Fight or Flight

The speech was made to the Indian Constituent Assembly, on the eve of India's independence, towards midnight on August 14, 1947. It focuses on the aspects that transcend India's history. It is considered in modern India to be a landmark oration that captures the essence of the triumphant culmination of the hundred-year Indian freedom struggle against the British Empire in India. Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. It is fitting that at this solemn moment we take the pledge of dedication to the service of India and her people and to the still larger cause of humanity. At the dawn of history In

Childhood Days I made a big decision a little while ago. I don't remember what it was, which prob'ly goes to show That many times a simple choice can prove to be essential Even though it often might appear inconsequential. I must have been distracted when I left my home because Left or right I'm sure I went. (I wonder which it was!) Anyway, I never veered: I walked in that direction Utterly absorbed, it seems, in quiet introspection. For no reason I can think of, I've wandered far astray. And that is how I got to where I find myself today. Explorers are we, intrepid and bold, Out in the wild, amongst wonders untold. Equipped with our wits, a map, and a snack, We're searching for fun and we're on the right track! My mother has eyes on the back of her head! I don't quite believe it, but that's what she said. She explained that she'd been so uniquely endowed To catch me when I did Things Not Allowed. I think she must also have eyes on her rear. I've

A Quick Lesson in Economics ........ An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student, but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked; that no one would be poor, and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged, and everyone would receive the same grade; so no one would fail, and no one would receive an A. After the first test, the grades were averaged, and everyone got a B.. The students who studied hard were upset, and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less, and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too, so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, b

Hindutva is embarrassed by Hinduness. A new generation of confident Indians has started to move beyond its logic of fear and hate. Will the BJP be able to seize this moment for creative reinvention? ASHIS NANDY with SHOMA CHAUDHURY The cascading crisis within the BJP since May 16 and their confused debate on the role Hindutva has played in their electoral defeat tells a fascinating story. It would be premature to read any of this as a signal of either the disintegration of the party or Hindutva, but one could safely say the idea of Hindutva has been defeated by Hindustan for the moment – it has been put on a backburner and challenged to reinvent itself. The BJP’s dependence on Hindutva as its defining characteristic was bound to turn problematic. Data suggest that at most about 10 percent of BJP supporters vote for the BJP on ideological grounds. The Hindutva project was constructed by tapping into and fostering fear and a psychology of siege among the Hindus—a sense of being a minorit

Oh, it's a mystery to me We have a greed with which we have agreed And you think you have to want more than you need Until you have it all you won't be free Society, you're a crazy breed Hope you're not lonely without me... When you want more than you have You think you need... And when you think more than you want Your thoughts begin to bleed I think I need to find a bigger place Because when you have more than you think You need more space Society, you're a crazy breed Hope you're not lonely without me... Society, crazy indeed Hope you're not lonely without me... There's those thinking, more-or-less, less is more But if less is more, how you keeping score? Means for every point you make, your level drops Kinda like you're starting from the top You can't do that... Society, you're a crazy breed Hope you're not lonely without me... Society, crazy indeed Hope you're not lonely without me... Society, have mercy on me Hope you're not

Chris Wilkinson, CEO of HabiTECH interviews Angel Pui, CEO of My Wedding Notes Why did you become an entrepreneur? Entrepreneurs never plan to become one. We are simply not satisfied with the status quo in our everyday lives and we are arrogant enough to want to scratch the itch ourselves while thinking we are the best person to do it. What did you want to become as a child? I wanted to be an architect, to build small-scale models all day. I also wanted to be a race-car driver, a pilot, an olympics athlete, a video games or toy maker, and a fashion designer. What's your favorite part of a typical day? End of the day, because I know I've done a little more than yesterday, and just a bit closer to tomorrow. What skill would you most like to improve? Concentration. I might have ADHD. I can only spend 10 minutes on one task at a time. So I have a comprehensive system doing task 1, task, 2, task 3, then back to task 1 and task 2. 60% of the time, it works every time. (chuckle) What