tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35150645289718627712024-03-19T14:55:37.227+05:30Lakshmi's LoungeI am a collector of people. I want to talk about the people I meet, issues I care about, places I visit and more.Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-16435081588843912192019-10-15T15:50:00.000+05:302019-10-15T15:50:10.550+05:30The Kitchen Lab<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Working with our speakers to tell their stories is one of the most rewarding aspects of being at INK. They open up their stories, their professional lives, their dreams, their difficulties and sometimes they even open up their homes. </div>
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On my last trip to the US, I got to stay at the home of Dr. <span class="il">Ramesh</span> <span class="il">Rao</span> and his wife Malati. They were perfect hosts and made me feel totally at home. After the meetings, I had an extra day. I chose to stay at home and catch up on my calls while they went to work. Malati jokingly mentioned that this was <span class="il">Ramesh</span>’s kitchen and that I would find anything I needed easily to make myself a meal at home. And she was right. It was so easy to find anything I needed as everything was in its logical place. It’s by no means a humongous kitchen but every space was extremely well utilized.</div>
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<span class="il">Ramesh</span> has done a lot of work at the intersection of health, tech, nutrition, yoga, exercise – all aspects that contribute to our total well being. And a tour of his kitchen tells volumes about him.</div>
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On the kitchen counter, there was a jar of yummy almond flour cookies made by <span class="il">Ramesh</span>; in the fridge, there were organic vegetables and fruits; the sliding cupboards were neatly stacked with lentils, grains, rice, and spices; the cooking dishes were neatly placed; the cutting knives were of the best quality and there was even a food weighing machine to measure how much you eat. The exterior looks deceptively bare holding inside more than you can imagine. </div>
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And that is exactly how <span class="il">Ramesh</span> is in person. His quiet demeanor hides deep knowledge. He is precise in describing the process so that there is no confusion in expectations. Moreover, he possesses the ability to bring completely different disciplines under one roof to bring the best results. Enjoy a journey through <span class="il">Ramesh</span>’s kitchen that’s a reflection of his scientific approach, his attention to detail, his sense of aesthetics and his commitment to his nutrition. And more importantly, a quiet elegance that makes you feel at home!</div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com103tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-77219942340893897742018-12-04T15:20:00.002+05:302018-12-04T15:21:53.582+05:30Disruption round the corner?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">iPod inventor — Tony Fadell bats for disruptive tech to tackle sustainability, food security and disease among other things.</em></div>
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Every generation has had that one technological device that shapes how that generation lives. For the teenagers of the early 2000’s, it was the iPod — the father of the 90’s Walkman. Tony Fadell, one of the inventors of this iconic piece of technology was in town recently as a part of the ninth edition of INK Conference. Fadell also is the founder of the acclaimed Nest Labs, a smart home products manufacturer, that was acquired by tech giant, Google, for a whopping $3.2 billion in 2014.</div>
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Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Tony recalls a very key personal moment right after the iPod became major international news. “I travelled to Asia and Europe just weeks after the iPod had launched. I saw people were wearing iPod earphones. I was astonished to see that something we had just put on the market (only for sale in North America) was already being used around the world!”</div>
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Answering the question if the music industry, which witnessed a sea change with the advent of Boombox, Walkman and iPod, needs another round of disruptions, Tony has this to say, “Yes. But, I think this time it’s about live music and concerts. As a music lover, I want fans to be able to enjoy live shows and support the artists we love. I despise scalpers. The ticketing process for concerts is truly outdated, inefficient, and ready for disruption.”</div>
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Also explaining the reason why there is usually a focus on innovation of software rather than hardware, he says, “Software is much easier to make and distribute than hardware. However the only way software truly disrupts the world is when it is developed with hardware — iPod, mobile phones, iPhones, internet, self driving cars. All these products required both a hardware and software revolution to create new technology platforms.”</div>
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When asked whether he is interested in investing in Indian start-ups, Tony says there are already a few investments underway. “It has been great to visit India and we have learnt more about the rising tech scene here in Hyderabad. Future Shape is interested in technology that people don’t see and understand, but can change the world. We are striving to coach scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs to bring game-changing technology out of the lab and into our lives.”</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Written by Oishani Mojumder, originally published by Deccan Chronicle on December 4th, 2018) </em></div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-60243215161693470142018-12-03T19:37:00.000+05:302018-12-04T19:37:58.260+05:30World, meet Tony Fadell 2.0<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>In a rare interview, deep-tech godfather Tony Fadell talks going greener in 2019, the Indian tech-preneur space, and the realities of productive failure and success</i><br />
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A packed room of 500 — delegates, speakers, fellows, staff and volunteers all sit in total silence, engrossed in the trailer of General Magic: The Movie, ahead of Tony Fadell’s speaking session at INKtalks 2018 in Hyderabad on December 1. Tony — iPod inventor, iPhone co-inventor, Nest founder, and Principal at Future Shape — who’s featured in General Magic as a much younger Tony with thick golden locks, rubs his head, joking, “Now I’m Tony 2.0.”<br />
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We’ve seen fantastical Tonys across pop culture and technology, Stark and otherwise, but the celebrity of Tony Fadell is clearly stratospheric. It’s funny to think the man who’s been vocal about tech addiction remains one of the biggest names in technology.<br />
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In an exclusive interview , he talks about his brainchild Future Shape LLC, which isn’t your run-of-the-mill investment and advisory firm… then again, we can’t expect run-of-the-mill from Tony. Working hand-in-hand with some of the most innovative technologists and entrepreneurs, Future Shape is all about aggrandising foundational deep technology, disruptive in all the right ways — just like what was done at General Magic who were one of the biggest revolutionaries in hand-held communications devices in the early 1990s.<br />
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<b>INK, meet iPhones</b><br />
For Tony, creating the iPhone wasn’t about creating an iPhone: “The iPod in 2004, started to see how people were really starting to become all about their mobile phones. The mobile phone companies and the carriers got jealous of the iPod. They thought ‘It’s just a processor and a speaker; we got all that stuff. We can just put it on our phone. So here’s Apple finally starting to see traction as iPods were 50% of sales and we go, ‘Uh oh, these guys are going to take that away because people want to carry just one thing in their pocket.’ First we were going to put iTunes on mobile phones, working with Nokia and Motorola. It didn’t go well. That’s where it really hit all of us that we’d have to leapfrog ourselves.”<br />
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<b>The now is green</b><br />
Future Shape has invested in Modern Meadow, a biofabrication pioneer that has created a cow-free alternative to leather. So what does 2019 have in store for Future Shape? More link-ups? What about green tech? “For sure! It’s what we do at Future Shape, we invest so we can do what really matters — coach the next generation of engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. We are finding innovative, disruptive technologies that will not only change industries, but also change our future and quality of life,” nods Tony. “When it comes to green tech, it’s about finding entities which cater to the planet and the consumer; it has to be scalable and accessible.”<br />
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In fact, the Climate Change Act 2008, courtesy of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is just 10 years old to the day. The bill was simple, introducing a law to compel current and future governments to cut greenhouse gases by a little bit year on year. With this in place, one can argue more technologists are given a green-friendly playground upon which to innovate and thrive, with little governmental intervention.<br />
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Tony shares that “International friendly business regulations and practices will be important for ongoing and larger growth. Even more importantly though, we need more startups who are challenging the big corporations in how they are doing things. Entrepreneurs have the opportunity to disrupt the traditional and drive a new way of thinking and doing.”<br />
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Tony adds that during the first 10 to 15 years of his career, he experienced a lot of failure, but sees failure as a key to success, explaining, “Each failure teaches you something and prepares you to create a product that people not only want, but need. And you learn a lot during this time of failure. You can’t be afraid to fail, and be so risk-adverse that you don’t think outside the box or do things differently. India is still developing its startup ecosystem. Silicon Valley is a product of 50 to 60 years. It takes a decade or two decades to replicate Silicon Valley; it takes entrepreneurs failing because that’s the way we learn.”<br />
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<b>An INKprint on India</b><br />
Hyderabad has been likened to a thriving Silicon Valley, but with its own valuable and unreplicable trademarks as Tony agrees, “What I love about entrepreneurs in India is the ties to their culture. So many of the entrepreneurs here at INK India have seen a problem unique to their community and have acted on it. To be successful, founders need to do something completely new, not copy tech already out there in attempts to bring it to their country; they need to resolve a problem that resonates with their community. Be it to do with river cleanup and waste or with infrastructure, INK India showcased these ideas and creativity that has roots in the community. My advice at the end of the day is, be authentic, show how you are solving a real problem, and be able to show actual market demand.”<br />
Tony’s time in India has been rewarding. He’s utterly unaware of the wide-eyed glances he receives as he navigates through the crowds at INKtalks, giving a cheery hello to delegates and speakers alike. And he’s just like everyone else, especially when he adds that the previous evening, he had biryani at Shah Ghouse.<br />
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(Written by Divya Kala Bhavani. Originally published by <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/technology/tony-fadell-20-interview-inktalks-2018-hyderabad-future-shape-llc/article25653666.ece" target="_blank">The Hindu</a> on December 3rd, 2018)<br />
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-85879610905093655322018-12-03T15:17:00.000+05:302018-12-04T15:18:13.388+05:30Talk, resolve issues<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The ‘Ink 2018 Billionaires of Moments’ conference held in the city recently saw a smorgasbord of ideas from bright minds from across the country.</em><br />
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HYDERABAD: The ‘Ink 2018 Billionaires of Moments’ conference held in the city recently saw a smorgasbord of ideas from bright minds from across the country. One such invigorating session was the one on the ‘MeToo’ movement, during which Dr Sister Jesme narrated her harrowing tale of sexual harassment by her superiors in the church.</div>
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The panel discussion on the topic was moderated by Vaishali Kasture, co-founder of SonderConnect, and the members were Sister Jesme, Pankaj Rai, head of strategic planning in Wells Fargo Global Capability Centre, and Antara Telang, who is a community specialist and has written widely on the subject.</div>
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The session started with the Sister Jesme’s painful story about how a priest stripped himself in front of her to show her a ‘man’, and how she too was made to strip. Realising that what she was facing was against the principles of Jesus, she quit her convent after 33 years, and have been since exhorting other victims to speak out. In a speech that received a standing ovation, she said: “If you want to see Jesus, come out in the universe. God is there in every one.”</div>
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During the panel discussion, both Sister Jesme and Antara agreed that MeToo has to become more inclusive. While Sister Jesme said that the movement should include harassed men too, Antara said: “The problem in MeToo in India is that it has not included the voices from all class and castes. It is doubly difficult for underprivileged women to speak out.”</div>
