There is no cholesterol in vegetable oils

I happened to see the video of a class Dr. N Gopalakrishnan a scientist and Hon. Director of Indian Institute of Scientific Heritage, having M.Sc. (Pharm. Chem); M.Sc. (Appl. Chem); M.A. (Soc.); Ph.D (Bio); D.Lit
I thought it is very important for most of us to know this, so hear it is what he said : Remember there is no cholesterol in any vegetable oil. None of the vegetable products including palm oil does not have cholesterol. Cholesterol is there only in animal based products. It is there in butter, Ghee, egg, Meat, fish etc. Our body needs 950 mil cholesterol each day. Cholesterol is not a poisonous material. 950 mg cholesterol is required for our body, which our body produces. If one egg is consumed 60 mg of cholesterol is made in the body. Similarly, when chicken, mutton, beef, etc are consumed it increases with respect to it.
Specialty of cholesterol is that, our body knows how to make it but does not know how to decompose it. Remember, body know to produce cholesterol, body does not decompose cholesterol. Alternately it uses these cholesterol and convert it to lipo-protein to make skin and membrane, and that is the only thing body does.
In Denmark 1945-46, when heart of the war prisoners was opened the It was found that huge amount of cholesterol was there in the fat inside the heart. From that day, it made to think that that cholesterol is a reason for heart attack. Then there was so many changes later. You would have heard about HDL and LDL which is there inside this. I believe that you would have heard about it. Could be a misunderstanding, no worries.
Low density Lipo protein, LDL. 0.94 gram per cc. Very High density Lipo protein, VHDL 1.2 gram per cc. In between these you have High density Lipo protein HDL.
LDL is produced when cholesterol and fatty acids which has got 18 carbon join together and makes ester, this joins with protein and then goes through phosphate. Then LDL and HDL is produced.
In this if Saturated Fat is what has come, then density of lipo protein will be less. Melting point will be 40, 41, 42 degree for different fats.
What is the body temperature? 37.3 degree. So melting point of fat is 40-42 and body temperature is 37.3. What will be the state of the fat in the blood? Solid/ globule will be the state.
This will go somewhere and create a block. For this reason, gingili oil is the best oil for body. The whole of it is omega 3 poly unsaturated fatty acid and because it's melting point is less than 9 degree.
For that reason, 40 grams of fat with unsaturated fatty acid is required for our body each day.
We doctors frighten saying that you need to avoid fat, but yes should avoid chips sort of things. Reason being oil is heated up to 167 to 170 degree before frying. When this is mixed with water and salt, peroxides and hydro-peroxides. It is sure that this will make cancer. That is why, the thing which can have more probability of having peroxides and hydro-peroxides, have you heard of fried oil? What do you call the oil which is once used for frying? You use the same oil for frying for five days. Keep it for two days. Take two grams of it and feed a chicken. Within five minutes chicken will be dead. Reason peroxides. Peroxides and hydro-peroxides are what that would be there in this. So without knowing unsaturated and saturated fatty acid, we frighten patients many times.
Butter has got so much of cholesterol. Butter is not a vegetarian product. So do ghee has got so much of cholesterol. Because ghee is made out of butter.
The reason why I talk with this confidence is that my PhD is in lipid Chemistry. My doctorate is in Lipd Bio Chemistry. I worked inside and outside India in the same field.
I am telling you one more thing. 60% of the diseases can be cured only with hydro therapy. What is hydro therapy? Get up in the morning and drink 4 glass of water. That's it. Nothing more. The 6.25 liter of blood which is there inside our body is uncommonly polluted. Blood in the body is like stagnant water. Have you found any way to purify it? You could clean your outside body using different soaps. What to do inside? How will you clean inside? Drink enough water that is the solution.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

I came across Dr. Stephen R. Covey's business book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”. Please have a quick look on the 7 habits

 1.      Be Proactive: Take initiative, Manage change, Respond proactively, Keep commitments, Take responsibility and practice accountability, Create positive business results.

 2.      Begin With the End in Mind: Define vision and values, Create a mission statement, Set measurable team and personal goals, Start projects successfully, Align goals to priorities, Focus on desired outcomes.

 3.      Put First Things First: Execute strategy, Apply effective delegation skills, Focus on important activities, Apply effective planning and prioritization skills, Balance key priorities, Eliminate low priorities and time-wasters, Use planning tools effectively, Use effective time-management skills.
4.      Think Win-Win: Build high-trust relationships, Build effective teams, Apply successful negotiation skills, Use effective collaboration, Build productive business relationships.
5.      Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood: Apply effective interpersonal communication, Overcome communication pitfalls, Apply effective listening skills, Understand others, Reach mutual understanding, Communicate viewpoints effectively, Apply productive input and feedback, Apply effective persuasion techniques.
6.      Synergize: Leverage diversity, Apply effective problem solving, Apply collaborative decision making, Value differences, Build on divergent strengths, Leverage creative collaboration, Embrace and leverage innovation.
7.      Sharpen the Saw: Achieve life balance, Apply continuous improvement, seek continuous learning.

