Water water everywhereBut not a drop to drink! We are country overflowing with an abundance of rivers and blessed with the monsoon season. Yet the picture is grim. Rivers are tilting the balance, either in floods or in a draught. The changing weather conditions, the seasonal shifts, have created havoc on our agriculture. Common man’s […]
Water matters
Setting up protocols is a tedious process
But once set, it makes things much easier.
When a team shares the same language they communicate effectively so protocols aid in communication.When rules procedures are set as the protocol to follow, workflow improves without hitches With protocols laid down like a step-by-step process every employee can have clarity on ways to address conflicts if any, and how to seek resolution.
Why is there a need and necessity of creating rules systems and follow protocols?
In the workplace, it can be a guideline for proper behavior at work and also can help prevent conflicts or protect from harassment.
With changing times and situations as they are, whether it’s a ‘Work from home or office’, netiquettes and manners can make a huge difference in the way businesses are run.
Every small exchange of interaction can make or mar the communication levels.
Setting up protocols and training modules can increase productivity and improve professionalism in conducting business.
Communication for Implementation
For protocols to be successfully implemented It has to be relevant and easy to understand. Often the rules can seem too confusing so communication is very crucial in getting protocols in place in any organization understood. And even more so in this changing world.
Standards and protocols when defined properly, can certainly help increase productivity at work. And as expectations are set and there is clarity for what methods are for the deliverables and the timeframes, there is greater ownership, attention and accountability in the organization to follow the procedures.
As a Consultant I have enabled teams across departments setup their systems in place as well as improvising on the set procedures , while making the required changes such that the process can work efficiently. Ensuring the protocols are followed is just as challenging as setting it up. However, it becomes easier when they are followed as a practice with checks and balances in all teams without too many exceptions to the rule, to support new employees to ease in to the system.
How important have Protocols been for your organization’s efficiency?
Have your teams been following through the set norms and have they been effective?
I would love to know. Do share.
Savvy
You are a manifestation
Of infinite potential.
Every cell of your being
Resonates in the energy
Of your unique being
In the way, you live
And lead your life.
Your inner light glows
In patience and understanding
Stay empathetic to yourself
Allow yourself to feel content
To be thankful for all that is
Cultivate gratitude for life
In this living you.
As your awareness evolves
You experience the light that you are.
Keep your inner light shining bright.
Savvy
Today’s post is a compilation in collaboration, My reader and good friend for many years now Ashok Subbarao and I share our views in a collaborative way. He suggested if we could do a post together. And sent me his article. And I added my contemplations. So his prose and my poetry interweave in these words ahead.
Are we the cause of all the suffering
We are not only the cause
We are the reason
For the ‘State of Earth’ today.
We have breached all laws of nature
We have plundered and massacred
Not only our own
But innocent voiceless sentient beings.
Our crimes are heinous
Our ways unethical
Morality or humanity
It is completely missing.
The Plundering Humans
The continuous growth of consumerism and the insatiable hunger for more and more utilities and luxuries to fulfill the simple necessities of life have made countries plunder nature’s precious resources. So much so that humans have grown so selfish to uproot green cover of forests and waste life-giving water that nature started showing signs of decay in the form of various natural calamities. This was not an act of revenge but as an intrinsic part, nature to balance and sustain itself.
Yes, life can be lived with simple food, basic needs, and uncluttered living as the rest was provided by nature itself and that too, totally free.
However, man’s greed knows no bounds. With focussed developments in the era of industrialization and in the present age, the technological advancements to boot, man’s demands kept increasing, and these
are what a human being thinks are his basic needs.
Across the world today.
Our acts are turning violent
Our actions correlate
To the price, we all must pay!
We speak without kindness
We act without empathy
We are ruthless and hopeless.
Without integrity and trust.
Tilting natures precious balance
By our callous and self-serving ways.
Our earth has taken a toll
Bearing patiently in witness mode.
The rising temperatures across the world is a result of felling forests for newer colonies, roads, factories, offices, multiplex and what have you; thereby increasing the need for air conditioners which provide relief inside a house, but the amount of energy and power that is sucked out and throwing of heat in the atmosphere is creating more heat.
I would not be surprised when the day is not far when there would be so much heat that the AC compressors too would burst. What will we do then? But humans are so naive and adamant without care.
Man has broken every law of nature
Now nature needs to self-repair
Humankind must change their ways
Seek ways to maintain and sustain the earth.
