I was sitting in my office sipping a cup of tea. A man with soiled clothes with grease on his hands came to my office and informed that there had been a leakage in a valve of Phenol tank. Since others were afraid of changing the valve due to the risk involved, he took this responsibility on himself. In the process, phenol spilled over his arms creating burns despite his having the hand gloves. This was Shambhu Singh.

Shambhu Singh was born in 1959 in a Rajput family in a village in Dist. Chapra, Bihar. His father was a marginal farmer with seven children. The family was very poor and it was very difficult for them to make both ends meet. He took his free primary education up to class V in a Govt. School in the village but could not get admission in Middle School as his father did not have Rs. 6 to pay for his admission fee.

The devil in his empty mind began conjuring wild ideas. Shambhu fled to Patna with 13 rupees in his pocket stolen from his mother who had accumulated these after selling a goat. He started working as a dish washer in a hotel at a monthly salary of Rs. 15 until one day when a person from his village saw him. Thereafter, his father immediately took him back to the village. Shambhu fled for a second time when a relative entrusted him with Rs. 30 to purchase a lamb. The TTE on the Howrah train caught him travelling without ticket but let him travel after extracting all his money. He went to his uncle’s home who, to his dismay sent him back to the village just after 3 days.

In 1975, his sister got married and he came to Duliajan, Assam with his brother-in-law and became a street hawker for selling Betel leaves and Betel nuts. After 6 months, he went to another relative in Phagwara, Punjab who arranged a job for him as a worker in an Atta Chakki. After 2 years, he came to Namsai, Arunachal Pradesh and worked in a Kirana Shop for 2 months.

One of his uncles who was a Foreman in Sharda Plywood, Naharkatia, Assam got him job of a worker but he was removed from the job after 15 days as he was a minor. He rejoined as a helper in a Kirana Shop at Duliajan, Assam for 2 years waiting to turn 18.

It was then that Shambhu’s actual tryst with the plywood industry began. He rejoined Sharda Plywood as a contract worker at Rs. 9.15/day.  In 1986, he joined National Plywood Margherita, Assam as a fitter and was transferred to Kolkata in 1988 as a supervisor. The company closed down in 2002. After being idle for a year, he joined Century Ply, Kolkata in 2003. His frequent change of jobs and cities finally came to an end in 2008 when he joined Century Ply’s Palasbari unit after a brief stint at Balaji Plywood Industries Kolkata, where he serves till date.

Amid all this hustle in his work life, the only thing that kept Shambhu going was his dreams for his children. Following his marriage in 1985, Shambhu was blessed with a daughter Chanda and a son Chandan. He was determined that while education escaped him, he would not let the same fate befell upon his children. He got them admitted to an English medium school in Kolkata but had to drop out his daughter from the school after class IX as he could not afford to pay fee for both. His daughter studied as a private student and passed class XII before getting married. His son continued in the school, passed class XII and enrolled himself in BBA. All this while, Shambhu dreamt to support him through MBA but the money an MBA course demands kept him up all night.

Unable to tide over the problem himself, he finally approached me. I assured him that our company would help him financially to fulfill his dream. During the 3 year period of his son’s BBA, every 3 months he would come to me to reaffirm the assurance given by me.  He was afraid that if I leave the organization what would happen to my assurances?  I reassured him that even if I leave the organization, I would ensure that his son completes his MBA. Finally, his son secured admission in EMPI, Chattarpur, Delhi for pursuing MBA where the total expenditure for the course was about Rs. 10 lakhs. Shambhu took loan from a bank, raised some funds from his daughter and made up for the shortfall from the company as advance which he repaid in due course of time. His dream for his son finally took shape. The ambitions that once looked vague and unachievable were unfolding in front of his very eyes.

At 60, Shambhu Singh is a contended man today. Ever since joining Century Ply at a meagre pay, his life has taken some drastic turns. His salary has grown more than 5 fold during the last 10 years catapulting him to the post of Maintenance Incharge at the factory. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that he will attain the position at which he is now. His daughter is happily married in a well-to-do family in Kolkata. His son is working in a private company in Delhi. He takes pride in saying that his coming generations have changed because of education. A person who had no clothes to wear and walked barefoot is leading a comfortable life now. One thing which he has not forgotten is hard work and honesty.  He has no wish unfulfilled. His only wish now is to continue working as long as he can.