These habits will certainly help you in achieving each of your objectives. I would recommend each of you to understand each of these and practice at work.

Get ready for Christmas with a bottle of wine

This is been some years I have been making wine at home and share it with some of my friends. It is most of the years in month of Nov I start preparing so that I have it ready by Christmas. I thought it would be a nice idea to share the recipe in Mirage.
It is very simple only thing that you need to have is patience. You should be a little extra careful when you make wine, because wrong bacteria can make it vinegar. This has happened with me once. I had 25 litres of vine vinegar which I did not know what to do J
I will tell you how to make wine from one kilogram of grapes. You can make wine with any fruit, the process remain the same.
Ingredients.

1. Black grapes 1 Kg
2. Sugar 1 Kg
3. Wheat : 50 g
4. Yeast: 10 g
5. Water: 2.5 litre

Accessories:

1. A ceramic / plastic pot
2. Wooden long handle spoon
3. A filter

Boil 2.5 litres of water and keep it closed to cool
Clean the whole grain wheat and keep it to drip all water.
Clean grapes well and remove it from the stems. You can clean it three to four times to make sure that all the dirt is gone.
Boil some water for five minutes in a big vessel and drop all the grapes in to it and take it back immediately. This is to make sure that grapes is properly cleaned.
Take a pot which you wanted to make wine it. A ceramic pot is better. It is also fine if it is plastic. Metal pots are not advised.
Take the Yeast in a small vessel and pore some water in it. And keep it for some time.
Put all the grapes in to the pot and smash it with the wooden spoon. Need to just smash a little.
Pore the already cooled water, 2.5 litre in to the pot.
Pore the yeast water
Put half of the sugar 500 g
Put the wheat and stir it.
Close the pot and keep it in a cool dark place.

Next day same time open it and stir it with the wooden spoon. Make sure that you have cleaned the spoon well. Do not use detergents. Better sterilise it, by poring hot water on the spoon.
Keep it closed and keep it back in the same place.
Continue to do this process for the next 21 days.

On the 21^st day open it and pore the whole thing out in to a clean dry vessel.
Clean the Ceramic pot with hot water and let it cool.
Filter the juice and pore it to the ceramic pot again.
Make sure that you use a gloves if you use your hand. Any wrong bacteria can make it to 4 litres of vine vinegar. J
Put the balance sugar 500 g and stir it .

Tightly close the pot and keep it closed for another 25 days. 25 days is the minimum. The more it is kept the better the wine. Is.
Pore it out and keep it in a glass bottle and use it when you want. Hey make sure you send me a small bottle to taste once you make it

Why do we have girls in Dad’s office?

The influence of media on the society is incredible. When I reach home in the evening there is a Tamil serial which will be playing in the television "Thirumathi Selvam". The story is about a mechanic turned in to a rich car dealer. The hero of the story was good to his wife when he was a mechanic. As he turns to a rich man, he also gets involved in an affair with a lady in his office.

A few days before I was browsing through comments in Facebook pictures and my child, Claire was leaning on me watching me browsing. I saw some of the pictures of celebrations in office. I called my wife to show her some of the interesting recent pictures. Suddenly Claire turned to my wife and asked, "Ma, why do we have girls in dad's office?" She continued, "We should ask them to come to your office".

We did not take it seriously. After a while when we were seeing the pictures of her school, I said, "See you have boys in your class, will ask them to go to your younger brothers class". To which she suddenly stated, "They are all small boys, there isn't any problem."

Both I and my wife were shocked to hear this from her. Then my wife asked her "Claire, what is the problem if there are girls in dad's office?" She said, "It is not good, that's all".

Being a member of the Great Parents Club (GPC) in Logica, I feel that this is something which is to be thought with great seriousness from the subject I just realised. At home we need to realise that the next generation is much faster than what we are. In our childhood, we had to search for information. We had to listen to some one speak, read books, read newspaper etc. First, we had to search for the source of information. And most of the time if we get an information, it was true. It was only important to make sure that the parents and teachers teach them morality. As these two were the main sources of authentic information. Now it is all around them. Information is around them and they automatically gets influenced to the way it is projected to them. And media plays a major role.

A nice generation if we want to present to the society, it is important that we talk to our children on all the subjects and clarify them in a very early stages.

CGI Weds Logica

As the shareholders, management, and customers gear up for the all-cash acquisition of Logica by CGI, it's crucial for us employees to also prepare ourselves. There's an overwhelming sense of excitement within each one of us. Recently, while contemplating this situation, I drew a beautiful parallel between the process and arranged marriages in India.

