World Photography Day 2018

No text.
No commentary.
Let the picture speak.
Happy World Photography Day to fellow shutter bugs and others.

The above picture was taken by Akanksha, my daughter two years ago in Secunderabad. She captured the right moment. That is what photography is all about!

Previous years' greetings are linked below:
2015 Keep shooting


2016 Pictures speak louder than words (set of 10 pictures)



Thanks for browsing.

   - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 19th Aug 2018

Leadership@Fourteen

Wearing collar tabs at a young age of fourteen? Like senior officers of the Army/Navy/Air Force! Is that possible?
Our 14-year old grandson Ansh has done it quietly.
He has been selected by his school to be a 'Director' of a volunteering program for community work. Four students, one each from 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th grades have been chosen for this task. He is the youngest of the directors!

This morning while he was getting ready to go to the school, from my yoga mat I noticed a lapel pin on his shirt collar. On questioning, he explained it's significance. Unlike most teenagers of his age he is so humble that he reluctantly agreed to let me take a picture. Not too sharp as you can see below.

What struck me is the spin-offs of such volunteering programs for teenagers. As a 14-year old 'Director' he is responsible for the following:

• Fund raising for different programs/activities
• Organise the events
• Mobilise other volunteers
• Participate in community work

You will agree that in doing so, these young 'directors' will imbibe many qualities and values listed below which will help them in their life after school:

• Self-confidence
• Leadership
• Communication
• Event management
• Team work
• Sensitisation towards societal needs
• Social equity
• Power of volunteering
• Empowerment and its true meaning

I felt very happy that schools are making an endeavour to shape the young minds into responsible citizens of India. Hat tip to Ansh's school and his teachers. Future of India is bright with such teenagers. I couldn't have found a better theme for Ghumakkad's Independence Day message. 

Keep going Ansh! We have a star in you.

Thanks for browsing.

Happy Independence Day to all.

   -  Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 15th Aug 2018

#Values #leadership #responsiblecitizens #volunteering #teamwork #teenagers #ghumakkadhb #ghumakkadharsh

Startups- Identifying an Opportunity

Want to set up a Startup?
Have an idea?
Does it address any 'need'? Whose need?
How to take the first steps?
How to identify the opportunity?

Everybody knows that startups are all about an opportunity, mobilising resources and creating and sustaining value. So, the start point is identifying the opportunity.

I   I teach a  core course titled 'Entrepreneurship and Startup Management' (ESM) to PGDM students at VVISM Hyderabad. One of the Learning Outcomes of the course is "To be able to identify the opportunity for creating a new business venture or social venture". The course focuses on learning-by-doing. After initial introduction to Entrepreneurship and Startups, the students were given few inputs on identifying the opportunity. See the excerpts of lecture slides below.

    And just after four sessions, they were asked to identify a business or social opportunity for a new venture. The students had to submit their idea in one page and make a one-minute elevator pitch. 

    Even though most students in the graduating Class of 2019 are freshers i.e. without work experience, they did a brilliant job. A summary of some of the startup ideas is given below.

   Did you notice any common thread in these ideas? Those familiar with the subject of ESM, may have observed the following:

1.     Most of the ideas were innovative though some ventures may already be existing addressing similar needs.
2.     The students could think of new ventures across industry sectors
3.     The sample includes ideas for social ventures also
4.     The students could identify new venture ideas that are needed for the rural population as well
5.     Healthcare/eldercare seems to be a concern of the younger generation

    For a teacher like me it is satisfying to see when the students apply what we learn in the class. The next phase of developing these ideas into a Business Plan will follow. These individual ideas will now be debated, discussed and shortlisted for further team work. More on that later.

    A glimpse of the learnings and venture plans of the graduating class of 2018 can be browsed in the story 'Can Startup Management be Taught?'

   We close with a quote from Thomas Friedman, author of global bestseller 'The World is Flat'.

    If you are part of a startup or a teacher or a student, do share your experiences to further refine our learning-by-doing!  

   Thanks for browsing

      - Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 8th Aug 2018

     #Startups #entrepreneurship #identifyingopportunity #learningoutcomes #learningbydoing #experientiallearning #MBA #PGDM #VVISM #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadhb

Virupaksha- The Living Temple in Hampi

Hampi is a saga in stone. Hampi is history coming alive. Hampi is ruins with a charm.
The only 'living' structure in Hampi- meaning where puja (worship) is performed everyday- is the Virupaksha Temple. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known in Hampi as Virupaksha, as the consort of the local goddess Pampadevi who is associated with the Tungabhadra River. The temple is also called Pampapathi temple and dates back to 7th Century AD. 

Rising high up in the sky, it can be seen from adjoining hills.

A guide sketch below shows the location of main monuments/sites for tourists.

Ghumakkad had shared a set of ten stories on Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You may browse it by clicking the following links:

Hyderabad to Hampi

Vitthala Temple and Stone Chariot Hampi

Lotus Mahal Hampi

Sunset Point Hampi

Coracle Boating near Hampi- not for the weak-hearted

Hiking in Hampi

Confusion at Hampi- Ugra or Lakshmi Narasimha

Women Warriors of Hampi

Virupaksha Temple Hampi

Daroji Sloth Bear Sanctuary

One of the most striking features of Virupaksha temple is the usage of mathematical concepts to build and decorate it. The temple has repeated patterns that demonstrate the concept of Fractals. The main shape of the temple is triangular. As you look up the temple top, the patterns divide and repeat themselves, just like you would see in a snowflake or some other natural wonders. See the picture below.

This story takes you around Virupaksha Temple. Photography is not allowed in the sanctum sanctorum. But you can see the remaining pictures and get a feel of life inside the temple including Lakshmi- the temple elephant ! Let the pictures speak.

A Gopuram or gopura (Sanskrit: गोपुरम्, gopuram) is a monumental gatehouse tower, usually ornate, at the entrance of a Hindu temple, in southern states of India.

Lakshmi- the temple elephant who resides inside the temple.

Inside the sanctum sanctorum- no photography please!

The Vijayanagara Dynasty- as painted on one of the temple walls.

Please pardon the typo! Shoes to be removed before entering the temple.

This story concludes Ghumakkad's set of ten stories on our visit to Hampi, a World Heritage Site in Karnataka India. It is indeed a saga in stone.

Hope you enjoyed browsing through. Your feedback or experience of earlier visits is always welcome.

     -   Harsh-the-Ghumakkad/ 7th Aug 2018 <hbindia@gmail.com>
#hampi #worldheritagesite #virupakshatemple #7thcentury #pampapathitemple #fractals #gopuram #natgeo #lonelyplanet #ghumakkadharsh #ghumakkadHB #indiatourism #karnatakatourism