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Shifting the focus on corporate workspaces from where a lot of women have spoken up, Pankaj said: In any situation that involves power differences, the victim is supposed to retaliate, but in cases of sexual harassment, the victims are shamed. The main way out is to talk about it. We have to look at it holistically and not make it one-sided. Men need to be vocal about such issues to the women in their houses. Conversations can help address this.”</div>
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As part of the ‘Moments of Truth’ session, Hanif Kureshi of the Start India Foundation, talked about how he started a movement to transform the bare walls in cities into colourful objects of art. The project brought together artists from 20 countries who made the walls in 20 Indian cities their canvas, Hyderabad included! Their famous artwork adorns the walls of Maqta now. While David Saddington talked about the importance of talking about climate change, Jess Teutonico of the ‘We Are Family’ foundation emphasised on how the youth are the change makers in this world.</div>
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<em style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(Written by Kakoli Mukherjee. Originally published in The New Indian Express on December 3rd, 2018) </em></div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-679609205045335152018-12-02T10:13:00.000+05:302018-12-04T10:19:18.193+05:30Can #MeToo include TheyToo?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i>The second day of INK Conference ‘18 saw a thought provoking discussion on the #MeToo movement in India.</i><br />
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The ninth edition of INK Conference ‘18 is currently being held in the city Hyderabad. With a milieu of young, bright, influential minds, the conference aims to bridge the gap between actualisation and ideation of moments that went down in history.<br />
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The second day of the conference witnessed conversations about moments of doubt and truth. While the experience of every speaker stood out, what did manage to enrapture everyone’s attention owing to its national relevance was the panel discussion on the #MeToo movement.<br />
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Vaishali Kasture was the moderator of the discussion and the panel was constituted by academician Sister Jesme, Head of Strategic Planning Well Frago’s Global Capabitlity Centre, Pankaj Rai and communication specialist Antara Telang.<br />
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The discussion was preceded with Sister Jesme sharing her harrowing #MeToo experience as a nun and the need for women to speak out and find the courage within them self.<br />
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With his experience in the corporate world Pankaj Rai shared his views on how sexual harassment in workplaces can be avoided before incarceration, by simply starting a healthy dialogue between male and female co-workers.<br />
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Antara Telang made an important point that demanded quite some thought, about how the #MeToo movement has unfortunately been a upper caste, upper class elitist movement.<br />
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Due to the internet, at least in India, #MeToo has managed to alienate socially and economically backward victims. The panel unanimously agreed that despite its boom, the movement still has a long way to go in terms of inclusivity.<br />
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The panel discussion was followed by a invigorating talk by multidisciplinary artist, Hanif Kureshi who spoke about how his love for sign painting as a young child sparked his passion for art.<br />
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His brainchild, Start India, aims to bring back art from upper class urban exhibitions to the masses <br />
and “reclaim the streets”. The session came to an end with musician and performer Navneeth Sundar’s soulful rendition of A.R. Rahman’s very famous Bombay theme!<br />
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(Originally published by Deccan Chronicle on December 2nd, 2018) </div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-28750175892285172812018-11-26T13:09:00.002+05:302018-11-26T13:09:26.014+05:30Women of Intel <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Since Intel is celebrating 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary in November, I thought that I would dedicate the next few 50 over 50 columns to Intel for this month. This column is not about just one person but The Women of Intel who I learnt from (and yes! All of them over 50 and still going at full swing <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>) and who gave me great company. </div>
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When I joined Intel, the person I was in awe of was Carlene Ellis. In a male dominated industry, she was one of the first women Vice Presidents in a Fortune 500 tech company. I heard her at an Intel gathering and what she said stuck to me for the rest of my life. She said that “career, marriage and Children” – you can get only two of the three right, at best. She suggested to all the women not kill themselves to be perfect in all three. At the beginning of my career, that was a great message. It is so true that women want to do it all and end up taking on too much even before someone asks them. </div>
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For most of my career at Intel, I was in meetings and gatherings where I would be the only woman and I never felt odd about it. I always spoke my mind because that’s what I saw all the women do. There were some amazingly smart women at Intel. I developed a great bond with a few women at Intel that lasted long after my departure from Intel.</div>
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My “sole sisters” at Intel Oregon with whom I ran the Hood to Coast race covering the distance in a relay race over the two days was possible only because Cindy Martinez was a task master and had a schedule that we had to follow to train. Once I moved to California, I met Kathy Wood who gave me the only acting role I ever had on camera for the Intel orientation film (thanks to her, I had the opportunity to go on a hot air balloon as part of the shoot). Then, there was Karen Alter, who came to Intel with zero technology background and became an asset to Intel and was among the few Women VPs at Intel, Ellen Konar who set up brand research at Intel and went on to become the first woman Intel Fellow, Deborah Conrad who came to Intel right after college and became the chief of marketing, Renee James, my girl friend from Portland who became the President of Intel, Alison Richards who sure was an Indian in her previous birth, Anne Lewnes, who was the cool one to all us nerdy types, who played a huge role in building brand Intel in the ad world, Annie Lung the queen of tech demos, who never lost her nerve even under the glare of high profile presentations, Jackie Young who beat everyone into shape to pull off a perfect tradeshow booth, Marta Hasler who was a perfect combination of beauty, brains and efficiency and then our external partners Gail Rice, Jane Dauber, Paula who worked on countless events with me – all these women were my sanity, my pals. </div>
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I realized the importance of having a group of girl friends who would just know what you are going through without even talking about it, who would be silly with you or serious based on the situation. We were young in our careers, literally growing up together. I went to the bat mitzvah of both of Ellen’s daughters and now Ellen is a doting grand mother; I was there when Karen got pregnant with Sophie and decided to take time off to raise her. Karen was my inspiration to have a child as late as I did. After being at Intel for 12 years, when I decided to leave, it was Sandra Duncan who made a fuss about it saying that Intel can not afford to lose someone like me.</div>
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Every month, a subset of us went out, discussing our jobs, our fears, our relationships (or lack there of <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>) and we helped each other just by being there.</div>
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Thirty years ago, we were each a minority in our lines of work. We found the sisterhood that let us laugh off the obstacles and move on. When one slipped, the other pulled her up and we all took turns being vulnerable, lost and yet strong. I remember Ellen telling us the story of what made her leave her previous employer. At that company, when she was 9 months pregnant, she had a very important client meeting. At the end of the meeting, her woman boss called her aside to reprimand her for wearing the wrong shoes that did not go with the dress. Ellen said that she muttered to herself that at that point she could not even see her feet let alone pay attention to the color of the matching shoes. However infuriating situation that situation was, we laughed uncontrollably and agreed that it was a good thing to have happened, which led Ellen to leave that job and join us at Intel. When Andy passed away, a few of us got together reminiscing, trading stories about Andy. Even now, we all visit one another or keep in touch by mail or on social media. One can take themselves out of Intel but one can never take Intel out of them. So, here is a salute to my sisterhood at Intel.</div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-12486195562307221872018-11-26T01:00:00.000+05:302018-11-26T01:38:54.415+05:3050 Over 50: The Women of Intel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Since Intel is celebrating 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary in
November, I thought that I would dedicate the next few 50 over 50 columns to
Intel for this month. This column is not about just one person but
The Women of Intel who I learnt from (and yes! All of them over 50 and still
going at full swing </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "wingdings";">J</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">) and who gave me great company. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">When I joined Intel, the person I was in awe of was Carlene
Ellis. In a male dominated industry, she was one of the first women Vice
Presidents in a Fortune 500 tech company. I heard her at an Intel
gathering and what she said stuck to me for the rest of my life. She said
that “career, marriage and Children” – you can get only two of the three right,
at best. She suggested to all the women not kill themselves to be perfect
in all three. At the beginning of my career, that was a great message. It
is so true that women want to do it all and end up taking on too much even
before someone asks them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">For most of my career at Intel, I was in meetings and gatherings
where I would be the only woman and I never felt odd about it. I always
spoke my mind because that’s what I saw all the women do. There were some
amazingly smart women at Intel. I developed a great bond with a few women at
Intel that lasted long after my departure from Intel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">My “sole sisters” at Intel Oregon with whom I ran the Hood to
Coast race covering the distance in a relay race over the two days was possible
only because Cindy Martinez was a task master and had a schedule that we had to
follow to train and Roberta Weinstein, who was my gal pal. Once I moved to California, I met Kathy Wood who gave me
the only acting role I ever had on camera for the Intel orientation film
(thanks to her, I had the opportunity to go on a hot air balloon as part of the
shoot). Then, there was Karen Alter, who came to Intel with zero
technology background and became an asset to Intel and was among the few Women
VPs at Intel, Ellen Konar who set up brand research at Intel and went on to
become the first woman Intel Fellow, Deborah Conrad who came to Intel right
after college and became the chief of marketing, Renee James, my girl friend
from Portland who became the President of Intel, Alison Richards who sure was
an Indian in her previous birth, Anne Lewnes, who was the cool one to all us
nerdy types, who played a huge role in building brand Intel in the ad world,
Annie Lung the queen of tech demos, who never lost her nerve even under the
glare of high profile presentations, Jackie Young who beat everyone into shape
to pull off a perfect trade show booth, Marta Hasler who was a perfect
combination of beauty, brains and efficiency and then our external partners Gail
Rice, Jane Dauber, Paula who worked on countless events with me – all these
women were my sanity, my pals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I realised the importance of having a group of girl friends who
would just know what you are going through without even talking about it, who
would be silly with you or serious based on the situation. We were young
in our careers, literally growing up together. I went to bath mitzvah of
both of Ellen’s daughters and now Ellen is a doting grand mother; I was there
when Karen got pregnant with Sophie and decided to take time off to raise
her. Karen was my inspiration to have a child as late as I did. After
being at Intel for 12 years, when I decided to leave, it was Sandra Duncan who
made a fuss about it saying that Intel can not afford to lose someone like me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Every month, a subset of us went out, discussing our jobs, our
fears, our relationships (or lack there of </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "wingdings"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">J</span><span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">) and we helped each other just by being
there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Thirty years ago, we were each a minority in our lines of
work. We found the sisterhood that let us laugh off the obstacles and
move on. When one slipped, the other pulled her up and we all took turns
being vulnerable, lost and yet strong. I remember Ellen telling us
the story of what made her leave her previous employer. At that company,
when she was 9 months pregnant, she had a very important client meeting.
