After days of brainstorming & planning, finally the D-Day was at our doorsteps. For months we have been planning to do an AIPC Interactive for the State of West Bengal. For starters, AIPC or All India Professionals’ Congress is India’s first political platform focused on the needs and aspirations of working professionals in the country. The fundamental purpose of AIPC’s existence is to build an ecosystem centred around connecting professionals to the political domain.
First thing that we needed to select was the topic. With Cambridge Analytica scandal rocking the Internet world we zeroed down on Data Privacy as the topic of discussion for West Bengal state’s first AIPC Interactive. After a couple of brainstorming sessions, we named the event, “Data Privacy & Legal Rights”. India as of now doesn’t have a law regarding data privacy and we felt this is something that policy makers should look into. We coined the tag: Our Data! Our Privacy! Our Rights!
Next we needed to finalise the date. We initially thought of doing the event on 28th April 2018. But as you know to make any event successful we needed well known speakers so that the audience gets attracted to come for the event. But with the Karnataka elections just 2 weeks away all the start speakers of Indian National Congress were busy hence we had to postpose the event and finally decided to have it on 26th May 2018. We finalised our Keynote Speaker as Mr. Sanjay Jha, Noted entrepreneur & National Spokesperson of Indian National Congress. He is a known face in all major English news channels and his past experience as a founder of an internet related venture gelled well with our topic. Another guest speaker was finalised and he was Mr. Aalim Javeri, COO of AIPC.
Venue for the event was our next topic of discussion. Thankfully, Mrs. Mita Chakraborty, Managing Director of MSR IT Solution Pvt. Ltd & fellow colleague of AIPC came forward to lend her office space for hosting the event. It was a great gesture because the expenditure to rent a venue was saved.
The day started quite early. I had to purchase the bouquets for the speakers first before going to the venue. Staying more than 35 Kms away from Rajarhat meant I had to leave from my house as early as possible. I reached salt lake GD market around 10.30 AM. I found one flower shop just as I entered the market area. Ordered 5 bouquets and hoped the guy can get those ready quickly. Though he gave an estimate of 40 minutes, he ended up taking more than 1 hour 40 minutes to get all the 5 bouquets ready. Once that was done, I made a move towards Novotel (A 5 star hotel near rajarhat) where Mr. Aalim Javeri was put up. Went there and saw that our AIPC West Bengal State Unit president has already arrived with Mr. Sanjay Jha. I exchanged pleasantries and quickly excused myself since I needed to go to the venue to ensure that all was set up perfectly. Thanks to Mita and her team of admin staff, the venue was all decked up and ready to host our first AIPC Interactive.
The event was scheduled to start officially at 2 PM though we knew that it will start at 2.30 PM. We kept this half an hour buffer so that the audience can settle in. We had a registration desk right at the entrance so that we can collection all information about the audience. The registration desk was managed by another AIPC fellow colleague, Mr. Ranjan Chakraborty & an Admin staff of MSR. Ranjan helped us in getting our moderator for the symposium as well. He pursued his college teacher, Dr. J. Pal Choudhury (Retired Professor & HOD, Department of IT, Kalyani Government Engineering College) to be part of the event and moderate the discussion among the panelist. As it turned out, this discussion among the panelist became the highlight of our event.
RJ Riya was the anchor for our Symposium on Data Privacy & Legal Rights. She took the stage at 2.30 PM and welcomed the audience and the dignitaries on the stage. One of our AIPC fellow colleague, Mrs. Promita Saha Ghosh felicitated the guests on stage. Once the felicitations were over, AIPC West Bengal State Unit President, Mr. Ritzu Ghosal took to the podium and addressed the audience. He addressed the legal aspects related to Data Privacy and how data theft can harm one’s reputation and make irreversible damage to one’s life. India doesn’t have a law on data privacy. We do have cyber cells where one can lodge complaints regarding data theft but with no legislation in place, these cases generally do not go far and get dropped at court. He informed the audience that having a strong law on data privacy needs to be looked into by the policy makers of the country. Our Chief guest for the afternoon was supposed to be Mr. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Honourable MP & WB PCC president but he was unable to come for the event due to sudden work in Delhi but he was kind enough to pass on a message for the audience through Mr. Ritzu Ghosal which he duly did.
Next up was Mr. Aalim Javeri. Aalim being an expert in parliamentary affairs talked at length regarding why a strong legislation is needed for Data Privacy. He told the audience that the policy makers should understand the constant threat that the citizens of the country have related to their personal data. But their needs to be a strong will. On 25th May the European Union rolled out GDPR and India can take cue from that. He also harped on the fact that we as professionals should drive this agenda and make the Government notice on the citizens’ concerns on this particular subject. For this to happen, more and more professionals should join the AIPC platform and make this a vibrant eco-system through which future Governments can understand the aspirations and ideas of the professionals in this country. He ended his speech by giving a small background about his family and how inter caste and inter religion marriages happened smoothly decades back but today our society cringe on such events. Its time that we step back and understand the Idea of India that our fore fathers dreamt of because that will ensure a better and an actual New India for the generations to come. It was a truly moving message that Aalim passed on to the audience.
After Aalim, it was our Keynote Speaker, Mr. Sanjay Jha’s turn to take the stage and address the audience. Sanjay, an articulate speaker engaged with the audience from the word go. He attacked the current incumbent regarding their agenda to bellttle the privacy matters of the Indian citizens. The Government deciding to hire professional companies to track social media posts of all citizens came under a scathing attack from Mr. Sanjay Jha. Today the young generation can’t live without Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. But these tools have their own problems. The companies, like Facebook, Google, Twitter etc are making billions of dollars as profit by using our data. A person can be tracked down by social re-engineering and can be harassed by unsocial elements and nothing can be done about that because there is no strong privacy laws in the country. Sanjay kept his speech short and sweet so that quality time can be spent on the panel discussion.
Thereafter the guest panel started the panel discussion on Data Privacy & Legal Rights which was moderated by Dr. J. Pal Choudhury. Dr. Choudhury started with the point why we need data privacy and what general public should do to ensure that they are protected. One important point that came out of this lively discussion was that with no strong legal framework available related to data privacy, its important that the public should know what to share and what not to share in Social Media. If a tweet is retweeted it means you are endorsing that tweet even if you mention in your profile that retweets are not endorsements. So its important that we tell our children and our known groups that post and share in social media which you are absolutely comfortable of. Don’t just share for the heck of it which can lead to future troubles. Yes, if you face problems, there is cyber cell to help you but it does not take away the pain that you may go through. Another case came to light when one of our esteemed member mentioned how easily one can enter the data centre of UIDAI and get access to millions of data without even prompting for root password. This is not data theft but actually data dacoity, so well put by one of our AIPC Kolkata Chapter colleague, Mr. Partha Mukherjie.
We had a charged up audience and the Q&A session amplified the same with legitimate and interesting questions coming up all related to why we don’t have a strong legal framework on data privacy and can the Indian National Congress create one framework and make it a part of the manifesto.
The audience and the speakers panel all enjoyed the symposium thoroughly and as we ended the program with our National Anthem, it filled us with pride to see a successful program seeing the day of light. The symposium was followed by a Networking High Tea and we could see groups of people discussing on what we should do about data privacy and how our country should get a legislation in place to help the citizens of the country.
Our brand AIPC Interactive will be back with another event soon. Till then remember, “If you are not paying for it, then you become the product”.
The quadrennial Cricket World Cup is just a year away to be held at England. Every 50 overs tournament or series from now on will be used by the teams to sharpen their skills and to iron out the problem areas. Its a good time to visit what is in store for India and how the team is shaping up.
When India won the world cup in 2011, India had a great top order, good spinners and a couple of good pacers ably lead by Captain Dhoni. But one of the most important things to note in that team was that 3-4 batsmen in the top order could easily roll over a few overs. Sachin, Sehwag, Pathan/Raina and Yuvi all bowled in that tournament. Infact Yuvraj was one of the top wicket takers of the tournament. This was great advantage for India because this allowed us to play 7 proper batsmen including the wicket keeper through out the tournament. And even if the 5th bowler went for runs or if one of the primary bowlers was being hit around, the captain could always fall back upon a Raina or Sehwag to bowl a few overs.
With the current Indian team this is a major drawback. We have highly accomplished batsmen but none in our top 6 can bowl. This means, India goes in with 5 specialist bowlers including an allrounder (Hardik Pandya) and if a bowler has an off day, you have no back up option. This can hurt India in such a big tournament like World Cup.
So what are our options?
Raina has been so inconsistent while facing short pitch deliveries that he is no longer in the team. Yuvraj is a pale shadow of the Yuvi of 2011. Ashwin and Jadeja (Bowling allrounders) have been out of favour due to their inconsistent performances in Limited Overs Cricket. India tried Kedar Jhadav for a while but his performance outside India is nothing to crave about. Ambati Rayudu has been chosen for the upcoming England series and he can roll in a few overs.
Among the youngsters, we have seen Nitish Rana who can bowl a few overs but is he good enough with the bat in foreign conditions? He is completely untested and selectors are yet to show any faith on him. There is Deepak Hooda who is an established allrounder in domestic circuit who should get a look in soon. Also there is Vijay Shankar who is a decent allrounder who can be given a long rope to test his mettle.
Now the big question is does the Indian selectors wish to try out these young guns and sacrifice a batting position for an allrounder or do they feel that 6+5 is the way to go for 2019? India has a superb top order in Dhawan, Rohit, Kohli with an established middle order in Dhoni, Rahul, Rayudu/Iyer. 2-3 plays well and India can build a big total. Among bowlers, we have good pace attack and good spinners topping that with an established all rounder in Hardik Pandya. This team is good enough to win the world cup but the question about the lack of batting allrounder makes me a bit sceptical. What is your take?
Adam Gilchirst changed people’s perceptions about Wicket Keepers. Before Gilchrist we had great wicket keepers who were equally good batsmen but Gilchrist was the first wicket keeper in that sense who could play purely as a batsman too. Jeff Dujon, Ian Healy, Ian Smith all were good batsmen but Gilchrist was in a different league all together. When Gilchrist made his debut in ODIs in late 1990s, Ian Healy was Australia’s No. 1 keeper. Gilchrist made an immediate impact in ODIs and being a top order hard hitting batsman, he took full advantage of the fielding restrictions. When he got his due opportunity he took it with full hands and made a great start to his test career by belting a match winning century against Pakistan when Australia lost half their side for almost nothing. Australia chased down 369 only because of Gilchirst’s awesome innings of 149. There was no looking back for Gilchrist thereafter. Gilchrist’s entry into world cricket made other cricket nations searching for Wicket Keepers who can significantly contribute with the bat. India was no different. With no such keeper in sight, India was forced to use Rahul Dravid as Wicket Keeper in 2003 World Cup. This helped India extend their batting order and it gave good dividends too as India reached the finals of the World Cup.
It was definitely taxing for Rahul Dravid to continue as a wicket keeper and the selectors zeroed in on a relatively unknown face called Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the Bangladesh series in 2004. He had a forgettable debut but India continued with him for the Pakistan series. That series was the turning point for Dhoni and there was no looking back and as the saying goes rest is history.
As Dhoni moves into the twilight of his career India’s search for the next Dhoni has intensified. Wriddhiman Saha is currently keeping for India in tests and no doubt he is India’s best wicket keeper but his batting has been a let down till date. So who can be India’s next Dhoni?
The last few seasons have shown us 2-3 options and all of these players keep wickets for their respective sides in Ranji Trophy.
- Risabh Pant
- Ishan Kishan
- Sanju Samson
Risabh Pant made a sensational start to his First Class career couple of years back. Though he had a flat season last year, he came back with a bang at this year’s IPL and is currently the Orange Cap Holder.
Ishan Kishan was the captain of the India Under 19 side that reached the finals couple of years back. He plays for Jharkhand and had a good first class season for the last 2 years. He has been a revelation at this year’s IPL for Mumbai Indians. His innings against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens made everyone sit up and watch. That his innings came one day after Risabh Pant’s whirlwind century made it even more satisfying for Indian cricket lovers.
Sanju Samson has been very consistent performer for the last few seasons but he seems to have taken a backseat after this initial start he got.
Add to these, you have Dinesh Karthick who is doing very well as a finisher these days and can’t count him out since he still has 4-5 years of cricket left in him and he is supremely fit.
All in all India has a great pool of good Wicket Keeper batsmen who are ready to take up the challenge once Dhoni hangs up his gloves which in all probability will happen after the 2019 World Cup. Interesting times for Indian cricket.
A couple of days back as I was entering my office, it felt awkward to see a bus driving along the wrong way. Its not that we should be surprised with such activities in India but to see that happen at Sector V, Salt Lake was pretty odd because here the roads are quite broad and not as narrow as in the Northern or Central parts of Kolkata. When I reached my destination, I realised that one part of the road was blocked with lots of people around. No, there was no accident or untoward incident, actually a film shooting was going on. Isn’t it amazing to see that a main road in a business district getting blocked by innumerable office going youngsters to watch a movie shooting? Well, that’s India and that’s the magic of Indian Cinema.
We all dream, we all have ambitions and Indian cinema fuels those dreams. Great locations (places where you dream to go for vacation – The Late Yash Chopra brought the beauty of Switzerland to every Indian movie goer), great costumes, the bad guy gets beaten up and at the end Truth and Love wins. No wonder we buy these dreams and even if, our personal lives are not following the dreamt out path, these movies make us believe that we are virtually there.
All this also leads to idolisation and stars are worshipped. So whenever a movie shooting is going on, people will surround the place not to see how shooting is done (who bothers with technicalities?), its only to see who is the hero/heroine (the lead actors) and catch a glimpse of the star. If the people realise that not a known star is there then very soon you will find the place empty.
After I entered office and settled down at my desk I had an urgent work with one of my colleagues. Hence I went on the lookout for him on the office floor. Since I could not find him, I came outside to the balcony which oversees the main road. I could see the shooting is still on but the crowd is running thin. I quickly realised that it must be a movie with new comers or unknown actors. But the bigger question that lurched me was, “where was my colleague?” – I had an important meeting with him. As I asked about the whereabouts to my other colleagues, someone pointed to the thinning crowd at the far side of the road and lo behold, I could see him along with another person of our office trying to peep into the happenings (shooting). Looking by his actions I could very well realise that he was trying to get a glimpse of the lead actors. After a couple of minutes I could see him walking back to the office with a straight face.
After he got back to work, probably someone told him that I was looking for him hence, he came to meet me. As he entered my room, I asked him what he was doing in the road during office hours. His answer was hilarious, “ I was told that Deepika Padukone was shooting”. I queried, “Really? He answered straight back, “No, it was just a rumour. Some unknown lady was shooting, hence I came back”.
A few years back, during our early days in business, we used to yearn for good clients and when we got any, our only motto was to keep them happy. Soon we understood that it’s easier said than done because if you go out of the way and provide additional value-added service without premium charges, people start treating you cheap. We realised that giving value-added service is always necessary but charges should be premium as well. We used to charge less and above that, we started giving certain value-added services. This was a mistake because some clients took this as an advantage and started asking for some more work and when we used to ask for money for this additional service they became unhappy. We then realised that because we acted cheap initially, some people are taking advantage of the situation.
As days moved on we realised that its not possible to keep on giving extra services for free. Most clients understood because if you get good service then it should be paid for but some people did not understand this. One fine day when I was interacting with one such client, I was getting pretty irritated because he thought getting free service was his right. Out of nowhere, I suddenly uttered, “There is no free lunch, Sir”. I am not sure what the client understood but he definitely did not come back asking for free service again.
This became a theme for my business partners and whenever any discussion happened related to value-added service or extra work that a client asks for, they used to say in unison, “There is no free lunch”. Soon this sentence was something with which they used to pull my legs and I used to retort back, “Is there any free lunch available?”. This continued for a few months.
About 3 years back, me and one of my business partner along with our respective families went for a trip to Rajasthan. It was a memorable trip with lots of fun and each destination of Rajasthan needs a separate posting no doubt. That’s for some other time.
One particular day in Rajasthan as we were travelling from Mount Abu to Udaipur, one of the kids had an urgent nature’s call. We asked the driver to stop the car nearby any petrol station or restaurant. Thankfully within 5 minutes, we saw a restaurant. As I went out and spoke to one of the attendants asking for permission to use the rest room, I realised it was a newly opened restaurant. As the attendant showed us the rest room, I asked for a couple of cups of tea. The reply I got was that the restaurant is being inaugurated today so they are not selling anything today. I think the owner of the restaurant overheard this and came over and asked us to take our place and insisted us to have some food since it was the inaugural day of his restaurant. We insisted that we are OK with only tea but he was adamant on us having food with rest of the invitees. It was quite awkward for us because though we saw what the 3 idiots did barging into the marriage party of Virus’ daughter, but that was movie and this was real and we actually did not barge in.
As these thoughts went through my mind, our empty plates started filling up with Puris, Rice, Sabjis of various kinds, kheer, etc. We did not have proper breakfast that day and it was approaching mid day, so needless to say, all of us were pretty hungry. So we stopped thinking and started eating. At the end of it all, they gave us a cup of tea as well.
Once we were done, I went up to the counter and asked for the bill. The owner was right there and he was not ready to take any money. I said that we were not an invitee so we should pay but the person would have none of it and we ended up having, “free lunch”.
As we returned back to our car, a voice from behind said, “There is free lunch”. I turned back, smiled, and never uttered that sentence (There is no free lunch) again to date.
As I write this, we are less than 24 hours away from the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony. As a sports enthusiast, I am excited. I am excited to see the world-class athletes competing against each other for the next 15 days across so many sporting events. With the Olympics being held in London, we in India get more Olympic footage because most of the events can be followed on TV post office hours. Beijing Olympics could not be followed so much on TV other than on weekends because office hours used to clash with the timings of the main events. Add to that, it is for the first time that a private broadcaster (ESPN) will be broadcasting the Olympics in India. Previously it was always used to be Doordarshan and I must say the commentary and viewing quality was not that good but with ESPN we can be guaranteed a world-class viewing experience.
As a kid, I started following the Olympics from the year 1984 when it was held in Los Angeles. I remember the heartbreak that the entire nation went through when P.T. Usha missed out on a bronze medal by One-Hundredths of a Second in 400 Meters Hurdles. After this, 2 Olympics (1988 Seoul Olympics & 1992 Barcelona Olympics) went by with the Indian contingent getting no medals.
Things started to turn around from the 1996 Atlanta Games. After a long gap, India got a medal thanks to Leander Paes who won the Bronze medal in Tennis – singles event. Finally, we were visible in the medals tally first time after the 1980 Moscow Games. Sydney games in 2000 saw us winning one more medal – Karnam Malleswari winning a bronze medal in Weight Lifting. In the year 2004 when the games were held in Athens, India won a Silver Medal in Shooting – Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore bringing glory to India.
But India’s best performance happened in the 2008 Games held in Beijing. India won 3 medals including 1 Gold by Abhinav Bindra in Shooting. The Indian national anthem was played in the Olympics Medal Ceremony for the first time in 28 years thanks to this superlative effort from Abhinav Bindra. India won 2 Bronze medals as well, one in Boxing (Vijender Singh) and the second in weight lifting (Sushil Kumar – The Indian flag bearer for 2012 London Olympics).
The Beijing Olympics gave India hope and instilled a faith of belief that we can also compete among the best across various events and now the 2012 Games give us this opportunity to enhance our reputation further. The hope is high and there is this feeling inside that we will and we can do better than the 2008 Games. This hope comes from the fact that India has sent their biggest athletes contingent to the Olympics to date (81 to be exact) and will be participating in 13 different sports events for the first time. The performance and the results of many of the Indian participants have been world-class in the past couple of years. Be it Saina Nehwal in Badminton, Mary Kom in Boxing, Gagang Narang in Shooting, Deepika Kumari in Archery all have done exceedingly well in their individual events over the past 2-3 years and if they can keep this up for the next fortnight then India can have a Golden London Olympics.
Medal Hopefuls
This list is totally based on my prediction. The list is a very optimistic one and if we are lucky then it will be the best possible medal haul at the end of the next 2 weeks. Please note that India will be participating in 13 sporting events with 54 medals up for grabs.
Archery – 0
Athletics – 0
Badminton – 1
Boxing – 2
Hockey (Men) – 0
Judo – 0
Rowing – 0
Shooting – 2
Swimming – 0
Table Tennis – 0
Tennis – 0
Weight Lifting – 0
Wrestling – 1
Boxing and Shooting give us the biggest hope and I sincerely hope that India gets at least 5 medals in the 2012 London Olympics to make this year’s event the best ever for India.
Let the Games begin!
What Exactly is Protein and Why Do You Need It?
Protein makes up the vast majority of the human body, outside of water. Muscle and other connective tissue, as well as the skin and hair, are all made up of protein, and all of these require protein from outside sources in order to function properly and remain healthy. In addition to this, protein plays a major factor in the function of nearly every other part of your body, including your hormones, neurotransmitters and your fluids.
Although much of the protein in your system gets reused, your body is constantly burning through it, especially when you’re physically active. For this reason, consuming adequate amounts of protein is essential to maintain optimal health. As the body does not store protein like it does carbohydrates or fats, any lapse in its supply will typically cause it to start to break down muscle to obtain the protein it needs, which can be detrimental to one’s health.
Amount of Protein Needed for an Average Person
The amount of protein you need will depend on your weight, height and your activity level. For the average person who is at a healthy weight and is moderately active, such as playing a team sport once or twice a week, walking daily or working in a physically demanding job, body weight can be used to determine how much protein he or she needs. In general, you can multiply your weight by .8 to determine the grams of protein that you should consume in a day. For example, a man weighing 80 Kgs needs to consume a minimum of 64 grams of protein per day.
Those on a calorie restrictive diet who are looking to lose weight can also generally go by this guideline if they are relying on diet alone to shed the pounds. However, when using a combination of diet and exercise to reach a healthy weight, going by the amount of protein recommended for physically active people can be beneficial.
Amount of Protein Needed for Physically Active People
As previously discussed, consuming inadequate amounts of protein will typically cause the body to begin to break down muscle in order to get the protein it needs. As those who are physically active tend to burn through the protein they eat more quickly, they typically require significantly more than the average person does. Those who engage in heavy resistance training, long distance running, or generally spend a fair amount of time at the gym can typically benefit from eating more protein than their less-active, yet still healthy, counterparts do.
Can I Eat Too Much Protein?
Barring any health issues, one cannot typically eat too much protein provided he or she is still obtaining the necessary vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from other food sources. Individuals with kidney disease should be careful to not exceed the amount of protein set by their doctors, as the kidneys play a pivotal role in breaking down the protein so it can be used by the body. For otherwise healthy individuals, however, the body will dispose of any excess protein without issue.
What are the Best Sources of Protein?
When it comes to the “best” sources of protein, this is determined by how many amino acids each protein source contains. Animal sources, including beef, chicken, lamb, pork, fish and eggs, each contain all 20 of the necessary amino acids, and are often labeled as “complete” sources of the nutrient. While plant sources such as nuts, seeds and legumes also contain some amino acids, they are not considered “complete” sources of protein because they do not have all 20. However, when varieties of vegetable sources that contain protein are consumed, one can generally receive adequate amounts of this nutrient without consuming animal products.
Protein Supplements
Since average human beings do not get the adequate amount of protein per day, it is suggested to take protein supplement like protein powder.
Protein powder supplements can be expensive, so it is important to choose a protein powder that not only works effectively but tastes great as well. You are less likely to use the protein powder if it tastes bad.
Protein powders come in two types. Traditional “pure protein” powders contain little to no added sugars while the weight gainers and meal-replacement powders contain a higher ratio of carbohydrates to proteins.
A strong focus on building healthy relationships goes a long way in establishing your brand.
Focus on developing friendships first, and work on business deals later. One should never seek out relationships with people just for doing business. This is a mistake many people make. They reach out to someone and instantly think about how that person can benefit them professionally or in their business.
One should never discontinue someone as a friend or business contact even if you don’t see any potential to do business in the near future.
Why?
- You never know who they know, and how powerful their network could be for you
- Helping others always trumps asking for help first. The law of reciprocity is always on your side
Build Friendships First and Business Later
Alright. So what are the keys to building friendships first and not focusing on how that person can help you make money?
Here are a few things you should always focus on when you introduce yourself to someone new.
1. Ask Questions
There’s nothing more people love than to talk about themselves and their success. Ask about what their passions are, what they like to do for fun, and about their life outside of business. Asking questions shows you are interested in them and that you are not a selfish prick.
2. Be Genuine
Be interested in what they have to say, don’t just nod and act interested as people see right through that. Make sure you are genuine.
3. Make Connections on the Spot
When you learn about what type of business someone is in, you should instantly think about people who would be perfect connections for them. Call that person right on the spot and make a quick intro on the phone, then follow up with an email intro that day with others they should connect with.
4. Use Eye Contact
Eye contact can make or break a relationship. When listening to others, always focus on their eyes (with a pleasant smile of course) as this will encourage them to be more open and welcoming to you.
5. Continue the Follow Up
You are not a real friend with someone unless you stay connected. Otherwise, you are just an acquaintance of someone you met one time. Make sure to follow up with them by connecting in person, via the phone, email, and through social networks. The more you continue to interact with that new friend, the stronger the friendship becomes and more potential opportunities will come in the future from it.
Finally
Business relationships are great, but they are even better when you have created a friendship first.
If you are looking to gain more influence or build your business then these are just a few principles you should follow when meeting new people.
Are you relationship focussed or money focussed?
On a cloudy morning, 8 years back, I was sitting along with my mother-in-law at a hospital in Central Bangalore. Time was not flowing by and what it felt like ages, I suddenly heard a baby cry from a distance. I was so much engrossed in my thoughts that I almost did not hear it but my mother-in-law whispered in my ear, “Looks like you have become a father”. That brought me back to my senses and now I could hear the baby cry continuously. As the nurse brought the baby out from the OT and showed us the face, I realized that I am indeed a father now. As I took my bundle of joy in my arms for the first time it was an overwhelming feeling which is hardly describable in written words. That day, 19th July, 2004 changed me and my wife’s life forever.
My son was born on the Bengali month of Shravan and the day was Monday. Since the month of Shravan is considered as Lord Shiva’s month and Monday is Lord Shiva’s day, my mother proposed to keep his name as Neel (Neel came from Neelkantha, which is another name of Lord Shiva). That is how our son was named.
From a very early age he was a friendly kid. He was not like other kids who won’t go to strangers’ arms. He used to spend countless hours at our neighbour’s house and since he never created any tantrums everyone around us were too eager to play with him. In fact many of our neighbours became friends with us after Neel was born. And because we never stopped others mingling with him, a friendly nature grew within him which still exists till date. Today also he is great friends with his grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, everyone. Since we live in a joint family it helped him further and even today he shares everything with everyone. He is not like other kids who never want to share their toys or gifts with others. We have been very lucky to have a son like him because as parents we enjoy the fact that each and every one in our family and friend circle love and adore him so much.
As a kid he loves his comics and cartoons. He loves drawing and I must say that as a 8 year old he draws really well (must have got this from his mom, who draws exceptionally well). He loves singing and dancing but both these activities depend a lot on his mood. The evenings these days are spent by playing cricket with the neighboring kids and his practices with me on the weekends seem to be making him a better player.
Studies are not his priority yet and that’s quite understandable at this age. My wife forces him to study and he has been doing OK till date with his results. And the good marks that he scores in most of his subjects are only because of his mother’s hard work. I hardly get time to spend with Neel in his studies so I am ever so grateful to my wife for taking care of this entire activity. It’s often said that a child is a reflection of his mother’s characteristics and Neel is no different.
As a 8 year old he is a bundle of energy and always has a lot of questions. It sometimes become very difficult to answer all of his queries but me and my wife try to answer all of his questions in a way that he understands best. He is a foodie buff just like me and loves his Biriyani a lot. Not an avid cricket fan as yet but follows IPL very closely and is a great KKR supporter. He religiously wears his KKR fan gear while watching the matches involving KKR and all 3 of us enjoy a lot during the IPL season. This season was even better because KKR went on to win the IPL.
He looks forward to his Bi-annual trips to Bangalore where my In-Laws stay and has a lot of fun with his Grand Parents, Maternal Uncle and Aunt and his little cousin. His summer and winter vacations are the time when I miss him a lot because he is away in Bangalore.
As Neel turns 8 today, I as a proud father wish him a great future and I pray to God that with my hard work, I may able to provide him with all the necessary resources that he may require for his future growth.
Happy Birthday, Sonny. Let the party begin!
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