Centuries of abuse and neglect
Nature has no time to be silent
It’s truly now or never.
Nature must begin to equalize.
Just being human is not enough
We must practice our humanity
Else the wrath of nature
Can no longer be contained
Our ways had got out of hand
Life was getting unbearable
And so beyond control
And way beyond hope.
The only solution is for countries worldwide to totally ban the destruction of forests in the name of development, introduce more public transport so that people stop buying more and more cars which emit gases in the air and encourage people to plant more trees and reverse materialism. This could be a small beginning in restoring balance, for nature will remedy itself.
Today the earth is revolting in its own sweet way and proving to humankind that if they do not amend their ways to sustain, the planet will render us humans as not just powerless, and perhaps the entire existence of humans can be erased. Nature along with is splendor accompanied by other sentient beings will reclaim their space. It is a simple way of nature saying “Hello Mankind I am alive too!.”
In the madness of being modern
The malady of our times
Values and ethics were trashed
Respect and regard were binned.
Stress and tension
Anxiety and panicking
Sleeplessness and fatigue
Plaguing the world over.
Materialism and indulgence
Hitting an all-time high
In greed apathy and indifference.
We took our world for granted.
And vis-à-vis the present pandemic called Covid-19, I cannot but remember the three monkeys as depicted in the picture. See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil a message given by Mahatma Gandhi the apostle of peace.
And it is so ironic that today, we have to cover all the three with a mask. Can we shed the artificial mask that we have been wearing for so long and promise mother earth to behave more sensibly and wisely? Probably we might be pardoned and some semblance of sanity may return to our lives.
Now nature has put humans in cages
Animals and birds roam free
Roads are empty, rivers are cleaner
Pollution has given way to purer air.
While mankind is locked down
Nature is restoring to sustain herself
Truth is its the only way left to survive!
There is perhaps no other way!
Verses by Savvy Raj & Prose by Ashok Subbarao
I am not alone
I am not alone
When I am walking at dawn
For I have the company
Of a waking sun.
I am not alone
When I am walking at dusk
For I witness the dance of heavenly lights.
For Twilights hold a special meaning
In the witnessing
Of transitions in transcendence.
Of day to night
And night to day…
In this world
Remember
You are not alone
In the dark of the night
With twinkling stars to show you the way.
You are only alone
When even in midst of the many
Your heart seeks a little
Respite from company!
A safe space to witness
Your emerging thoughts
A zone to turn into
A tranquil place to been in
To sense a balance
With your thoughtful self
Amidst the scurry hurry
Of life and living.
Savvy
Often ‘ alone’ is equated with loneliness. Alone may also mean simply being a witness to, by and with your self. It may arise from a need to explore to discover the self as much as the world in mindful introspection and contemplation. Every now and then a little time spent quietly with your self can truly help expand and regain the much needed equanimity to handle the worldly issues.
Meditations are a positive wonderful way to recharge our system.
Do you like to find time to be alone
With your thoughts and nothing else?
Do share
Savvy
How long does it take to decompose ?
Paper Towel – 2-4 weeks
Banana Peel – 3-4 weeks
Paper Bag – 1 month
Newspaper – 1.5 months
Apple Core – 2 months
Cardboard – 2 months
Cottn Glove – 3 months
Orange peels – 6 months
Plywood – 1-3 years
Wool Sock – 1-5 years
Milk Cartons – 5 years
Cigarette Butts – 10-12 years
Leather shoes – 25-40 years
Tinned Steel Can – 50 years
Foamed Plastic Cups – 50 years
Rubber-Boot Sole – 50-80 years
Plastic containers – 50-80 years
Aluminum Can – 200-500 years
Plastic Bottles – 450 years
Dsposable Diapers – 550 years
Monofilament Fishing Line – 600 years
Plastic Bags – 200-1000 years.
Pls go ahead a share this… for this will create awareness amongst people that plastic is one of the major reasons related to the Global Green House Effect.
Came across this above information through a share and I think it helps us all to know how much we can do to save our world, even if it is one step at a time towards sustainable living
Remember these 5Rs
1. Refuse what you do not need,
2. Reduce what you do need,
3. Reuse what you consume,
4. Recycle what you cannot Refuse, Reduce or Reuse, and
5. Repurpose (Compost) the rest.
Share and spread awareness of how each of us can sustain our environment.
I am all for a Greener World.
What about You?
Savvy
Positive change begins with us.
