Published articles

The kimchi konnection https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/right-in-the-middle/the-kimchi-konnection-1111102.html Cultural diversity is an amalgamation when people collocate, bond, and extend friendship to learn about each other. A cuisine spread adds colour and spice to life. As a student in Texas, US, whenever I was invited to a potluck, I had a few signature dishes – time-tested and appreciated by friends. Potato-onion mashed and seasoned qualified as a teaser appetiser,  lemon rice with a generous seasoning of fried peanuts, egg curry for gravy, and fruit salad for dessert were a few that I had experimented with and mastered. As a fresh graduate of a business school, my first job was with a biotech company in Houston. The diaspora there was diverse -- my colleagues were from Mexico, China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, Europe, and many states of India,  which led to the introduction of an ethnic variety of gastronomical significance. With the locals being a mix of African Amer...

Doubt to Trust Swami Nisargadatta Maharaj, an Indian Guru of nondualism stated: "I can tell you about myself.   I was a simple man, but I trusted my Guru.   What he told me to do, I did.   He told me to concentrate on 'I am' - I did.” Man is eternally in search of new things.   A new place to discover, a new subject to master, and a new hobby to cherish are but a few examples.   ‘A new’ has gained momentum in today’s world given there are multiple options facilitated by a Google of information. Life in its simplest form is an evolution from a domain of doubt to a field of faith, and finally into a tower of trust.   Human mind views every single activity through these steps to help arrive at a final destination of happiness. In the beginning, fear always overtakes the excitement to know the unknown.   Doubt creeps into the mind – either it usurps a plan or helps iron out all creases to master a plan.   This depends upon the individual’s menta...

Divinise your work https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/oasis/divinise-your-work-1100868.html Marianne Williamson, an American author and spiritual leader, wrote: “One of the most positive transitions you can make is from viewing your work as a job to viewing it as a calling.” My conversation with a cab driver: “I don’t see a God’s idol in your car normally present in cabs; do you believe in God, and when do you offer your prayers?” Traffic snarls had rendered our vehicle stationary, but not this driver’s overpouring  emotions!  Rhetoric and visibly upset, he ranted: “Sir, look at the menace of driving all day on these pot-holed roads with erratic drivers who create roadblocks, political rallies that make senseless progress,  worsened by unrealistic expectations from customers who blindly trust technology which underwhelms the realistic experience! Do I even have time to think about God?” “Stressed for time” — indeed a ubiquitous response from all professionals. From...

Journey of a human being https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/oasis/journey-of-a-human-being-1091338.html Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi said: “The question ‘Who am I?’ is not really meant to get an answer, the question ‘Who am I?’ is meant to dissolve the questioner.” Life is a blessed journey. Copiously showered with love, the doting child is the centre of attraction and attention that will please the parents. The child in school, in its role as a student, discharges duties to display newly acquired talents.  It aligns and gains balance, like a tripod stable on its three legs towards teachers to make them happy, friends either for upmanship or friendship, and to please parents. Society beckons with expectations of the young adult, who aligns accordingly. Parents are pushed into the periphery, while society motivates the young adult to stay happy. At the workplace, the new role is the job profile.   All efforts and actions are to please the manager and the corporate entity...

The Monkey Man https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/right-in-the-middle/the-monkey-man-1081162.html 25 years ago, in my first job in the USA, I assumed a challenge in my new business development role. It entailed working for a biotech company with endocrinology-based immunodiagnostic products to measure hormone and peptide levels in human serum —  all Greek and Latin then to my lexicon! All of my formal educational training was a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a USA post-graduate MBA degree. My single ray of hope to cope with the industry understanding was my overwhelming passion for healthcare that I covertly  harboured right from my childhood days.  Hundreds of products and their features to learn their technical details and clinical application usage as well – an exercise in gargantuan proportions.  Products had their usage in research and clinical  setting, and the narrative had to be designed accordingly. Their application was in human samp...

