Say go to ego and let the creativity breath

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

REASON WE HAVE EGO IS BECAUSE IT'S NECESSARY FOR OUR GROWTH. EGO SHOULD BE THERE WHEN THERE IS CHALLENGE

Ego is simply being unnatural, pretension, showing something that you are not.

It always needs someone else to appreciate and recognise you. Ego is something like: “I am intelligent, I like this, I don't like that, I am ugly, I am beautiful etc.“

The reason we have ego is because it is necessary for our growth in life. Ego should be there when there is challenge and creativity. In success, drop your ego but in failure, hold on to it. When you think you are failing, the ego says, come on what is this, nothing can touch me.


The “I“ or ego is a tiny atom. It causes heaviness and discomfort. When this atom, the ego, identifies with the body, it becomes miserable. But when it is associated with the spirit, the Self, it becomes Divine. It becomes shakti (energy).


In a huge atomic reactor, it is just one atom that has exploded. In the same way, in our whole body, there is just one atom of “I.“ And when this “I“ explodes, it becomes the light of the Self. In `Giridhari' (Krishna's name), Giri means mountain, which is ego. Ego is like a stone. It is not hollow and empty; it is solid.


And Giridhari lifted the whole mountain with his little finger. This means that even though the ego is like a mountain but with a little bit of love, you can lift it.

Everyone is made up of love.

Knowledge is an aid to develop this innermost state in you. A seed has a shell over it and when you soak it in water, it sprouts and the covering drops. In a similar manner, ego is a necessary unnaturalness that develops in you.


Knowledge uncovers the shell over you and makes you like a child again --natural, simple and innocent. If you find you have a big ego, don't try to destroy it because that effort will only increase it.

The antidote for ego is just being natural like a child. So, be in unconditional love and then ego automatically disappears.


Courtesy: Inner Voice / HT

The Life Within

Mukul Sharma

A lot of us react with wideeyed wonder at those rare and apparently other-worldly phenomenon like out-of-body and near-death-experiences that some people have when they’re very ill, seriously injured or close to dying. We then talk in awed tones about the possibility of our cosmic origins and endings. 

However, in doing so, we tend to overlook two equally uncommon and mysterious — though vastly underrated — phenomena: in-the-body and full-life-experiences. Psychologist Abraham Maslow called such sudden transient states of intense existence “peak experiences” — high points when the individual is in harmony with himself and his surroundings. 

Significantly, while studying such states, Maslow concentrated only on people who were supremely healthy in mind, something that others hadn’t till then. In people with no serious psychological issues, an inthe-body or full-life-experience can be triggered by something as simple as a sunset or complicated as a quadratic solution. They are profound moments of understanding, happiness or rapture, during which a person feels more whole, alive, self-sufficient and yet a part of the world and aware of truth, justice and goodness. 

The point is, what’s more important — waiting for some possible liberation event to happen after dying or living an illuminated life now? Going by historical precedent, it seems that none of humanity’s wisest men and women ever waited for death to see the light. When they did get enlightened it was while they were living.

Courtesy: Cosmic Uplink / ET

Anger Management Tips

• Find a safe spot. Yelling at friends or family members, slamming doors, and breaking crockery doesn’t solve any problem and frequently escalates angry situations between people. Yet, sometimes you just need to vent. Finding a safe spot to act our your anger can relieve the majority of your stress, calming you enough to solve the real problem at hand. Go to a basement room and scream your head off! Take an empty jar to your basement and break it, (remember to sweep up when you’re done). Stomp on a few aluminum cans. Throw a tennis ball at the garage wall. Buy a punching bag.

• Breath Deep. Anger often begins when we feel weaker than we really are. Molehills loom like mountains. Taking a few deep breaths calms you, makes you feel stronger both mentally and physically, and can cut those mountains down to size!

• Count to ten. Sounds simple, but counting to ten is an anger management tip that has worked for centuries! The Roman poet Horace (65 – 8 BCE) said, “When angry, count ten before you speak; if very angry, one hundred.” Counting to ten (or one hundred) helps you to step back from the situation, buys time for you to examine the problem and decide on an effective, rational way to express your anger.

• Give yourself a break. It’s easier to think when you’re calm than when you’re agitated. Leave the room, take a walk, ‘whistle a happy tune’. Then come back to the problem, examine it, and solve it.