At the end of the meeting, her woman boss called her aside to reprimand her for
wearing the wrong shoes that did not go with the dress. Ellen said that
she muttered to herself that at that point she could not even see her feet let
alone pay attention to the colour of the matching shoes. However infuriating
situation that situation was, we laughed uncontrollably and agreed that it was
a good thing to have happened, which led Ellen to leave that job and join us at
Intel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">When Andy passed away, a few of us got together reminiscing,
trading stories about Andy. Even now, we all visit one another or keep in
touch by mail or on social media. One can take themselves out of Intel
but one can never take Intel out of them. So, here is a salute to my sisterhood
at Intel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-1244536936354070532018-11-19T11:01:00.000+05:302018-11-20T11:14:00.003+05:30Good old storytelling, courtesy INKTalks<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>As INKTalks Conference comes to Hyderabad for the first time, founder Lakshmi Pratury says the evolution of good ‘ideators’ come from classic storytelling</i><br />
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Think of Lakshmi Pratury and the powerhouse is pretty much synonymous with the famous annual INKTalks Conference which brings together notable people in different fields in the name of productive storytelling.<br />
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The Visakhapatnam-born entrepreneur is a natural orator, her tone friendly and self-assured while remaining relaxed and conversational in her demeanour. This is no surprise as she speaks with me over the phone ahead of INKTalks’ first official Hyderabad conference titled ‘Billionaires of Moments’ which takes place from November 30 till December 2.<br />
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In 2017, at the Global Entrepreneurship Summit, the organisation held some talks here, but as an entity, this is their first crack at Hyderabad. Frankly speaking, the term ‘conference’ is far too formal and stiff a word to describe the dynamism of INKTalks. Lakshmi is excited to share the experience with a city blooming with new ideas on the daily.</div>
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When it came to curating speakers for 2018’s conference, Lakshmi says what one looks for in people never changes, explaining, “The number one thing we look for is their authenticity,” but this may not simply refer to factual bases but also the speaker’s disposition as a human being. “It doesn’t matter to me what scale of work they’re doing; it’s about how they’re working towards something real. Secondly, it’s also how different their work is; I mean, there may be 500 people talking about alternative pencils but one person seeing how they’re doing something very out-of-the-box. The final thing is also how far off from being supported they may be; we really like people who have great and far-out ideas and are working on it right away. INKTalks is a showcase of these ideas for them, too.”</div>
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On storytelling</div>
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From the very beginning, Lakshmi has understood the value of storytelling, despite it being an age where microblogging of Twitter and Instagram is all the rage. The self-proclaimed ‘people collector’ is proud of the number of storytelling bodies sprouting all over the country and the world.</div>
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“Looking back upon everything I’ve done in my life — from working in venture capital, technology and so on — what I’ve enjoyed the most is storytelling,” affirms Lakshmi, “Not me telling stories, but getting people to tell their stories. Secondly, especially in India, there are so many stories waiting to be told. I like to apply what I’ve learned to different things and to storytelling. I’ve told stories of unusual technologies in the 90s, which we now talk about wireless and so on. We’ve also covered the intricacies of Indian philosophy. So we’ve seen the effect of great storytelling and of inviting people to tell great stories. So why not use the same principles of storytelling but widen the scope and bring international storytellers to India to inspire young people to do more and do differently?” Lakshmi owes the power and success of good old organic storytelling to the means of communication.<br />
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<b>INKTalks 2018 speakers</b><br />
<b>Speakers who fall into INKTalks’ valuable criteria include:</b><br />
Ankit Agarwal of Helpusgreen, which converts the waste from places of worship into patented lifestyle products to save the river Ganges<br />
Priya Kuber, the first Indian woman working to build a decentralised internet free of net neutrality, censorship and fake news<br />
Sneha Khanwalker, the music director who has composed for films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ and ‘Manto’ among others.<br />
Aparajita Jain the co-founder of Delhi’s most avant garde art space, Nature Morte, showcasing names like Subodh Gupta, Jitish Kallat and Anita Dube.<br />
Jonathon Reiber, head of Cybersecurity Strategy at Illumio, who previously advised the Pentagon leadership and led initiatives across the cyber-policy portfolio, to include strategic planning, key inter-agency and industry partnerships, and strategic communications.<br />
Leanna Chukoskie, director of the Power of NeuroGaming (PoNG) Center at the Qualcomm Institute, working to understand the human brain through gaming, to aid children with developmental and learning disorders.<br />
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(Originally poster by <i><a href="https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/inktalks-2018-lakshmi-pratury-interview-hyderabad/article25536504.ece?fbclid=IwAR19Y_R44DjUDZtpBB0PuD06amR4Ckyi3NDseh7QYzCn09E0TLlPpT0H630" target="_blank">The Hindu</a> </i>on November 19th, 2018) </div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-6859785251164293832018-11-16T15:05:00.001+05:302018-11-16T15:05:37.802+05:3050 over 50 - Gordon Moore: The Gentle Giant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Left to right: Andy Grove, Robert Noyce and </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Gordon </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Moore; 1978. </span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Moore and Noyce were </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">co-founders of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Intel Corporation in July 1968; </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Grove was a driving </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">force in </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">the company’s </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;">success.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #959595; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: x-small;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #959595; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Credit: Intel Corporation</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">Intel recently celebrated its 50</span><sup>th</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"> anniversary and I was there for Intel’s 25</span><sup>th</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;"> and 30</span><sup>th</sup><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt;">. Considering Intel was my second home, I wanted to feature the Founder of Intel, Gordon Moore in this edition of 50 Over 50. I had the privilege of working with some amazing people at close quarters and learn about what makes them <i>THEM</i>. I would love to share with all of you about Gordon that shows his sense of honesty.</span></div>
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Moore’s law defined the future of the Semi conductor industry in one simple sentence. The quantity of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit will double approximately every two years. This establishes the concept of “Exponential growth” that we embrace today. While I was at Intel, I jumped at the opportunity to travel with Gordon Moore, the legend behind Moore’s Law, to Vienna to help him prepare for a talk at a conference.</div>
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I was able to work with him for two weeks on his speech, as it was a complicated one with multiple demontrations. After receiving a standing ovation, he came over to thank me I was over the moon. Then, we walked into the press conference. Let me stop here to give you a background of what was happening at Intel at that point of time: </div>
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One of the biggest battles in the history of Silicon valley was fought between Intel and AMD. Intel used to number their processors, 286, 386, 486 etc., When AMD started calling their processors with the same name, Intel fought against it saying that Intel had a trademark on the numbers. To protect their products, Intel decided to switch from calling their processors with numbers to names. Moving from 486 to Pentium processor was one of the major shifts in the marketing of the semi-conductor industry. A few critics said that Pentium processor was not a big deal, that it was the same chip under a new name. Intel bet billions of dollars on this chip, and one of the strategies we adopted was making the applications run faster on this chip so the end user could see a marked difference in performance. There was a small group of us who worked closely with the software developers to make sure that the applications ran faster on a Pentium processor than on a 486. We called it the “work, learn, play” strategy, and worked with applications in each category to optimize the new processor. And the computer games caught on. From the first SimCity game to Tomb Raider, to all the sports related games from Electronic Arts - they all rocked on the new system. Those who wanted to criticize Intel would say that the new machines were only good for games and who would want to play games anyway. To combat this, we were coming up with many demos that showed that the system was good for other applications that would help productivity, learning for children, as well as playing games. For example, we worked with Intuit so that they could introduce tax clarifications and help through videos and worked with many children’s learning companies so that they could create interactive software that would allow kids to learn better. So, this was the scenario in our headquarters when we made this trip to Vienna. </div>
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With that background, let us return to the current scenario of Gordon Moore at a press conference in Vienna. We just concluded a long talk where Gordon connected to the process technology fad back home, showed the latest processes (Remember! There was no internet, skype at that time. So, it was a big deal to show something from across the globe in real time). We had so many complicated demos that we were all celebrating at the successful conclusion of the talk.</div>
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Following the talk, we had a brief press meeting. We had our press briefing along with a possible Q&A, and I went through all the salient points with Gordon before the conference. Since this was a scientific conference, and our focus was on process technology, we did not bother to include the end user related questions in this briefing. After a few process technology related questions, came a completely unexpected question from a reporter- “Dr. Moore! What chip is inside the computer you have at home?” and Gordon said “486” and the journalist asked, “How come you do not have a Pentium Processor based machine at home?” and his answer made the headlines in every newspaper the next day. He said, “Because I do not play games”, and I could hear my knees shake so violently that I had to slump in a chair at the back of the room. I could just see the headlines the next day throwing a damper on the millions of dollars that we were spending on fighting this very notion. And when we did the post-mortem of the event that evening, I had to ask him why he said 486, knowing that we were all pushing the Pentium processor, and his short answer was “I did not want to lie about which computer I had at home”. I called my PR team in US and warned them about the headlines that might be breaking the next day. By the time we got back to the US, Intel sent a tech support person to Gordon Moore’s home to replace his old computer with a Pentium Processor based computer, and we gave him a demo to show that many applications, not just than games, were also running faster on the new machine. We did this because we all knew that if he was not convinced, he was not going to lie for the company. It is this simplicity and honesty that was in the DNA of Intel and made him one of the most adored and respected men in Silicon Valley.</div>
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What I learnt from this is that even the greatest of men make mistakes and the best way to get over the mistakes is to rectify them immediately and also be able to laugh about them. When we got back to US, Gordon got the most teasing in the executive staff and was awarded the trophy for committing a PR blunder. </div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9pt;"> Gordon (PhD ’54) and Betty Moore <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #636363; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 8.5pt;"> Courtesy of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation</span></i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 9pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Gordon Moore gave billions of dollars of his wealth for environment, conservation. He will be 90 next January and I will be celebrating from across the oceans the life of a man who quietly shaped all that we innovate today with a simple statement. </div>
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(Read about <a href="https://newsroom.intel.com/news/intel-50-gordon-moore-founding-intel/" target="_blank">Intel's 50 </a>here.) </div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-2130504449214432192018-11-12T15:22:00.000+05:302018-11-12T15:22:48.394+05:30First INK Talks in Hyderabad from Nov 30<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<article class="article-detail post-222006 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-business tag-billionaires-of-moments tag-ceo tag-hyderabad tag-hyderabad-news tag-ink-talks tag-lakshmi-pratury tag-telangana tag-telangana-news tag-telangana-today" id="post-222006" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><div class="entry-content" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Droid Serif", serif; font-size: 17px; line-height: 1.4; margin-top: 20px;">
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<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 700;">Hyderabad:</span> After eight successful years of organising conference, INK Talks is all set to host its first grand conference in Hyderabad from November 30 to December 2. With the theme Billionaires of Moments, the multi-disciplinary conference will be held for the first time in Hyderabad and will have 500 plus people from different genres to accelerate innovation and create impact.</div>
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Along with the talk, the conference will also have workshops, performances, culinary experience and wellbeing lounge.</div>
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“This is the first time in the last eight years, that we have added two new experiences for our attendees. Other than talks from thought leaders, the conference will have workshops and interactive sessions along with traditional performances from local artists. We are going to have 12-13 workshops on difference themes ranging from social to technological. We are also inviting 20 young INK fellows to the conference and we will have speakers not only from India but outside India as well,” Lakshmi Pratury, CEO, INK Talks told <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Telangana Today</em>.</div>