Every living being is making a difference to the environment in every moment. The question is how and in what way can it become sustainable.
Like the Great Barrier Reef, once the coral reefs are affected there the entire ecosystem stops thriving, and less fresh water will flow through the lakes…
Closer home the topography of the Great Himalayas are changing as well.
With melting ice-caps, the collapse of vegetation and wildlife, and violent surges of hurricanes droughts and frequent wildfires are all concerns for our world.
And there is really not much difference in the apathy that is happening in the name of sustaining the future… only much similarity in the situation of corruption and deceit through politics of governing people whatever the part of the world we are living in.
What we can do for our Sustainability:
Besides the regular ‘Reuse, Recycle and Reduce’ advice that comes to mind immediately I am sharing a post I chanced upon recently https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/stopglobalwarming.php
I realise I am perhaps contributing in my little way by ‘Spreading Awareness'(Tip 35 on the list ) on the need for Environmental Sustainability … but I found a lot of the tips here pretty much adaptable and relevant to us as an individual …
For the true change starts from each of us.
Savvy
About the Author:
Art of Conflict Management
To bring back a sense of compatibility between the factions is to resolve to find mutual ground.
Tip 4: Resolve to Reconcile
The idea of any kind of truce to see eye to eye is not easy, but then war is never the answer. In management, Conflict Resolution is an important skill in the arena towards issue settlements by finding the middle ground.
From the suggestion of mutual benefits to warring parties in a dispute by a shared positive interest of a goal and clarification of needs in the situation at hand and if need be coercing an influence goes a long way in securing a reconciliation and resolution of conflicts.
Savvy Raj
A life lived well…
Is more about being and doing well
Than about doing much
& finding no time to be you
& all that you actually are.
Resonate with your own reserves
Reach out in the knowing
That you are enough for you.
Align your posture, let go tension.
Acknowledge your needs at this moment.
Sense the potential in this now
To alter the reality of this moment.
To make a positive difference in your ways.
To pursue your passions,
To love well, to enjoy life.
You need to create a balance between
What you can do and what you are doing.
Sometimes the tilts are unavoidable
And then life takes care of itself.
But it always helps to not tilt the balance
By overdoing, over-controlling, overindulging
Overstepping and overshadowing your own self.
Aim to balance the holding back & the letting go
With discretion and discerning
Of conscious intention in awareness.
Modern maladies are mostly self-inflicted
Due to excess of thought, action and deed.
With awareness, your own free will
Can be your best ally in the understanding
That freedom and responsibility go hand in hand.
And soon you will reach a level
Where you feel grounded
And yet light as a feather in flight.
Make sense of the choices you make in every now
Every now matters after all!
You have one life
Live it well
Because you can!
Savvy
About me :
Wellness Mentor, Dance Educator & Trainer, Motivational Speaker, Writer, Freelance Designer
Creativity stems from the acceptance of your authentic self. It is a never-ending journey of endless possibilities that is much beyond the pursuit of a hobby or craft and can be a habit of a lifetime. So besides being a Dance Educator as a Wellness coach, I offer a variety of Personal Effectiveness Programs for Self-development.
Being a Writer and a Designer creating art gives me immense satisfaction with the infinite ways of expressing myself as I believe in enjoying the journey as much as the destination.
Savvy
Nurturing Hope & Care
Hope is here to stay!’
Nurturing is a life affirming process ….rooted in bettering care and creating hope for a better life. There are many experiments conducted to support how even an exposure to nature like being amidst trees and tranquil places, hearing birdsongs and watching the sky , the sea and the sand can be extremely nurturing for ones health and wellbeing. The healing element associated with nature, is in the nurture it provides to replenish the soul.
The very nature of nurturing is both very inclusive and expansive in the same breath.The scope of positive outcomes of good nurturing is deeply significant to humanity at large . For that is what is truly important to sustain our planet . Every being’s effort in nurturing the world in and around him to thrive.
At the root of Creativity is a nurtured thought process. To nurture is to nourish the being with appropriate care.
Speaking of care giving, it is often a part of nurturing which can be rather challenging to say the least. In case of elders there can be a lot of unexplained resentment the care giver has to deal with for many seniors may take a while to come to terms with the many aspects of growing old.
Patience can have its limits too and with growing intolerance in a world which is more about the sense of self importance, the need to achieve much can stifle any thoughts of pursuing time consuming and almost never ending aspects of nurturing .