Time travel is something which fascinates all of us. Although many people believe that time travel is strictly science fiction, it is not. Actually, as odd as this may sound, we are all time travelers. We are traveling from the present to the future. From the moment, you started reading this, we have already travelled 15 seconds into the future.

We measure our movement in time in arbitrary units. The measurement may be in seconds, minutes, hours, etc. During 2018, I’ve moved forward one year and so have you. Another way to say this is that we travel in time at the rate of 1 hour per hour. But the question is, can we travel in time faster or slower than “1 hour per hour”? Or can we actually travel backward in time, going back, say 2 hours per hour, or 10 or 100 years per hour?

It is mind-boggling to think about time travel. What if you went back in time and killed your grandfather. You would prevent yourself from ever having been born! But then if you hadn’t been born, you could not have gone back in time.

One of the very first time travel stories recorded in history appears in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata. The story follows a king Kakudmi, his daughter Revati and their search for a perfect match. Unable to find a suitable match for her daughter, Kakudmi took Revati to Brahmaloka, to seek Brahma’s advice about finding a suitable husband for her. Brahma was listening to a musical performance when they arrived, and so they waited for 19 minutes until the performance was finished. When they met Brahma, he told them that during the time they had waited to meet him, 27 chatur-yugas, or 116 million years had passed on earth. Brahma also explained that time is different on different planes.The King and his daughter were in grief as they had lost everything by then, but Brahma comforted them, and recommended a worthy husband currently on earth: Balarama, the brother of Krishna.

Travelling in time might sound like a flight of fancy, but some physicists think it might really be possible. Einstein’s special theory of relativity, published in 1905, was the first to give scientific meaning to forward time travel. This theory predicted a strange new phenomenon, time dilation, which is a phenomenon where time moves slower for any mass accelerated near the speed of light. Time dilation is an experimentally verified fact.

According to this theory, space and time are really aspects of the same thing—space-time. Time is relative depending on how fast you are moving. The faster you move through space, the slower you move through time. Light travels at a speed of 300,000 kilometers per second which is the maximum speed for anything that travels through space-time. So, if you leave the earth for a journey in 2019 in a spacecraft travelling at about 99.5 % of the speed of light and come back after 5 years, it will be 2069 on earth. This is a way of going to the future at a rate faster than 1 hour per hour.

Time travel may be theoretically possible, but it is beyond our current technological capabilities. Till now, we have not been able to build a time machine to send larger objects, like humans, into the future.  It is impossible using today’s science to build a spaceship capable of traveling close to the speed of light. Today’s science is only able to accelerate subatomic particles close to the speed of light.

In all time travel theories allowed by real science, there is no way a traveler can go back in time to before the time machine was built.

With the advancement of technology, the impossibilities of yesteryears have become reality today. With the further advancements in technology, time travel will also become a reality someday. It will be a futuristic time but it will surely be a fantastic travel.

There is a lesser known temple in Kalipur, Guwahati dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Its name is Chakreshwar temple. The name Chakreshwar has been derived from Sudarshan Chakra which was weapon of Lord Vishnu. This is a very beautiful temple on the bank of mighty Brahmaputra.  It is an excellent place to visit with a very serene environment. It has an awesome view of Brahmaputra river. At the entrance of the temple, there is a sculpture of Lord Krishna on a chariot.

The main deity of the temple is symbolized in the form of a rock which has an impression of Lord Vishnu’s Chakra on it. This is known as Chakrashila. According to mythology, when Lord Vishnu dismembered Sati’s lifeless body, his Sudarshan Chakra had struck this rock. There are also idols of Lord Shiva, Lord Ganesha, Lord Hanuman, Ma Bhairavi, Narasimha, and Parshuram.

