Entries from December 2006 ↓

I have been quiet for the last few days because of my incapacity to approach my desktop, for fear of putting masala on the keyboard and spoiling my valuable equipment! Even today, I had Marie Anne type out what I have to write.
This morning, while I was sitting on a stool waiting for the paste over my body to dry, my wife Marie Anne came back from her royal rejuvenation treatment. Why royal? It’s because the treatment consisted of whole body massage, followed by a bathtub dip of 15 mins in hot water where herbal decoctions , ground sandal wood and rose petals had been added. When she breezed in, the perfume she exuded filled the air, whilst I was like a garlic/mustard seed/turmeric smelling monster cowering in the bathroom! Fortunately, I’m on my last day of this particular treatment, for the moment. After a week’s of normal massage with special oils brought in from Onkola, I’ll be having a second body paste regimen. The beauty is being rejuvenated whilst the beast is having the pungent smell and starving stance. This is my story of the Beauty and the Beast. To obtain a little bit of mobility in my condition, what will I not do and suffer? I really feel jealous of Marie Anne who is having an exhilarating stay here. If my jealousy would add to my cure, so much the better!

Indeed, at Ivac,we meet people of different walks of life. 2 days ago Christian Olsson, who has sojourned in IVAC for the last 10 days, left. He is German and owns a Graphic design company. He needed some rejuvenation and had a break from work. When Christian left, he told me that his time at the Ayurveda Centre not only cleansed his body, he also had time to work on his mental stresses. He is now all ready to face the challenges of his world.Christian allowed me to discover his conception of Graphic Design and we had a lot of exchanges & sharings in Marketing products as he works for Siemens, Liebherr and many other German firms. Marketing Strategy, positioning of the products to achieve better results were the themes we talked about. I was enthused!In the nutshell, what I learnt from the exchange: a top class designer’s only mission is to design for the message desired by his customer irrespective of what he himself like or dislike on the material produced. The designers’ job is to arouse the proper emotions of the targeted audience to receive the message wanted by the clients.
May I wish Christian a continued succesful carreer. I am so grateful to the Lord to have placed him on my path.

On the advice of Dr. Khrisha U.K., the resident director of ayurvedic care, Dr. Murlidhar, prescribed a new treatment for my condition. He has ordered from Onkola, 200 kms from Mysore, special herbs and spices which have to be collected at specific time of the day. These ingredients have now arrived and since yesterday, at the most auspicious hour, which was noon, according to the panchan, they started my treatment. The ingredients were ground on stone similar to those we use to grind masala in Mauritius. The paste obtained was then applied all over my body and I had to stay in a standing position until the paste dried. From the smell of it, I could make out that there were mustard seeds, garlic, turmeric, and cloves. The other components consistered of herbs which Dr. Murlindhar said he will give me the recipe in due course. On application of the paste, I could feel a hot and cold sensation all over my body. I was told that the active elements of the spices and herbs would permeate my skin to stimulate the non responsive nerves. Hopefully, this procedure, which I shall have to undergo for 7 days in all, will bear some fruit. Though uncomfortable, it is bearable. From the turmeric I look like a jaundiced Chinese!!

The last 2 days, the temperature in Mysore dropped slightly, so they have brought in a heater in my room to enhance my comfort.

Last night we had a very emotional slide show after dinner given by a voluntary worker of the ADRA organisation. Helga an austrian,physically big framed, 66 years old determined lady touched the small group present after dinner by the works she has undertaken for the last 3 years.The pictures shown describe the story of the community of African origin who were brought to India a century or so and who have survived in the jungle of Karnataka and Kerala.

The poorest of the poorest is how she called them. These African slaves live today in the fringes of the jungle and are outcast of the Indian community. They almost live like wild animals. To be looked down by others would be a compliment for these African origin people as in that case,at least somebody is looking at you. They are just ignored and very often molested as devils from the Jungle.

We were shown the pictures of their habitat. It is unbelievable that these conditions still exist for humans today. They have no access to water. Helga with the help of donors of ADRA India has started a project to dig bore holes to provide water supply to them during the dry season. A small team made up of a german nurse and some paid local indians are attempting to teach them some simple hygiene concepts to save them from diseases that most of them suffer from. Another battle that Helga has to wage is the acceptance of the existance of this community so that they may have access to social benefits & care given to any citizen.
You might have seen how the untouchables are still being treated today in rural India. To be told first hand, and shown pictures proving that there is a lower class of people below them can only move me.We all left with a great feeling of sorrow and incapacity to act.And yet to listen to Helga,I am was thankful to the Lord to place a person like her to change the world.

One of the most important task of any entrepreneur in this stern age is Team Building. The complexitity of any venture today demands so many special skills and competences that you have to be supported by a team which you have to nurture and motivate constantly.
In a recent article written by Peter Grazier, I retained the essentials of Team building. The bonding of individuals in a team are achieved through 6 elements:Common purpose, shared challenge,great camaraderie,collective responsability,desire for growth of the team and a motivating leadership.

I quote After having spent years in the construction industry as a civil engineer, Peter Grazier began using employee involvement concepts in 1981 to improve productivity on construction work sites. Having been significantly affected by the results of involving employees directly in work improvement, he formed Teambuilding, Inc. in 1985. Since that time, he has worked with over one hundred organizations in all industries throughout the United States and Canada, and his work had been noted in more than seventy-five publications including The Wall Street Journal.

He is the author and publisher of two books on employee involvement and teamwork and formerly a 12-year-old newsletter on employee involvement. Mr. Grazier was honored with the prestigious President’s Award from the Association for Quality and Participation for his contributions to the field.

He wrote

A team whose members are aligned with its purpose, feel a challenge in their task, have a strong sense of camaraderie, feel responsibility for the outcome, and experience growth as a team and in their personal lives, will tend to sustain motivation over the long haul.

This is not to say that they will not have difficulties at times, or that members’ wants and needs won’t change over time. In these cases, sometimes changes will have to be made. A member who no longer feels the team is meeting his or her needs may have to leave the team to continue on their own path.

But, in as much as it is possible to sustain motivation indefinitely, the factors above will tend to create the best possible environment for it.

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