Weddings, whether in India, America, England, or anywhere else, mark a significant milestone in a person's life—a transition from singlehood to sharing everything with a partner. However, the manner in which weddings are conducted varies across these different places. In India, specifically, it is a grand affair and holds immense significance for the bride. It goes beyond the union of the bride and groom; it signifies the coming together of two families.

In the context of arranged marriages in India, the bride and groom, who are initially strangers to each other, are proposed by their respective families. The families, despite their cultural differences, find common ground that facilitates the proposal. People who are familiar with both parties play a crucial role in these discussions. Elders from both families engage in conversations, seeking advice from advisors and friends to gather more information about each other. Horoscopes are matched, and ultimately, the best match is chosen. Once the match is finalized, an engagement ceremony takes place.

Following the wedding, the groom's relatives become the bride's relatives, and vice versa. The families begin to trust and establish good relationships with one another. This union brings together two families and even entire villages.

For the bride, there is much to prepare. She is entering an entirely new world, and her last name changes to that of her husband. From that moment on, she is identified as a member of the new family. Her interests align with those of her new family, and she enjoys the rights and privileges within it. She must understand and embrace the culture and traditions of her new family while also bringing her own positive values to enhance their collective experience. As a significant member of the family, she commands respect and reciprocates it.

Likewise, as Logica employees transitioning to CGI, we must prepare ourselves to become part of the new company. Tomorrow, CGI will be our company, surrounded by new faces, management, rules, culture, and more. We must carry forward the valuable qualities we have developed here to elevate our new company to greater heights. Like the relatives of the bride and groom, our clients will become acquainted with each other through our interactions. Let's ready ourselves and ensure that our "sasural" (the family we marry into) is filled with happiness, with our contributions driving the new company's success.

Similar to how the bride prepares herself to give her best in her new home, let us all prepare ourselves and take pride in being part of the new company. Let us strive to give our utmost and contribute to its remarkable success.

Kojomojo Kaakipil 2nd place in Master Chef

This post was published to M I R A G E,  Joe's Blog at 4:06:00 PM 7/24/2012

Kojomojo Kaakipil 2nd place in Master Chef

It was a fun full event cooking in Logica. Our team "Spicy Sauna" got second place. Thanks to Syntillations.
The team was Raju, Rajesh, Nagi, Sreenivasulu and Me. Though this was the team registered there were many others who helped us.
We got vessels from Tharangini, we got tissues from Sudheer Bhusani, and all our team mates were there encouraging us all the time.
One of the three dishes was a salad "Kojomojo-Kaakipil". We decorated and kept half of the prepared dish for the judges to judge and the other we kept it for people to taste. Many of our friends and colleagues tasted it and gave nice comment. Then I thought that I should publish the recipe. And there it is.
Recipe:
Sweet Potato - 50 gms
Apple - 1
Corn - 50 gms
Pineapple - 2 slice
Fresh cream - 100 ml
Mayonnaise- 100 gms
White pepper - one teaspoon
Lemon juice – 2 medium lemon
Salt
Preparation:
Peel Sweet potato and make it to round slices. Make small square pieces.
Peel pineapple and carve away the dry sports from the peeled pineapple. Slice it in round pieces and then make triangular pieces out of it.
Cut apple in to two half slice them to make rectangular pieces.
Pluck out corn seeds.
Squice lemon and keep the juice separately.
Cooking:
Take the sweet potato pieces in to a bowl add some water and salt. Microwave it for 4 minutes.
Pour off extra water and keep it in a separate bowl.
Take Apple, Pineapple and Corn in a Microwave safe Bowl, add some water and salt and microwave it for 3.5 minutes. Drain the water and shift it to a bowl
Add fresh cream add white pepper, salt, lemon juice and mayonnaise and mix it slowly without meshing the fruits.
And serve.
I will get the recipe of Raju's Chicken Signature and Rajesh's Bread Dessert which were the other two dishes which made the team to rank 2 in the competition and post it soon.

A great congratulations to all the people who participated.

Is it my mistake?

It was my boy Lohaan’s first birthday last 20th. I invited some of my friends and well-wishers from Logica with their family to celebrate my boys birthday on 21st to my home. And my wife who works in Wipro also invited some of her friends for the function. We had also arranged a magic show for the children who would be attending. I invited all of my friends saying that I would wanted to cut the birthday cake by 12 in the noon and will have magic show after that. And also will have lunch followed.


All the people from Wipro who my wife invited were there in at my house before 12. But to my surprise not even one person came from Logica. I was worried and wondered why. I started thinking if there is something wrong I did that people did not wanted to come and attend. I started calling each one of them and all of them said that they are on the way and will reach in 15 minutes. I waited for another 15 minutes and decided that I should start with the magic show now or the guest who is already there would feel bad. I thought that by the time we have the magic show running all of my gusts would reach. Yes some of them reached by 12:30 but there were others who did not come. And then the magic show got over. It was 1:00 and people were already hungry. Then we went ahead and did the honour of cutting the cake. While I was cutting the cake I was still looking at the gate, failing to see my invited guests are still not coming in. Once we have done with the cake cutting, and started with the lunch I still had my guests coming in.