The legend has it that when Sati’s father was performing Yajna, he did not invite Sati and her husband Lord Shiva. When Sati visited there without invitation, her father insulted her and Lord Shiva. Sati felt humiliated and burnt herself by self-immolation. When Lord Shiva got this news, he placed the dead body of Sati over his shoulders and started his tandava dance. The more Lord Shiva danced, the more destruction arose. Lord Shiva carried Sati’s body and roamed around the universe with it. It caused huge destruction. So Lord Vishnu cut down Sati’s body into 52 pieces. Wherever a piece of the dead body of Sati had fallen, that place is called a Shakti Peetha. The nearby temple of Ma Kamakhya is also a Shakti Peetha.

There is a vertical pillar in Brahmaputra river with idols of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi on it sitting on Sheshnag which serves as an indicator of height of the river water. The water touches the feet of Lord Vishnu during the rainy season.

Obesity is the most prevalent disease in the world. 1/3^rd of the world’s population suffers from this disease. India is the third most obese country in the world after USA and China.  Obesity is mother of many other diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol, cancer, asthma, sleep apnea, osteoarthritis, etc. one Kg. extra weight puts 4 Kgs. pressure on the knees and one is bound to have knee related diseases in old age.

Technically speaking, Obesity is the condition of having more weight in proportion to your height. Ideally, the normal weight of a person in Kgs. should roughly be equal to his height in centimeters minus 100. To know if a person is overweight, the Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated, by dividing the person’s weight in kilograms by height in meters squared. Overweight is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI), greater than or equal to 25 while obesity is defined as having a BMI equal to or greater than 30.The most common causes of obesity are getting more calories than is used by the body and lack of physical exercise.  That means obesity can be cured by following proper diet and regular exercise. The disease is clearly preventable if we take concrete steps to control it.

Having good health should be the topmost priority for all of us and having proper weight is a step towards good health. It is very difficult to lose the weight alone due to lack of determination and motivation. If you want to banish those extra kilos for good, you will need a village of people behind you.

Therefore, a Fitness Club has been formed in Guwahati. The objective of the Club is to realize goals, restore right weight and remain fit. This is mainly an interactive forum for consultation and moral support. The members of the Club work on weight correction based on the monthly targets which they set for themselves based on their Body Mass Index.

The members of the Club meet at periodic intervals to set specific targets for weight reduction and to share their experiences.  The Secretary of the club coordinates for bringing the people together.  Doctors and Nutritionists who are members of this Club help other members in identifying ways to achieve the targets. A Facebook page and WhatsApp group has also been created for the members. The members of the group use a mobile App. known as MyFitnessPal. This App. helps in setting the goals and calculates the  requirement of calories per day based on the goals. It is also a calorie counter which keeps a record of calories consumed on daily basis and helps in achieving goals for weight reduction.

I would urge the Guwahatians to join this Club to remain fit. Let us come together and fight this menace collectively by helping each other in reducing weight. Let it be a mass movement in Guwahati. If you think, you are too busy, I am sure you will have enough time during your old age to regret about it. Those of you who are interested can join this group and also encourage your friends and relatives to join. It is not rocket science when it comes to weight loss. It’s about eating a little less and moving a little bit extra.

There is a quote by Jim Rohn – “We must all suffer one of the two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons”.

Do you believe that we are permanently souls and temporarily human beings? Do you believe that we are reborn based on our Karma? Or do you believe that there is only one life; this is it, so have a gala time?

These are some of the questions which have haunted me since childhood. I always tried to get answers for these by asking sadhus and spiritual persons. In 2010, the TV serial “Raaz Pichle Zanam Ka”aired on NDTV Imagine solved my problem. Many times, certain events happen in our life without any plausible reason. Many times, we suffer from some problems or phobias which do not have any explanation. In that serial, Dr. Trupti Jayin regressed the people to their past lives to know the cause of their sufferings. In all episodes, the people were successfully regressed and they were cured. 

I was intrigued.  I registered for a ‘Past Life Regression Therapist Training Programme” conducted by Dr. Trupti Jayin. It was a week long programme at Yog Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh in December 2016. It involved learning techniques of past life regression to become a practitioner. We learnt hypnotism and applied it on the participants. Most of the participants could regress to past lives and were satisfied.