It is true the world is getting a little too self centered . However the realization of the impacts of an uncaring and indifferent citizens of the world is also hitting home and that too right from the modern changes of family systems in place.
The concern for global warming and carbon imprints is touching an all time high for the world now is slowly realizing how much it needs to nurture its own living spaces to ensure it has a world left to live at all. And thus thankfully hope is here to stay!
Contd
The Circle of life
Plays on its game of being
Yin and yang hides and seeks
In perfect harmony
In perfect synchrony
In perfect balance.
Flowing with life and living
Yet as every being is endowed
A nature all its own
In a bid to discover the self
Man explores spaces and beyond
At times creates sometimes destroys
The very meaning of life itself
Yet manages to mark his time
Leaving soulprints in the sands of time.
Crossing many lunar and solar cycles
Having felt the extremes of nature
Of people and places.
Comes a call from within,to choose balance
And acknowledge the need to arrive
At an equilibrium of sorts
In life and living.
Having taken the world for granted
Both internal and external
Then wisened by experiences
With self and beyond
Man desire for balance is awakened
And resurrected in the passage
Of the night and day
Of life and living.
To live and learn
To sense and share
To dream and dare
To act and respond
To transform and transcend
Such is the nature of life and living …
Savvy
Parenting: The learnings in the nurturing.
Parenting is a long term learning process. With the first born every parent is going through a variety of emotions and various stages of parenting. It is true as an infant it is entirely on the parents- be its safety, its cleanliness, understanding its cries for various needs- all done with so much love and care without prior experience. As the child grows so does its mode of expression, tantrums, seeking attention, and the parents learn to cope up with all of it like experts. Cherubic angels with devilish moods. It’s a 24/ 7 job with full focus. The teacher in the child starts teaching valuable lessons, you may have not come across so far in any university.
You have to constantly learn new techniques with every child. One lesson will not work with the other as they are different individuals teaching you to handle the same issues with various means.
You will be learning new lessons with every stage of their growing up. Infants to toddlers to kids, youngsters to teen agers, Young adults to grown up,men and women, each stage teaches you different lessons.
You will be learning new lessons on changing generations, their changing values, how to maintain the balance and be a bridge to keep up the tranquility and peace at home. Though every phase has its testing period, it is challenging period when they are in their teens with their need to balance their inner and outer worlds. Once you cross that successfully you can enjoy a momentary peace till the next one starts.
Coping up with the the new relations that springs up in their lives, and the need to understand their changing priorities, to accept gracefully and take the back seat in their life though they remain as ur priority , without regrets. Ability to know the strength of the bond though invisible still remains strong and intact. The list of life lessons the child teaches goes on till the end.
That is the way life has to go on.
And all the while we pride ourselves as parents and that we teach and guide our children!
Who is the real teacher here?
These are a few reflections from my mothers perspectives on Parenting.
There may be many styles of parenting and the nurturing they instill may be relative to what they received. There is no foolproof way to successful parenting as success is itself subjective. However the idea of nurturing abilities and giving space for evolving helps the holistic development of individual.On Nurturing
In a nutshell …can think of 5 A’s of Nurturing as parents… but the list never ends .
Acknowledge abilities as uniquely significant.
Appreciate the good qualities & its application.
Allow the potential of personal expression.
Accept the challenges as part of life
Adapt to changing nature.
What are your views on Parenting and nurturing? Do share.
Desert Trails :
The call of the dunes.
The desert has a way with you.
Just sun and sand across and around you.
As much as your eyes can see in the yonder
The red tinged sands bears the patterns of movement.
Of many who walked in there in sheer amazement.
Of the eerie silence of nothingness around
Except the tunes, that the howling winds may sound.
The charm of the desert springs on at night
At the camp with carpets spread out
Surrounded by the bedouins tents
And a sheesha to indulge if you wish
Traditional Arabic hospitality peeks
And the swaying hips of the belly dancer speaks
Flowing and swivelling like the swirls on the dunes
Mesmerizing you in the alluring moves to the mystical tunes.
Bring it on you may yourself say…
You must at least for once pass this way!
Savvy
This beautiful photograph of the Jacaranda Tree is a sight to behold . I have always liked to see pictures of these purple and pink and lavender blue trees .
But this particular picture … it was pure fascination!
Could I write verses on it…. perhaps! Cos it feels like serenedipity everytime I see it. There is so much pleasantness in that picture for me … I am guessing I am simply partial to all those hues and tones right there juxtaposed so delightfully. Quite like the essence of a prolific poem understated and unassuming.