I was happy that they all came and we had a nice time. After seeing off all of them, I was back in my house wondering why this did happen. It has got to do definitely with something about me. Then I went to my wife and started discussing about the same thing. To my surprise my wife invited people by 11:00 for the function which has got to start by 12. She said “You will never change, we have to understand and accept that we Indians will come a little late than the expected time”. She continued, “We got to call them keeping a buffer time. And since people know that there is a buffer time they would come by the time we wanted to start the function, how many times do I need to tell you this?” I did not want to this each time she said this to me. And I am sure that I will not do this also.

Freezing Finland and Warm Finnish

I had been to Finland to get KT on a new project. The trip was for three weeks. And today I return. This is the first time I came to a place where I could see snow all around. I was in Logica Lahti office which is further north to the main office in Helsinki. It was so freezing the time I got out of the flight that I really understood why Logica pay for winter clothing once in three years when someone has got to travel to a freezing place.

I got a message from Sari, an employee from the administration department of Logica Finland, mentioning that the stay is arranged in a semidetached house and the owner of the house will let me know the way there. I got his number also from her. She also mentioned that, there would be a cover in Helsinki Airport which will have a SIM card for me to use while I am in Finland for the official purpose.

It was very easy to find the SIM card and I walked out to find a bus which goes to Lahti. It is some 100 KM north. I reached Lahti at about 4:00 in the evening. I called Jussi, the house owner who told me that he is also in the town and will pick me up. When I got out of the bus a man called me my name and walked towards me. It was Jussi, for the obvious reason that I am the only one in the near 50 KM who looks different, he recognized me. Before taking me home, He took me around Lahti and showed me all the pride of Lahti, which includes the high skieig towers and the ice-hockey stadium.

He took me to his home and showed me the place given for me to stay. Oops it's a four bedroom house near the lake with a private souna in the basement. The water in the lake is just Ice. It was difficult for me to walk as I was wearing a leather shoe with no grip in the sole. It was a kind of circus for the next one day to walk on the ice in some portions. Next day morning Jussi dropped me in Logica office. I saw Ossi who helped me in and gave me a place to sit. While I was getting comfortable I found that the adapter of my laptop will not work in the socket there. Rikhard (Riku) got me an adaptor. A few minutes from then Marko, who is the key contact of me being there, found me and took me to a comfortable seat where I could sit for the next three weeks. There were only a few people in the office, and I started interacting all those who sit next to me. Veli-Pekka helped me in the first day in understanding the system and the initial work. Marko gave continues help thought my stay in there.

It was the lunch time and I started talking to more people. Marko Oja, Ari Rämö, Tiina Utriainen, Jaakko Reinman were some of them who I used to be with while going for lunch most of the days. Rikku took me to a shop where I bought a new pair of shoes which helped my survival in Finland. He also took me to the bus station where I bought 30 days valid bus coupon. Second day he took me to his home in the evening and gave me a muffler which I could wear to protect my neck from cold. You could just imagine my condition where there is a 10 minutes' walk through the side of the lake after getting down from the bus. This is where there is a good wind which could freeze your ears and you could also see tears flowing out of your eyes. Third day morning when I came to office I wore a pair of gloves that Rajesh Jampana gave me before I started from India. It was so freezing that I could not even know that whether there is a glove in my hand or not. While walking through the side of the lake I found that there is only one gloves in my hand. I went all the way back searching for it but most probably it would have been lost in the bus.

Third day I found a pair of gloves in the table with a note "Keep your hands warm" it was Riku who brought a pair of gloves from his home for me. This was a great feeling of friendship and care.

The third day, Prabhat joined me in Lahti. He stayed there for four days and we made nice food at home. We were invited for a evening to play billiards and to have some beer. There we played and I lost all the games I played against Marko and Ari. We enjoyed the day and it went very well. We talked for some time and then Marko Oja dropped me back at home. Most of the Finnish people are seen to be a little shy to start talking, but once you are comfortable with them they start getting so warm with you. This was happening with me while the day passed.

I got help from Ari, and Jaakko in the next task. Jaakko was there available most of the time when ever there was a need of help. Saturday I invited Rikku and family for having dinner at home and I made sure that there is not much of spice. I made Pepper Chicken and Egg Masala. It was not so tasty for me but Rikku said it was.

