Floods in Sri Lanka: How Social media helped Sarvodaya's relief efforts.

Picture courtesy Sarvodaya Media unit

It was around 10 AM on Wednesday (12th January). I was writing a report, at my office, when suddenly a twitter alert popped up, mentioning my name. It was from one of my friends, wanting to donate his money to Sarvodaya's efforts, but worried because the online payment gateway of Sarvodaya website was not responding.

The tweets from @AmiSampath that got my attention.

Normally I would wait a while until I finished the report. That's how I manage twitter updates. But this one took my attention. I visualized the affected millions, and the ever so compassionate Sarvodaya field team with many volunteers, trying to help.
I got up, called few numbers from my mobile, and the technical matter was resolved in minutes. Thanks to Diyath Ariyaratne for speedy response !

@AmiSampath spreading the message after successful donation.

I updated, replied, retweeted the new link, and my friend Ami Sampath was able to do the donation. Not only he donated, but was kind enough to Retweet and spread the message.

Later in the day, few close to Sarvodaya, yet in different time zones, hearing the need from Sri Lanka, rallied on their twitter pages to spread the " need of the moment". Thanks Aparna Ashok, Isabelle Finateu, And Daren Forsyth for passionate tweeting.


Tag Development, the organization Daren works for, also joined in with a campaign.

On Friday (14th Jan) Sarvodaya joined in with a FaceBook page to spread the message on the rising demands. So Facebook friends also came in to help, in their smallest efforts, which at the end of the day, goes a long way to help millions !

I am still sharing and retweeting all #flood updates that I lay my eyes on. Thank you friends, I salute all of you on behalf of Sarvodaya, and in the name of humanity.

You can still join compassionately by clicking and donating at http://www.sarvodaya.org/wp-content/themes/arzel_gray/donate.html
AND sharing this story to 10 of your closed ones will be of greatest merit.

May the weather be peaceful !

Getting to work early morning - An example

pic by @isura

A little while back, I was inspired by a very courageous human. On my way from Piliyandala, passing Suwarapola, I saw a tailor, in his second floor shop, with a tube light on, working attentively on a dress. Time was 0605 AM. I was totally overwhelmed by the courage and determination of a single man.

Waking up early in the morning and planning the day, is the most important thing you can do in your whole life. It clears your mind out of clutter. You the see the day in different light. By the time you mix with the world, you have worked 1-2 hours more. And that's the best time of the day.

Here I am blogging this, to share a positive note. Have a great Monday, and have a wonderful week.

At 26, person of the year, 2010.

Many would argue, Is this the right time, for this accolade to Mark Zuckerberg.
I would say, I would not mind.
He has connected 550 milliong up to now. And at the rate FB is going, they expect the 1 billion mark in 2012.
It's no small feat.

This all started of a simple idea in a hostel room of Harvard in 2003. Simple idea, a simple mind. Wow.

Sunetha's Art inspires

I believe there is beauty everywhere if you only pause to observe.  Specific beautiful moments are also fleeting and momentary,  one has to be quick to grasp and appreciate them before  they are gone.  In an ever changing world  nothing is permanent -  this is a universal law.  However,  although  there is constant change there is beauty in every facet of change. 

In my collection of paintings, I have tried to capture the beautiful  impressions  of  many such fleeting moments to  instill  tranquility & contemplation  and  to connect  people  to nature’s  beauty and rejuvenating powers. (Source http://www.sunethagallery.com/)

This is what Sunetha Kannangara is trying to say through her paintings at Lionel Wendt Gallery on 27th & 28th November, 2010 (9:00 am - 7:00 pm). Yes, the entrance is free. I accidentally step on to her exhibition and found she had a great fundamental in her character. Patience to do good things, and then spread the good will. She had a knack for painting from childhood, which got swept under the carpet of professional working life. Then she emerged from the retirement, to polish her skills, and here she is portraying how a simple idea can help many. In a time, where I see so many senior citizens struggling to cope with the solitude of retirement, Sunetha provides inspiration.

This is what she's telling in her website

The net proceeds from my art work will be used to support charitable projects in my 'HeART : Art for Social Responsibility' program.  Currently, there are three projects in this program.