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In addition, the conference will also have talks in regional languages ranging from Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali and Hindi. And this year, according to Pratury, is a pivotal year for INK Talks as it will start a year-long engagement on emerging topics and they would like to also engage with the changemakers so as to make an impact in the society.</div>
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On the theme of the conference, Pratury said, “While on the one hand India is giving birth to more and more rich people year-on-year, there are also wide gap between the rich and poor. So, we thought that rather defining success in terms of money why cannot we measure it in terms of impact created. And that is how we have curated the speakers who are successful but not only financially but are also making great impact on the society through their success. We have got a lot of support from the Telangana government and that is how we decided to host our conference here in Hyderabad this year.”</div>
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(Originally an interview with <a href="https://telanganatoday.com/first-ink-talks-in-hyderabad-from-nov-30?fbclid=IwAR1QcqOSSzfHd4v_j7NzE8t2SVz5ynpD1IJmXcm-oSeXACMGs5arwUG0bqM" target="_blank">Telangana Today</a> posted on 1st November 2018) </div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-48916721718534041512018-11-11T15:10:00.000+05:302018-11-12T15:11:09.663+05:30Personal Branding and successful strategies for brand building<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are three versions of you: what you are, what you think you are and what you want others to think you are.<br />
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The personal branding of the yesteryears revolved around creating a public image that was in line with your professional purpose. As professionals, we were told that we were what we wore, what vehicle we drove and where we lived. Inspired by this, I wanted to project the image of a no-nonsense business executive. I loved seeing my image in print. Those press clippings would be fondly treasured in my file and forever forgotten by all once they read them. My father would paste them all in an album display them to all the guests who visited us at home, far from the eyes of my intended reader.<br />
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A few years down the line, I stopped caring about what others thought of me. My brand was forged by association to a larger company and a larger purpose. Even a multi-billion dollar company like Intel could not be spared the wrath of the public when it did not act on time for solving the Pentium processor floating point problem. Initially, Intel reacted logically by reasoning that the floating point error was so rare that it would not be a matter of concern to majority of the users. Major customers withdrew, stocks started spiraling downwards and the consumers who bought ‘Intel Inside’ because they regarded it their most prized possession, felt let down. Intel apologized and guaranteed that they would take back any computer, no questions asked, and replace or reimburse. The number of computers returned were a mere fraction of those that were purchased. In this scenario, customers just wanted an assurance that the brand they trusted was going to act responsibly in the face of a challenge. I was proud of how we rose to the occasion in times of duress. My brand value in the world was measured by the fact that I was a respected member of an admirable company. We were happy to have people like Andy Grove and Gordon Moore for our brands and we revered our association with them. In this phase, I was happy to be what I thought of myself: a member of the Intel tribe.<br />
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When I started INK, my thinking was influenced by the Intel way of thinking. I was happy to talk about INK but not too comfortable talking about my personal life or views. I took pride in the fact that I was not much on social media. As I spent more time with our team at INK and the INK Fellows who often are half my age, I began to understand a lot about what they were seeking. They were tired of the rhetoric, false promises, and of being handed over a world that was polluted in every possible way. They craved and demanded authentic voices.<br />
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I realized that social media is the perfect way to delve deep into who I REALLY am and to explore my purpose. In some ways, it is the democratization of an individual. I have a choice about what I want to write, how I want to write and who I want to target with my writing. For the first time, personal branding is all about authenticity. Your mistakes live forever in the digital world and so do your strong thoughts. Today, I own my relationship with my tribe and have to be truthful in all that I say. The tools are available to us today to communicate directly with the world in a voice that is solely ours.<br />
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My three strategies for successful brand building are as follows:<br />
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(i) Be authentic: One should be able to write both personal as well as professional experience in one’s own voice even while adopting different tonalities.<br />
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(ii) Learn from others: Follow other interesting voices. It can come as a surprise that successful branding is not merely about the number of followers one has but also the number of people one chooses to follow.<br />
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(iii) Harness the power of social media. Pick one social media channel and post your thoughts and insights frequently. It is easier to maintain quality this way.<br />
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There was a time when I would advise youngsters to refrain from posting their candid photos online as it could put their possibilities of employment at stake. Today, I realize how a strong social media presence is crucial to personal branding. It allows me to move the needle on issues I care about apart from allowing me the opportunity to exhibit my strengths and weaknesses in public view. There is no need to be perfect, just the need to be me.<br />
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(Originally posted by <a href="http://everythingexperiential.businessworld.in/article/-Personal-Branding-and-successful-strategies-for-brand-building-Lakshmi-Pratury-/11-11-2018-163909/?fbclid=IwAR2_2ymeD1uobT5Trw7L-209r776BQqKepUtAJIHy7v2JFLi6YWu0VNIiQY" target="_blank">Everything Experimental</a> on November 11th, 2018) </div>
Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-61058359128467663302018-11-09T01:10:00.000+05:302018-11-10T21:41:33.042+05:3050 Over 50 - Prakash Amte<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Prakash Amte: Generations of generosity<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was a kid, my grand mother would tell me mythological
stories where there would be gifted teachers in Gurukuls who taught their
students how to shoot, swim, solve societal problems, dance, sing, fight and
figure out their respective strengths.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These were places of thatched hut roof huts among thick forests thriving
with animals of all kinds coexisted with the humans. Even the most ghastly
beasts succumbed to the learned sages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being
raised in a city where I am even afraid of a stray dog, the thought of wild
animals living with humans seems like a magical kingdom only for the stories.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I first heard of Prakash Amte and about his friendship with
leopards and lions and his young grandsons’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>ease of handling everything from rattle snakes to wild beasts,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>it almost seemed surreal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is part of a multi generational gene pool
that has dedicated themselves to the lives of the unforgotten.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His father Baba Amte was a pioneer in giving
home to lepers, Prakash Amte in provides healthcare for the of the tribals and
his niece Sheetal Amte (who is an INK Fellow) to creating a smart village for
the lepers and less privileged. Here are a few things that I really admire about
Prakash Amte <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->It’s a family calling<o:p></o:p></div>
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To date, three generations of Amtes have
committed themselves to live in the most remote parts of India to serve the
needs of those who the civil society has chosen to forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And none of them have any sense of sacrifice
or social work driving them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is as
natural as breathing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of them
enjoys what they do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you witness a
group of people carrying a man whose head has been half eaten by a tiger on a
loosely stitched together stretcher walking for days and you do something that
makes the man walk back home, the sense of satisfaction that fills you could
not possibly match owning any number of homes or cars. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prakash Amte has such a strong air of
contentment about him that it rubs off on you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Sense of humour<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle">
He has a wicked sense of humour.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He usually wanders around his home in a pair
of shorts and cotton vest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many a time
an important visitor would go to his home to write or research about him and
mistaking him for the household help, ask him to let Dr. Amte know they would
like to see him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would simply nod, go
inside, wear his shirt and come out and shake hands with them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can only imagine how embarrassed the guests
might be and how the cheeky Prakash Amte would have a chuckle at their expense.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Family time<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast">
When I asked Sheetal Amte to tell me a few
things about her uncle, she has a lot of things to say and one of them was that
he is extremely fond of his grand children and makes sure that he plays a lot
with them. He spends a lot of time with his tribal family as well and serves as
a judge for any disputes that may arise and his decisions are accepted with a
lot of respect. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Now, what do others think of him?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a funny story that was told to me by Kiran
Khalap, who was the one who originally introduced me to Prakash Amte. <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">He told me bout an incident that was narrated
in Prakash Amte’s Marathi book “Prakashvaataa” “Paths of Light”</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Suhasini Mulay (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhasini_Mulay"><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suhasini_Mulay</span></a>)
was shooting a film in which Negal, Prakash Amte’s friendly leopard was acting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So he drove Negal
to the shoot sight in a Jeep attached with a trolley. As he drove back, news
reached him that a difficult delivery of a baby was at hand. He jumped
out and ran into the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suhasini
Mulay’s driver was dumbstruck and said: “What an amazing driver! He can drive,
manages a leopard AND helps with deliveries”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>All because of his simple dress! The driver must have been shocked to
see that a driver who looks just like him could do all these things!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Prakash Amte can
pass off to be a driver, cook, household help, a silly grand father, a
prankster and behind the scenes be a fair judge, a surgeon and a Magsaysay
award winner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Behind the simple look lay
a great mind and a generous spirit. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
loved spending time with him and his wife and hope to visit him and his wild
friends at his home soon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-2180505985901429742018-11-02T23:16:00.001+05:302018-11-03T22:22:11.526+05:3050 Over 50 - Gloria Steinem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
When I first kissed a boy as a teenager, I was terrified of pregnancy. There was no Google to check online and there was no one to consult. I lived in terror till I got my period and swore that I would never kiss again. Even though I acquired the basics about human reproduction soon after, it was only after I entered IIT Mumbai that I really started paying attention to women’s sexuality and its politics. I noticed the subtle signals that surround us entrenching us in our gender roles. At that time, there were 9 boys’ hostel H1, H2,..,H9 and then there was one LH – Ladies Hostel and there was a fight going on to rename LH as Hostel 10. And all the boys used to tease us saying that we are being over sensitive. Thanks for the resilience of our Seniors, it did change from LH to H10 and I began to understand the fight of women to be treated as equals. I also understood that language matters and every small nuance is necessary. It was in that period, that I first read about Gloria Steinem.<br />
<br />
Of all the feminists, she really appealed to me because I felt that she was a great combination of being feminine and being a feminist – a sophisticated beauty with a steely soul. She came from a small town where she took care of her ailing mom for most of her growing up life. It was in her 20s that she blossomed at Smith College. She fought a multitude of wars for over half a century for gender equality.<br />
<br />
I was overjoyed when I met her while I was at American India Foundation and got to know her over the years. As part of Lakshmi’s Lounge, I interviewed her in 2007. You can watch the entire interview following the article.<br />
<br />
Let me share with you what I learnt from her:<br />
<br />
<b>1. The India that was and Could be</b><br />
<br />
Her career began with a two year trip to India in late 50s, way before the Beatles made their way here. She met folks from MN Roy led Radical Humanists and traveled with them for over a year and was deeply influenced by them. She also realised that India placed such an importance on education that many more women were educated in India than even in US. And yet patriarchy prevailed everywhere. She said that if Indira Gandhi had a brother, the story have been different, which I thought was an introspective insight. When she came back to US, she wanted to write about her experiences much beyond the exotic thoughts of India and no one was interested. Today, things are changing but not fast enough. It’s more important more than ever before to tell a range of stories from India beyond the exotic animals and enchanted forests.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Personal and Professional – It’s all the same</b><br />
<br />