Ice hockey is one of the biggest sports people enjoy in Finland. It is like how cricket is considered in India. Jussy invited me for a match and we went together to the ice hockey stadium. It was a match between Pelicans, the local team of Lahti and Karapats one of the team from the northern Finland. My seat was just behind the Pelicans team box and there were Jussy, his wife and children and also his brother in law. It was a great successful match for the host team we enjoyed the game and Jussy got me some hamburger and other foods to enjoy the game. It was great and all the people were in great mood. We made it to the best as we could supporting the team shouting

Days passed and there came Brilliant Friday (The annual day in Finland) we had a nice time there. Talking to so many people, and the mood was great. We end up doing arm wrestling and got someone and someone got me. We all exhausted all our beer coupons and then came sponsored drinks. We were all so high and left the party after 11 in the night. Anncy told me that I am going to have a nice hangover next day and will wake up only in the afternoon. We made a bet, I said morning 6:30 I will send you a message saying "I am still alive" if I managed to send it, Anncy would get me a beer. If not then I will have to get him one.

After the party there was one more coupon which was given which enabled us to enter another pub. Some of us went there and did not like it as there were only young people in there. By this time it was only Marko and me. Marko helped me to get a taxi and I left home.

This is one great day ever for me outside India where I made many friends in a day. I am sure that I have made a place in each of their heart. Well forgot to mention Ari, got an award of being exceptionally innovative.

Saturday I invited Jussi , his wife Sanamaria , Marko and his family for a dinner at my place. This time I was more careful while preparing the dinner and made pepper chicken fry, Chicken masala, and Kerala style Egg curry. This time I made it good and I was proud of me myself. All the guest were on time but I was still cooking it took another 30 minutes for me to finish with cooking even though I started cooking in the morning. We had a nice time and they got some gift for me. Marko's child Veeve made my day. I felt so happy with her she was doing exactly the same things that my child Claire do at home. I and Marko went to sauna after the dinner and had some more beer. This was another day which I would like to remember for the rest of my life.

Sunday Jussy and Sanamariya invited me for skiing. We went skiing on the frozen lake and found a man fishing in the lake by making a hole in the lake.

Marko continued helping me in clarifying my doubts and Jaakko helped me in solving many difficulties. This week Marko Oja was assigned to help me understanding the third side of the system and he was so simple in making me understand things.

This was the last week for me in here. I am now considered as one of them. And it was a great feeling. Wednesday Marko invited me to his home for dinner. I was so excited to see Vive his 4 year old daughter. He has a very beautiful house near the boundary of the forest. It is an old Finnish model house. And the dinner was also so tasty. I spend time talking to him and playing with his children. I asked him if he could drop me in the nearest bus stop. He came to drop me to the bus stop and changed his mind and drove all the way to my home and dropped me at my home.

The next day I Marko Oja, Ari and Jaako we went to Herald, a Finnish restaurant and had our dinner there. We enjoyed our meal and kept on talking till it got late. Said bye to all and started to go back. I also met Marko Oja's girlfriend who offered me a drive home. I said would walk and started walking. But then I found that it all looks same. I had no clue where to go. I asked some of the people and they showed me the route. I was confused once again and asked one more person who passed by. I heard a sound, "Joe are you looking for the way home"? , It was Jusi. He dropped me home.

This is the last day, Moring Riku came with a gift for my child. Jaakko brought mämmi, a traditional Finnish food, It was nice. And later in the evening Marko dropped me at my home and we said good bye to each other.

I think I have made a good relationship with the very good people of Finland. It is so nice of each one of them. They take you as a good friend if you managed to keep the right relationship.

We say Athi Devo Bhava, but they do. I loved each day I stayed there. A give big salute to Finland which has birth to people I met.

Gone Green, long way to Yellow

From the last week while getting ready to come to office, one thing makes me very proud. Each day it is like a new achievement and recognition. Logica recognizes it's employees many ways. LORE awards , Diamond awards, Star awards, Project level awards etc. Each of it has got great value. But the latest recognition "Loyalty award" is carried around all the day around the neck. I felt it as if a star is getting added to the shoulder flap. It was a great way to recognize the people who have served the company for many years. It is not always money which could make someone happy but is the recognition that you receive in the society which makes you happy and proud.

I felt very proud when my Line manager Rajesh Roy and my staff Manager Asit Mishra gave me the personalized letter from Abhay in front of my wife and children. I am sure that my family would have felt proud about me. It was also a great moment for my wife to receive the silver coin. And when she was told that the company is proud of her as it is very important for the support of the family for a person to give a long run in a company, I could see that she felt so proud that she is also recognized for her efforts. It is true. Each of us needs the support of the family to excel in the official work. They might not be helping us in the office works but the support is very important.

If you get chance certainly do listen to your parents, spouse, children or your siblings talking about Logica to some third person. They would sound as if it is their own. I have seen the great feeling that they have about the company. It is not just about you and the company. When you are associated with a company for long it becomes part of your family's interest. I just got a green tag as I have done 6+ years. Look at those who have got blue, purple and yellow tags. I can imagine how proud they would be feeling wearing their tags around their neck every day morning. I am sure that each one who have got this tag when wear it every day morning their family would be very proud of them.

