India Watch-27: Major Languages and Dialects of India

There are more than 1,650 dialects spoken in India. 29 major languages of India are spoken by more than one million people each.

Self-Improvement-162: All of life's problems are due to...

All of life's problems

are only due to 2 words

"early" and "late"

We dream too early,

And act too late.

We trust too early

And forgive too late.

We get angry too early

And apologize too late.

We give up too early

And restart too late.

We cry too early

And smile too late

Change "EARLY"

or it will be too "LATE"

A Thought for Today-691: Horace Walpole

The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel - Horace Walpole

Eyecatchers-190:- Nilekanis join The Giving Pledge

Infosys Co-Founder and Tech Billionaire Nandan Nilekani and his wife Rohini Nilekani have joined 'The Giving Pledge', an elite network of the world's wealthiest individuals committing half of their wealth to philanthropy.

The Giving Pledge was created by Bill and Melinda Gastes and Warren Buffett in Aug.2010.

Courtesy: The Times of India

Facts and Figures-88: All the gold in earth...

If somehow you found a way to extract all the gold from the bubbling core of earth, you would be able to cover all of the land in a layer of gold up to your knees.

Courtesy: Pinterest.com

India Watch-26: Birth of Independent India without blood-shedding and bullets

Just after birth of Independent India,  the world’s largest merger and acquisition activity, 560 small princely states merged into the Union of India. Hardly any blood was spilt, nor any bullet fired.

Self-Improvement-161: Sometimes...

Sometimes you are the toxic person.

Sometimes you ar the mean, negative person you are looking to push away.

Sometimes the problem is you.

And that does not make you less worthy.

Keep on growing.

Keep on checking yourself.

Keep on motivating yourself.

Mistakes are opportunities.

Look at them, own them, grow from them and move on.

Do better, be better.

You are human. It is okay.

- Unknown

A Thought for Today-690: Michael Althsuler

The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot - Michael Althsuler 

Self-Improvement-160: Anyway...

Not everyday is a good day. LIVE anyway.

Not all you love will love you back.  LOVE  anyway.

Not everyone will tell you the truth. BE HONEST anyway.

Not all deals are fair. PLAY FAIR anyway.

Courtesy: Power of Positivity

A Thought for Today-689: Power of Positivity

Never judge someone by the opinion of others.

Courtesy: Power of Positivity

India Watch-25: What makes a gentleman?

An American woman asked Swami Vivekananda:"Can't you wear proper clothes to look like a gentleman?"

Swamiji smiled and said: "In your culure, a tailor makes a gentleman; but, in our culture, it is character which makes a gentleman."

Facts and Figures-87: Sharks

Sharks have existed on Earth for more than 400 million years. That is longer than TREES 

A Thought for Today-688: All about TIME

Time is free,

but it is priceless.

You can't own it,

but you can use it.

You can't keep it,

but you can spend it.

Once you have lost it,

You can never get it back.

Courtesy: Brightside

A Thought for Today-687: What appreciation does...

A person who feels appreciated will always do more than is expected - Unknown

Self-Improvement-159: Never blame anyone ...

Never blame anyone in your life.  Good people give you Happiness. Bad people give your Experience. Worst people give you a Lesson and best people give you Memories.

A Thought for Today-686: Positive Thinking

No poison can kill a positive thinker - Unknown

India Watch-24: 560 princely states merge to form the Union of India

Just after birth of Independent India, we executed the world’s largest merger and acquisition activity, when 560 small princely states joined (merged) into the Union of India. Hardly any blood was spilt, nor any bullet fired.

Eyecatchers-189: Major Tax Fugitives of India

Cities with the richest tax fugitives

The Times of India has published an infographic in its column of Oct.12, 2017 the following, quoting the Income Tax Dept as its source:

Under its ‘Name and Shame’ policy, the income tax department publishes the list of income tax and corporate tax defaulters. So far it has named 96 defaulters. They all have tax arrears above Rs 1 crore, but are either not traceable or their assets are inadequate to cover the tax dues. Hyderabad was the last known address of 24 of these 96 defaulters, followed by Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Tax defaulters and Tax arrrears:

Hyderabad 24 (Rs.1027 crores)

Ahmedabad 20 (Rs.486 crores)

Mumbai 12 (Rs.1,063 crores)

Delhi 6 (Rs. 24 crores)

Visakhapatnam 5 (Rs.17 crores)

Kolkata 4 (Rs.77 crores)

Pune 4 (Rs. 337 crores)

Surat 4 (Rs.76 crores)

Lucknow 3 (Rs. 284 crores)

Ludhiana 3 (Rs. 23 crores)

Bhopal 2 (Rs.20 crores)

Chandigarh 2 (Rs.26 crores)

Jaipur 2 (Rs. 90 crores)

Mangaluru 2 (Rs. 23 crores)

Guwahat 1 (Rs. 12 crores)

Panchmahal 1 (Rs. 27 crores)

Secunderabad 1 (Rs.2 crores)

Excerpt from The Times of India, Oct.12, 2017

Grateful thanks to The Times of India

Facts and Figures-86: Employment in IT in India

As of the year 2012, IT sector in India provided direct employment to 2.8 million and indirect employment to 8.9 million individuals. Considering the consistent growth of about 13% per year on workforce and revenues, we can assume that by the end of 2016 the entire IT sector will have close to 4.6 million direct employees and 14.5 million indirect employees in the sector.

Source: Quora.com
Grateful thanks to Quora.com

Self-Improvement-158: Ikigai

Ikigai

Ikigai is a Japanese concept that means "a reason for being." It is similar to the French phrase Raison d'être. Everyone, according to Japanese culture, has an ikigai. Finding it requires a deep and often lengthy search of self. Such a search is important to the cultural belief that discovering one's ikigai brings satisfaction and meaning to life. [Examples include work, hobbies and raising children].

In the culture of Okinawa, ikigai is thought of as "a reason to get up in the morning"; that is, a reason to enjoy life. In a TED Talk, Dan Buettner suggested ikigai as one of the reasons people in the area had such long lives.

The word ikigai is usually used to indicate the source of value in one's life or the things that make one's life worthwhile. Secondly, the word is used to refer to mental and spiritual circumstances under which individuals feel that their lives are valuable. It's not necessarily linked to one's economic status or the present state of society. Even if a person feels that the present is dark, but they have a goal in mind, they may feel ikigai. Behaviours that make us feel ikigai are not actions we are forced to take—these are natural and spontaneous actions.

In the article named Ikigai — jibun no kanosei, kaikasaseru katei ("Ikigai: the process of allowing the self's possibilities to blossom") Kobayashi Tsukasa says that "people can feel real ikigai only when, on the basis of personal maturity, the satisfaction of various desires, love and happiness, encounters with others, and a sense of the value of life, they proceed toward self-realization."

Excerpt from Wikipedia.

Grateful thanks to Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikigai