Hi all, I have been using json-1.1.3 to parse the json output by google reader API. It seems like certain RSS feeds have illegal characters, and this gem throws a JSON::ParserError (unexpected token) when trying to parse the json provided by google reader api for the same.
Is there any way where I can ignore these characters instead of throwing the parser error?
Here’s the error: JSON::ParserError (unexpected token at '{“title”:“Why Save the turtles?”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/
14/why-save-the-turtles/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:48:22 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:"I f ound this page on the greenpeace site, and throught it is important for readers here to notice.\n\n \n
\n ...","content":"\u003cp\u003eI found \u003ca href\u003d\"[http://www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles/why-save-turtl](http://www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles/why-save-turtl)
es"\u003ethis page on the greenpeace site\u003c/a):
/vendor/plugins/json-1.1.3/lib/json/common.rb:122:in `parse'
/vendor/plugins/json-1.1.3/lib/json/common.rb:122:in `parse'
/app/controllers/city_controller.rb:5271:in `google_read_rss'
And here’s the output that needs to be parsed: {“responseData”: {“feed”:{“title”:“Footprints on the Mountainside”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog”,“author”:“”,"
description":“Wide Aware moments that stay with us for life”,“type”:“rss20”,“entries”:[{“title”:“Train the Outdoor Train er”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/30/train-the-outdoor-trainer/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”
:“Sat, 30 Aug 2008 09:14:21 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“As I had mentioned earlier, we are doing a Training the Trainer Pro gramme for facilitators in the┬á outdoors.\nAdd value to your …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs I had \u003
ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/13/outdoor-management-training-with-roger-greenaway/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/13/outdoor-management-training-with-roger-greenaway/\)"\u003ementio
ned earlier\u003c/a\u003e, we are doing a Training the Trainer Programme for facilitators in the  outdoors.\u003c/p\u00 3e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd value to y
our outdoor programmes with these skills and tools for facilitating active learning.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u0 03c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003eEmpower Activity Ca
mps and Wide Aware invite you to participate in a three day trainer-training programme designed especially for provide rs of outdoor training.\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp align\u003d"center"\u
003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:medium;font-family:Arial"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFacilitation Skills for Outdoor Trainers\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp align\u003d"center"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"
font-size:medium;font-family:Arial"\u003epresented by Dr. Roger Greenaway\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp alig n\u003d"center"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Arial"\u003eEMPOWER ACTIVITY CAMPS, KOLAD\u
003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp align\u003d"center"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Ar ial"\u003e14 ΓÇô 16 Oct 2008\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-
family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis three day residential programme\u003c/strong\u003e with Roger Gree naway will enable you to\u003cstrong\u003e:\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\
u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRefresh\u003c/strong\u 003e and sharpen your facilitation skills\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font
-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRevisit\u003c/strong\u003e the fundamentals of facil itating learning and development\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;
font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDevelop\u003c/strong\u003e your skills in facilitating discussio ns arising from experiential activities.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-siz
e:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExtend\u003c/strong\u003e your training tool kit with re viewing methods that motivate participants\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-s
ize:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLearn\u003c/strong\u003e to match reviewing methods to activities and to stages in a programme\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-siz
e:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDevelop\u003c/strong\u003e strategies and techniques tha t will increase the transfer of learning\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style
\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe skills and methods\u003c/strong\u003e y ou will explore in this programme are suitable for:\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003c
span style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003efacilitating a range of programmes: personal dev elopment, team building, leadership training, management development.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e
\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003eworking with a wide age range: youth and a dult\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman\
"\u003elearning from any activities: outdoor, challenge, group, problem-solving, creative, simulation and work act ivities\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-fami
ly:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the presenter\u003c/strong\u003e: Roger began working in Outdoor Mana gement Development in 1981. He received a doctorate in 1995 for a study of the experiences of managers during such pro
grammes. Roger also has an extensive background in working with disadvantaged youth and in training others to do so in his 4 years with Save the Children. Roger now provides reviewing skills training to a wide range of clients in the UK
and around the world. Their testimonials are published on RogerΓÇÖs website - providing evidence of transfer at many l evels. You will discover that Roger practises what he preaches - using experience-based training methods to learn about
experience-based training.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-f amily:Times New Roman"\u003e \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font
-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eResources\u003c/strong\u003e: The programme will be supported by a cou rse manual and by relevant extracts from RogerΓÇÖs books and articles. Both as preparation and follow-up you are recomm
ended to browse RogerΓÇÖs highly acclaimed ΓÇÿGuide to Active ReviewingΓÇÖ at: \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"htt p://[reviewing.co.uk/](http://reviewing.co.uk/\)"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;color:#000080"\u003e\u0
03cspan style\u003d"text-decoration:underline"\u003ehttp://reviewing.co.uk\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u 003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong
\u003eContent will include\u003c/strong\u003e: tools for starting a programme; tools for developing communication skill s; tools focusing on learning objectives; tools related to popular training activities; tools for personal feedback; t
ools for reviewing issues in the workplace.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003eHow to design a debriefing strategy fo r a whole programme. Maximising the transfer of learning.\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e Practical transfer stra
tegies based on the work of leading writers on this topic. Naturally, you will also be encouraged to apply these strate gies to the transfer of your own learning.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-si
ze:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVenue\u003c/strong\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e
n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003eEmpower Activity Camps, Sutarwa
di, Off KOLAD on Mumbai Goa Highway. (See route map on our website \u003c/span\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.empo [wercamp.com/](http://wercamp.com/\)"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman;color:#000080"\u003e\u003cspan
style\u003d"text-decoration:underline"[u003ewww.empowercamp.com](http://u003ewww.empowercamp.com)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cs pan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003
cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDates\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/s pan\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e 0800 h
ours 14 Oct to 14 hours 16 Oct 2008. Participants are expected to arrive by 8.00 pm on 13 Oct 2008\u003c/span\u003e
u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003
eYour Investment\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small ;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003eCabins (twin sharing) ΓÇô Rs 35000/- (plus 12.36% service tax)\u003c/span\u003e\u00
3c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003eSwiss Cottage Tents (triple sharing) ΓÇô Rs 30000/- (plus 12.36% service tax)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style
\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCost includes boarding, lodging, training, cer tificates, caps and stationery. It does \u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e include t
ransport. If collective transport is required, that can be organized at additional cost, as applicable.\u003c/em\u003e
u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003e
Limited vacancies. Please register early to avoid disappointment. Last date for registration 15 Sep 2008. \u003c/span\u 003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;font-family:Times New Roman"\u003eFor registra
tion / queries, please contact\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-size:small;fon t-family:Times New Roman"\u003e09423093607\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:["Development
Methods",“Experiential learning”,“HR”,“Outdoor professionals”,“Team News”,“Training and Development”,“adventure trainin g”,“corporate training”,“experiential learning”,“facilitation”,“group methodology”,“management”,"outdoor management trai
ning",“Personal Development”,“professional development”,“training program”]},{“title”:“Why in the Outdoor World?”,“link” :“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/15/why-outdoor/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:52
:02 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“In a mood for mischief. Was looking around at various sites and blogs. The Mumbai Hikers Bl og, Lonely Planet, wikitravel.org, …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn a mood for mischief. Was looking aroun
d at various sites and blogs. The \u003ca title\u003d"Mumbai Hikers" href\u003d"http://mumbaihikers.blogspot.com"\u0 03eMumbai Hikers Blog\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca title\u003d"Lonely Planet" href\u003d"www.lonelyplanet.com"\u003eLonely
Planet\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://wikitravel.org"\u003e\u003cspan[u003ewikitravel.org](http://u003ewikitravel.org)\u003c/span\u003e
u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[TreKshitiZ Sanstha](TreKshitiZ Sanstha)"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTrekshitiz\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u00
3e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.treksnrapids.com"\u003eTreks N Rapids\u003c/a\u003e…. and I was wondering what do I write on my blog. This is what came up - my intense need to know.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is it in the outdoo
rs and adventure travel that calls to people? Honestly there is mud, mosquitoes, snakes and other creeps. There are no e asy lifts and clean beds. Food and cooking is primitive. We exhaust ourselves climbing a mountain and risk life and limb
to come down again. So why?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhy is the world so passionate about (to quote some inquiry ema ils I get) weekend gateways, hicking, treasure hunt riddles clues, rapling, climbhing and so many other things that they
donΓÇÖt even know how to spell? What about those things tempts them? What makes them leave their warm and cozy homes in pursuit of strange hardships with even stranger people?\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf
I were to live a comfortable life, I wouldn’t want to sleep one more night in a damp cave with water dripping down it s sides and garbage from a previous crowd catching a stray breeze that comes in…. I certainly wouldn’t want to have
monkeys steal my food and a scorpion bite my friend. I wouldnΓÇÖt have to deal with enthusiastic groups that sing to bri ng the sky down and drown out any sounds of the night.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHereΓÇÖs a list of some of the strang
est un-want-to-repeatable experiences I have had in the outdoors or related with going to the outdoors:\u003c/p\u003e\n
u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://wide-aware.com/community/Article9.htm\](http://wide-aware.com/community/Article9.htm\)"\u003eA snake coiled arou
nd a rat fell from the roof\u003c/a\u003e of an ancient temple we were staying right next to a sleeping friend.\u003c/li \u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2006/04/21/rant/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2006/04/21/rant/\)"\u003eOverprotective parents\
u003c/a\u003e who think their kids canΓÇÖt really survive this world. There is a difference between mothering and smothe ring.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA diabetic patient who lost his medicine kit while crossing a stream on a trek. Need