It’s great to be Santa

This year Great parents Club of Logica India  asked its members to help their children to write letter to Santa. There were many objectives behind it. Letter writing is a culture which is getting vanished from the society. With phone’s  to emails then to mobile phones. Now facebook. Communication is so fast that we have almost forgotten about the postal department. Address is Santa Claus, Great Parents Club, Logica.

To let our children know about post office, stamp, postbox and so on. This would give parents an opportunity to spend time with their children and to talk to them on many subjects like post office, Santa Claus, Christmas, and so on. Mukesh, me and Yash made the plan for the event and approached the Rajesh, vice president, Syntillations. He was happy and told us that the budget is only 6000 -8000 rupees. As the rest of the money is all planed for the family day. 

We agreed to find the best 10 letters and send them the gifts that they have asked for. We were amazed by seeing the letters that we have got from children. We called up the parents and also reached the children and wished them. Unfortunately we couldn’t reach some of the children. Children were so exited to talk to Santa. On the last working day before Christmas we gave gifts to those children who’s parents we could reach on that day. Now our budget was almost over. But there were so many nice letters we got from small children. Didn’t feel good to break their heart. Mukesh and me checked with Raj. He said that his budget is done for the year. We went to Prabodh Sirur and showed him all the letters, he was so exited in the concept and those innocent letters made him so happy. Then we told him that we have got some more letters but have no budget to give gifts to children.

He immediately called Chinnappa, who is helping Syntillation to handle it’s account, and got the budget sanctioned. We were so thankful to him while leaving his room. On family day Mukesh with the help of the Nandu  arranged the setup for Santa to meet children. Mukesh and Yash went and purchased all the gifts. I went to Anish Joseph and borrowed his Santa’s dress. We were all ready by four.

I was dressed as Santa. Sulfy clicked all the pictures of children, who came to Santa. All those who have send letters to Santa got their gifts on that day.  It was a great feeling when children approach you and take away their gifts. Thanks to all the people who made it happen.

Yarcha gumba, make 450’000 Rs in a week

We have six security guards in the layout. All of them are from Nepal. Yesterday two of them asked leave for two month. I was surprised as it would be very cold and snowing in their place now. While checking with them one of them told me that he is going to collect insects. I got curious. Gave a bit of talk and asked him about the insect.

He told me that there is an insect found in the grass in this season which they would go and collect. This is sold in the market for high price. One Kg of this insect is sold for 100'000 India rupees. He said that it is not allowed to bring in to India, as it has got high price in India. He continued saying that these insects are not killed if found alive. It head is broken and found between the grass.

He continued to say many stories about this insect which attracted my interest to know what it is. Asked a few people but, none of them had idea on any such insect. I thought that the guy might have been saying something. But why should he be saying something?? Let me google it. I searched with all the names which he told me, but did not find any thing. It is also that the accent in which they speak pronounce some other word for some other. I continued searching to find this interesting information about Yarcha. Caterpillar fungi are the result of a parasitic relationship between the fungus and the larva of the ghost moth genus Thitarodes, several species of which live on the Tibetan Plateau (Tibet, Qinghai, West-Sichuan, SW-Gansu & NW Yunnan, all in China, and the Himalayas India, Nepal, Bhutan). The fungus germinates in living organisms (in some cases the larvae), kills and mummifies the insect, and then the fungus grows from the body of the insect.

Ophiocordyceps sinensis is known in the West as a medicinal mushroom and its use has a long history in Traditional Chinese medicine as well as Traditional Tibetan medicine. The hand-collected fungus-caterpillar combination is valued by herbalists and as a status symbol;[3] it is used as an aphrodisiac and treatment for ailments such as fatigue and cancer, although such use is mainly based on traditional Chinese medicine, anecdote, and a limited amount of research. Clinical trials have not established its efficacy.

The fungus is a medicinal mushroom which is highly prized by practitioners of Tibetan medicine, Chinese medicine and traditional Folk medicines, in which it is used as an aphrodisiac and as a treatment for a variety of ailments from fatigue to cancer. It is regarded as having an excellent balance of yin and yang as it is apparently both animal and vegetable (though it is in actuality not vegetable, but fungi). Assays have found that Ophiocordyceps species produce many pharmacologically active substances. They are now cultivated on an industrial scale for their medicinal value. However, no one succeeded so far growing the larva cum mushroom artificially. All artificial products are derived from mycellium grown on grains or in liquids.

