Karmanya Vadhikaraste Maa Phaleshu Kadachan

The famous Sanskrit shloka "Karmanya Vadhikaraste Maa Phaleshu Kadachan" offers a strategy for living life that is incomparable.

This sholka can be literally translated into English as "Continue with your efforts and never worry about the results".

At first thought it might appear that it runs on the face of result-orientation in today's society.

On the contrary just the opposite is actually true.

Individuals and institutions are so much focused on return on investment today that the first question that arises always is "what's in it for me?".

However at times this leads into unhealthy competition.

Rather than trying to do one's best the attention shifts to prove that one has done the best as compared to the others.

And in the process the results achieved are lesser than what could have been otherwise.

The Sanskrit shloka does indeed say that one should "never worry about the results" but it implies very subtly that one should be so much engrossed in taking the actions that complete, unwavering attention should be on taking the actions in the best possible manner and certainly with concern about the results but in a very very healthy manner.

And if one takes actions in this way the results will certainly be the best possible one could have achieved.

Airports In India and Outside India

I suppose it is quite interesting an exercise to try to compile the list of cities whose airport one has visited. So here goes the list of airports in India and outside India that I have either taken off from or landed at:

In India

• New Delhi (Delhi)
• Mumbai (Maharashtra)
• Calcutta/Kolkata (West Bengal)
• Bangalore/Bengaluru (Karnataka)
• Madras/Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
• Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh)
• Pune (Maharashtra)
• Dabolim (Goa)
• Nagpur (Maharashtra)

Outside India

• London (United Kingdom)
• Frankfurt (Germany)
• Chicago (Illinois, United States)
• Rochester (Minnesota, United States)
• New Orleans (Louisiana, United States)
• Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania, Unites States)
• Atlanta (Georgia, United States)
• New York (United States)
• Amsterdam (Holland)
• Salt Lake City (Utah, United States)

Reduced to One Page of Wikipedia

I think being famous and successful these days interestingly and simply means there is a page about you on Wikipedia. If there is no page about you on Wikipedia then you may really not be as famous and successful as you probably think you are.

That one page of Wikipedia is what you are or at least what others think of you.

You are Rich and Famous if You have a Page of Wikipedia about You

By that logic the world has two kinds of people these days – those who have a page about them on Wikipedia (and hence are famous and successful) and those who don’t have one (the lesser mortals and obviously non-famous and non-successful).

Whenever there is an addition to the list of famous and successful people in the world it takes real form only when a Wikipedia contributor adds a new page and over time through edits from multiple contributors the page evolves. This continues right through until the famous and successful person departs the world.

While the Rich and Famous are Alive

Whenever a famous and successful person (actor, artist, politician, sportsperson, scientist, etc.) dies the Wikipedia page of the person gets updated accordingly.

In fact, I have been observing since last few years that whenever a famous and successful person dies the Wikipedia page of the person gets updated in no time.  This clearly shows the life of a famous and successful person is being followed very closely, at least by those who think of that person as famous and successful, moment by moment.

After the Rich and Famous Depart

Until the death of the famous and successful person updates to the Wikipedia page of the person may have been quite regular.

After the death of the famous and successful person though the Wikipedia page of the person enters a phase where that page will get updated lesser and lesser both in terms of frequency and also the content.

In the End it's Only About that One Page of Wikipedia

In the same breath it can also be said that the events, achievements, successes, media coverage and, in fact, the whole life lived by a famous and successful person get reduced to nothing more than that one page of Wikipedia.

It may sound demeaning or belittling but it is more of a philosophical leveler than anything else. Our lives, in the end, amount to one page, that’s it! That one page of Wikipedia is what you are or at least what others think of you.