For example, there was a young lady whose biological parents had thrown her in a garbage bin. She was raised by an unmarried lady who was her foster mother. She got married and was divorced as her husband developed a relationship with her foster mother. She wanted to know the reasons of her sufferings. Through the therapy, we learnt that she had a dark skin boy in her past life whom she had abandoned. She is paying for her karma.

When I was regressed, I saw myself as a prince in Rajasthan who out of some guilt renounced the world and became a Sadhu. He lived alone in mountains throughout rest of his life and did not meet anybody.  During his last days, he was supporting a long white beard and was very frail.

We also tried regression on foreigners who had come to learn Yoga at Yog Niketan Ashram. They could also visit their past lives and got the answers to their problems.

As I explored further, I came to know that Dr. Trupti Jayin was trained by Dr. Newton who does these programmes at proposed “Quantum Life University” Vikarabad, near Hyderabad. It is a beautiful campus where trainings on spiritual science are conducted. There also we learnt the techniques of Past Life Regression therapy and tried it on each other.

Past Life regression therapy is  an unusual therapy which gives the answers for your mysterious problems. This therapy can cure various fears and phobias. It is absolutely safe and you cannot be regressed until and unless you want to. You remain in the conscious state and are aware of your surroundings. The therapy makes use of relaxation techniques to access your sub-conscious mind where past life memories are believed to be already stored. So if any of you or your acquaintances has this type of problem or phobias you can definitely make use of Past Life Regression Therapy which works.

In April 2016, Apple postponed a quarterly earnings meet so that its employees could attend the funeral of a football coach. The same funeral was also attended by CEO and founder of Google, widow of Steve Jobs and even Jeff Bezos of Amazon. Interestingly this one man who died had not just mentored them but also the founders of Facebook and Twitter. His name is Bill Campbell but the entire Silicon Valley fondly calls him “The Coach”.

A mentor is someone who shows you the path between where you are and where you want to be.

The importance of mentorship is found even in the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. Krishna performed the role of Arjun’s charioteer throughout the battle, but he was much more than that. He was Arjun’s mentor, gently guiding and advising him at every step. Even though the Pandavas had a smaller army, but because of the advice of a great and wise mentor, they were able to defeat the Kauravas.

Today, a mentor – mentee relationship is even more important, due to the increasing complexities, choices and circumstances that one faces at every step of one’s life and career. The fortunate ones find an able charioteer to steer one’s professional chariot. A mentor kick starts the goals that you set, and helps you set the right goals in your life. Mentor provides the best advice in your life and shows you the way to success. The best part is you gain experience from his experience.

I have had multiple mentors during my life. My first mentor was my grandfather. He shaped my personality in a positive way. He taught me by example to be an honorable, hardworking human. According to him, whatever we decide to do in life, it should be with diligence and dedication. My second mentor was my mother. She taught me to be honest and simple – not to tell a lie whatever the circumstances may be. She used to tell me, “Listen to your conscience. Do whatever you feel is correct. You should not have any regret later in your life for your actions”. Because of her teachings, I always listen to my conscience whenever in dilemma.

In my professional life, I had the privilege of having a person as my mentor who was not my boss but my colleague. He is currently a Director of an NBFC at Chandigarh. In 1992, when I switched job and joined another organization, I felt like a fish out of water. He caught hold of my hand and taught me whatever was needed to survive in that organization. It is because of him that I not only made a place for myself in that organization but also became ready for the higher challenges. In 1999, when the opportunity to join another good organization at Guwahati arose, he was the person who guided and motivated me to join that organization. In 2004, when I was looking for a change, he not only guided me to shift to private sector but also offered me a job in his company. But then, the opportunity to join a manufacturing company knocked at my door and I joined that company. At professional level, I owe a lot to him.

Currently, I am a member of Toastmasters International. It is an organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Toastmasters international exploits the concept of mentoring beautifully. Mentor helps a new member to walk the same path he took to learn public speaking and leadership.