less to say, trek cancelled and we returned back at double speed.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http ://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/15/love-the-outdoors-to-death/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/15/love-the-outdoors-to-death/\)"\u003eGroups who ΓÇ£loveΓÇ¥ the environment\u003c/a\u
003e. YouΓÇÖve seen one, youΓÇÖve seen them all, and they arenΓÇÖt fun.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClients who want y ou to work for them for free.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/1
2/really-safe-dangerous-adventures/"\u003eReally safe dangerous adventures\u003c/a\u003e. This post talks about a clien t request, but in the outdoors, there are many clients who donΓÇÖt want to sit peacefully and stare at the world. They w
ant you to rig up something dangerous and exciting, but it should be safe…. what ever that means. Last year, a man wan ted his team to climb a difficult rock face without assistance from adventure professionals as a team challenge. They wa
nted my team to ensure no accidents happened. And how do we do that without going near the clients or telling them anyth ing at all?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eI have slept in wet clothes under the sky all night waiting for a raging strea
m to lose its power in the nightΓǪ… in Spiti\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWalked for 72km non stop and on reaching se t up camp, cooked, took the horses out for grazingΓǪ\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWalked a lazy fatso for 3km in 2.5 h
ours…. without losing my serenity\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd there are more. Some days I just w onder why I keep coming back for more.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAny clue guys?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e","cate
gories":[“Adventure as usual”,“Environment”,“Hikes”,“State of matters”,“Thoughts”,“adventure”,“insights”,“mountain”,“out doors”,“travel”]},{“title”:“Corporate Outdoor Management Development with Roger Greenaway”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware
.com/blog/2008/08/14/corporate-outdoor-management-development-with-roger-greenaway/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDa te”:“Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:07:25 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:"Empower presents a unique management development opportunity \u
0026#8230;\n\nLEADERSHIP IN ACTION\nA Powerful Learning Experience …“,“content”:”\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cs pan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium"\u003e\u003cem\u003eEmpower presents a unique management
development opportunity …\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp align\u003d"center
"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eLEADERSHIP IN ACTION\u003c/span\u003e
\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp align\u003d"center"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:medium
"\u003eA Powerful Learning Experience for Senior Executives\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00
3e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eEMPOWER is proud to offer you a three day \u003cstrong\u003eresidential\u003c/strong\u003e programme presented by \u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-f
amily:Times New Roman;color:#1f497d;font-size:small"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDr. Roger Greenaway\u003c/strong\u003e\u003 c/span\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003e ΓÇô a widely experienced trainin
g consultant from the UK who specialises in experience-based learning. RogerΓÇÖs doctorate was a study of \u003cstrong \u003eΓÇÿPowerful Learning Experiences in Management Learning and DevelopmentΓÇÖ\u003c/strong\u003e but this is no acad
emic programme that we are offering to you. This is an \u003cem\u003eexperience-based\u003c/em\u003e programme that re cognises that managers are already talented at \u003cem\u003elearning from experience\u003c/em\u003e and it builds on t
hose talents.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe programme works at 3 levels: \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u00 3e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eEnabling you to learn fr
om team and leadership experiences during the programme. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan styl e\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eProviding opportunities for peer learning through sharing
workplace experiences in novel ways. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-famil y:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eDeveloping insights, skills and techniques that you can take back to the wor
kplace for further learning about leadership and teamwork ΓÇô for yourself and your colleagues \u003c/span\u003e\u003 c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003ePow
erful learning experiences will include: \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan styl e\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eExperiencing a variety of team activities and team roles
including team leadership. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eExperiencing simple yet empowering ways of giving and receiving feedback. \u003c/span\u
003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eExperienci ng learning with and from your peers using a range of versatile reviewing techniques. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003
e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eAs a result of participating in this programme you will be better able to: \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cl
i\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003ePlay an influential role as a team leader or manager ΓÇô in your own style. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-fa
mily:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eBring innovative learning processes into team meetings - to make them mor e effective. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-si
ze:small"\u003eCreate useful learning from experiences in the workplace ΓÇô for yourself and others \u003c/span\u003 e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u0
03eOn this programme you will \u003cem\u003e not\u003c/em\u003e be presented with theories of leadership or models of te amwork: you will be \u003cem\u003eexperiencing\u003c/em\u003e teamwork and you will be \u003cem\u003eexperiencing\u003c
/em\u003e leadership. And through the guidance and facilitation of Roger Greenaway, you will be able to maximise your l earning from these experiences and return to the workplace with the tools and the understanding that will make you a b
etter \u003cem\u003eteam player\u003c/em\u003e, a better \u003cem\u003eleader\u003c/em\u003e, a better \u003cem\u003e le arner \u003c/em\u003eand a better \u003cem\u003efacilitator of learning\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n
\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eVenue\u003c/st rong\u003e. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:
small"\u003eEmpower Activity Camps, Sutarwadi, Off KOLAD on Mumbai Goa Highway. (See route map on our website \u003c/s pan\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.empowercamp.com/\](http://www.empowercamp.com/\)"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font
-size:small"\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"text-decoration:underline"[u003ewww.empowercamp.com](http://u003ewww.empowercamp.com)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/s pan\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003e)\u003c/span\u003e\u00
3c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDa tes\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;
font-size:small"\u003e 0800 hours Sat 18 Oct to  14 hours Mon 20 Oct 2008. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u 003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYour Investment\u003c/s
trong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:s mall"\u003eCabins (twin sharing) ΓÇô Rs 35000/- (plus 12.36% service tax)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003
e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eSwiss Cottage Tents (triple sharing) ΓÇô Rs 30000/- (plus 12.36% service tax)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Time
s New Roman;font-size:small"\u003e\u003cem\u003eCost includes boarding, lodging, training, certificates, caps and stat ionery. It does \u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003enot\u003c/strong\u003e\u003cem\u003e include transport. If collective
transport is required, that can be organized at additional cost, as applicable.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p \u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eLimited vacancies. Pleas
e register early to avoid disappointment. Last date for registration 15 Sep 2008. \u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00 3cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:small"\u003eFor registration / queries, please
contact\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca name\u003d"0.4_graphic04"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u00 3e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca name\u003d"0.4_graphic05"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca name\u003d\
“0.4_graphic06"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"font-family:Times New Roman;fon t-size:small"\u003e09423093607\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e”,“categories”:[“Experiential learning”]
},{“title”:“Outdoor Management Training with Roger Greenaway”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/13/outdoor-
management-training-with-roger-greenaway/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 13 Aug 2008 05:09:29 -0700”,“con tentSnippet”:"Roger Greenaway is an outdoor facilitator and the person behind the immensely useful site on the subject -
reviewing.co.uk - a …“,“content”:”\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoger Greenaway is an outdoor facilitator and the perso n behind the immensely useful site on the subject - \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.reviewing.co.uk"\u003ereviewing.co.u
k\u003c/a\u003e - a man whose writings I have read on and off for the last three years, and emailed a few times with app reciation and link exchange requests, etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eImagine my surprise this morning to receive an em
ail from him saying that he was planning to come to India for the first time in October to conduct an \u003ca href\u003d "[http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\)"\u003eoutdoor management training program\u003c/a\u003e at \u
003ca href\u003d"[http://www.empowercamp.com/\](http://www.empowercamp.com/\)"\u003eEmpower Camps\u003c/a\u003e. Sushil Bhasin, one of the owners is so meone I have known for years and we are in fact currently in a dialogue about doing some training programs together.\u00
3c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI promptly called up Sushil to gossip about this new coincidence. As we caught up with current stuff, I discovered that Sushil had set a goal for himself - that of being the first outdoor training organization in In
dia to do work with international facilitators!!! How absolutely amazing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn our busy lives, we are so fixated with creating our own images, and glorifying ourselves, it is rare to look for resources and opportun
ities to widen our experience, quality of work and talent sets. Not only did Sushil have this in mind, he actually pulle d it through. This programme is tentatively scheduled for October.\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003eAs we talked, we spoke of another thing we can collaborate on. Training the trainers. The scene in India is larg ely that of silos. Outdoor adventure training with corporates is mostly discounted as a ΓÇ£perkΓÇ¥ for the employees and
rarely appreciated for its learning and training potential. Some of the responsibility is ours, as trainers when we cho ose to compromise training to retain clients, the rest is that of people who prefer to opt for keeping employees happy u
nder training budgets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn a scenario like this, it is a difficult decision to make to announ ce such programmes and profit from them. The opportunity part of this is that each programme is going to have limited se
ats - I hope the ones truly committed to learning register quickly before the opportunity is gone (no the programme hasn ΓÇÖt been announced yet. YouΓÇÖll come to know when it is)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut its done, and its an absolute
ly awesome step to take. My cheers to Roger and Sushil!!! May you reach higher and higher heights.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c /div\u003e",“categories”:[“Children\u0026#39;s Programmes”,“Experiential learning”,“Outdoor professionals”,“Team News”,"
Training and Development",“facilitation”,“group methodology”,“initiatives”,“outdoor management training”,“outdoors”,“tra ining program”]},{“title”:“Customer Service in action or inaction”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/11/cus
tomer-service-in-action-or-inaction/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 11 Aug 2008 03:35:36 -0700”,“contentS nippet”:"I read this post Work Happy Now! ┬╗ Give Employees the Power to Impress Customers and compared it with a really
bad experience …“,“content”:”\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eI read this post \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.workhappynow .com/2008/08/03/give-employees-the-power-to-impress-customers/"\u003eWork Happy Now! ┬╗ Give Employees the Power to Imp
ress Customers\u003c/a\u003e and compared it with a really bad experience at a local coffee shop last month. Gauri, Ashi sh, Asha and I (friends from ISABS) went out for a coffee after one of our regular meetings. Should have been an unevent
ful situation, yet, it wasnΓÇÖt a good service experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c/span\u003e This place, a Barista was reasonably empty as we had arrived early in the evening. A young man came to take our orders.