• Look for the sweet spot. Learn to act and not react. Although every cloud doesn’t have a silver lining, when life hands you a lemon, you can make lemonade and when you get angry, you can find a positive way to express it!

-Jai Prakash Pandey

Citizen SBI: Intervention III

Market Engagement

It takes place when we act in a spirit of enlightened self-interest - a win win for all stake holders in our dealing with the market. We reach out to the community by coming out of our branches.

The emphasis is not on product selling but market engagement. To bring this about we need to know the economic environment in which we function and what are our various sub parameters that make up this eco system.

There is then a need to zero in on the eco-system we need to engage with. Having identified the eco-system, we next need to evaluate where we stand and where we need to go. Our intervention is to be based on the pragmatic assessment of our abilities, and the likely results post our intervention.

The intervention has to be collaborative. A bringing together of direct and indirect stake holders for a solution which may be transcendental. We work towards making a selective contribution that results in

• Fulfilment for self
• Business and trust building for SBI
• Definable improvement in society/community
• Leading to sustainable long term relationship with market players and customer

(CitizenSBI Blog thanks Mr Shuvinder Hemraj, Facilitator, Citizen SBI Intervention-III, Bhopal Circle for providing us these inputs. We invite contributions from facilitators in various Circles regarding the intervention.)

Mission Accomplished

By Abhijit Lele


Despite his run-ins with RBI, the State Bank of India chairman has managed to keep the public sector behemoth ahead of peers

'WHAT POWER DOES AN SBI CHAIRMAN ENJOY? IN ANY CASE, I AM A SIMPLE GADHWALI. NO ONE KNEW ME AND I DIDN'T HAVE ANY POLITICAL PATRONAGE, EITHER. SO, I COULD EASILY BE REMOVED IF I HAD DONE ANYTHING WRONG'

OM PRAKASH BHATT

Chairman, State Bank of India (At the World Economic Forum in Davos recently)

Despite his run-ins with RBI, the State Bank of India chairman has managed to keep the public sector behemoth ahead of peers.

The chairman’s angst sums up the public display of the uneasy relationship between the country’s largest bank — State Bank of India — and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in the last couple of years over several issues, including the so-called teaser home loan rates (Bhatt, of course, has serious reservations over the term. He says he is not teasing anybody), higher provisioning coverage, guarantee to bonds issued by Tata Motors, etc. But more of that, later.

Even his worst detractors can’t deny that Bhatt, who is due to retire in March after a five-year term, has been able to turn SBI from a lethargic elephant to one that can dance.

When he took over the reins in June 2006, the usual lament about SBI was: “It is too slow and past its prime. Soon, the nimble-footed private banks will go ahead.”

The numbers supported this argument. ICICI Bank was a serious threat.

In June 2006, SBI’s total business stood at Rs 639,817 crore. ICICI, though behind, was closing in with a much faster growth rate. Its total business stood at Rs 330,490 crore. Analysts assumed it was only a matter of time – may be, another five years – before the private sector bank became the number-one bank in the country.

Bhatt’s appointment wasn’t a smooth affair, either. Yogesh Agarwal, then managing director of State Bank of Patialia, was considered a strong contender for the top position. But Bhatt pipped him to the post. Though Agarwal became the managing director of SBI in October, he moved to head IDBI Bank in July 2007.

Internally, the bank was grappling with many issues. For one, it had serious software problems that were not allowing it to roll out core banking solutions. This had to be addressed on a war footing, since core banking solutions were the backbone required for any scaling up and offering value-added services to corporate clients. Bhatt evaluated the situation for the first three months. Then, he asked the software vendor, Tata Consultancy Services, to rectify the glitches.

Then, the business process re-engineering process plan was started at branches. This involved training every staff and redesigning the layout of branches to make work a little better, faster and cheaper.

He put in place capital-raising plans to support growth for the next four-five years. SBI raised Rs 16,000 crore in March 2008 through rights issue. At present, the bank has been working on another rights issue to raise about Rs 20,000 crore by March. Banking analysts say this capital should support its growth plans for another five years. “SBI has recorded a consistent growth in business in the last four years. The credit to deposit ratio of 77 per cent indicates efficient deployment of resources,” said D R Dogra, managing director of ratings agency CARE.

Other important measures include an aggressive focus on the retail customer (the introduction of teaser loans being one such example); Parivartan I and II — programmes for employee motivation and skill set improvement; Udan — preparing a pipeline of future leaders at both senior and middle levels. These have improved the perception of SBI among both peers and analysts.