Gloria got married in her 60s. When I asked her as to why she decided to do so (after a position of being against marriage), her quick answer was – Immigration. Her partner David was a South African who was banned from his country because of his opposition to the apartheid government. She said that she married him so that he could become a citizen. She always fought against marriage because it did not give women equal rights to own property and her bank account etc., Over the years, leaders like Gloria fought to get equal right for women. She said that since all those things that she fought for were indeed accomplished, she decided to get married. That decision came in to be crucial when David got sick later on, he could use the medical insurance benefits. She said that she supported same sex marriage but she realised how important that battle was only after she understood the benefits of a marriage certificate. She was practical enough to understand the reason behind her stance and changed it when she felt that the situation changed. This taught me that it’s important to check your social stance or a business plan periodically to see if you need to pivot the position with time.<br />
<br />
<b>3. On Women</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
This story is the one where I got the most out of my interactions with Gloria. She, along with her friend Devaki Jain wanted to study Gandhian tactics for women’s movements around the world to apply those tactics to the women’s movements. In the 70s, they both went on a trip across India collecting Gandhiji’s letters and talking to his friends. They ended up at the home of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyah, a veteran freedom fighter and close aide of Gandhiji. They told her of their journey to track all that Gandhiji did and asker for her inputs. After patiently listening to them, Kamladevi said “Well my dear! We taught him everything he knew”. That statement while putting a smile on my face also gave a poignant insight that Gloria explained. The independence movement subsumed the women’s movement, which was huge and fighting against practices like Sati (a practice where if a man passed away, his wife who was alive was also sent to the funeral pyre along with his dead body) and adopted the tactics of the women’s movement. And Gloria commented on how our (women’s) history gets lost wherever we are. That ability to win a war without meaningless carnage IS the feminine power that Gandhiji used to get us freedom. Our mythologies talk about women who would stop eating and get into her “Alakagriham” (a room assigned to walk in when one is angry) when she was upset with her spouse and Gandhiji was known for his hunger strikes. He used diplomacy, cajoling and cooperation instead of a cane to bring people together. He used emotion to capture the hearts to create the non-violence movement instead of arousing their anger to go to war. And it is also true that we rarely know the women who stood steadfast to bring us freedom.<br />
<br />
I learnt a lot from Gloria about what it takes to build institutions. She persisted for years to be taken seriously and broke all boundaries to create equal rights for women. One of my favourite quotes by her "We've begun to raise daughters more..but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters" is apt for today where we need to sensitise our daughters AND sons to build a more equitable and just world. At 84, she remains more active than most and earns a spot on Lakshmi's 50 Over 50.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zZQJdL8CFTw" width="560"></iframe>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-1689985754711908002018-10-26T09:51:00.000+05:302018-10-26T09:51:44.505+05:30Celebrating Dussehra 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Dussehra 2018 with Women of Prajwala and Sunitha Krishnan:</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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To celebrate Dussehra, I would like to introduce you to a
group of women who were most instrumental (literally) in celebrating this
festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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One of the key celebrations of Dussehra is the dandiya dance
and the aesthetics of the dandiya sticks has evolved over the years. This
episode of my writing is to pay homage to the women of Prajwala and Sunitha
Krishnan, who brought this festival alive with their version of hand made dandiya
sticks that they sold for Rs 75/ pair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Encased in its own colourful case, a few pairs of dandiya sticks were
delivered to me on my recent visit to their campus so that I can take them as
gifts for my colleagues at INK.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When I met Sunitha a decade ago in her tiny walk up office
in the narrow gullies of Hyderabad old city in 2008 or so, she spoke about the
women and children she rescues from prostitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She took me to a work shop a few miles away
where they teach women furniture making, welding, book making etc., She said
that they choose vocations that require physical strength because it is most
important area of confidence building for these women who have been abused
physically. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The furniture and the
notebooks that they make in these workshops are supplied to schools and other
institutions. When I visited her in early October of 2018, the story of the
women and the need to rescue has still not changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She spoke of the 80 women they rescued a few
days earlier, with the youngest being 2.5 years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What has changed is that her tiny walk up
office morphed into a 3-acre office complex where uniformed security personnel
guard the premises while a high iron gate further guards the recently
rescued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The campus houses the office
staff as well the workshop with printing and furniture making equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a small, elegant home standing next
to the office where Sunitha stays through the week and goes to her apartment to
see her husband on Sundays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are 4
to 5 guest rooms for the well wishers or visiting volunteers to stay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few kilometres away a 10-acre campus has
been created as a permanent home for the rescued women with crèche facilities
for the children of working mothers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An organic
garden exists in each campus to feed its inhabitants. After my first visit in
2008, I worked with Sunitha to raise the money they needed to build all these
facilities by bringing in not only well-meaning individuals but also organisations
like google.org and other large Foundations. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have seen Sunitha leverage every paisa that
is raised by making the most of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Sunitha and her husband built the two campuses with a fraction of the
cost of what most builders might have spent with sustainability and elegance. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Following my article, you will find links to her talks that
we curated, which narrate her own journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>What’s impressive is not only the number of women they rescued but the
eco system that they built to counter human trafficking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be it passing laws that make men equally
responsible when they are caught (instead of parading the women to prisons
while letting the men go) to training police academies across India to teach
them how to conduct the raids, follow the leads, develop a sensitive way of
handling, or going on a road trip to districts across Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana to educate about trafficking – each activity is done with limited
resources and large impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also
seen her train the next generation of rescuers, rehabilitators, accountants and
anyone else who might touch the eco system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sunitha is on a journey to replace herself in the day-to-day
operations so that she has more time to write and give herself the best gift
possible – time to be with herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s
all wish her luck in her journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What I learnt from Women of Prajwala:<o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Personally, they put a perspective on what I call “problems”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no right to complain about my bank
balance or personal comforts when I see the women who are so graceful despite us
letting them down as a society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professionally,
our ability to convert inspiration to impact for Prajwala gave us the courage
to start INK in India and continue that journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunitha’s talk was so powerful that we
decided to take action and help her build a permanent home for Prajwala.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our audience, our INK tribe played a part in
building these campuses and each time I visit the campus that Sunitha built, I
feel that INK hit the jackpot. On those lonely nights when I question my
decision as an entrepreneur, I think of the campus and feel as though I closed
a fresh round of funding. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Beaten into submission<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bounced from man to man<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bodies may have hardened<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but the spirit stays strong.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In the hands of the <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Women of Prajwala<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
who survived the onslaught <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of the ugliness of humanity,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
even a piece of hard wood<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
takes shape of <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
decorative dancing aid.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the covering <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sachets so soft <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
showing the world<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
the strength of soft smiles<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
enveloping<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
a determined mind<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
that not just survives<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
but Sustains and <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
celebrates<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
https://www.ted.com/talks/sunitha_krishnan_tedindia<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
http://inktalks.com/discover/185/sunitha-krishnan-a-year-after-tedindia<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br /></div>
Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-79944775351456592762018-10-20T06:02:00.001+05:302018-10-20T06:02:28.459+05:30Lakshmi's 50 Over 50<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
In today’s world, we are enamoured by the young and the
rich.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have lists for 25 under 25, 30
under 30, 40 under 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I thought
that I would lay claim to 50 over 50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I decided to write each week about a person who not only had
an idea but had the chutzpah to carry it through and had the tenacity to do it
for decades. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Here are the three rules I
plan to adopt:</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I will not write about my immediate family in
India because they would definitely fill the first 50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I will not write about people I read about or heard
about<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->I will not write about those who have deceased<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will only write about people I met who are alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the people who spent some personal
time with me that gives me an insight into what makes them unique<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hope you enjoy the stories of 50 Over 50 each Friday.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><b style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Why now?</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Here are the two main reasons for coming up with this list:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Firstly - Today, more than ever, there is a need for adult
supervision, coaching, nurturing for the young ideas that are springing
everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The experienced have to
learn from the young and become coaches who gently guide but not dictate and the
young have to learn to bring in experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A lot of the problems with starts ups, unicorns and young media moguls
is that there is no adult supervision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There is NO ONE who is watching them to warn when they are on a slippery
slope, to make the slight course correction that can be the fine line between success
and sudden death.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Secondly - There is a selfish reason for doing this as well.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I got older, my mind has not aged and even level of
energy has kept up but what has changed drastically is the way the society
looks at me. When my young colleagues go out to a pub, they assume that I would
not want to go out with them; <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I have
a little grey in my hair, I am immediately written off the list of cutting edge
thinkers and in the start up world, Venture Capitalists want to see a young
face at the helm. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I feel only the
youth of my mind and not the age of my body. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I see my friends in my age group who could be
great coaches not be utilised to their fullest. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I decided that it is about time I created
my own list of the COOL 50 over 50. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>Why me?</i></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I became an entrepreneur in my 40s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In some ways, I lived my professional life in
reverse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my 20s and 30s, I worked for
a large company, traveled around the world in style, stayed at the best hotels,
hung out celebrities and worked on trends and technologies that define who we
are today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From making a purchase on line
to playing a game on the computers to listening to streaming music or watching
video online to purchasing online – my career at Intel had a small yet
strategic part to play in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Subsequent
turns as a Venture Capitalist and Social entrepreneur had me hang out with the
well to do and the well meaning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s in
my 40’s that I got the entrepreneurial bug because I realised that I have
always been one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in a large
company, I ran small, strategic programs and grew them, always walking away at
the verge of having to manage operations and large teams; as a VC, I tried to
make investments in India way before it was time; as a social entrepreneur, I