To conclude, it is rightly said “The secret to success is a pretty simple equation: hard work + some lucky breaks + great mentors.”

Somewhere around the year 1979, as a student of Engineering, I used slide rule for doing complex calculations in exams. It is a ruler with a sliding central strip, used for making rapid calculations, especially multiplication and division. Calculators were banned and it was only after a 5 days’ strike that we were allowed to use calculators. It was beginning of automation in computing. In 1985, for the first time, I saw a computer and in 2013, I saw a humanoid Robot that looked and spoke like a human. In 2017, Sophia, a robot capable of displaying more than 50 facial expressions was granted citizenship of Saudi Arabia becoming the first robot ever to have a nationality.

What a transition! Can we imagine our life without computers now? These have made tasks simple, short and superfast. But ‘’yeh dil maange more’’. While exploiting the power of the computer systems, the curiosity of human, lead him to wonder, “Can a machine think and behave like humans do?” This led to the rise of a new branch of Computer Science named Artificial Intelligence or AI. Artificial Intelligence is a way of making a computer, a computer-controlled robot, or a software think intelligently, similar to the manner the intelligent humans think.

We might think that AI is at least a few years away from causing any considerable effect on our lives, but it has already invaded and is affecting our decisions and lifestyles every day. What is the first thing which we do in the morning? Pick up our smart phones and check WhatsApp? We are so eager to pick up the phone as if Lord Krishna is telling us “Arjuna, arise and pick up your Gandeev”. When we get ready for office we book an Ola. The App uses AI for route mapping and fare calculations. When we reach office, we open our computer which is unlocked by face recognition. If we reach early, we start playing video games on our computer. When our office starts, we communicate through emails, do financial transactions, book tickets and even use services like instant messaging, youtube, facebook , google assistant, Siri – all powered by AI.

 AI has become so indispensable that it is used in healthcare for analyzing complex medical data and do medical procedures. From search and rescue operations to legal cases to even automated industrial robot doing manufacturing, scintillating AI has accomplished everything with high precision, pace and power.

Clearly, AI is very useful to mankind but this leaves us to the question: Will artificial intelligence take over the world? Many scientists including Stephen Hawking have expressed concern about the risks posed by AI. They wonder what would happen if AI becomes more intelligent than humans? They warn about a future where machines build machines. Artificial Intelligence can even lead to human extinction because with supernatural intelligence, machines would undermine the corrupt nature of humans and think the extinction of humanity as a better solution. In fact, AI-bots can forge a planet with controlled population, better laws and live like immortals. The only option available to us would be to unplug the power but it will be impossible to do so as all the systems in the world would be controlled by machines including the power system. What will happen is hidden in the womb of time.

When we were in school – we used to write an essay- Science, a friend or a foe. Now, our children are writing essay on Artificial Intelligence- a friend or a foe.  What a transition! But the answer to both essays remains the same – judicious use of Technology.

There is a popular Hindi phrase “Neki kar dariya mein daal”  which means – do good and forget about it. But now a days, there is a  twisted version of this phrase – “ Neki kar deewar pe taang”

Neki ki Deewar or wall of kindness is a dedicated wall for the needy people where they can get clothes, books and other items. Those who have spare clothes can hang those on the wall and the needy people can take these clothes from there. The motto of the movement can be expressed in two sentences which appear on the walls: “Leave what you don’t need” and “Take what you need”. The idea is to act as a bridge between the giver and the taker without compromising on anyone’s dignity. The giver does not get a superiority complex and the taker does not get an inferiority complex. It is a discreet way to help each other.

This concept was introduced in 2016 in Iran by an anonymous person and the practice spread like wild fire throughout the country. This movement in Iran was covered by Mr Sudhir Chaudhry at Zee TV in February 2016. He mentioned that 3 % of the population in Iran is below poverty line while India has 12 % people below poverty line. He emphasized that there is a need to have more and more of such walls in India compared to even Iran. He exhorted the people to come forward and set up the Neki ki Deewar . Inspired by this news coverage, a couple in Bhilwara , Rajasthan started the first Neki ki Deewar in India. After that it became a movement and walls of kindness were set up in many cities across India. In December 2016, my father shared this concept with me and informed that a Neki ki Deewar has also been set up in my home town.