Yet poetry is not on my mind today…
In fact what I am drawn to here is the delicate draw of balance of colour and composition. The brilliant blues of the sky entices the viewer as much the hints of hues of greens and pink just about show up ever so delicately amidst the starkness of the stems from betwixst and between the branches of this bewitching tree.
And thats not all … there is so much more to that tree and this photograph is just a hint of whats in the offing….
There is certain sense of ambiguity yet an attribution of knowing there is much much more beyond the visible.
In fact when you actually see, it is the beauty of the skylight seen through the canopy of pink flowers amidst those branches all captured in that one enthralling moment.
And like nothings is ever permanent and perfect, there always comes the scope of change even in so much balance in that stillness of the movement so precariously precise in the picture.
The trick is to be aware of balance
Appreciate the now for what it is
It offers much if you choose to see.
So perfect in its imperfections
A sense of the almost ethreal…
Here are a few facts on Jacaranda Tree.
The Jacaranda flowers are known to flutter down continously from the tree.The trees are native to South and Central America and now are also seen in many tropical areas of the world.
Pretoria in South Africa is known to be The Jacaranda City for the huge number the these trees planted in parks steets and gardens.So much so that when seen from the nearby hills the city is known to appears blue/purple in colour.
The word Jacaranda means fragrant in a South American dialect and depending on their species they have blue to white to lavender pink to purple shades of flowers. They are known to grow as tall as 20 to 30 metres in height in their lifetime which can span from 50 toover 70 years or so.
And because of that one picture I choose to look up and discover these tidbits … .Do share if you find some more about this tree.
Savvy Raj
Wisdom truly lies in the art of management of two principles in life : one of never giving up and the other of letting go.
On one side is a dedication, discipline and determination and on the other is the dispassionate discernment and in learning to surrender to balance the ego within. Every attempt at achieving such a state of balance can be a great tool for learning to evolve with the wisdom.
For life is to evolve and not simply dissolve
For life is to live and not simply exist.
Take the path of purpose in faith trust and belief
Flow along with the path of light in passion and dedication .
And allow life to manifest its infinite abundance.
There is an exemplary account of life lived in such a path of evolution and enlightenment
Sharing the great visionary of India Swami Vivekananda’s account of life story in his own words here ….
“When you travel on this path of shraddha, (faith) veerya, (courage ) smiriti, (that which is remembered) you have to go through three phases. The first phase is Haasya (laughter/humour). People will make fun of you. Face them. Accept them. When you are taunted, reply in the same tone of haasya. Then slowly the inner consciousness starts evolving. Then comes the second stage ‘Virodha’.(opposition/ hostility) The same people will start opposing your stance – Accept all the opposition. Don’t fight with anybody. Don’t argue. The moment you get into the argument, then you are going to suffer. If you argue while you are going through lot of internal turmoil’s, conflicts and confusions, you will not be able to convince anybody. So, during the second part of sadhana, (dedicated practice)don’t argue with anybody. Convert the negativity into a positive fragrance and give this in return. Then comes the third stage of ‘Svekaara'(acceptance). The same people who laughed at you, the same people who threw stones, will do pranams ( respectful salutation)& accept you.
In my own life, I have experienced this but I had to pay heavily. Those who taught me became my students but only after I did tapas for 10 years continuously and silently. Understand one thing. Inner sadhana is not a revolution but an evolution. Revolution requires force, vengeance. Evolution requires love, humility and a great feeling of universal love. The consciousness has to evolve. This is an evolutionary process where the bud flowers. We have to allow time for the bud to flower. It will not flower in one day. It takes time. It has to receive proteins, vitamins and the necessary energy for all petals to open out. You have to have a great patience. You have to create an environment for the petals to bloom silently. This is Sadhana. “Swami Vivekananda
Any path of passionate dedication and discipline evolves you along in the strength of persevarance
To honor your path and vision is a task of a lifetime.
To steer clear of slack and sloth, lethargy and languidity takes a consistent mastering of the senses.
To stay true to your chosen way and vision is a commitment driven by your belief and faith in your life’s purpose of being.
To know is to reach beyond the sensing of the eternal truth of ones being .
And all the challenges happening along in the journey, will resolve in time on its own as the intent and focus remains unwavered.
For life itself is a spark of the divine consciousness.
Savvy Raj
Savvy Raj 
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