set up internet labs in under privileged schools when the conventional wisdom
was arguing for taking care of basic needs like uniforms and building
toilets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I always shot way ahead of the
curve, sometimes missing the mark and many more times making a difference in my
own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And this turn as an entrepreneur has been the most exhilarating
yet exhausting journey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From my fancy
life in 20s and 30s, I moved to the financially unstable life of an
entrepreneur in my 40s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And there are
three essential ingredients that helped me move myself up the learning ladder that
keeps the factor of exhilaration tip slightly over the factor of exhaustion.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To surround myself with the truly wealthy that
are idea rich and go through life with humility<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->To measure success in 10 year intervals and
having the stomach to hit the bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And be willing to give up something along the way<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Having someone with experience guide me,
challenge me and often change my path<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Over the years, I realised that there is no substitute for
spending more time on this earth and experiencing the ups and downs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many young people who might be more
knowledgeable and even wise but there is an undeniable grace and beauty that
comes when one stands the test of time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The technologies may change, content may evolve but the
basic pursuit of personal excellence, professional integrity, decency,
courtesy, grit and a general respect of all things in the universe and the need
to sustain life beyond our lifetime remains the same. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">So, I wanted to write about 50 people over 50 who
I had the privilege to meet and get to know who embody some of the traits I
treasure the most. Hope you enjoy
getting to know them. </span><!--EndFragment--></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-15986853420250943892018-10-08T00:17:00.000+05:302018-10-08T00:17:56.988+05:30Perfume Diaries (Part 4 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In the previous three episodes, I shared about my stroll into the streets of scents and how my husband Rajat gave me my soul mate of a perfume, “Poeme”. You also know that I was crushed by the news of Poeme being discontinued. Let’s pause about perfumes and let me share with you something magical.</div>
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In 2003, My life changed with the arrival of my son, Arnav. I was always terrified of pregnancy. I thought that it would slow me down, wondered whether I would be a good mother, was worried that the vagabond in me would be curtailed. And much to my surprise, my pregnancy was a breeze. I worked till a week before my delivery and stayed home for a month after bringing Arnav home and I did not want to put him down for a second. For the first time in my life, I <i>really</i> understood what my father must have felt when he held me in that operating room when I first arrived and why he loved me despite all my experiments with life. I fell in love truly and madly with my child.</div>
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I would lay down next to him each night and read him stories. When he was five or six, he asked me to tell him stories from my life, especially funny ones. Over the years, I told him stories of my parents’ childhood, my summer vacations, each person I was friends with, my school days, college days in India as well in US, work life, projects I worked on, people I met and told him of his paternal grand parents and all their family. As he grew up, I told him of my dreams, my crazy escapades, work details. I don’t think that there is anything that my son does not know about me. </div>
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He is a teenager now and slowly separating. A major event was when he went to Paris this April <span style="font-size: 12pt;">to play in a football tournament. It was the first time that he was going out of the country without us, with his school and his friends. He wanted money for expenses. I told him that he did not need much because he would be busy playing tournaments and his hotel and food are covered anyway. I spoke to other parents and we decided that we should give them around $300 and that should be enough for a week. I gave him strict instructions that just because he had money, he need not spend it and that he should not buy anything too expensive and so on and so forth. I could just hear his unsaid “Mom! Stop it” and I finally curbed my helicoptering. He had a great time. They won a couple of games, lost many and carried home wonderful memories of everything from Mona Lisa to Eiffel tower to staying up late talking till they lost their voices. A week later, all the parents gathered at the airport in the early hours – this time to receive tired, quiet kids, quite different from the excitedly babbling boys a week earlier. We got home at about 9am and he fell asleep.</span></div>
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When he woke up, he handed me $50 or so and I scolded him for spending so much money and told him that hopefully he did not buy junk. First he showed me the 5 or 6 t-shirts he bought for himself which totalled $50 or $60, then he spoke about some of the food they ate, then he showed me the sweatshirt he got for my husband and then he handed over a small package to me and asked me to open it. When I did, I saw a beautiful white package of Chanel perfume. This was the gift that cost him the most – over $100. He said “Ma! I remember the story that you told me about Chanel No. 5 and how you never bought it for yourself. I went to the shop and asked and they said that this was the latest Chanel perfume. I got it for you so that you can now complete that wish.” I felt like such a heel for giving him a hard time for spending all that money. Most of his pocket money was spent on me remembering a story I told him years ago. And just like that, “Poeme” my favorite perfume was replaced by Chanel. He remembered such a random detail from a story of my past and brought me a gift so thoughtful. </div>
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I still have a bottle left of “Poeme” that was given by my husband, who after 23 years, still manages to stay with me; a bottle of “Versace Bright Crystal” that my son helped me buy to replenish the dwindling supply of Poeme and also “Chanel” that he chose for me. They are each my lucky charms for different purposes and I am thankful for the treasure of these three bottles. </div>
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They say that life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. In my nostalgia for things gone by, I have not seen the new possibilities that were right in front of me. We get so attached to things, think that those things define us and then magically, we move into a place where none of those things matter. And all that you are left with is a huge gratitude of the love that surrounds you, of occupying a place in someone’s heart so deep that it touches your soul. May be, whatever our problems are - if we keep telling our stories, our children may provide solutions in ways unimaginable. The trick is not to have that expectation and be surprised by the rewards…every single time. Next time you see me, you sure might wonder if I smell like Poeme, Versace or Chanel and all I can tell you is that it’s that sweet smell of something beautiful. </div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-28193898656398397882018-10-05T04:00:00.000+05:302018-10-04T17:56:26.453+05:30Perfume Diaries (Part 3 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #222222;">Part 3 of 4 – Perfume Diaries (Oct 4, 2018)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">In the previous two parts of these diaries, you got to know how “Poeme” became the perfume of my choice for over two decades. In 2016 or so, I was told that the perfume was discontinued and that it would not be available for sale. I got into a panic. You take some things so much for granted that you don’t think twice about it. At each point of my life, I experimented with only one thing at a time and everything else remains the same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">When I was single and finding out who my ideal partner would be, I stayed with the same company, Intel. After I got married, we moved into a home and we own that home even now. As I started experimenting with my career – from Intel to being a VC to Social entrepreneur to an entrepreneur from US to India, the rest of the habits remained same – Vamp lipstick from Chanel, Himalayan <i>kajal</i> stick, Poeme perfume, <i>saree</i> for the stage, standard pant, top and stole for the rest of the days, same dishes in handful of restaurants – be it <i>baingan bhartha</i> at the Amber in Mountain View or egg <i>biryani</i> at Lucky’s in Mumbai or spaghetti aglio olio at Toscano in Bangalore etc. So, when lipstick color Vamp was discontinued, I could get over it but when Poeme was discontinued, I was really upset. I wrote to the company, I even wrote a poem about Poeme. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">MARCH 29, 2019<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="color: #222222;">POEME</span></u><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Liquid Gold</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Slightly sprayed on my skin</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Lingering all day long</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Seeping through layers of my skin</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">A love affair of over two decades</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Becomes such a part of me</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">That it makes me smell like “me”.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I have always been a scent woman</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">As a newly wed</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">When my husband presented a</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">multiple choice of perfumes</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I chose you.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Since then I bought you</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">In every possible size </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Without looking at the price</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">With no thought, no other explanation</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I kept you with me always</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">When I sprayed a little on my wrist</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">The thought of my grand father</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Spraying a drop of <i>attar</i> on his handkerchief</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">And tucking it into his pocket</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Would flash by</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">The summer evenings in Eluru</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">When my aunts would sit </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">With a mound of Jasmine flowers</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Weaving into my hair</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">A five-hour art work</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Layering my long hair</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Filling the room with a fragrance</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Intoxicating evenings</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Inexplicable pride as I was</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">paraded through the neighbour homes</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">And the final prize would be</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Presenting the work to my grand father</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Who would ask me to turn around</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Putting his hands on my shoulder</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Pull me slightly closer to him</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">And inhale deeply the fragrance of fresh flower</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">And then turn me around </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">And hand me some small change</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">For my patience to sit for so long</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Making me feel like a rich queen</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Who can splurge her earnings on</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Treating oneself to an ice cream soda</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">------ All those memories flood by</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Summer nights in our Hyderabad home </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">When the terrace would be washed</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">With buckets of water</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">With heat rising by the touch of cold liquid</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Floor cleaned</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Mats laid</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Covered by hand sown mattresses</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Fresh white sheets spread and tucked </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Soft pillows completing the picture</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">A long line of mattresses pillows </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Welcoming us all to</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Sleep under the stars</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">My Dad, grand parents</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Siblings and visiting cousins</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">A long time of tired bodies</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Falling asleep to the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Breeze carrying the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Fragrance of Jasmine and <i>Mallepuvvu</i></span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">From our back yard</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Fun nights of stories and laughter</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Slowly melting into a mixture</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Snoring and silent breathing</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I always imagined</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">A white handkerchief</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Sprayed with Poeme</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Adorning my body</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">As I am carried onto the funeral pyre</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I somehow thought</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">That this was a death do us part deal</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I had no idea that</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Business decisions </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Would “retire” you</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I was heart broken</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">When I heard that </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">you were being </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">"discontinued"</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Sending an SOS to my Friends</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">to buy every last bottle they could find</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I went to the Duty free Shops</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">Whenever I travelled around the world</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">To buy the few that were left behind</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">My panic rises when</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I see that storage is dwindling</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">When my nephew commented the other day</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">“Do you still use Poeme?