• Scholarships : This project provides scholarships to needy students.  Currently, four students from Moneragala and two from Colombo are scholarship recipients.  I plan to increase the number of scholarships offered and to increase the present scholarship stipend to keep pace with the rising cost of living.

• Home for Intellectually Challenged Adults : This project provides support to a group Home located in Kegalle, Sri Lanka.  I plan to provide additional safety facilities to this Home.
  
• Animal Welfare : This project provides support to The Animal Welfare & Protection Association (AWPA) rescue, sterilization and vaccination  programs and for the maintenance of the animal shelters.  I plan to help AWPA with urgently needed funds to support these programs. 

Sunetha inspired my wife, Muditha, who also had painting skills to GET BACK to the drawing board. I asked her " any advise when someone starting over something they were good at?".

" Just start sketching something, a tree, a bird, and let the sketch guide you " She said with a smile.

Sunetha with Muditha, at the exhibition

She said to me that she was waiting to meet someone from  Sarvodaya to complement her work. I did that by connecting her with Bianca, Director, Sarvodaya Suwasetha. And I am hopeful for a synergy.

Thanks Sunetha, for the lovely evening, through your paintings !

" Guzaarish " - A movie (mind) Review

A 'Guzaarish' wall paper courtesy guzaarishthefilm.com

Yesterday through some evening rain, I found shelter at Liberty Cinema, for the 7 PM screening of Sanjay Leela Bansali's new venture - " Guzaarish (a request)". I was consuming time, till my wife returns from her annual school staff trip. She phoned me, and it will be midnight when they return.2 things: First time in many years, I am watching a movie with out my wife, and I have to consume time. Both reasons were good enough to enjoy the movie. And it turns out 19th Novemeber (day beofore) world wide release was a perfect timing for my woes.

The film was good: yes, anticipated Devdas type choreography, nice camera work, soothing music (I loved the score by Sanjay Leela Bansali), the splendor of Goa, chemistry of Hrithik and Aishwarya. Yes, it was a good movie: about life, its' gift, and its' unpredictability. Life is short, have no regrets, love your loved ones, forgive and be free, those were the messages spelled out from the movie. I am not going to give you the plot. But if you so insist click here for wikipidea. And below is the trailer.



And further down the post you will find the trailer for "The Sea Inside", the spanish movie 'INSPIRED' Sanjay Leela Bansali, though he never mention that, neither in his website nor in interviews.



I have to admit, by the time the movie was over, a tinge of love crept in to my heart, and I was waiting for my wife to return.

3 Ways to Cultivate Your Proactive Brain

pic courtesy: bowdoindailysun.com

Lot of folks ask the question of how to calm the mind, because we are living in a crazy busy world. And that is true. Meditation is the only method I have come across that touches base with my mind, and it refreshes the whole outlook of things.
And then I come across this 'Management Tip of the Day' from Harvard Business Review.
Though the facts remain true, you have to be cautious to input only the information you really need. Remember the real effect of mind comes from spaciousness. So in work, if you feel overwhelmed, take a break. Go around, see some plants, wonder across the sky, and take a ball toss it to the wall. Then comeback and get-back to where you have left. For full article click here.

Studies have shown that a good memory helps you better navigate the future. And in business, anticipating and negotiating future demands is an asset. A proactive brain uses details from past experiences to make analogies with your current surroundings. It then helps you determine where you are and envision future possibilities. We are all born with proactive brains, but these three things can help improve brain performance:

1. Give it a lot to work with. Create a richer pool of information to draw from. Expose your brain to diverse experiences and situations.
2. Borrow from others. Find out as much as you can about others' experiences by talking, interacting with, and reading about other peoples' lives.
3. Let your mind wander. Undisturbed time gives your brain the space it needs to recall and recombine past experiences in ways that help you anticipate the future.

How I learnt English – Part 2.

Pic credit Daniel Grill from GettyImages

Since there is a considerable urge to learn English these days, here I put down part 2 of my experience. Read part 1 here.

My thirst for English language was 2 fold. I wanted to speak fluently, and I wanted to read many books. Around 1996, speaking in public was a nightmare for me. This was just after Ordinary Level exams. My parents had sent me to few teachers to build my foundation. I am indebted to my parents and teachers for that.