Street is the stadium   Gully cricket popularized the philosophy of inclusiveness through the game https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/street-is-the-stadium/article38417945.ece The 1970s and 1980s, the golden era for youngsters who indulged in outdoor play.   Cricket matches of yesteryear had a vibrant flavour.   I mean ‘street cricket’ that we played at a young age.   Bricks or even coconut-tree trunks, if not a small gate, formed our wickets.   Or the stumps and bails were drawn on a compound wall.   The bats used to be the hard middle section of a coconut frond.   The few who bought a decent bat from a sports store counted their blessings.   Though linseed oil is recommended to season the bats, we used castor oil available at homes. We used tennis and rubber balls, and the bounce improved our skills.   For the adventurous ones, there was the slightly harder cork ball – not the ones used in nets today.   Also, the fruits...

Detached attachment “Along with the development of concentration, we must develop the power of detachment”  — Swami Vivekananda https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/oasis/detached-attachment-1078736.html The two words attachment and detachment can be defined by what one is and what one is not respectively. Attachment is a special feeling like affection, fondness, sympathy, etc. that makes one connect to someone or something, brimming with emotion  and mostly unconditional. Detachment neither is about a feeling of hatred or anger nor indifference or an attitude of disengagement towards someone or something, instead, a practice of equanimity devoid of any emotions. A human being is strongly attached to one’s body, as well in the realm of emotions to outside things perceived by sensory organs.  Body parts are not necessarily viewed as organs that carry out various functions, but as an integral part to enhance  the sense of attachment. Then one’s family like spouse and c...

JGI JAIN -   Aventure Health & Fitness - Volume 12 / Issue 1 / January 2022 HEART MATTERS – The new 40s Syndrome “We first make our habits, then our habits make us.” – John Dryden, an English poet. 40s is the new 30s – popular headline nowadays! The 40s generation is motivated to look young, imitate the younger to create an illusion of sorts. One aspect is looking younger, while the other is about ‘acting’ young. The modifications to the body in terms of the physique, the ‘blacking’ of the grey, anti-wrinkle escapades among others to appear young is pure illusory effect. Also, there is a blind copy of western culture more so in the work environment to ape their work ethic, sans the framework that the western professionals enjoy as a much-needed cushion to work in a professional environment. Are there any repercussions that can harm the naturally ageing body? Prasanna S. Harihar discuss here in this article. Habits Maketh an Individual! Habits die hard. They push us int...

Bicycle Times Raleigh deserved all my attention — daily cleaning, wax shine, and a prime place in garage https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/bicycle-times/article38273597.ece India opened up its market some time in 1993; the then Finance Minister swept us of our feet with bold sweeping measures.  It took another decade for the market to take off in the IT field, post Y2K debacle.  It took another few years since then for Indians to realise how the policy changed many other fields – to name a few, pharmaceuticals, restaurant chains, vacation homes, fast food, five-star hotels, cars, bicycles, and many more. Bicycles bring me lovely memories.  Circa 2011, my younger one demanded a bicycle, and her preference was the Firefox brand.   We visited a neighbourhood dealer who was professional and allowed her to try a few ones before she picked her favourite blue.   She was excited, while we went through delivery formalities.   We loaded her new bicycle into ...

The Motionless Mind   https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/oasis/the-motionless-mind-1067673.html Eckhart Tolle, the German born spiritual teacher stated, “ All problems are illusions of the mind.” It's always the mind over matter – it matters to keep the mind under control.   To still the mind is a task of Himalayan proportions.   What is mind?   Is it a body part?   The mind is a collection of thoughts and considered the 6 th sense organ of the subtle body.   It is not a body part but the inputs from the other five sense organs as well as its own create thoughts, emotions, etc. The lure of the external world is ominous.   External sensory organs of our body help us grasp outside knowledge.   Ear helps us hear.   Skin feels touch, eyes see, the tongue tastes, and the nose smells.   They are natural tools to grasp external knowledge of things.   The more in pursuit of the external objects, the more the lure which makes it a...

