it.

Your mind starts playing games with you. The same stuff which you used over the period time gives you more comfort than anything else. For example, I always able to sleep better in the same rajayi I have from last 4 years. Now if I decide to carry it back with me, it adds to the total weight and can buy better one in India at the same cost of transport it. At the same time you don’t care for the money and want that thing to be with you for rest of your life. This is just one example; there are hundreds of things, which you have to do this trade off with. In the end it always boils down to the material vs you, their value vs your memories, their characteristics vs your feelings for them. Believe me; you don’t want to be in that situation. We as a family is going through this dilemma and I am sure our family back in India will always say, why did you spend so much money getting this used stuff here with this much transport amount you might have bought new one. I wish we can convince them that the feelings which we have with the materials (stuff) are more valuable than money (which is itself a materialJ). Now the same old phrase gets a new meaning while shifting, what you are, is more important and everything else is also not that im-material.

I am wondering how many phrases will get redefinition during this adventurous journey of moving back. One thing is sure though you understand meaning of these clever man’s phrases only when you passed through it and may be a redefinition is on the cards too.

Jump ahead entry ... Middle ones will follow after this

In last few weeks I was unable to write down all my thoughts from mind and paper notes to the electronic media. Today, I was interacting with one my old mate on new Google service Buzz, and he made me realize how true the old saying is, Do It Now. I predict in future the social interaction websites will really takeover all the communication media. If Google can do an analytical survey of its new social networking application Buzz, then I am sure 90% of the initial users will be Indian. J

This aside I will write down all those thoughts and notes in details in next blog entry. My experience of last few weeks made me realize the journey of a traveler and explorer are very different from each other. The traveler just travel and then along the way explores the new surrounding and culture. On other hand explorer start the journey of exploring and travels along the way. This difference is very valuable for somebody who is moving back from a location where she/he was staying for last few years to the new one. The person who is shifting has to be both traveler as well as explorer. She/he has to start the journey and on it way keep on exploring new ways to do it on other hand has to plan and then can travel along the way too.

Last week I was asked to write a column on the Vision 2020 of the Technical University Eindhoven (TU/e). I am posting the column below for you all to read, which was published in TU/e newspaper ‘Cursor’ and website.

Citizens of 2020

Whether TU/e will play a role of any significance in shaping up the region, the country, or the world is the burning question in the minds of strategists sitting at the table with the ‘TU/e 2020’ agenda. As the world is becoming more of a global village and most of the production/manufacturing is going towards the East, the West has to come up with a plan to sustain itself. I think universities can play a major role in this. The education system and especially universities help to shape society. I think in 2020 a multidisciplinary university like TU/e will not only want to breed the engineers, but will also want to breed the citizens of tomorrow’s world. The main role of TU/e in 2020 will also be to generate new entrepreneurs, who will keep the economy flowing.

The interaction of scientists with educational policymakers, which ultimately comes down to the students, is what defines the high standards at TU/e. This symbiotic relationship has to flourish beyond 2020 and this will define the healthy educational as well as the research atmosphere. This will benefit companies too, as they will get well-taught, up-to-date future employees and TU/e will get valuable company research collaboration.

To become a global force in 2020 TU/e should advertise/sell itself in the East and attract more students. However, it can also open its franchise there. This way TU/e will benefit from developing economies. The achievable goal of being the most recognized university in the world is the dream TU/e 2020 should have. The next steps which can be made for that are very important. It should be the goal for 2020 to take TU/e to the level of Harvard and MIT. TU/e has huge potential and the infrastructure to do so. What it has achieved in the last fifty years is remarkable, but what it will do in the next ten years will define its future.

The thought of somebody else is reading your thought as well as commenting on it gives lot of satisfaction and good feeling. I was always told in school that people who speak up their mind are the most valuable ones, now I think people who listens to others mind are the most valuable ones. May be if I had realized this in childhood then I might have been less talkative. This is something to really think about.

Day one

This is an idea stuck to me while talking with my friends from all over the world on phone and explaining them the decision I took, which every Indian living abroad might have thought at least once in their life time: Moving back to India for good. Yes, we as a family took the decision to move back to India for good. After living more than seven years outside India we finally decided that its time to go back and enjoy the life in India.

And as most of the Indian do, all of us always ask each other why? Its like a family decision for them. There is something about Indian they always tend to treat their friends as family and thinks every decision their friend took is the one they are taking. They live with their ups and downs and also share the feelings. I love this behavior of the Indians living abroad, which makes me feel homely. So why not talk about this big adventure of an Indian living abroad going back to India. That’s how it’s started. Explaining my friends about the decision and as well as all the things, which goes with it. And you will be surprised to know the amount of things associated with it, just to start with, how to balance your life there. I know you are confused reading this sentence but believe me every Indian who went through this change will understand what I mean by this. So let me explain.

When we come outside India the first thing we do is to adapt our self to new culture, habits, food, weather and so on….. and believe me it takes some time and lot of efforts. But we soon enjoy the new situation and start enjoying all the freedom you get. Now just imagine other way round, you are now going back to India and has to adapt again new the old culture (because now you look it at different angle), habits (which you think are strange and wonder that in past you were doing the same), food (which is actually one of the driving force pulling back to India), weather (you always love nice sunny weather, but pollution attach to it what kills the fun) and so on. One thing about food which I like to mention, few days back on BBC, I watched an cooking show and I heard a very good sentence about the food and culture, the lady said when you live abroad your life changes, your culture, your language, your habits too, but food is the one thing which keeps constant and that is the thing which makes you feel very special. How true she is.

Most of the Indians staying abroad always makes the plans to go back and believe me more than 50% of them make them again and again. Their next year never comes. Out of remaining another 50% eventually goes back after few years. During my mental and physical journey of moving back to India I will try to take you through the adventure. One thing is for sure, ‘you can take an Indian out of India but you can not take India out of an Indian’.