Friday 31 May 2019

“If achieving success was easy, everybody would have achieved success and the term ‘success’ would have lost its relevance.” —Professor M.S. Rao




“If achieving success was easy, everybody would have achieved success and the term ‘success’ would have lost its relevance.” —Professor M.S. Rao   
Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders



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“When you venture into unchartered paths, you unlock your hidden potential and excel as a leader.” —Professor M.S. Rao





“When you venture into unchartered paths, you unlock your hidden potential and excel as a leader.” —Professor M.S. Rao   
Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders



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“Fame is like a drug, recognition is like a refresher, and reward is like a motivation.” —Professor M.S. Rao




“Fame is like a drug, recognition is like a refresher, and reward is like a motivation.” —Professor M.S. Rao   
Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders



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“Self-care is not about being selfish but it is the first step to lead from the front to serve others.” —Professor M.S. Rao






“Self-care is not about being selfish but it is the first step to lead from the front to serve others.” —Professor M.S. Rao
Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders



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Tuesday 28 May 2019

Sadhguru’s Branding and Marketing Tactics―Share if You Care!






“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.” —Andrew Carnegie


Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has successfully reinvented and established as a spiritual guru in India. He is a Godman who has immense knowledge. I wanted to find out how he rose as a Godman when there is a huge competition among spiritual gurus in India. First, he has great connections, especially with top politicians. He is an expert in playing his cards effectively. In a nutshell, his network has helped. Second, he leverages the brands of others. For instance, he associates with branded film stars, cricketers, entrepreneurs, and politicians who promote interviews/talks on their social media platforms. Third, he visits the homes of successful and rich people to deliver spiritual lectures. He is sometimes referred to as a guru for rich and elite people in India. Fourth, he starts programs like ‘Youth and Truth’ and takes a few questions and responds to them. The participants share their answers on their social media platforms. Fifth, he travels widely to connect with common people. He visits various places and plays sports and bikes to draw the attention of the people. He is media savvy and promotes himself on all social media platforms. He is hungry for publicity. Sixth, he founded the Isha Foundation, a non-profit organization which offers Yoga programs around the world. He wears a unique attire to get noticed by others. Seventh, he doesn’t get into the rat race. He follows the road less traveled. He is an expert in branding and marketing himself. Having understood Sadhguru’s tactics to reach the top position, others may consider exploring his tactics to grow as spiritual gurus to build their brands.


“Your brand is what people say about you when you are not in the room.” —Jeff Bezos




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Life is great!

Professor M.S. Rao
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India



Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2019 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S. Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Monday 27 May 2019

How Far Indian Celebrities are Effective in Transforming the Society?―Share if You Care!






"Little kids today don't want to be doctors or lawyers. They just want to be famous." —Reef Karim, US psychiatrist


Many celebrities in India who are eager to hit the headlines. They often end up sending the wrong messages and getting trolled on social media. They compete with their colleagues to build their brands. They explore innovative options to outsmart their professional rivals to stand out in the rat race. They don’t add any value to society except increasing their visibility on social media. Is it the right strategy? Is it not ridiculous?

It is unfortunate that the celebrities start nonprofit foundations to promote their brands rather than promote the interests of the people and transform society. They rarely remember that they earn huge money from people. Worse, there are celebrities who hit social media for 30 seconds of fame by leveling false allegations and making controversial statements. They apologize at the end by gauging the mood of the people. Most celebrities are fence-sitters who wait until the last moment to see the public mood to come out with their stands on controversial issues. Do they lack a spine? Do they lack clarity on issues? Do they care more about their brands than care for the interests of the people?

These celebrities must remember that negative publicity is worse than nil publicity. Some celebrities who are film stars and cricketers milk PR. They meet top politicians and other successful celebrities to get more visibility. Why don’t they take up social issues and challenges encountered by the people to build a better society?


Conclusion

“As a young man I prayed for success. Now I just pray to be worthy of it.” —Brendan Fraser

This attention seeking celebrities do no good to the society except building their brands. The followers must understand the selfish motives of their celebrities and stay away from them. They must remember that they are wasting their precious time to promote these celebrities who don't add any value to society.

Understand the fact that fame is like a drug, recognition is like a tonic, and reward is like a motivation. To conclude, celebrities must be accountable to society. They must come forward to express their views against the wrongdoings and bad practices to build a strong society. They must walk their talk and lead from the front to build a peaceful and prosperous society.


“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” —Andy Warhol, 1968



Share if you care!





Life is great!

Professor M.S. Rao
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India



Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2019 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S. Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Sunday 26 May 2019

My Personal Experiences during Chardham Yatra―Share if You Care!










The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” —Paulo Coelho


I planned to travel to Chardham 15 years ago with my family and booked tickets but canceled it one day before the journey due to unforeseen events. I planned many times to tour Chardham and every time I encountered obstacles. Fortunately, I booked tickets 20 days before the tour and finally left for Chardham in May 2019.

Before my wife and I proceeded, I searched online about the journey and discussed with a few of my friends who visited there. Chardham consists of four religious places Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath (this is the ideal route to follow). They are the sacred shrines for the Hindus. Many people have their lifetime ambition to visit them but only a few make it. It is believed that people can visit these places only when Gods invite them wholeheartedly. Additionally, the holy shrines of Chardham open every year with the advent of summers in April-May and close with the starting of winter months October-November. The registration is essential to reach there.