As we told him what we wanted, he suggested options and one of the menu items was not available. In short, not a single item was written down straight as requested. After a while, it got really frustrating, and Gauri lost her cool (as much
as she does - sheΓÇÖs wonderfully composed, unlike me) and simply asked the man to bring us what we had asked for unless he didnΓÇÖt have it. He left.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe spent some time talking about this mysterious behaviour. W
e investigated the menu, and the items he had suggested in the place of the ones we wanted werenΓÇÖt priced particularly higher or lower, or newly launched, or anything. There was no pattern that we could see, and no particular reason we we
re given to opt for them rather than our original choices.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTime passed, and we got tired of analyzing the manΓÇÖs behaviour (for a bunch of behavioural scientists fresh from a meeting on the subject, this is a LO
T of time). People trickled in, places near us filled, Gauri met several people she knew, I met a friend I knowΓǪ… No coffeesΓǪ. a reminder or two had been made when we thought of itΓǪ\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe were in no particula
r hurry, as we were enjoying our conversation, catching up, making plans and all, but we would have enjoyed it more over our respective coffees. Finally, I rudely called the chap as he was passing by and asked him if he intended to serve us
ΓÇ£todayΓÇ¥. At the scene, some action seemed to have happened, and with Gauri taking things further with some very dir ect statements to ΓÇ£get coffee-NOWΓÇ¥ we finally got it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeedless to say, I havenΓÇÖt been
to the place since. What I remember is that they didnΓÇÖt want to serve me what I wanted, then they didnΓÇÖt have what I wanted and when they took orders, they didnΓÇÖt act on them. (I felt like asking them to burn the menus and simply tell
customers what they wanted to serve). Bottom line was it felt like they didnΓÇÖt want me to have coffee there. So I did nΓÇÖt after that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eComparing that with YaroΓÇÖs Starbucks experience, it is clear to see how
it is not just the goof ups that drive customers away, but insensitivity. The waiter offering him a free beverage vouche r when alerted to a delay made Yaro feel special and acknowledged. The inconvenience wasnΓÇÖt that big a deal when compa
red with the sensitivity showed toward it, and a treat - it was a step to create a special memory for a customer. Why wo uldnΓÇÖt he go there again? He knows he is appreciated there, and immediate action is taken about inconveniences to him.
\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI bet he went there more often after this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:[" Experiential learning",“Training and Development”,“business”,“customer”,“customer experience”,“customer service”,"experi
ence",“marketing”,“people”,“sales”]},{“title”:“Business Instinct”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/09/busi
ness-instinct/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 09 Aug 2008 10:37:35 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Recently, I h elped conduct a training programme aimed at looking at existing entrepreneurship and building on it in a team of …”,"c
ontent":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eRecently, I helped conduct a training programme aimed at looking at existing entrep reneurship and building on it in a team of managers in a leading bank. What struck me was the extreme efficiency of the
team. They were performing at peak, yet there was little excitement in the group.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs the pro gramme evolved, and we looked at different ways of understanding the preferences and choices of the team, it became incr
easingly clear that there were dreams and highly charged emotions bottled up in the group. Their perception of their wor king boundaries was of one that didnΓÇÖt allow for mistakes, and their mode of operations was SAFE. While thier high eff
iciency ensured sustained performance, the monotony was literally strangling the life-giving forces in this vertical.\u0 03c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn incredible point in this programme came toward the end, where one of their seniors visited
briefly, and during one of his conversations with the group, put it bluntly - ΓÇ£business is about going with your gut. There arenΓÇÖt always logical explanations and guarantees. Sometimes you do things because you want to do them.ΓÇ¥\u003c
/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLooking at this guy as he spoke was an experience of freshness, lightness and excitement about th e work. There was none of the heavy air of confinement and no second-guesses about results. Just a happy acceptance of s
heer temptation of certain exciting possibilities and a willingness to invest image and effort into making them work.\u0 03c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnsaid at that time, I registered what I found different about this happy man who actually had
far more responsibilities than the others - this was a businessman, not a manager.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI extend this philosophy to all I do in my life - if it doesnΓÇÖt excite me, my investment of effort is not going to satisfy me,
no matter what it is. Some things I may do out of necessity, but it is important not to lose track of priorities - it i s the excitement where my focus needs to be.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I work with small businesses, it is one of
the greatest challenges to find such engagement. The fear of failure suffocates and overcomes all the charm of getting into it in the first place. The key is to know that failure will happen, but it is the opportunity that we need to keep
our sights on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOwnership isnΓÇÖt only about owning responsibility and protecting. Ownership is also the commitment to take things ahead because it is the ownerΓÇÖs dream.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e","categor
ies":[“HR”,“Training and Development”,“corporate training”,“insights”,“self-improvement-journey”]},{“title”:“Creating we bsites for businesses”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/08/09/creating-websites-for-sites/”,“author”:"Vidyut
Kale",“publishedDate”:“Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:32:39 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“These days, more and more of my friends seem t o turn to me for guidance and help with websites. Not just friends, even places I …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp
\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspan name\u003d"KonaFilter"\u003eThese days, more and more of my friends seem to turn to m e for guidance and help with websites. Not just friends, even places I work for. For example, ihave recently joined Reso
nate Consulting on a parttime basis, and they are unhappy with their current web hosting providers and wish to move. The y are some of the most talented Organization Development Consultants in India, and their site looks nice, but has little
functionality and costs a bomb. We are still struggling to see how we can add simple things like a blog.\u003c/span\u00 3e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow, at the risk of sounding really obvious, it is easier to take some time and research
and choose a good hosting provider. Really, there IS no excuse. It is far more inconvenient after having a site somewher e to shift hosting providers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are plenty of service providers out there that are very
good, and websites that can provide comparisons, tips and reviews on the different \u003ca href\u003d"http://webhosting geeks.com"\u003eweb hosting\u003c/a\u003e available. This site can prove a good resource in gaining information and rev
iews about the different hosting providers out there and the kind of services and budgets you can expect. For example, w hat is the best choice for blog hosting, or if you are on a budget, or for heavy traffic, and so on. You wouldnΓÇÖt buy
a dress without checking it out, would you? So do you really want to buy the platform for your image without research?
