chaotic order

Jottings - Slice of life -299 ( Blue Collared, White collared, and now “New collared” jobs - thoughts on the nature of jobs in the digital age) One of the key questions educators and the industry alike should answer very quickly is what kind of jobs are likely to take over as the twenty-first-century surges along, and Information technology at the workplace in deployed in increasing orders of magnitude. Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine learning (ML), Cloud infrastructure, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Internet of things (IoT), are not merely buzz words anymore, meant for geeks and elitist computer professionals. It has already touched the daily lives of the common man in a thousand ways and will continue to transform the way we live and work in the foreseeable future. The key question then is what kind of skills are required for the IT jobs of the future, where most of the repetitive tasks will find BOT’s doing it better and more efficiently, most of the analysis done by a

Jottings - Slice of life - 295 (Musings on the eve of the election results in India) "The true interest of an absolute monarch generally coincides with that of his people". So wrote Edward Gibbon in his monumental "Decline and fall of the Roman empire", nearly two centuries ago. As the day of reckoning draws nearer, it seems evident the people of India will vote Narendra Modi back to power for the next five years. The Monarch has held his sway over a billion people, and h is vision reflects the aspiration of an entire nation. Again and Again, in these columns, I have drawn attention to the fact that BJP on its own strength cannot win the election, but with Narendra Modi, at its helm, they will not lose. For a country starved of authentic leadership for decades, the people of India look upon Modi as a charismatic, confident, brave and articulate voice amidst the confusion and cacophony of rival political parties. The party Modi represents may follow a different a

Jottings - Slice of life - 292 ( Bhanu and I - thirty years of memories, and accumulating more) It is fascinating how an old picture, drawn from the forgotten fullness of the past, can seek out from the hidden corners of the brain enough buried memories to create a kaleidoscopic tapestry of visual images. The images are so vivid, surreal and pulsating, that for some brief moments in time the  relived past becomes the intense and absorbing present. The mystery of this visual parade of memories lies not in the mechanical sorting of countless small memories scattered in the vastness of one's psyche, but the delectable selection and connections it draws from those memory footprints in the loom of time. The spectacle is mysterious as it is forceful. The faded picture in front of our eyes, in few chronological minutes, reveals to the minds eye a show specially put together, orchestrated and delivered with an eclectic mix of emotions: there is sadness and joy, failure and hope, betrayals

Jottings - Slice of life - 288 ( Champions are forever — the return of Tiger Woods) (Note to my readers: This essay is dedicated to my friend and colleague  Vijay Shriram , who casually mentioned to me a few days ago that I should write about Tiger Woods, after his historic win in the Augusta Masters last week. Though I have been following Tiger woods incredible sporting journey for decades and sympathized with his personal life and fall from grace, I have never been a great enthusiast of the sport itself. A few years ago, I read Steven Pressfield's magnificent novel "The Legend of Bagger Vance" and was intrigued by his constant references to the Bhagavad Gita's exhortation that one must immerse oneself in action without yearning for the results. The caddie Bagger Vance speaks to his master (Junah) almost in the same language and cadence as Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. This book opened my eyes to the artistry of Golfing, and since then I ha

Jottings - Slice of life - 286 (“Man’s search for meaning” by Dr. Viktor Frankl) Last week, on my way back to Atlanta, a young man rushed into the flight, almost at the close of boarding gates, to occupy the seat next to me in the business class cabin. He looked flushed. In one hand, he was holding a thin book, and in the other, he was balancing a carry-on bag and a jacket. He quickly dropped his bag and jacket underneath the seat, sat down gasping for breath, turned to give me a quick nod, and opened the book in a hurry ( almost as if the boarding the flight was a distraction he could have done without) and continued reading. He didn’t give himself even a few minutes to settle down, adjust the air vent, or drink some water. It was obvious that the book he was possessively holding in his hands was irresistible, and he couldn’t wait to read the remaining pages. It was then that I glanced at the title, and knew exactly what was going on. There are few books that can change the cour

Jottings - Slice of Life -284 - ( The biopic on Modi - few thoughts) There couldn’t have been a better time for the release of the biopic on Prime minister Narendra Modi. Especially, with an upcoming general election that promises to be a touch and go for the BJP. Out of curiosity, I was reading the “Model code of conduct”, released by the Election commission of India, to check what the documents say about using “Art” to further one's position in an election campaign. After all, movies are a form of art, at least that’s how the ruling party would frame their case. So what does the document say about making a movie on the incumbent prime minister on the eve of a general election? The Code of conduct is silent about it. It has clauses on most other ways of unduly influencing the public such as: refraining from monopolizing public places, not causing any division by way religion, language or caste; not to hold meetings in front of opposition party offices or homes; not to use the

Jottings - Slice of life - 282 ( When an english word causes trouble- the case of Shashi Tharoor’s tweet) The elections in India are around the corner. It is hard to believe that five years have passed since Narendra Modi assumed the reigns of the country, and most Indians were applauding the inauguration of a new chapter in Independent India. Five years is a reasonably long time for a party in power, and if one looks back at these years, it is difficult to feel euphoric. At the same time, there is definitely a sense that something has subtly changed for the better in the fabric of Indian society. At the very least, there is a new found confidence in the identity of the nation, which was conspicuously missing or persistently eroded in the previous era. This optimism is largely due to the magic of the Man Narendra Modi, his authoritative presence in global forums, and the powerful rhetoric of his public discourses. Whether the next five years belong to him or not is dependent on the