Read more about this in Ophiocordyceps sinensis in Wikipedia

A great evening in Logica

I depend on some one or the other to reach a bus stop in the evenings as there is no bus in this route after 5:30 in the evening. Sometimes I get lucky enough to be picked up by some of those people who stay near to my home. Yesterday it was the same. I got a call from Rajesh Jampana. Rajesh's house is near to my home. He works late in office most of the days. Whenever he leaves by six he checks with me if I wanted to join him. I reached him, near the gate where he was waiting for me. When I got into the vehicle, I got a call from Raghavaraju (Raju) one of my teammate. He said his tire got punctured in the parking and would need some help, if I am not in an urgent. I told Rajesh that I would take time and asked him to carry on by himself. I called Srinivas Shanmugam (Srini), our teammate, who normally drops me in a bus stop in his bike to wait for me. Srini was already in the parking with Raju.

I know how would Raju be feeling inside when he saw the tire of his car flattened when he wanted to go back home after a whole days work. It was the front tire which got flattened. We did not want to pull the car out because it might spoil the tube. There was only a small gap between the cars. We got the tools and were installing the Jacky. I was fixing the Jacky liver sitting in between the cars.

"Come on you can bring a little front and do it…". I heard a voice from my back. It was a very familiar voice. The voice sounded as if it came from a speaker. Or is it that I have heard this voice through a speaker many times which made me feel that it is from a speaker. My second conclusion was right. It is because I have heard this voice through speakers many times. I turned back to see Abhay Gupte, CEO of India standing with the HR Director Pramod Fernandes. "Nothing would happen if you bring it a few feets ahead", Abhay completed the sentence. Since I have already screwed Jacky I sat down to loosen it, so that Raju can take it a little forward. As there was not much space in between the cars, I was struggling to rotate the liver.

Abhay came and sat next to me on his legs and tried to show me how to do it easier. He took the liver from me and started rotating it. He then handed it over to me and I continued the work. To make all of us comfortable he then told us how he had to change the tire in the middle of a forest and that too in the night. I saw Pramod an old rallyiest watching us. I asked Pramod if he was going through his old memories of Rally days, Pramod said that he never in his life had to change a tire. Both of them stood there for some more time watching us. When they understood that we guys know what we are doing they left. Before leaving, Abhay came back to me and said, "Well the minimum time I have ever taken to change a tire is three minutes". This was a motivation factor for me to do it faster. We changed the tire. Srni and I said bye to Raju and left. Srini dropped me in a bus stop.

Abhay just changed the evening in to a so exciting one. It was so simple for him to change the mood of we people who were stressed. The greatness of a person is the simplicity he carries. I do not know, at least not heard of any CEO who has helped his employees changing a flat tire. His last minute comment of his record speed in changing the tire not just made me make the complete thing in a sporty way but also made me surprised to see a man who has checked the time even for changing the tire. When time becomes so important and when you start respecting the time, the rest of all the things follow. I remember that some were I have read that it is this which was also one of the reasons for Steve Jobs to become what he had become.

Great Parents Club Proved its Greatness

There is something great about the great parents club (GPC). This was clear when we all saw the crowd of one hundred plus people in the visitors dining room for the last GPC meet. The word great in the name of the club is added by Prabodh Sirur who said if you are aiming to make a great club the name itself should say that. This Logo is designed by Ravikant Rahul Pandey who made the objective of the club visible to the world by a simple and very meaningful logo. The most difficult part is administrating and continuously bringing the club to the next level to reach the expectations of the members. A great salute to Mukesh Rijhwani and Yash Save who took up the challenge to administrate the club. Mukesh was already doing similar things in the company. He is one of the few fathers in the company who have raised the concern of having the importance of paternity leave in the company.

Coming back to the event, Preetha Bhat made the event so exiting and made it so lively. I think each parent in the room would have agreed to what she had said or would also agree that she was doing all those talking for all the people in the room. The room was full of energy and parents were turning in to children. It was the feeling of owning a status of a proud father/mother which made all those people to actively participate in the meet. Everyone in the room had something or the other to say or to take away for their children. Inspired from the event I thought of adding one column in my blog "Model Child of the Week" where I would be publishing the pictures of children if some parent is interested in publishing. I would also add some of the comments of the GPC members who have send their comments. I would also thank Syntillations SIG to make such a wonderful event happen. People were so proud to be part of the event. And also so proud in wearing the t-shirt which had pictures of their child printed on it.

It was one of my objectives to when I became Special Interest Group Administrator of Syntillations in 2010 to make personalized clubs for people in Logica. This is when the importance of a parents club struck my mind and worked on making it. Talked to many people and nothing was actually happening. I would also thank Nandakumar Kirupanandam (Nandu), who gave me all support in making the clubs. This is when Prabodh Sirur came up with his initiative of making videos of children. The idea was that parents have got to spend time with children and prepare them to present about some subject. This made me talk to him and got some ideas from him. It is then he said the name needs to be great parents club and not just parents club. Even after that, the club was not getting formed in to a shape. This is when I remembered a person who went all the ways up to make Logica India understand about the importance of having Paternity leave option in India. This is none other than our favorite Mukesh Rijhwani. Once talking to him there was no stop. He was so exited in taking up this challenge. And the one great parent I know personally was Yash Save. Both of them made up a pack. When these two people took up the challenge of bringing up this club, there was no turning back. But there is nothing.