u003cimg src\u003d"[http://tinyurl.com/5rv6lc\](http://tinyurl.com/5rv6lc\)" alt\u003d""\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:["Expe
riential learning",“tips”,“website deveoplment”]},{“title”:“New England Ropes recalls Climbing Ropes”,“link”:“http://www .wide-aware.com/blog/2008/07/30/new-england-ropes-recalles-climbing-ropes/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Wed,
30 Jul 2008 02:00:31 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Outdoor Ed - News Article\nRead article\nIt is rare to find such informat ion in India, where the selling of products takes such …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"h
ttp://[www.outdoored.com/anm/templates/template1.aspx?articleid\u003d3749\u0026amp;zoneid\u003d4](http://www.outdoored.com/anm/templates/template1.aspx?articleid\u003d3749\u0026amp;zoneid\u003d4\)"\u003eOutdoor Ed - News
Article\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead article\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is rare to find such info rmation in India, where the selling of products takes such priority that unwelcome news is rarely circulated beyond a ΓÇ
£bad reputationΓÇ¥ and discouraging people from the product.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI admire this step from New Eng land Ropes. Two of their ropes - Maxim Apogee 9.1mm and Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm have been found to have risk of breaking on
impact posing serious danger to climbers at a moment when security is a must.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople who ow n these ropes have been invited to return them for a free replacement. Do use this opportunity to get them changed if yo
u own them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure news”,“adventure”,“climbing equipment”,“climbing r opes”,“equipment”,“interesting products”]},{“title”:“Canyoneing (Waterfall Rappelling) at Kondana Caves”,“link”:"http://
www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/07/30/canyoneing-water-at-kondana-caves/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Wed, 30 J
ul 2008 01:06:12 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Ram and Kishore, who work with the authorized dealer for Petzel in India had i nvited me to join them for this programme. I was …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eRam and Kishore, who work w
ith the authorized dealer for Petzel in India had invited me to join them for this programme. I was working officially w ith them for the first time, and hence excited. The plan was for canyoning, which is basically ΓÇ£waterfall rappellingΓÇ
¥ when done at Kondana.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖd been doing corporate training programs for a long time by now, and I was extremely energized by this opportunity - change in work being rest and all. Really, it doesnΓÇÖt take much t
o be tempted to the outdoors in this weather. The beginning of the monsoon, and being paid to get wet and do what I enjo y. What more did I want? Work is a fun way of life in any case.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlan was to leave Mumbai lat
e in the evening and stay at the location, but traffic, rain and other events conspired to delay us till we reached the location at 2:30am.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7 instructors and a driver, a trunk full of equipment was the staff load
. We were expecting about 80 participants. We slept immediately, and woke up almost immediately (it seemed)\u003c/p\u003 e\n\u003cp\u003eA quick breakfast later, we had distributed the equipment load for the long haul to the Caves. We were e
xpecting the group to reach at the rappelling location by 10am, so we had taken along some biscuits to keep us going thr ough the day (it was going to be long) till a late lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt had been raining in torrents si
nce noon. The drizzle had been there all day, but really, after noon, it poured with a vengeance right until evening. Ou r plan was to rappel from the top of the Kondana Caves, and we were standing facing the valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u
003eSeen the rain many times, got wet many times, but this time, we stood at the edge of the valley and could see the ra in in the valley, while we stood clear. And then, the wind shifted, and the sheet of rain raced to us, and we raced for
cover. Half the day was spent in fun like that, as you can see from the photos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSam and I we re working together after 4-5 years, so it was a superb time for us. Talking, flashbacks, catching up with what was curr
ent in each otherΓÇÖs livesΓǪ and he was leaving to the US in a few weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, the g roup came late. By then we were wishing that weΓÇÖd had lunch and comeΓǪ… The group reached the rappelling location by
2:30pm, we began the activity late, and we ended the day late. 60 participants of the 80 had done rappelling. Whoever w anted to do the rappel, got their moment of glory. In spite of starting late, we had somehow managed to work hard and fa
st enough to not refuse anyone out of a lack of time. And thus, this rappelling session was finally concluded.\u003c/p\u 003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn my experience, the group comes for adventure, but they take the whole experience lightly, and have
no concern for the reality of the situation. In their excitement, they had no concern for the delay and danger in the d ark. The stream was swollen from the days rain, and the group was unused to the terrain. This was when they realized tha
t it was no longer the trickle they had jumped across on their way in the afternoon and finally realized why we had been asking them to hurry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur human caravan slipped and stumbled through the thigh deep water a
nd shivered across to the other side. The road from here on is muddy, but pretty straightforward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp \u003eIn the beginning, I had been considered the villain when they tried to rush me, and this is the point where they r
ealized that I had been talking out of concern for them, and not myself, and I found myself happy to suddenly be the muc h appreciated hero.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the way down, one of the newer instructors asked me, ΓÇ£Sir, IΓÇÖve g
ot a dilemmaΓÇ¥. I asked him what he meant. ΓÇ£Do we go down and have lunch or dinner?ΓÇ¥ he asked with a laugh.\u003c/p \u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI pondered for a bit and shared what I was certain of, ΓÇ£No matter what we call it, IΓÇÖm going to
eat like a starving elephant.ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat should have been done in daylight by 4pm ended at 8pm as the group stumbled and groped their way back in the dark.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn reaching down, we decided t
o pack up the equipment and wind up the logistics of the programme before freshening up and eating, knowing that it woul d be twice as hard once the adrenaline levels went down and our bodies figured out that we were tired. Finally…… we
sat down to eat misal paav. It was a long time before anyone wondered if the traditional snack was lunch or dinner.\u003 c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“adventure”,“canyoning”,“caves”,“experience”,"monsoon
",“outdoors”,“photos”,“rappelling”,“waterfall”,“weather”]},{“title”:“The Siddh Nagar Meeting”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aw
are.com/blog/2008/07/30/the-siddh-nagar-meeting/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:39:33 -070
0",“contentSnippet”:“I am currently involved with an organization - Satark Nagrik Sangathan that works with awareness of social issues and rights in …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eI am currently involved with an organization -
Satark Nagrik Sangathan that works with awareness of social issues and rights in the eyes of the law. My role is that of a facilitator and working with the people rather than the content of the issues they work with. The idea is to empower
the people to believe in themselves and their right to have things well in their world and ask for attention as they nee d it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVinita, who leads this effort is a strong and passionate lady with a strong belief in
all people having a platform for their concerns to be heard. She has invested a great deal of herself into this effort t o make things possible for these groups.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first meeting I went to was at Siddh Nagar on t
he 28th of June 2008. This group is mostly women who have come together to collectively figure out ways of dealing with the difficulties they face in their lives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis meeting was unlike their earlier meetings wh
at with me and a friend Shridhar, from the Navnirman Samaj Vikas Kendra bringing in elements of personal sharing and exp eriences and emotions. Our objective was for the women to relate with each other and experience their co-members as peop
le with concerns live in them, like themselves. To see that each of them had her own strenghts and talents and that coll ectively, they held powerful resources that they could choose to merge in the interests of the well being of the entire
group.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe meeting began informally with members trickling in, and curiosity about Shridhar and myself as new people Vinita had brought in. We simply went ahead with it and it led to a group sharing of the one ti
me each member in the group had done something that was very difficult for them which led them to recognize unnoticed st rengths in them. The instances varied from challenges in personal objectives to standing in front of a rioting mob attac
king the family and brought into stark recognition the kind of courage and values that were alive in the group and the t remendous amount of commitment we were capable of as a group toward something we believed in.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00
3eTo talk of statistics…. Vinita had some legal information she wanted to share with the group, but the impact of the sharing was so intense that she went with the flow and simply allowed it the time it needed, including overshooting the
time of the meeting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI felt an instant connection with the group and I feel committed to it. I will be working more with them in the future and will share here our journey toward empowerment as a group as it unfo
lds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:[“Satark Nagarik Sangathan”,“emotions”,“experience”,“group methodolog y”,“initiatives”,“journey”,“people”]},{“title”:“Vista Print Free Stuff - promote your business”,“link”:"http://www.wide-
aware.com/blog/2008/07/29/vista-print-free-stuff-promote-your-business/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Tue, 29
Jul 2008 02:32:16 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Just discovered this site. What an absolutely brilliant way to promote a bus iness while offering value to visitors.\nThis Free …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cspa
n\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d"width:310px"\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aw [are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/vistaprint.jpg](http://are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/vistaprint.jpg\)"\u003e\u003cimg title\u003d"Vista Print FREE custon T-Shirts"
src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/vistaprint-300x233.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/vistaprint-300x233.jpg\)" alt\u003d"Free custom pri
nted T-shirts, business cards and holders and other stuff" width\u003d"300" height\u003d"233"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u 003cp\u003eFree custom printed T-shirts, business cards and holders and other stuff\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust discovered this site. What an absolutely brilliant way to promote a business w hile offering value to visitors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Free opportunity - for T-shirts from \u003ca rel\u003d
"nofollow" href\u003d"http://socialspark.com/metrics/click/post?slot_id\u003d14638\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww
.vistaprint.com%2Fvp%2Fgateway.aspx%3FS%3D7929033272"\u003eSpecial Sale\u003c/a\u003e captured my imagination. Basicall y, you select a design for a T-shirt and its size and colour and they print it out and sent it to you. Its free as long
as you select a white T-shirt with their standard designs. Black T-shirts, or your own logos, etc cost you more, but its not exhorbitant.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou pay for the shipping for your T-shirt to be sent to you and that is al
l there is to it. Sit back and wait for your T-shirt to arrive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖm booking one design I a lways wanted for my company and had been too lazy to work on. Now its simple - I just design it and its mine. From the l
ook of the images, it seems to be quality I would wear with delight. So I am now waiting for the T-shirt to arrive.\u003 c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMe with my stingy ways has opted for the slow delivery so it will take about 21 days or so. Stay
tuned to see how I find it. IΓÇÖll put up a pic of me wearing it when IΓÇÖm get it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis si te has many such printed products for free that will serve as interesting ideas as well as a good source to buy trial si
zes from to see how they look like in real life. If it works out, I might as well let them do the whole thing for me and print in bulk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel\u003d"nofollow" href\u003d"http://socialspark.com/metrics/cli
ck/disclosure?slot_id\u003d14638\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.vistaprint.com%2Fvp%2Fgateway.aspx%3FS%3D7929033272
"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://socialspark.com/metrics/view/post?slot_id\u003d14638\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp%3A%2F%2Fs
ocialspark.com%2Fuploads%2Fsocialspark%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdisclosure_badges%2F13533%2Fgray_disclosure_badge.jpg" alt\u 003d"Sponsored by VistaPrint"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:[“Paid reviews”,“gear”
,“business”,“free stuff”,“interesting products”]},{“title”:“The Training and Development Blog Carnival - People”,“link”: “http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/07/17/the-training-and-development-blog-carnival-people-2/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,
“publishedDate”:“Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:54:08 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Wide Aware is happy to announce its first training a nd development blog carnival. This is intended to be an ongoing effort to …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eWi
de Aware is happy to announce its first training and development blog carnival. This is intended to be an ongoing effort to engage in an exploration of different perspectives and insights related with training and development.\u003c/p\u003e
\n\u003cp\u003eWe are inviting entries for this edition of the carnival. The theme is the people in an organization, rel ating, team buiding…. the people side of places and what can be done to make them happier and more effective.\u003c/p\
u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCome on, join this celebration of learning and development. \u003ca href\u003d"http://blogcarnival. com/bc/submit_4713.html"\u003eSend in your article now\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe last date for sen
ding the entries is the 10th of august. The carnival will be celebrated in our \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware .com/community"\u003earticles section \u003c/a\u003eon the 15th.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e",“categories”:["Blog C
arnival",“Experiential learning”,“business”,“communication”,“innovation”,“management”,“marketing”,“motivation”,“Success” ,“Training and Development”,“training program”]},{“title”:“The Training and Development Blog Carnival - People”,“link”:"
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/338107781/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Thu, 17 Jul 2008 0
7:30:35 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Wide Aware is happy to announce its first training and development blog carnival. This is intended to be an ongoing effort to …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eWide Aware is happy to announce its f
irst training and development blog carnival. This is intended to be an ongoing effort to engage in an exploration of dif ferent perspectives and insights related with training and development.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first edition of
the carnival is on, and you can read about it here.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e \n\u003cdiv style\u003d"float:righ t"\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \n\u003cp\u003e Welcome to the August 15, 2008 edition of training and devel
opment. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \n\u003cp\u003eThat concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the ne xt edition of \u003cb\u003etraining and development\u003c/b\u003e using our \u003ca title\u003d"Submit an entry to ΓÇ£t
raining and developmentΓÇ¥" href\u003d"[SLOT95 : Daftar Akun Pro & Main Link Slot Online Gacor Hari Ini](SLOT95 : Daftar Akun Pro & Main Link Slot Online Gacor Hari Ini)"\u003ecarnival submission form\u00 3c/a\u003e. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our \u003ca title\u003d"Blog Carnival index for ΓÇ£training and
developmentΓÇ¥" href\u003d"[SLOT95 : Daftar Akun Pro & Main Link Slot Online Gacor Hari Ini](SLOT95 : Daftar Akun Pro & Main Link Slot Online Gacor Hari Ini)"\u003e blog carnival index page\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Technorati tags: \u003ca href\u003d"[http://technorati.com/tag/training+and+development\](http://technorati.com/tag/training+and+development\)
" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etraining and development\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://technorati.com/tag/blog+carni val" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eblog carnival\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv style\u003d"clear:right"\u003e\u003
c/div\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u 003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d6nRta8\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d6nRta8\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.c
om/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d6nRta8" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u 003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dPdUhLJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dPdUhLJ\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.c
om/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dPdUhLJ" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner. com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dGPpiej"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dG
Ppiej" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d wqYy2J"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dwqYy2J\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dwqYy2J\)" border\u003d"0"\u003
e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dUu518J\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dUu518J\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u0 03d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dUu518J\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dUu518J\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u
003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dE7nU4j\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dE7nU4j\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.c
om/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dE7nU4j" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner. com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dKD4lGj"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dK
D4lGj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide- aware/RmtA/~4/338107781" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Development Methods”,“Wide Aware”,"bl
og",“carnival”,“index”,“page”,“technorati”,“tags”,“carnival”,“submission”,“form”,“past”,“posts”,“and”,“future”,“hosts”,"
training",“and”,“development”,“blog”,“carnival”,“edition”,“the”,“carnival”,“concludes”,“edition”,“submit”,“2008”,"editio
n",“the”,“edition”,“training”,“and”,“development”]},{“title”:“Adventure Education and Resilience”,“link”:"http://feeds.f
eedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/336258637/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:12:40 -0700”
,“contentSnippet”:“Children naturally enjoy the outdoors. Apart from exercise, and health, adventure education helps chi ldren develop natural …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eChildren naturally enjoy the outdoors. Apart from exer
cise, and health, adventure education helps children develop natural resilience from experience. Learning through experi ence is a natural state of being for a child, and while imparting information and training is necessary, it is important
that a child gets to explore the world on his or her own terms, learning to cope with consequences or celebrate them fr om personal experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA young girl on one of my camps was rapt with attention during the i
ntroductory rappelling session. She came up with this exact question ΓÇ£Do soldiers use these same tactical rappelling t echniques?ΓÇ¥ Tactical rappelling techniques!!! I had never considered this term before.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAno
ther child from the same session asked ΓÇ£Why do we call abseiling rappelling?ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe questi ons in themselves are not particularly significant. No particular knowledge is involved, and knowing those particular an
swers is not going to change anyoneΓÇÖs life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat I found satisfying about them was that ΓÇ £my kidsΓÇ¥ had stopped simply swallowing information, and were now exploring it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u0
03cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dYMcmKF\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dYMcmKF\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"h ttp://[feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dYMcmKF](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dYMcmKF\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cd
iv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dOypjVJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dOypjVJ\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"h ttp://[feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dOypjVJ](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dOypjVJ\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"
[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dzZH4Sj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dzZH4Sj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/
wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dzZH4Sj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f /wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dr2FpkJ"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dr2FpkJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dr2FpkJ\)
" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dE8ssMJ "\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dE8ssMJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dE8ssMJ\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003
c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003duWroRj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003duWroRj\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"h ttp://[feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003duWroRj](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003duWroRj\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"
[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dnjQWSj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dnjQWSj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/
wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dnjQWSj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds .[feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/336258637](http://feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/336258637\)" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:["Adventure as
usual",“Children\u0026#39;s Programmes”,“Experiential learning”,“adventure”,“education”,“helps”,“children”,“develop”,“na tural”,“resilience”,“soldiers”,“tactical”,“rappelling”,“techniques”,“tactical”,“rappelling”,“techniques”,“the”,"introduc
tory",“rappelling”,“session”,“celebrate”,“personal”,“experience a”,“young”,“girl”,“considered”,“term”,“before another”,"
child",“children”,“naturally”,“enjoy”,“the”,“outdoors”,“abseiling”,“rappelling”]},{“title”:“Celebrating Karjat”,“link”:"
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/334132805/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sun, 13 Jul 2008 0
1:55:05 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“The whole Karjat, Neral area is so lush green and totally enchanting this time. I just spent a weekend there. I\u0026#8217;d gone to …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe whole Karjat, Neral area i
s so lush green and totally enchanting this time. I just spent a weekend there. IΓÇÖd gone to Dr. ModiΓÇÖs Health Resort to attend the ISABS Umang Party and generally get in touch with the community, and then Raka and I took off to a friend
ΓÇÖs bungalow in Neral.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDriving around the place, I realized how far it has come from the ti me I had begun trekking in this region. New resorts in Karjat seem to have sprung up every where and this area and Neral
and Matheran seem to have become the most popular picnic spot near Mumbai. Crowds of tourists that look like friends, f amilies and even corporate groups can be seen in the waterfalls around Karjat, generally having a great time.\u003c/p\u0
03e\n\u003cp\u003eIts a loooong way from how we guys were considered odd because we wanted to head out to this region in the monsoons. Of course, our world was mostly roughing it out, hikes, staying in cavesΓǪ…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003
eAs ΓÇ£Mumbai picnic spotsΓÇ¥ go, it is a whole new world. Nature resorts near Mumbai are a growing trend, both in avail ability as well as demand. Quick, clean service, lovely ambiance and a whole new attitude of ΓÇ£back to natureΓÇ¥ is a f
ar cry from the rural mentality of pride in simplicity and basic accommodation with few facilities. While I miss the goo d old days and the charm of life in the mountains, I see this as an evolution in the mindsets of the Mumbai crowd, where
pleasure in the outdoors is becoming more and more accessible, inviting and desired for the less adventurous.\u003c/p\u 003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce more, it was Raka, me and our trusted bike, out in the mountains wandering to our hearts content
, remembering the good old days and welcoming the change.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u 003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dM9XRGq\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dM9XRGq\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.c
om/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dM9XRGq" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u 003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dseHhLJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dseHhLJ\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.c
om/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dseHhLJ" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner. com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dexHxtj"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003de
xHxtj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d 4r6sdJ"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d4r6sdJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d4r6sdJ\)" border\u003d"0"\u003
e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dza6RQJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dza6RQJ\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u0 03d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dza6RQJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dza6RQJ\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u
003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dDBeOjj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dDBeOjj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.c
om/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dDBeOjj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner. com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dRB9EJj"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dR
B9EJj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide- aware/RmtA/~4/334132805" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“Thoughts”,"atten
d",“the”,“isabs”,“umang”,“party”,“and”,“generally”,“bungalow”,“neral driving”,“caves as”,“mumbai”,“picnic”,“spots”,"
karjat",“generally”,“and”,“area”,“and”,“neral”,“and”,“matheran”,“karjat”,“sprung”,“lush”,“green”,“and”,“totally”,"enchan
ting",“the”,“popular”,“picnic”,“spot”]},{“title”:“Disturbing trends in outbound training”,“link”:"http://feeds.feedburne
r.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/321176600/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Thu, 26 Jun 2008 09:58:30 -0700”,"conten
tSnippet":“There seems to be an impression floating around in companies that serious training happens indoors, and outbo unds are for …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eThere seems to be an impression floating around in companies th
at serious training happens indoors, and outbounds are for having fun.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile ther is nothin g wrong with having fun in the outdoors, I find it disturbing to see such programmes called training programmes.\u003c
/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSomewhere, I find that this reinforces an unconscious desire in participants to resist change and is harmful for the overall learning environment of the organization. Most of the outbound training enquiries I get fo
cus on the “activities”. The more exciting, the better, the more exotic, the more adventurous, the more…. somethin g-or-the-other. Pursuit of adventure is fabulous. I make money from it. But why wrap it up as a self-development program
me or management training?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom a very simple angle, you get to save money from the traine r’s fees as well as training session time to invest fully into the desired adventure experience. From a deeper angle,
there is no pretense - there is a certain honesty to going after what is really desired.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI s uspect some of this is about “We have a training budget….” as an HR professional had candidly explained to me.
Stated almost directly in that conversation was the objective that they wish to utilize the training budget so that it doesn’t get cut down, but they really don’t have any training in mind at the moment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e
What I find telling in this is the inability to see beyond fixed concepts. This is a rigidity in perspective that is o nly manifesting itself with me in this way in the first fifteen minutes of conversation. What is this rigidity doing e
veryday, to the person, to the people who are influenced by their choices and to the organization?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c p\u003eHow do I see this rigidity? I see it when an entire document about training is read and the important issues fo
r discussion are about travel, accommodation, activities and food. I see it when outbound training becomes a way of org anizing an outing under training budgets. I see it when there isn’t the least curiosity about if an outbound train
ing programme is a new service called thus to provide that utility of training budget, or if it really has any value to deliver.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, not all companies are like that. I have conducted programmes where p
articipants on the outbound actually needed to be told to lighten up and go with the flow, because they were so f ocussed on learning, that they were almost unable to “be”.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd I have found the perf
ect participants as well - people who had arrived with full knowledge that they were out on training, and knew that th ey would be spending time in the outdoors and were fine with seeing what happened with the flow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003eWhy do I call these the perfect participants? Because they are utilizing their value for money, because they are investing their time actively and because it brings me a glow of pride in being able to work with them, to see the
ir transformations and celebrate being a part of it. It brings me a high to see the changes being wrought still ali ve in participants when I meet them on some future programme….\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt brings me the joy of
having companions along on a journey of discovery, and I find few things that are headier than that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u0 03c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dAZSB5Y\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dAZSB5Y\)"\u003e\u
003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dAZSB5Y\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dAZSB5Y\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e
u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d8aPReJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d8aPReJ\)"\u003e\u
003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d8aPReJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d8aPReJ\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dNvlPHj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dNvlPHj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feed
[s.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dNvlPHj\](http://s.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dNvlPHj\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://fee
[ds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dRkmQtJ](http://ds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dRkmQtJ\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware
/RmtA?i\u003dRkmQtJ" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-awar e/RmtA?a\u003dm01A2J"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dm01A2J\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dm01A2J\)" border\u
003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dSbuOxj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dSbuOxj\)“\u003e\u 003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dSbuOxj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dSbuOxj\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e
\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d3JAxhj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d3JAxhj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feed
[s.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d3JAxhj\](http://s.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d3JAxhj\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\u003cimg src \u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/321176600\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/321176600\)" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e","categor
ies":[“Experiential learning”,“HR”,“adventure”,“Environment”,“experience”,“learnings”]},{“title”:“Kalindikhal Trek Permi ssions”,“link”:“http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/321176601/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Th
u, 26 Jun 2008 09:22:06 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I have heard news that treks to the Kalindikhal now have new permission rules. This is unverified information from Ramesh …”,“content”:"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eI have heard news that tr
eks to the Kalindikhal now have new permission rules. This is unverified information from Ramesh Rawat, who handles our treks in the region, but the scene seems to be:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAll trekking groups must ca
rry a satellite phone with them.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eParticipants must go through a fitness test\u003c/li\u003 e\n\u003cli\u003ePorterage rates have been hiked\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHorses arenΓÇÖt going on the route\u003c/
li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis makes life difficult, as we have a group heading there in July, and these n ew developments havenΓÇÖt been budgeted for. While I was not able to find any announcements on the net, the news seems p
retty certain, as the one source we have has been reiable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe horses bit probably comes f rom the waist deep snow at the pass, and might change when the pass opens completely for the summer. At the moment,
 our guide’s assessment is that it would be okay for us to go, but not clients. Unfortunately, its the clients wit h the plans.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe do know that one group has returned from the route successfully, but with
an extremely difficult experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo here  I am wondering if my group will go to Kalindikh al, or Damdhar kandi, or somewhere else completely. Time is running short, and there are decisions to make.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eIf, by any chance, you have been to Kalindikhal recently, or know of the exact new permissions in plac e, do drop me a line in the comments. Any information you could provide would be helpful.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u
003eIf you have arrived here looking for information, stay tuned. I am in the process of communicating with author ities, and will be posting updates as I find them here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href
\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dyK94wQ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dyK94wQ\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner
.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dyK94wQ" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href \u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003doe0UIJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003doe0UIJ\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner
.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003doe0UIJ" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburne [r.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dt7i5Oj](http://r.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dt7i5Oj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003
dt7i5Oj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u00 3dI1nDrJ"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dI1nDrJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dI1nDrJ\)" border\u003d"0"\u0
03e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d3jlXoJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003d3jlXoJ\)“\u003e\u003cimg src
u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d3jlXoJ\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d3jlXoJ\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href
\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003datNYLj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003datNYLj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner
.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003datNYLj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburne [r.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dFCjAUj](http://r.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dFCjAUj\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003
dFCjAUj" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wid e-aware/RmtA/~4/321176601" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Himalayan Tours”,“clients”,"experie
nce",“news”,“trekking”]},{“title”:“Adventure Tourism in India? WhatΓÇÖs that?”,“link”:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wi
de-aware/RmtA/~3/317558173/“,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:50:35 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:” The Tourism ministry insists that they want to promote adventure tourism in India. Like cultural tourism, etc. Basically
what …“,“content”:”\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Tourism ministry insists that they want to promote adventure touri sm in India. Like cultural tourism, etc. Basically what they want is more tourists.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere ar