</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I realised that you have become a part of me</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;"> A signature for my entry into any room</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">How I wish I could create you</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">And keep you with me forever</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">For now</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">I am slowly getting used</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">To the idea to bid adieu</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;">To my lovely Poeme</span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-IN" style="color: #222222;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">I felt so silly to be so sentimental about a scent. May be it happened at a time when everything else seem to be falling apart. Being an entrepreneur is a very tough journey. Especially when you start the journey in your 40s and feel as though time is passing by with progress in profits not as fast paced as you had projected. I made America my home for 25 years and the move to India was the most exhilarating yet exhausting transition I ever made. So, even a silly thing like my favourite perfume discontinued, felt like a personal attack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;">Like all things that seem insurmountable, something totally unexpected happened that gave me a whole new perspective and whole new hope. (I realized that week is too long of a break for my final edition. So, look out for the final part on Monday</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "wingdings";">J</span><span style="color: #222222;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-51501678494769946772018-09-27T17:34:00.000+05:302018-10-03T17:49:34.969+05:30Perfume Diaries (Part 2 of 4)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In Part 1, I shared with you how I went from knowing natural body odour surrounding me as the status quo to making acquaintance with the world of Chanel No.5. So, this part is about my entry into the world of perfumes and finding my own. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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After finishing my management studies in Bajaj, I came to Portland State University to do my second MBA. Starting as a Research Assistant gave me $335 a month and a freedom to explore luxuries like perfume. The first stop was at Anais Anais. Like Chanel, it was French, but much more affordable. I loved a slight spray of the flowery fragrance on my skin and used it sparingly on that occasional date that I went on. </div>
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In all my departmental store perfume adventures, I learnt of a well known fact that remains a magical feature to me. Which is that each perfume smells differently on different skins. The same perfume may smell great on my friend and lousy on me. There are flowery perfumes that accentuate the feminine in you, there are the musky ones that bring out the sensuality in you and then there are the strong ones that smell a mile away announcing your arrival. You know a great perfume that’s right for you when you meet one. </div>
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A full time job at Intel game me more financial freedom expanding my perfume collection. Anais Anais was followed by “Pleasures”. I loved it’s youthful, flowery fragrance. At the time of my punk haircut cut, mini skirt, black stockings, pierced nose era, the perfume seem perfect. During those adventurous years when I would go off on a week-long trek or river rafting or return from a long run or a hike, the scent soothed my stinky skin and made my re-entry into the real world from the weekend escapades. It gave me company on my many dates, often ending in heart ache but always starting with hope and smelling good. </div>
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Over all these years, my hair got longer, skirt length came below the knee and my perfume experimentation expanded. There was Dune, Obsession and plethora of perfumes that paraded. I tried many with no real affinity to any one brand. It was a habit and not a special focus item. Be it a visit to Macys or Nordstrom to pick up a bag full of clothes or taste food from different restaurants with friends or drink the best wines – it was a life of convenience and comfort and all those things that were once unattainable became routine.</div>
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My long adventurous single life came to a halt when I married Rajat. We moved in together to make our home in Milpitas, CA. I ended my gypsy life style and moved into a very organized home with my 10 cushions, one futon and 1,000 books. The marriage was followed by gifting. Whenever Rajat went on a trip, he brought me back something beautiful – a pearl necklace, a pair of earrings and once, a perfume. I always felt perfume was a very personal purchase. I usually never gave it as a gift (except the ones I would take to India, often from Avon where I worked as a door to door sales woman) nor did I receive it as a gift. When I opened the deep golden mustard box with blue lettering “Poeme” the golden liquid in a beautifully shaped bottle stole my heart the second I sprayed it on my skin. It was as though it belonged. The next day at work, people commented saying that I really smelt good. There was something about this perfume that paired perfectly with my skin.</div>
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I got “Poeme” as a gift in probably in 1996 and I stayed faithful to it. My friends who would meet me years later would say that I still smelt the same and would ask me if I still used Poeme. They say that the strongest memory of people is by their smell and I wondered if my scent was completely intertwined with “Poeme”. </div>
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And then, something happened that forced me to prepare to bid farewell to my favorite perfume. </div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-49108308739281866102018-09-20T17:30:00.000+05:302018-10-03T17:31:21.972+05:30Perfume Diaries (Part 1 of 4) <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sept 20th is a very special day for me, as it is the birthday of my father, my best friend. Twenty years after his passing, I sometimes panic that I am forgetting him. At times, it feels like it was just yesterday that he was with me and at other times I wonder if all my memories are just a faction of my imagination. His presence seems so distant and almost foreign and I forget the exact contours of his face, the warmth of his embrace and the sound of his voice. So, to hold on to the memories, I thought that I would do what he loved to do the most and what he always wanted me to do – which is, writing. As a homage to him, I want to give it a try to write something every week and post on “Lakshmi’s Lounge”. These are random thoughts, insights, experiences that I want to express. So, here is the beginning.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Sept 20, 2018 (Thursday)</div>
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<strong style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Part 1 of 4 – Perfume Diaries</strong></div>
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My introduction to the concept of “perfume” was through Telugu novels, especially by queen of romance novels, Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani. In all her books, when you enter a luxurious five star hotel, smells of “foreign” perfume floated in the air. Or when a very modern woman with short hair, chiffon saree and a sleeveless blouse appeared on the pages, she would be accompanied by the scent of “foreign” perfume. I grew up in a middle class family and none of the women in my home or the homes of my families in Hyderabad, Eluru, Guntur, Kakinada or even Mumbai, had any perfume bottles in their homes. Some of them smelt like naphthalene balls because they were kept along with the sarees to keep them from insects and some of them of camphor because of the amount of time they spent in their puja room offering camphor lit fire to the Gods. On summer evening, I learnt how to wrap a thread around my toe and hold in and make long garlands of jasmine. Those evening, my feet, my hand and my hair smelt like jasmine. When I walked past the rose garden my grandfather planted in our home, the scent of dark red, yellow and pink roses floated just the like the foreign perfume did in those fancy fictional hotels. My grand father in Eluru would massage his long moustache with a special perfumed oil and once in a while an Afghani <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: inherit; font-style: italic; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">attarwalla</span> would come to someone’s home and open up the large box with small vials of attar. The bottle cap would unscrew to reveal a long, thin tube attached with the end tapering out into a flat area. You would dip the flat tip into the attar and dab a drop of it on the wrist and the smell stayed that way for days on end. Into my world, the ide of “foreign” perfume was exotic, exciting and it did not even occur to me that these perfumes could have names.</div>
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Long after summer holidays in my aunts’ home gave way to going to IIT Mumbai and then to Jamnalal Bajaj, I came in touch with another “foreign” perfume and this time, it had a name and a story. We did a case study about Chanel No.5. I do not remember the details of the case but the name and the luxury it has come to stayed with me. Later on, when I moved to US, I would walk the department stores spraying myself with sample perfumes. I would always walk past the Chanel No. 5 counter but something would stop me from spraying it on my wrist. Even when I could afford it, Chanel no.5 stayed somehow unattainable and elusive. I did not want to buy it for myself nor did I ever buy it as a gift to anyone else. And then a new perfume entered my life that made me forget Chanel No.5 altogether. Wait until next week to know the story of this new love.</div>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-70107559629629256632016-03-29T15:48:00.002+05:302016-03-29T15:48:30.054+05:30A rare Andy Grove interview<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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In 2006, Richard Tedlow released an autobiography of Andy Grove. I was in the process of launching my own company and was doing interviews under the banner "Lakshmi's Lounge". I met Andy for coffee and updated him on my plans. Andy said that he was going to do only one interview with Richard for the book and if I wanted, then I could do it. Words can not describe what I felt that day. In my wildest dreams, I did not imagine that I would be interviewing Andy. I was excited as well as completely petrified. Working on a project for Andy is not easy. He does not mince words if he is unhappy. The bomb fell on the week after we agreed on this.<br />
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Since Intel had a great auditorium, I thought that I would host it there. As soon as Andy found out, he called me and said that I was trying very hard to get him to cancel the event. I did not understand why he was so cross. He said that he would not want anyone from Intel to feel obligated to attend the interview nor did he want Intel to give the auditorium free for his event. I assured him that we would not do it at the Intel auditorium and booked the theater at a high school in Los Altos just to maintain an arms' length distance from Intel. We had over 300 of Andy's admirers with us that day and we had a wonderful interview. <br />
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Here are a few insights into Andy from that day. <br />
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1. Andy can dance!</h4>
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2. Richard Tedlow on Andy Grove's contribution to Intel as CEO</h4>
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3. Andy Grove on the real contribution of a CEO</h4>
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4. Andy Grove on Intel not taking his advice</h4>
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5. Andy Grove on the growing threat to America being America</h4>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-55945812840073664422016-01-28T22:00:00.000+05:302016-01-31T18:05:07.031+05:30Sipping at the Sea Lounge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sea Lounge at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai</td></tr>
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I have had a love affair with Sea Lounge (at Taj Mumbai) ever since I was at Jamnalal Bajaj. As a part of the curriculum at Bajaj, we had group discussions that would last for hours, and those occasional times when I missed my last bus to Grant Road and decided to hang out with friends till the first bus left at 5:30 am or so the next day. Those were the times we would spend hours drinking kona coffee at Shamiana with all the money we could gather among us and animatedly arguing over some subject that I no longer recollect. Each time we expected to be thrown out in an hour or two but the waiters never got mad at us, never stopped us from going there, even though 4 or 5 of us would share only one coffee and completely abuse the idea of refills.<br />
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When one of my professors invited me to meet him at Sea Lounge for a 30 minute meeting as he was catching me between meetings, I felt as though I entered heaven. Even though we mastered the midnight coffee at the Shamiana, going to Sea Lounge was a whole different deal. That short meeting sitting by the windows of Sea Lounge is forever etched in my memory. I left for US soon after graduating from Bajaj and when I came back for the first time after 5 years, one of my first visits was to Sea Lounge and this time, with enough money to buy myself a gin and tonic.<br />
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Even now, whenever I want to be by myself and think, I go to Sea Lounge. It somehow reminds me of the distance I traveled and yet keeps me grounded. This evening I found myself wanting to sit at a place where I could put a structure to thoughts floating around in my head and my feet automatically took me to Sea Lounge. I knew that it was a good sign that a window seat was open. I sat there as though it was my living room and sipped on my Fresh Lime Soda as I wrote. Once they realized that this is all I was going to have, there were no waiters hovering over me asking if I needed anything else. I was left alone so that I could travel into my own head and write uninterrupted for over an hour. And even though I contributed very little to the bottom line by my Fresh Lime Soda, the treatment was the same as they gave everyone else. As I left, a young man opened the door and thanked me profusely for being there. It’s amazing how memories from way back when still stay with us even after all these years. It’s even more amazing that the staff at Taj remains the same making everyone feel at home, no matter what their purse size. That’s why it’s a place where I never feel alone.<br />