He resumed clerical recruitment, which had been frozen for over a decade, in view of growing business. Importantly, the process of consolidation within the SBI associates was started. He merged State Bank of Saurashtra and State Bank of Indore with SBI. “This will improve the bank’s operating efficiencies,” added CARE’s Dogra.

Many, however, say the SBI chairman could have handled his relationship with the regulator with a little more finesse. “He could have easily avoided the in-your-face and aggressive approach with the regulator. That had to deal with the banking industry as a whole,” said an observer.

But Bhatt remains adamant and says he has done nothing wrong. “Many Indians own homes because of SBI. I am not fighting with RBI, but only clarifying... we only gave discount on the rate for the first two-three years and at higher than the cost of my funds. So what is wrong in what SBI does?” Bhatt said, while admitting that there were quite a few other issues on which he “differed” with the regulator.

Besides the teaser loan, the bank faced regulatory ire for guaranteeing Tata Motors’ debenture issue of Rs 10,000 crore and overall provisioning of 70 per cent for bad loan portfolio.

The empire struck back. RBI was highly critical of the bank’s performance, including its financial health. Consequently, it downgraded the bank’s CAMEL (capital, asset quality, management, earnings, liquidity and systems and control) ratings from B to B- in an internal report for the year ended March 2009.

There were internal rumblings too. When Bhatt restructured operations at state-level units, popularly known as circles, by dismantling a decision-making layer (zone) headed by deputy general managers, there was again a lot of criticism. While work would be sped up by cutting on red tape, it put immense pressure on general managers. The jury is out on whether or not this has made the bank more efficient.

A top official of the bank, under condition of anonymity, says: “Bhatt has improved the bank’s image and introduced aggressiveness. The performance, in terms of market share, speaks for itself.”

In the same breath, however, the official admits that the down side of his leadership style has, perhaps, weakened the collective decision-making culture at SBI.

The good news: SBI continues to be at the top of the table. In December 2010, SBI’s total business stood at Rs16,19,950 crore, compared to ICICI Bank’s Rs 424, 439 crore. Of course, ICICI Bank took a conscious decision to shrink its balance sheet size to manage the adverse effects of exponential growth and global financial crisis.

Jamal Mecklai, chief executive of Mecklai Financials, says: “During Bhatt’s regime, SBI has become more competitive in a market (like money and foreign exchange markets, and advisory services) where foreign banks and Indian private banks were very active. This helps expand the revenue base.”

The fear: His aggressive style may have compromised the bank’s standing with RBI. In addition, some of the asset quality, especially the restructured portfolio (part non-performing assets and part standard assets) may be concerns in the future and hurt profitability – a big challenge for the next chairman.

But on March 31, when Bhatt retires as chairman, he will have one satisfaction – no one calls SBI laid back anymore.

Courtesy: Business Standard

THE MAGIC OF SOLITUDE

The greatest men and women of all ages have practiced solitude regularly. They learned how to use silence to still their minds and tap into their super-conscious powers for answers to their questions. In this newsletter, you learn how you can apply this wonderful technique immediately to improve the quality of your inner and outer life.

The Magic of Solitude

Your feelings, your emotions, are the access point to your inner powers of mind. The most important part in the process of getting in touch with your feelings is to begin to practice solitude on a regular basis. Solitude is the most powerful activity in which you can engage. Men and women who practice it correctly and on a regular basis never fail to be amazed at the difference it makes in their lives.

Most people have never practiced solitude. Most people have never sat down quietly by themselves for any period of time in their entire lives. Most people are so busy being busy, doing something-even watching television-that it's highly unusual for them to simply sit, deliberately, and do nothing. But as Catherine Ponder points out, "Men and women begin to become great when they begin to take time quietly by themselves, when they begin to practice solitude." And here's the method you can use.

To get the full benefit of your periods of solitude, you must sit quietly for at least 30 to 60 minutes at a time. If you haven't done it before, it will take the first 25 minutes or so for you to stop fidgeting and moving around. You'll almost have to hold yourself physically in your seat. You'll have an almost irresistible desire to get up and do something. But you must persist.

Solitude requires that you sit quietly, perfectly still, back and head erect, eyes open, without cigarettes, candy, writing materials, music or any interruptions whatsoever for at least 30 minutes. An hour is better.