e fancy initiatives and Incredible India and what-nots. Yet, how much attention is paid to actually facilitating tourism ? How much attention is paid to ensure that the tourists come? Sure, tourists come. India has been a hotspot for tra
vellers for thousands of years. But, if we want more, what do we do to ensure that the people who we invite are able to come and have a good experience?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat we have in the name of tourism is fancy packag
es. Sure. That is one element of tourism. Yet, somewhere down the line, we forget that we are actually inviting people to experience the country. We have invited them. They are our guests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d
"[http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2123/18071452\](http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/2123/18071452\)"\u003eSeth Godin shared an experience in a visa office\u003c/a\u003 e and talks about several, really easy to manage things that could make the experience more inviting. Not just inviting
, it could translate into better revenue from more tourists, convenient airline bookings, welcoming interaction…. I ca n empathise with this post so much. How many of us really enjoy conversing with a person behind thick glass, waiting in
a place with inadequate seating that is in disrepair……. would we want to do business with such people? Perhaps…. i f we needed the product. But tourism is not a need. It is a dream we are selling. Could selling dreams become more inter
esting in a condusive environment that says we are interested in you?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I set up \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com" title\u003d"Adventures in India" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"
external"\u003eWide Aware\u003c/a\u003e, I had a talk with my CA, who needed to know the nature of business for fi guring out tax and things. It was a rude awakening to know that the Tourism Ministry’s invite for people to provide
adventure services hasn’t made it to the Tax Office. There IS no category for adventure services. It was a pain figu ring out “what we were”. We are not travel agents, we do training, but we are not consultants - we do outbound train
ing and fun programmes as well, We┬ádo┬áoutdoor education, but we are not an educational institutionΓǪΓǪ… If┬áthe mem o had made the journey┬áto the┬á┬áTax office, it would be┬áa simple matter of ΓÇ£adventure servicesΓÇ¥. So, we want to┬á
promote adventure tourism, but of course, there is no adventure service provider in India. Really! Please bring your own rafting guide with you. We have the rivers. And yeah, travel agents conduct \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aw
[are.com/Wildlife/wild-life.htm](http://are.com/Wildlife/wild-life.htm\)" title\u003d"Wildlife tours to sanctuaries and animal reserves in India" style\u003d" padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003ewildlife\u003c/a\u003e tours.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRafting remind
s me…. the \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/adventure-sports/rafting.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/adventure-sports/rafting.htm\)"\u003eriver rafting that we do uses water from the dam at Bhire for the rapids\u003c/a\u003e. There have been numerous attempts over the years to
try and bring some kind of predictability to it, so that the adventure tourism that the tourism ministry wants can happ en. Nah! The dam officials don’t work in the tourism ministry, therefore it is not their problem. Thus, there is no w
ay of knowing if water will be available, or you refund your bookings until the rafting run starts. Granted, the water  is released almost everyday, but try explaining to a tourist waiting with gear ready that “oops! You get a refund - re
member the cancellation clause that refers to events beyond our control?”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLast year,
u003ca href\u003d"http://www.sangeetaoak.com/2007/06/travel/brightlands-hotel-resort-matheran-review-article.html#comme
nt-483"\u003eAmita wrote about a similar problem she had with Brightlands resort in Matheran\u003c/a\u003e. The hotel h ad overbooked, and she didnΓÇÖt get the room she had booked. She took a refund, and when she called up the hotel owner,
he told her that refunds were against their policy!!! There needs to be some kind of a regulation for this. I am not spe aking of consumer courts, but enough issues in consumer courts reflecting in your licence.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eT
here are tourists, there are locations, there are providers. What needs to be done is making that confluence easy and enjoyable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-awar
e/RmtA?a\u003d13yfhE"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d13yfhE\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d13yfhE\)" border\u 003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-awar
e/RmtA?a\u003dKBV52J"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dKBV52J\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dKBV52J\)" border\u 003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dYv79yj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dYv79yj\)"\u003e\u
003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dYv79yj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dYv79yj\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dhKOs7J\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dhKOs7J\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feed
[s.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dhKOs7J\](http://s.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dhKOs7J\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://fee
[ds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dOPFoIJ](http://ds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dOPFoIJ\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware
/RmtA?i\u003dOPFoIJ" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-awar e/RmtA?a\u003dI8DpQj"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dI8DpQj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dI8DpQj\)" border\u
003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dw2iMwj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dw2iMwj\)“\u003e\u 003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dw2iMwj\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~f/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dw2iMwj\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\
n\u003c/div\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/317558173\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/317558173\)" height\u003d"1" wi dth\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure news”,“Outdoor professionals”,“adventure”,“adventure-professionals”,"tour
ism",“travel”,“travel-services”,“trekking”,“Wildlife Tours”,“tourists”,“fancy”,“initiatives”,“and”,“incredible”,“india”,
“and”,“what nots”,“you”,“the”,“rivers”,“rafting”,“reminds”,“me”,“the”,“river”,“rafting”,“oops”,“a”,“refund”,“remember”,"
the",“cancellation”,“clause”,“the”,“tourism”,“ministry”,“insists”,“tourists”,“convenient”,“airline”,“bookings”,“issues”,
“consumer”,“courts”,“reflecting”,“bookings”,“the”,“rafting”,“run”,“starts”,“granted”,“guests”,“seth”,“godin”,“shared”,"a
n",“experience”]},{“title”:“Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?”,“link”:"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/Rm
tA/~3/316990712/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:32:56 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:"I don\u0026 #8217;t know if this can really be called road rage, but something happened today, that got me concerned about how we …
.“,“content”:”\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eI donΓÇÖt know if this can really be called road rage, but something happened today, that got me concerned about how we actΓǪ.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was travelling to Powai from Borivli in┬
á┬árickshaw for a session by Sankar on learning styles (thatΓÇÖs another┬ápost). I enjoy interacting with┬ádifferent peo ple, and I was chatting┬áhappily with the rickshaw driver, when a motorcycle zipped┬ápast and overtook us from┬áthe wron
g side. As the car in front of us slowed (for reasons unknown), the driver braked in panic, and this poor motorcycle guy was hit by our rickshaw.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am not aware of the exact sequence of happenings, but it w
as abundantly clear that the guy lying flat on the road was suffering the consequences of his own “reckless drivin g”. The rickshaw driver and I got out of the rick as the guy struggled to disentangle himself from the bike. Thank
s to the crawling pace of Mumbai’s traffic and the additional braking spree that happened just before he was hit, he was relatively unhurt except for a very bad scrape that was bellding quite heavily on his left forearm and  the m
atching side of his trousers damaged beyond repair. I’d call it getting off scot free compared with what could have ha ppened.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeeing the guy bleeding, I stepped forward to see if I could help, but my driver re
ached him first, and it was then I realized that the two of us had come out for different reasons. The driver collar ed this biker and hauled him to his feet and was just about to beat him up, when I interrupted him.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u0
03cp\u003eΓÇ£Boss roko!!! Ise maar kyun rahe ho?ΓÇ¥ I asked - \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#888888"\u003e\u003cem\u00 3eBoss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eΓÇ£Madam, aapne dek
ha nahi, kaisi gaadi chala raha tha? Accident kota to?” he replied - \u003cem\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#88 8888"\u003emadam, didn’t you see how he was driving? What if there had been an accident?\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/em\u
003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eΓÇ£Accident to hua. Galati uski thi, par bhugat bhi wohi raha hai. AAP use kyon maar ra he ho? Use pehlehi chot lagi hai.ΓÇ¥ I said - \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#888888"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe accident di
d happen. It was his fault, and he is suffering the consequences. You or your vehicle or passenger suffered no damage. W hy are you hitting him? He is already injured.ΓÇ¥\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe driver
stared at me in amazement. It was clear from his expression that he honestly had no clue why he was hitting the guy beyond that that “it was what was supposed to happen” - in Mumbai, mobs sometimes bash up the offender when reckles
s driving endangers lives. Worse, my tone with him was also not that of anger… which was the standard tone of the inn ocent party after an accident…. I was sounding merely curious. He had no clue how to proceed in such a situation.\u003
c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe cowering biker who was mumbling “sorry…. sorry” looked at me in equal amazement. It di dn’t really fit his framework of “public behaviour” to be shown concern when he had caused an accident. His ent
ire body language spoke of the acceptance that he was going to be beaten up.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI stood there, wondering what was wrong with this world, if people don’t even need to have a reason to hit a person who is already
injured. I could see how shaken the poor chap was, and didnΓÇÖt see the point moving his attention from the magnitude o f his consequences toward being defensive in some conflict. Plus, how would hitting him add any value to what was happen
ing? He had experienced the consequences of rash driving first hand, and I doubt if he needed anything explained at that point. What he did need was first-aid.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSuch incidents happen in our lives daily. Be it a
ggressive people in buses, or riots after taking offense. I really see no meaning to this behaviour, except a declaratio n of a total lack of caring for the people around us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOnce, I got into a train to get off
at Borivli. It was a Virar train. For those unfamiliar with Mumbai, Virar is further than Borivli, has fewer trains whi ch are invariably crowded, and their passengers tend to be hostile to passengers who could use more frequent trains u
sing these unnecessarily. It being a holiday and all, I thought it wouldn’t matter, and the train seemed to have spa ce. This is the ladies compartment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs I neared the door when Borivli came closer, one of t
he women grabbed my arm and pulled me back roughly. I asked her to let go, and she returned abuse. Her point was that I need to be punished for using that train. Standard punishment is that the person is not allowed to get off the train unt
il Borivli is crossed, which gives the offender an experience of the inconvenience of the train frequency and a fear/und erstanding of the situation for further reference.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI do respect and fully appreciate the dif
ficulties these people go through, but I didn’t see how this mattered in a train with plenty of space on it (by Mumba i standards). When this woman tried to manhandle me, I broke out of her hold, and simply pushed her away from me. I look
deceptively tiny, and this woman was a heavy weight, but I have a whole load of pushing experience from 7 years of groo ming and working with horses. She was lighter than a horse, she moved very easily, which put her off getting physical wi
th me, and she satisfied her ΓÇ£outrageΓÇ¥ by screaming abuse at me for the next 5 minutes till I got off.\u003c/p\u003e \n\u003cp\u003eOther women around rolled their eyes and made faces - all regulars on the same train. This woman stood th