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-78109853452597376732015-12-23T13:20:00.002+05:302015-12-24T14:40:12.036+05:30Here.. Now<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CTaCZwoDyDKR00gAdMBC06ovSHf_8ioEAKgju9ioJpUX7DSDuaoqDBeUflch-2QZKDsULGqs66rjhxmxEeM0r3Ta7fsJ6uWhUwkG0qR2UKocBLNe3NDulGoklYHVHSDTVdydZtggZGu8/s1600/christmas6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CTaCZwoDyDKR00gAdMBC06ovSHf_8ioEAKgju9ioJpUX7DSDuaoqDBeUflch-2QZKDsULGqs66rjhxmxEeM0r3Ta7fsJ6uWhUwkG0qR2UKocBLNe3NDulGoklYHVHSDTVdydZtggZGu8/s200/christmas6.jpg" width="112" /></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">The evening of December 19<sup>th</sup>. Around 9 pm. We were all on our terrace in Indiranagar, Bangalore having an INK holiday party. The railings around the balcony were decorated with lights, a large star hung from the Christmas tree naturally peeking into our balcony. The fake Christmas tree that I brought from home also claimed its spot in the corner with colorful lights, fake snow flakes and very real ornaments. At the center of the balcony, the DJ was playing music. Everyone had a beer or coke or water in their hands and we all feasted on very non Christmassy snacks from Adayar Anand Bhavan - muruku, spicy peanuts and the omnipresent potato chips.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6x3H6tnox_FWXGiHUIhKDORVRexbbCLoerhs7pSa8oL8AW9A0D7q6zWUamineji6t8NbDHGWRxqvS5YA4eH0cRENBPLjLUCaaqaPekKYsU5qHHz4eUrxdhFakSTNeD4NtABIhV02LTIG/s1600/christmas13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU6x3H6tnox_FWXGiHUIhKDORVRexbbCLoerhs7pSa8oL8AW9A0D7q6zWUamineji6t8NbDHGWRxqvS5YA4eH0cRENBPLjLUCaaqaPekKYsU5qHHz4eUrxdhFakSTNeD4NtABIhV02LTIG/s320/christmas13.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sush & Gowtham</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">Sushmita’s fiancé Gowtham was there being queried and put to test by the entire team. I think that he passed the test with his </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;">unbounded</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"> admiration for Sush. When Sush was up at the mike, a few notes with tasks were passed on to her by her Secret Santa and she was obliged to do what the notes said. She was asked to sing and she surprised everyone with a couple of numbers from “3 Idiots”. When she was asked to propose to someone other than Gowtham, she turned to Abhi and said “Abhi! Can you please do something for me all night?”, and before Abhi could jump with joy, she added, “please keep singing all night”. We all loved our Sush’s sense of humor. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Then, we had our secret santa presents exchange and had to guess who gave it to us. I was truly touched by how much thought and time went into each present that was given. After the exchange, we all gathered around to listen to Abhi singing while Harsh accompanied on guitar, in yet another display of surprise talent. With our alumni Anson, Nirupa and Sim, we are ready to launch the INK Band </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">J</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">. As our stomachs growled in anticipation of the pizza (yep! Another Christmas staple), the singing continued. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKeaO8YYyzJDi7V7LpM_jzQhQPnlZq-LtwyyP5hv_Gg150aRg3TT5FwoD5moJccSwCvIsPIYjwBaqiS2oT0tW9wOhjeB-KWDslxq2utMla3Gli6A8JKwMrcAedrIX91fsOvfs79uRa02d/s1600/christmas3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKeaO8YYyzJDi7V7LpM_jzQhQPnlZq-LtwyyP5hv_Gg150aRg3TT5FwoD5moJccSwCvIsPIYjwBaqiS2oT0tW9wOhjeB-KWDslxq2utMla3Gli6A8JKwMrcAedrIX91fsOvfs79uRa02d/s320/christmas3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abhi & Sush</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nk7Z6bKSMn3GFSlyOpwQcUUGcvZF0SBq80DhAEIbazLUxHkfmhcvaOnpDvidOg9AcpU98wE85sYE5kV2z-LKdJQzHxgGQ9fWgbP7VeFn3sdJSSa7c5dYwDirLrT8JMlkcHdd6a6aakpL/s1600/christmas16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nk7Z6bKSMn3GFSlyOpwQcUUGcvZF0SBq80DhAEIbazLUxHkfmhcvaOnpDvidOg9AcpU98wE85sYE5kV2z-LKdJQzHxgGQ9fWgbP7VeFn3sdJSSa7c5dYwDirLrT8JMlkcHdd6a6aakpL/s320/christmas16.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abhi & Harsh</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJaQIc06jNGyQ_cMN_3n1B4zYYSy3Ef15030uHYd_m2L98COZOeKdCxDvRU5ekkddHWA1rw8NqZcy4I_1pq_VJXQadVBQQRhprrDysM2FJQgDLt6VPIXyJ7-LlU2OWaebQMqGb6c-Pgxh/s1600/christmas8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJaQIc06jNGyQ_cMN_3n1B4zYYSy3Ef15030uHYd_m2L98COZOeKdCxDvRU5ekkddHWA1rw8NqZcy4I_1pq_VJXQadVBQQRhprrDysM2FJQgDLt6VPIXyJ7-LlU2OWaebQMqGb6c-Pgxh/s320/christmas8.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vaibhav, Meghna & Sush</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUo2iv8PlYEpJ45X_GSmKv-O1D80JQLrbQeKlj2UgOXqn6h1udtvUr1jggJtuzrBPRzo7G2G_9u7zvIHZQJIDuyqECVmh0WmSjTyImstUrB-Jk0FYtI9SLvu1VgrxFfHpHtqUMQMZlQAG/s1600/christmas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUo2iv8PlYEpJ45X_GSmKv-O1D80JQLrbQeKlj2UgOXqn6h1udtvUr1jggJtuzrBPRzo7G2G_9u7zvIHZQJIDuyqECVmh0WmSjTyImstUrB-Jk0FYtI9SLvu1VgrxFfHpHtqUMQMZlQAG/s320/christmas1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swetha, Sush, Arnav & Harsh</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nandini, Arnav & Sush</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">There was a moment, when the world stopped for me as I looked at all the young faces that surrounded me. Sush and Gowtham, starting a new life and would be off to USA; Vijji and her husband yet to have their first wedding anniversary, Swetha with her pregnancy bump entering a new phase of life; Vaibhav chatting with his friends who joined him at the party; Harsh and Abhi singing; Rajat sipping wine chatting with Divya; Dipti and Nikhil reconnecting with everyone; Nandini walking around making sure that everyone is taken care of; </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">my son Arnav, Meghna, Praddy, Pranav, Godwin, Nischay, Yamuna, her friend, and all the others – spread across the balcony; Ranjit displaying his dance moves, and the rest of them talking to each other animatedly. We raised a toast to </span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 17.12px;">Anu, Elizabeth and Srimathi who weren't there.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;">I looked at each of them carrying their own dreams, desires and destiny. Each of them may move past INK for a different opportunity, better pay, relocation, marriage, a personal situation or whatever the reason may be. And I missed Sheena, Ram, Shalini, Anson, Deepti, Nemo, Erum, Sim, Nirupa, Priyanka, Nina and the entire NBO team –</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"> all those who were once a part of INK, now pursuing their own dreams and paths. I thought of our tough times, mistakes, upsets that we might have caused and all the things that I wish we could have done better. For a moment, I had a lump in my throat when I thought of all those who were part of INK and not with us today and also of all these youngsters who might be somewhere else and join us in the future. And then I realised that we all take a piece of INK with us as we write our futures apart or together. In that frozen moment, all I could see was a bunch of dreamers, idealists and nurturers taking a pause from their busy lives to just enjoy the moment. And in that moment, my upsets, regrets, fears disappeared and I let that still scene be stuck firm in my heart. I am truly blessed to be here… now. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">& me</td></tr>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-58714077617603733162015-03-18T11:00:00.003+05:302015-03-18T11:00:52.668+05:30At TED2015 in Vancouver <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the TED2015 Hosts dinner with Chris Anderson on Sunday</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After hours with Amanda Palmer on Monday night<br /></td></tr>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-91529615866684019412014-06-09T15:25:00.000+05:302014-07-15T16:06:12.149+05:30Walk the view<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the apartment</td></tr>
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I am blessed with very generous friends. When I was in San Francisco recently, my friend Gautam offered his beautiful apartment in San Francisco to me to have some “<a href="http://www.lakshmislounge.com/2014/06/me-time.html" target="_blank">me time.</a>” I had a long list of things to do – walk to the Safeway on Marina, which played a central character in Armistead Maupin’s books, have dinner at Greens, walk down crooked street, enjoy the nightlife on Fillmore, Union, Chestnut etc., etc., The moment I entered the apartment, I was transfixed by the view. I could visit every place I wanted to just by looking at it. I did not step out of the apartment for the first two days. I made one bowl of brown rice, another bowl of chana masala and bought eggs, sour dough bread, lot of fruit and yogurt. Along with the home made pickles made by our super talented niece, Sangita, I was all set. I could have spent a week or even two weeks just drinking in the scenery, writing, reading, and just thinking. I would sit quietly and let my thoughts crowd my head. I watched my thoughts move by, and at times a certain scenery would click and I would tuck it away in my memory.<br />
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After a couple of days, I realized that I did not do any of the walks that I had planned, or visited the cafes and clubs. I was so enamored by the view that I forgot to do all the things I had planned. It is so easy to forget that I needed to get down to the street level and walk to burn the calories to stay healthy. It was so easy to be carried away by the view that I had to discipline myself to go downstairs and walk the view. I understood why my friend Gautam would have this amazing apartment and not live here on a daily basis. Instead of just having a room with a view, he is choosing to walk the view. He is at a startup in Milpitas. So, it makes sense to live in south bay and come back to this view over the weekend. Moreover, he gets to share this view with all his friends and family. It is such a great gift that he is sharing with everyone.<br />
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I realized that this is no different than what could happen in companies as well. When the leader is having an aerial view of the company, they might fool themselves into thinking that they have a clear view of the workings of the company but unless they come down and walk the work place, they might miss all the necessary details.<br />
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Gautam did come by one evening, treated me to the most exquisite dinner at Dosa, showed me his stash of wine and port and went back to work while I learnt how to walk the view as well as watch it for the rest of the week. On a couple of evenings, I invited my friends and most of the INK Fellows in the bay area for an after-dinner drink so that they could enjoy the view as well. On the last night of my stay there, I sipped the contents of a small glass of port and watched the city lights and the scenery beyond, thankful for the quietness that surrounded me as a soft blanket. That beauty, that quiet and mostly the ease with which Gautam handed over his precious pad to me, would stay with me forever.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from the apartment</td></tr>
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Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515064528971862771.post-91334345982721566562014-06-05T11:59:00.000+05:302014-06-20T12:01:41.275+05:30Me time<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love collecting people, and as the curator of <a href="http://inktalks.com/" target="_blank">INK</a>, my days are filled with meeting very interesting people. Even though I love every minute of it, on a periodic basis, I have to shut all human contact and go into some serious “me time.” And there are three ways in which I love to have this “me time.”<br />
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First is, alone time in familiar surroundings, once a month or so, on a weekday, I stay home. I drop off Arnav at his school bus stop, say goodbye to Rajat as he leaves for work, and ask our household help to leave early. I go for a long walk and then come home and sit in silence. No phone calls, no email, no talking to anyone. I may watch a show that I taped, have lunch, snack. There is no set time for anything. I eat when I am hungry, read or write when I feel like it and just have a totally quiet day. Arnav gets home around 3:30 pm and I resume my routine, get online, respond to calls, sit with Arnav as he does his homework etc.,<br />
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The second way is to do the same when I am traveling. This practice started when I was working at American India Foundation. I would be in India for close to 2 weeks, days filled with meetings, travel across India from metros to mini villages – staying with family, cousins, friends, or shared quarters. Typically, my day would start at 7 am and end at midnight. I would cram as much as possible because I was greedy to meet as many people as possible. I was completely captivated by the generosity of strangers, ability to form a family based on common passion and the beauty of the landscape as we traveled by planes, trains, and automobiles across India. On the last day, I would come to Mumbai and stay at the Taj Gateway. My colleague’s brother used to work there and he would get me a discounted fare and a room on the 9th floor that overlooked the Gateway of India. On the last day of my trip, I would enjoy a clean, hot shower, total silence with a “do not disturb” sign, room service dinner, which would typically be spicy veg biryani with a side of sliced onions with lemon, salt and pepper, and <i>raita</i>. Even now, when I travel, I always make sure that there is one day at a hotel or a quiet apartment where I spend a day in silence at the end of my trip.<br />
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And the third kind, which I love the most, is to stay in someone’s home surrounded by comfort and beauty when no one else is there. There are so many people with “idle capacity” homes and I am the sole beneficiary of their idle capacity. My God parents have an apartment in cannon beach, a friend with an apartment with a view in San Francisco, friends with a farm house outside Bangalore and another one with a home outside of Montreal. I collect quiet spaces and have the generosity of friends who allow me to make it my space. This alone time in an already inhabited space makes me the happiest. There is a lot of beauty surrounding me and I don't need to worry about basic survival items and I get to make myself at home in a totally strange yet familiar place – so much so that after a day or two, I feel as though it is my own. There is something amazing about making something mine and then walking away from it. I don't like owning too much and am way over my head with one home in Bangalore and another in the bay area. The way each person chooses to build the space and what they do with it, gives me a unique insight into them. It has become almost essential for me to have “us time” with family and friends and “me time” alone, each giving me the strength and perspective.<br />
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May be this is why <a href="https://www.airbnb.com/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> is so successful because there are people who are willing to share their space. Can you imagine what a wonderful world it would be... if you had a couch in every corner of the world available to you and all you need to do is give a small thank you gift in return?</div>
Lakshmi Praturyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10146881991094149572noreply@blogger.com0