No friction living Physics has taught us that when two surfaces or objects rub against each other, friction is created due to resistance.   To reduce friction, a lubricant in the form of grease or oil may be smeared to cause the surfaces to slide in a smoother fashion.   Friction causes the deceleration of a moving object headed to its destination.   Eventually, there is some friction which causes halting and brings the object to a stationary condition.   An unpalatable side effect of this phenomenon is heat generation; one has to pay attention to not only reducing the friction but also addressing the heating effect! If one has played the game of carrom board, some powder is sprinkled on the board to reduce the friction between the striker and the board, as well as the pawns, to facilitate smoother movement to render the game interesting. In the bigger game of life, it helps to reduce friction in our transactions, particularly with people around us which includ...

Anchored How can I be? I’m not a vessel floating along the waves on a pristine river... https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/right-in-the-middle/anchored-1060176.html I’m not a vessel floating along the waves on a pristine river or a raging ocean to prevent further drifting by anchoring me to a firm bottom. Half a century ago, my parents could’ve chided me for a surfeit of mischiefs and enforced ‘grounded’ to  punish me; or into the future, a non-existent ride since I’m not yet a picture frame to be nailed for posterity, and hence remain unanchored. I do not have the exposure or the experience to anchor a television show , more so as a news anchor to pull off a mesmerising effect on my audience to impinge their mindset. However, the twists and turns in my story of impingement will reveal the truth, but until then, I need your patient read. Two months ago, a little niggle in the right shoulder made me believe that I can self-administer a few painkillers and rub some relief crea...

Another new day https://www.deccanherald.com/opinion/oasis/another-new-day-1042899.html Life, I write to you from the other side, called death. Aren't we the two sides of the same coin? Your absence is termed death, and my absence is termed life! We do co-exist like conjoined twins tied in the hips. When I look around, people across age groups are not cognizant of my existence. They bask and celebrate each minute in your glory. I do not blame them; you are meant to be lived ‘happily-ever-after!’ I deserve some respect. Did they plan their life when they came on earth? Did they know at birth this was a journey with its own travails? They grew up and pushed me into obscurity. Do you recognise this quandary? They enjoy or endure what you shower upon them. They are aware of me but in their daily rigmarole choose to ignore me.   When the day arrives for me to embrace them, their unpreparedness lands them in a predicament — hesitation and trepidation writ large on their face. S...

JGI Jain - Aventure - Volume 11 / Issue 4 / October 2021 Occam's Razor "LIFE IS REALLY SIMPLE, BUT WE INSIST ON MAKING IT COMPLICATED" A recent newspaper article about a strategy to tackle the pandemic, in which the interviewee made a mention of Occam’s Razor got me started with ripples of thoughts! Razors are a man’s best friend! My fixation on sharp razors for a clean and smooth shave despite sporting a permanent goatee, is a gene that I probably inherited from my father. Or could it be my grandfather?! Y-chromosome has played its role in three generations! Occam’s Razor conjured up in my mind the launch of a new brand of shaving system, imported from an advanced country to offer a smooth shave. My mind traversed Google land before it settled down on an immensely popular principle. The principle involved in Occam’s Razor is attributed to a 14 Century theologist and logicist, William of Ockham who gave the world a rule: “Entities must not be multiplied without nece...

JGI Jain - Aventure - Volume 11 / Issue 4 / October 2021 Lifestyle and Cancer Prevalence This article is not about conventional cancer prevention guidelines asking readers to abstain from alcohol and tobacco usage; to eat healthy, practice safe sex, ensure regular medical check-ups and screening tests, to get vaccinated, to enhance physical activity, etc. The aim of this article is to raise awareness that genetics and environment are indirect risk factors for cancer. At the cancer care centre reception area, a display read: “There is a ‘can’ in cancer because we CAN beat it!” Personally, a challenging time, as I sat there anxiously awaiting my parent’s surgery update, even as my aunt was undergoing a chemotherapy session. Beside me sat a lady, equally dishevelled – this disease renders the kith-and-kin to grope around in dark unknown territory, dabble the financial implications, emotional distress, and other factors that pre...