Become completely relaxed, and breathe deeply. Just let your mind flow. Don't deliberately try to think about anything. The harder you "don't try," the more powerfully it works. After 20 or 25 minutes, you'll begin to feel deeply relaxed. You'll begin to experience a flow of energy coming into your mind and body.

You'll have a tremendous sense of well-being. At this point, you'll be ready to get the full benefit of these moments of contemplation.

The River of Ideas

The incredible thing about solitude is that if it is done correctly, it works just about 100 percent of the time. While you're sitting there, a stream, a river, of ideas will flow through your mind. You'll think about countless subjects in an uncontrolled stream of consciousness. Your job is just to relax and listen to your inner voice.

At a certain stage during your period of solitude, the answers to the most pressing difficulties facing you will emerge quietly and clearly, like a boat putting gently to the side of a lake. The answer that you seek will come to you so clearly and it will feel so perfect that you'll experience a deep sense of gratitude and contentment.

Trusting Yourself

When you emerge from this period of quiet, you must do exactly what has come to you. It may involve dealing with a human situation. It may involve starting something or quitting something. Whatever it is, when you follow the guidance that you received in solitude, it will turn out to be exactly the right thing to do. Everything will be OK. And it will usually work out far better than you could have imagined. Just try it and see.

You must learn to trust yourself. You must develop the habit of listening to yourself and then acting on the guidance you receive.

Action Exercises

Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, select a specific time and place to sit quietly and practice one full hour of solitude. Don't put it off.

Second, take small periods of silence and solitude during the day, especially when you feel overwhelmed with problems or responsibilities.

Third, take action immediately on the ideas and insights you receive while in solitude. One good idea can save you months and years of hard work. The key is trust.

Brian Tracy

(Courtesy Anup Sen's mail)

Journey Of Self-discovery

Even as children, we dream. We try to realise our dreams all throughout our lives. However, when our dreams remain unfulfilled, we tend to sink into dejection and get disillusioned.
Of the several attributes that define humankind, there is, i dare say, just one which meets with more general approbation. That is, we’re born with an innate feeling which tells us that we are a shade better than that intolerant neighbour and that incompetent colleague. This uncanny awareness constitutes one of the first characteristics of our being. Indeed, the most ordinary thing about each individual is the fact that he thinks himself a little bit out of the ordinary. In thinking so, we acknowledge only a portion of the truth, the other half of which we unwittingly choose to dismiss – the fact that every individual, without exception, is born different and is, therefore, unique.
It is true that the first step in the direction of unravelling our potential is to understand, in view of our circumstances, the role that we can best play. Discovering our uniqueness must be the starting point. Explaining the situation of one who is bereft of this knowledge, Prophet Muhammad said: “The condition of an unwise man is that of an animal who is not aware of why his master has tied it or untied it.”
To me, the urgent, unaddressed question is: Why do most people, if they are born unique and consequently talented in some sense of the word, not achieve the success to which they are entitled?
The answer to the question as to why many fail to actualise God-given gifts might, if looked at from different perspectives, have varying answers. To me, it is simply this: We have to pay a price to acquire anything at all in life. Nothing comes for free. Similarly, the unique individual can be brought out into the light only after paying the due price.
“Ek kaam ko karne ke liye dusre kaam chhodne padte hain” – to do one task, you might have to abandon some others – said a wise Sufi. Therefore, to bring to the surface that extraordinariness, to reveal the measure of your mind, you must work towards achieving it with complete dedication and undivided attention, consigning all else to the back burner. It must be conceded, moreover, that this is not an easy path to tread. Embarking on such a journey calls for practising an iron restraint over our whims and fancies, recognising the need to control unruly emotions and avoiding every distraction. Problems that multiply our fears and shake our resolve will show up at every corner. It is in such situations that we must hold on. To overcome such unpleasant occurrences one ought to rise above life’s frivolities. The seeker will falter, commit mistakes, and sometimes even get derailed; it will require colossal courage to get up again and march ahead with renewed zeal and determination.
Life is an opportunity. It gives us the freedom to act as we would want to. If we fail to avail of this because of our own neglect, we shall have no justification for complaining later. The journey of Self-discovery can be rewarding and exciting if only we focus more on positive as well as extraordinary aspects.

Sadia Khan
The writer is a student of Islamic Studies and a member of the Centre for Peace and Spirituality International .

(Courtesy TOI dated 09.02.2011)