With a foundation in place, I searched for institutes and teachers to fine-tune. I talked to peers who also sought those avenues. I found many methods, but they could not satisfy my thirst. I saw a huge gap in them. There was no sustainability of learning. Those methods were inclined towards passing an exam or help fulfilling a short-term assignments.

I decided to start with my self. My vocabulary was a mess. So I focused on words. I started from dictionary. I wrote words extracted from the dictionary. Then I tried memorizing them. It did not click. Words were just words. I could not relate to the “meaning”, hence my vocabulary did not pick up. I was getting anxious and nothing seems to cater for my thirst. Suddenly something hit my mind. “ What if I tried words and grammar in parallel, rather than attacking words alone?” Then I made it interesting. The practice I mention below is very practical, worked for me and around dozen others who took my cue.

Ingredients:

1. A newspaper

2. A dictionary

3. A 40-page notebook

4. A pen

5. Your Patience (a lot of them)

DAY 1:

1 ) Take the newspaper and turn to your favourite section. For me it was sports.

2 ) Pick an article to read.

3 ) Read it aloud, for the first time.

4 ) Read it for the second time with pen in your hand. Underline all (I REPEAT - all) words that you don’t know or vaguely know.

5 ) Take the notebook and write all the words as a list one by one.

6 ) Refer the dictionary for all the words (I REPEAT - all) and write the definition in front of each word. Now you have all the words with their definition on a notebook, yet you are not familiar with them, still.

7 ) This is the most important step. The step that will find the “meaning” of what you did up to now. Read the article for the third time. Refer the notebook when you come across the underline words, if you still not sure about it. Repeat the reading until you are familiar with all unknown words.

8 ) Cut and paste the article on the notebook.

DAY 2:

9 ) Take the notebook and read the article. When you come across the underlined words, try to recall the meaning. If you’re still not sure, refer the notebook.

10 ) Take a fresh article of your choice, and repeat steps 1-8.

DAY 3:

11 ) Read the pasted articles. Then repeat steps 1-8

The beauty of this method is that you don’t memorise words or study grammar. You only read your favourite articles. Over time you see the application of difficult words. You become friendly with words and grammar.

Technically speaking, this method installs the words and grammar in your mind, NOT copy/paste words which is found in conventional methods.

Even now, from time to time, I practice this way, because learning is till you die, It never stops. Happy Learning!

Jealousy

It was the day (early 2000) our AL results were released. We all huddled to the school early in the morning. I will not expand in to the array of emotions that crippled and aroused me and my friends. This was the moment that would condense 13 years of our efforts. All eyes were on us, at-least I was made to think that way.

One of my best friends was called upon by the school office. He was one of the brightest and a very good human. After a while he came back with a big smile on his face. He was through with great results. I was happy too...(wait a minute ! something started building inside me, it was like a splinter). I started thinking- what about me?, does this mean that my friend was the only one got through?.

While congratulating him, my mind was busy with "my self". thirty minutes later I found out lot of my friends including  "my self" were through. Yet a feeling of guiltiness spread through me for not been able to be fully happy for my friend's success just a few minutes back.

That day I felt the dumbness of jealousy. It's an acute state of mind that shrinks our mind and heart. And most of the time, my experience with jealousy has nothing to do with what I want. It's quite humorous at times.

From 2000, for 10 years I kept on contemplating on this feeling, when ever I stumbled upon it. Worst thing that happens is that it hinders the ability to see the opportunities. Jealousy induces the dumbness. That's all, there it is.

Sometimes in the journey of life I find my self ahead and some other times lagging. It's nothing but relative thinking. A thought that captivates us and binds us to the wheel of desire.

End of the day it's a waste of thoughts and an opportunity cost. !

Value of Equanimity

The Buddha described a mind filled with equanimity as "abundant, exalted, immeasurable, without hostility and without ill-will."
Wikipedia

2 incidents happened in my life in June. Both were hostile, and took me to the edge of my patience. One at the office and the other at the home front. A review of the 2 incidents made me realize that my classification of home and office was a bad effort to justify the incidents. Looking back, to that specific moment, in each case, I was profoundly helped by a teaching I read sometime back.

" serenely stays with the good and the bad, understanding them both to be kamma – processes rather than personal belongings " Meditation: A Way of Awakening , Ajahn Sucitto

These 2 lines saved me on both days.
I will list down the sequence of events which is identical to both incidents.

1. There was a conversation.
2. The conversation had nothing to do with me, I was a listener. A passive element in the system.
3. Then the atmosphere changed suddenly, to a raging fire of accusations. The calm and sedate conversation was launching in to a boiling cauldron of emotions. Still I was a listener.
4. Then the climax. I became the point of accusation. Still I was a listener. But the situation demanded a response from me. The faces around me turned to me, waiting for my response.
5. Only I knew that I was blamed for something that was not my doing. Yet explaining that would have added more fuel to the fire.
6. My immediate inclination was to react. I almost blurted out something. But then I stepped back and thought. And I stayed still. For a moment I understood this was a process, and I should not take any part of it. 

It demanded a new skill to transcend. Equanimity is the skill that allows us to see things as they are. We usually attach our emotions and biases to situations. I took a deep breath and analyzed the situation.

At office, I needed a collective approach, and I made sure whole team gelled towards the organization's goals and mission. And I took the responsibility to improve the communication between individuals.
At home front, I remained silent until the emotions were over. I did not add any fire, rather I dragged my self away from it. It was very tense. I could almost feel an invisible nudge to put my defenses forward. Keeping silent I was able to generate alternatives to the issue raised. The patience paid off. The fire was over, and everybody felt the effect of it. Then few days later it was easier to communicate on the same thing and reach a mutually benefiting solution.

Looking at things as processes and not attaching any name tags to it, bring forward the real issue. That is clarity. Taking responsibility and may be sharing it, is the maturity.

Your own Mission Statement: Mission (im) possible?

Have you (the individual reading this blog) for a moment thought of what others might be thinking of you? Think about your parents, friends, spouse…and think about your colleagues at office. Can you know exactly what they are thinking of you? Chances are you won’t.

Luckily I was confronted to some bitter comments about my self, from my peers and my family. (Luck comes to me because I open up the discussion and say, “ I am ready to hear the truth”. Then I listen.

It is harsh and so irritating. Sometimes I become blank and keep silent. Ocassionally get agitated.

I thought, “How could they say that to me…after all I have done to them?”

Then the reality hit me …they did say that, and they meant it.

Ok…roll back to the moment just before I received the comments. I had very good feelings about them. But the moment I receive the comment, I became repulsive, protecting my self, defending, and saying things to win the accusation.

This is all true in every person’s life. Critique is the least expected thing in life, and they often come at times when we are in deep trouble.

Normally I take refuge in religion at those times. Yet the scar use to remain in the mind. Then I tried to ignore the comments. I thought it is the right thing to do.

Yet the comments kept on coming, with more venom.

So ignoring is not a sustainable solution.

My teacher gave me a copy of “First things First” in 2006. I read it like breeze. It was like it was written looking at my self.

It had many exercises to be done. I skipped most of them just for the sake of completing the book (the book was so irresistible).

After reading the book I felt I know the reasons for my problems.

3 months down the line, I confronted the same old pattern of problems. I knew..I knew exactly it was my time management – the culprit.

But hey… I thought I solved it 3 months back. I knew exactly what to do.

Reflecting back…I understood, though I have read, I did not apply. I did not do the time consuming exercises. I have taken a short cut.

Then I went back to the book. Carefully extracted the exercises and gave precious time off from the busy life. I remember how I closed the door and shut all distractions before all exercises were complete. It questioned my principles, values and wants. It drilled my mind to the deep end of the heart and mind, to capture the essence of my life – Why I exist in this world?

And at the end of it…I was holding my mission statement!

At first it was really embarrassing to read it. Because it sounded alien.

It was complete opposite of what-I-thought-I-was. But the book said “ it is normal, just believe in the statement you made”.

And my friends…I did.

And I am so happy that single statement guides me to do the best , the right thing, day after day. It enables me to take tough (but RIGHT) decisions all the time.

When I failed, I went back to the statement. Believe me “ it had all the answers”. That statement explained me, who I am, and whom I want to be.

It showed me- success is a small step towards my journey, don’t get excited, keep on doing the good things.

It showed me - failure is temporary, and I can bounce back, because my mission was establishing my character.

My advise: Borrow or buy this precious book. And do exactly as it says.