We reached Haridwar on May 14, 2019, in the evening and stayed in a hotel in the night.
On 15 May 2019, We boarded a bus and reached Dharaju. We went by taxi to Barkot and proceeded to Jankichetti. We stayed in the hotel in the night.
On 16 May 2019, we trekked for 6 kilometers to Yamunotri which took 3 hours approximately. We bathed in natural hot water. We were truly excited with the Goddess and trekked back to Jankichetti which took two hours approximately. We trekked a total of 5 hours. We left the hotel and went by taxi to Barkot and to Uttarkashi. We stayed in a hotel for two days and visited Viswanath temple. It was a great experience. We were fortunate to visit the temple three times in three days.
On 17 May 2019, we went to Gangotri by taxi and bathed in cool water. We stood in the queue for three hours and had darshan with the Goddess and returned to Uttarkashi in the evening.
On 18 May 2019, we visited other temples in the early morning in the Uttarkashi. We proceeded to Srinagar (don’t confuse with Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir) by bus and Rudraprayag. We went by taxi to Guptkashi and finally to Sonprayag. We found very difficult to get accommodation everywhere due to heavy inflow of tourists. Finally, we managed to get beds and stayed in night.
On 19 May 2019, we went by taxi in the early morning to Gouri Kund which is around 5 kilometers from Sonprayag and trekked to Kedarnath which is 17 kilometers one way. It was the toughest trekking in our life. We reached Kedarnath in the evening. My wife felt giddiness on the way. The Prime Minister of India visited Kedarnath on the same day. It is a rare coincidence. We prayed to Lord Siva and had free food (prasadam) near the temple. The climate changed abruptly due to sudden wind and rain. We had to stay in the night but we found it very difficult to get accommodation. Somehow we managed to get dormitory by paying more money and stayed in the night.
On 20 May 2019, we got up early morning and trekked back to Gouri Kund which took six and a half hour. We went by taxi to Sonprayag and checked out of the room. We reached Guptkashi by taxi and found it challenging as it rained suddenly. The accommodation was not available. I had to climb stairs for a long distance to find a hotel beside Viswanath temple. We stayed one night and prayed at Viswanath temple. We purchased prasadam to distribute to our neighbors and religious items as I have the practice of gifting to others.  
On 21 May 2019, we vacated the room early in the morning and went by taxi to Gopeshwar and visited the temple. We went to Chamoli by taxi and proceeded to Joshimath and Badrinath by changing taxis. I had to search for accommodation. It was again a tough challenge. Fortunately, we got accommodation in a hotel Gita Mandir from where we can view the temple directly. We went to the temple and bathed in hot water and stood in the queue for five hours and had the darshan. We prayed to God and returned the room.
On 22 May 2019, we left Badrinath early in the morning by bus and reached Haridwar in the evening. We got two seats at the last row and there were bumps throughout the journey and our bodies pained heavily. We stayed one night in the Haridwar.
On 23 May 2019, we went to New Delhi by train visited Red Fort and did shopping. There were sudden wind and rain. We rushed back to the hotel quickly. Whenever I go to New Delhi, I visit Red Fort regularly. It is the most inspiring place for me. I lived in New Delhi in 1983 when I served in the Indian Air Force.
On 24 May 2019, we visited India Gate, War Memorial, Rashtrapati Bhavan, Connaught Place, and did shopping in Palika Bazar, and finally reached the hotel. We vacated the hotel in the evening and boarded the train to reach our home.

Here is the route we followed during the Chardham Yatra: Haridwar (stayed one night), Dharaju, Barkot, Janikichetti (stayed one night) Yamunotri, Barkot, Uttarkashi (stayed two nights) Gangotri, Uttarkashi, Srinagar (don’t confuse with Srinagar of Jammu and Kashmir), Rudraprayag, Guptkashi, Sonprayag (stayed one night) Gowri Kund, Kedarnath (stayed one night), Gowri Kund, Sonprayag, Guptkashi (stayed one night) Gopeshwar, Chamoli, Joshimath, Badrinath (stayed one night) Haridwar (stayed one night) and New Delhi (stayed one night).


Tips for Chardham Tour

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

Here are some steps to consider for Chardham Yatra. Carry lightweight. Remember that less luggage is more comfortable. Carry medicines as the entire route is full of hills. Be prepared for high altitude sickness. Carry chocolates to chew if you feel vomiting sensation. It is essential to do registration for this tour and there are some points to register. You must carry your identity card of each person to register for the tour. Traveling is not ideal in the night. The roads are very narrow and the work is going on at a fast pace in some areas to widen the roads. Accommodation is available as per your budget but it is advisable to book it online in advance to avoid nightmares. Limited buses are available at scheduled timings. You can go by taxis by sharing or hire a taxi. Keep cash with you as ATM counters are very few and run out cash quickly. It is ideal to travel in the month of May as the rain may start in other months.


Conclusion

“Faith is not the clinging to a shrine but an endless pilgrimage of the heart.” —Abraham Joshua Heschel

We encountered several challenges during the journey due to lack of accommodation. We did not like to go by the travel agent as we are adventurous and I am confident of traveling independently due to my years of experiences in the Indian Air Force. We found the people of Uttarakhand very warm and friendly. Most of them are helpful to tourists and guide them properly.

It was the toughest tour in our life but we were excited with the tour. It was the most memorable tour of our life. We enjoy traveling and traveled many parts of India. With the visit of Chardham successfully, we completed traveling most of the places in India.


“Take only memories, leave only footprints.” —Chief Seattle


Share if you care!





Life is great!

Professor M.S. Rao
Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India



Thanks for reading!

Kindly share your thoughts and comments below, I’m sure someone out there will find your story useful.



Copyright©2019 MSR Leadership Consultants India. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

This is a nonprofit blog to share Professor M.S. Rao’s passion and vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com.  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.