Any club becomes great by the people who manage the club and the way it is managed making it the way expected of much above expected by the members of the club. And of course the members of the club are the one who make it truly great. I wish the club a great success ahead.

Save, Yash	excellent
Pasupuleti, Dharmaveera	It is a good event, well organised.Wonderful Idea A big thanks to organisers and SYNTILLATIONS.
Gangadhikar, Arpitha	Thank you for organizing such an event. It was great to know about different things about kids and their upbringing.
Kottur, Satish Chandra	This is the first time I attended an event related to parents. It was a great experience. Administrators and hosts have done a great job. Looking forward attending more events from GPC which would help me in being a better parent. Thanks you very much.:)
Shukla, Reena	Its interesting :)
Bommineni, MohanKumar	It was so informative and helpful to brought up my child which don't know and not following some useful tips. Thank you very much for Preetha and Latha Srinivasan, especially for Mukesh and JO for organizing such an event. I hope this will be continuing like this in future also. Regards Mohan
Guruvareddy, Poongodi	It was a great event to be part of. It's very important in this mechanical world to have forum like this to discuss and share our feelings, suggestions about our children and see that we bring up them in the right manner. We don't live in big families to get to know lot about parenting in this Era. Only way is through such events.
Verma, Vivek	Well organised event and we should be doing it every month now onwards and should include the schools feedback and any good thing any parent has adopted for betterment of kid. Big tahnks to Mukesh, Yash Jo and Preetha.
Chebrolu, Taranath	Thank you all. it's a wonderful event. But I felt fewer topics. Preetha's presentation is very impressive. Gifts are good. Thank to everyone who has contributed in this event.
Nonis, Noreen	Excellent with lot of energy. Thanks for your effort.
Kannaiyan, Indumathi	Nice to see Logica parents at one place. Thanks to GPC administrators for organizing such a memorable event. Iam sure kids will be also happy to see the goodies and their pictures in T-Shirt. Overall very good initiative.
Ramakrishna, Deepa	I just joined yesterday and some of points for the parents are new learning experience for me. I really look forward to future events to more about parents and parenting. Thanks for everything
Ghosh Dastidar, Tania (GO IN Application Management)	It was wonderful  Thanks
Noordeen, Faisal	This was the first time I am partcipating this function. It was nice  experience for me. I wanted to join all the meetings in the future if convenient. Whishing you all success and be proud to be a great parent of my child
Balan, Sheeba	I loved the way this event turned out ... Good start, wish that we have more of these sessions. Kudos to Mukhesh and the team for organizing this event. Your efforts are highly appreciated !!!
Seetharama, Rakesh	Firstly, a very big thank you for all those you were involved in organising this infomative & fun event.
Dasari, Madhu	Really a very decent and fantastic show by the GPC and we all have a good bonding now together as parents and starting to build ourselves as GREAT parents in near future. Congrats to JO and Mukesh and Yash as well for making their imagination, thoughts, time and more important patience which makes great parents in making. Wishing them Great days ahead with more activities to come. Have a wonderful days. Madhu Dasari
A-KMI-PulipatiR	Very nice to see so many parents gather to know about the group, sure people are interested to know, learn and share experience. THANK YOU
Govindan, Venkatesan	Fantastic
Pallapothu, Bala	The event was nice and the first one for the new joiners. I expect to learn lot more things on parenting being a member of this. and Thank you All.
Dabadi, Shankar	I was able to attend only part of this presentation. I was really nice to have this type of programms where we come out of work and share information and enjoy.
Annamalai, Srinivasan	Very nice event.
Mathivanan, Karthik	One of the most active and the best community this year.. Keep it rocking
Kasireddy, Vinatha	It was great and happy to be part of it as a great parent
Salim, Sulfy	A nice program and informative too. Please share the videos, ppts if the copies are available. A big thanks to the Coordinators :)
Janardhanam, Bhuvaneswari	Wonderful Idea and thanks to GPC Team.
Meyyappan, Ramanathan	It was awonderful event. I enjoyed it. It was useful
Govindan, Venkatesan	Thanks lot  to you and SYNTILLATIONS for such events
Parambil, Prakash	Jomon, Thanks for the T-shirt, certificate and the chocolates which I collected from you.
Sirur, Prabodh	Great show; Hope more and more members start networking/ contributing.
Nair, Suraj	Congrats Mukesh, came to know that the event was a grand success.
Seshagiri, Balaji	Thanks a lot for organizing these events ….
Bhuyan, Subrat	I am not in Bangalore now..But I can feel the success of GPC.
Verma, Vivek	A big thanks to you and SYNTILLATIONS for organising such events.