The concept appealed to me and I thought that we should have this Deewar in Guwahati also. I discussed this idea with my friends  who have a space to set up this Deewar at a prominent location in Guwahati. Since there was not much response, we decided to set up this in front of our factory at Palasbari even though that was not the perfect place for this. We inaugurated Neki ki Deewar on 17^th September 2017 on the auspicious Vishwakarma day which I proudly claim is the first Neki ki Deewar in the North East. Inspired by the success of this, Palasbari Municipal Board has also set up a Neki ki Deewar in Palasbari market.

It is a simple and wonderful idea; the sort that one wonders why no one thought of before! The Wall of Kindness idea is a charity project that is easy to implement and a great way to make sure that what one doesn’t need finds its way to those who need it.

My dear Friends, most of us share the intention of doing our bit for the needy. But the time and money it demands becomes a hindrance to implement our intention. Neki ki Deewar is the simplest idea that anyone with a small place and the intention can implement. A Deewar like this is the need of the hour in a city like Guwahati where poverty and homelessness stare at us right at our face every day. If any of you have a small place in the front of your house or business you too can be a proud partner of this noble movement.

Never think that what you have to offer is insignificant. There will always be someone out there that is in desperate need of exactly what you have to give.

In 2003, we took our children to a fare in Judges Field. There was a hanging bamboo bridge with ladders on both sides for ascending and descending.  My son who was 5 years old then, climbed the wooden ladders but came down immediately as he was afraid. Then he asked me “Papa, do you think I can cross the bridge”? I told him, “If you think you can do it, you will do it”.  After that, we went to some other stalls and when I looked back, I found that he was crossing the bridge. He descended the ladder and came to me with a victorious smile. I patted on his back on this courageous feat and asked, “Kaku, how did you do it?” With a very innocent smile on his face he replied, “Papa, maine socha ke main kar sakta hoon aur maine kar liya” which means “I thought I can do it and I did it”.

Dear Friends, our life is full of episodes where we are afraid of doing things thinking we cannot do it and we fail without trying it.

Henry Ford had once said, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t–you’re right.”  

At the beginning of the 20^th century, the automobiles were complicated machines which were only meant for rich. Henry Ford was determined to build a simple, reliable car which the average American could afford. He succeeded and molded the world we live in today. While we associate the name Ford to success in the automotive industry, we might not know that he failed dramatically and miserably twice before succeeding in his third attempt.

Earlier, the air travel was meant for the elite or for the people whose tickets were sponsored by the Government or corporates. Today, even a common man can travel by Air. This has become possible because of a visionary who thought that everybody should fly.  Capt. Gopinath became a household name after he started Deccan Aviation, which made flying a possibility for the common middle-class man. In the history of Aviation, people will always remember him as a man who brought flying down to earth. He did this because he believed that he could do it.

One of the most important things we need to be successful is to believe in ourselves. Even if we are highly talented, a lack of belief in ourselves and our abilities will make it much more difficult for us to succeed. Yes, it is our thinking that really helps or hurts us. So how do we go about believing in ourselves? Belief is simple. It’s habitual. The thoughts we have on a daily basis create emotions, which in turn beckon our actions. So if we are used to thinking negatively, everything in our life is going to be full of negativity. Instead, if we focus on positivity, good things will follow.

Will-power is the greatest driving force in man. It helps us get through all the difficulties in life.  Mahatma Gandhi fought for the blacks in South Africa. Martin Luther brought about radical changes in the USA and Abraham Lincoln became the President of the USA by dint of their strong determination and continuous efforts. A patient with strong determination can get cured earlier or live longer than a similar patient with weak will power. Sudha Chandran has an amputated leg, but even with the artificial limb, she has become a famous Bharatnatyam dancer and actress. Thus, a person of strong will power can overcome physical disabilities in the pursuit of his goal.

More than half the battle in anything challenging is with ourselves.

There is a saying: Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.