ere sweating and looking so unreasonably angry that she looked insane. She refused to respond to anything I or the othe r women said and just spewed hatred. That’s how I remember her as the train pulled out of the station…… sweat
ing, red in the face, screaming abuse, and dressed like a middle class conservative woman…. I just wondered how frus trating her life must be, if she needed strangers to vent on…. travelling for about 3-4 hours everyday just to reach
work and back…… I couldn’t find anger in me for her…. I was concerned.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere doe s this anger come from? Why do we care so little about the people in out world?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u00
3cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post? url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\u0026amp;title\u003dBoss%2C+wait%21%21%21+Why+are+you+
hitting+him%3F" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003 cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!! ! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.com/submit?phas
e\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\u0026amp;title\u003dBoss%2C+wait%21%
21%21+Why+are+you+hitting+him%3F" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to digg" \u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\)" titl
e\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add
\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hi tting him?\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-
bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Tec hnorati" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\
u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\u0
026amp;h\u003dBoss%2C+wait%21%21%21+Why+are+you+hitting+him%3F" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hi tting him?\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bo
okmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Newsvin e" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca h
mp;title\u003dBoss%2C+wait%21%21%21+Why+are+you+hitting+him%3F\u0026amp;description\u003dBoss%2C+wait%21%21%21+Why+are+y ou+hitting+him%3F" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u00
3cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbl
1%21+Why+are+you+hitting+him%3F" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleu
pon.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add
u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http:
g/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\u0026amp;title\u003dBoss%2C+wait%21%21%21+Why+are+you+hitting+him%3F" title\u003d"Add \u00 26#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-a
[ware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png](http://ware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why a
re you hitting him?\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u002 6#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.w
[ide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/](http://ide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#3 9; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded
/facebook.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://
.[wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/21/all-this-rage/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026 #39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloade
d/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u
003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dNYzYEx\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dNYzYEx\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http:// [feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dNYzYEx](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dNYzYEx\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cimg src
\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/316990712\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/316990712\)" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e","categor
ies":[“Adventure as usual”,“Experiential learning”,“Social Awareness”,“State of matters”,“Thoughts”,“aggression”,“anger management”,“behaviours”,“conflict management”,“experience”,“people”,“travel”]},{“title”:"5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways ne
ar Mumbai",“link”:“http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/316329409/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:
“Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:18:38 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“This is the monsoon - the best time of the year to head into the out doors near Mumbai! Before you lose that temptation striking …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg title\u003d"monsoon-
masti" src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/monsoon-masti.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/monsoon-masti.jpg\)" alt\u003d"" width\u00
3d"300" height\u003d"200"\u003eThis is the monsoon - the best time of the year to head into the outdoors near Mumbai ! Before you lose that temptation striking your mind, let me give you ideas to put into action!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\
u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGo to Kanheri Caves\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993366"\u0 03e(a couple of hours)\u003c/span\u003e: No, I donΓÇÖt mean to visit the ancient Buddhist Caves, though that can be a si
de interest. What you are to do is really look at the road as you drive through the National Park, keep an eye out for t he numerous streams on the way and find a fun spot for a picnic. Get into the stream, splash all you like, and then go o
n to Kanheri Caves. Post links to your pics in the comments for all to see. Or tey any of the many picnic spots near Mum bai, like Manori beach, Aarey Milk colony, Elephanta Caves… the rain is not enough to stop boats yet. THIS is the time
!\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGo to \u003ca href\u003d"http://wide-aware.com/community/Article29.ht m"\u003eKondana\u003c/a\u003e Caves\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993366"\u003e(full day)\u003c/sp
an\u003e: Drive to Kondivde village in Karjat, do the short hike to the caves, and have a bath in the curtain of a water fall across the mouth of the Cave. Hike back and tell us about it.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cimg title\u003d"
rafting-masti" src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/rafting-masti.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/rafting-masti.jpg\)" alt\u003d"" w
idth\u003d"300" height\u003d"200"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGo \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/adventure- sports/rafting.htm"\u003eWhite Water Rafting\u003c/a\u003e \u003c/strong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993366"\u
003e(one day, or overnight)\u003c/span\u003e: While you can do this round the year, the water levels in the monsoon make the rapids on the Kundalika a specially thrilling experience.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGo to Mat
heran\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993366"\u003e(weekend)\u003c/span\u003e: The monsoon being the off-season, you are never going to find Matheran like this, misty, cool, dreamy and utterly charming. Travel around on h
orses, stay in a fancy resort an dget drunkΓǪ… do all the whimsical things your sanity doesnΓÇÖt allow in the city and in dry weather.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGo and stay on a historical fort in some caves\u003c/st
rong\u003e \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993366"\u003e(overnight or more)\u003c/span\u003e: Try \u003ca href\u003d"ht tp://[wide-aware.com/community/Article41.htm](http://wide-aware.com/community/Article41.htm\)"\u003eLohagad\u003c/a\u003e, Rajmachi, \u003ca href\u003d"http://wide-awar
[e.com/community/Article30.htm](http://e.com/community/Article30.htm\)"\u003eNaneghat\u003c/a\u003e……. Pack clothes and food in plastic bags, and just go ah ead!\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt least go out, splash in some puddles, drink hot tea on a roadside
stall and have steaming pakodas with it!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u00 3e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultimat
e-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/\u0026amp;title\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39 ;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getawa ys near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to
Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.com/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wi
ar+Mumbai" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u0 03d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39
;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near M umbai\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wid
[e-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultimate-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/](http://e-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultimate-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Get
aways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/ social-bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39
; to Technorati" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c /a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultima
te-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/\u0026amp;h\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/w
p-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Newsvine"
\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/200
8/06/20/5-ultimate-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/\u0026amp;title\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai\u0026amp;de scription\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mum
bai\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmark ing-reloaded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"
alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u0 03e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultimate-m
onsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/\u0026amp;title\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/bl
og/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getawa ys near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to
Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output \u003dpopup\u0026amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultimate-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/\u0026a
mp;title\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumb ai\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bo
okmarking-reloaded/google.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Google B ookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/
a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/20/5-ultimate
-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to FaceBoo k"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png
" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace
.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003d5+Ultimate+Monsoon+Getaways+near+Mumbai\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog /2008/06/20/5-ultimate-monsoon-getaways-near-mumbai/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumba
i\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking- reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u00
3d"Add \u0026#39;5 Ultimate Monsoon Getaways near Mumbai\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dMcfVeU\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dMcfVeU\)"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d
"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dMcfVeU\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dMcfVeU\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u00 3cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/316329409\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/316329409\)" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e"
,“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“Hikes”,“Monsoons”,“Outdoor How To”,“Places”,“caves”,“experience”,“monsoon”,“outdoor s”,“rafting”,“travel”,“waterfall”,“weather”]},{“title”:“I signed up for PPP!!!”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2
008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/",“author”:“Raka”,“publishedDate”:“Tue, 17 Jun 2008 05:17:57 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:"As u sual, ready for something new!\nI had heard about PayPerPost a while ago, but their \u0026#8220;regular posting requirem
ents had …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eAs usual, ready for something new!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had heard about
u003ca href\u003d"[http://posties.payperpost.com/\](http://posties.payperpost.com/\)"\u003ePayPerPost\u003c/a\u003e a while ago, but their ΓÇ£regular post
ing requirements had me stumped, as until recently, I was caught up in so many things that I rarely had time to post reg ularly here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a blog to be selected with them, it must have 20 posts in the previous 90 d
aysΓǪ… which I finally have, huh? This is a celebration for me, because it means that I am now able to live up to the commitment of keeping bringing in something new for you readersΓǪ that IΓÇÖd been promising for a long time now.\u003c/
p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo what is PayPerPost? As the name suggests, its a site which offers reviews for other sites and p roducts. Advertizers who want to create a buzz about their product can pay for bloggers to review them, bloggers earn mo
ney…. for me, the reason is something different.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoney, yes. Who doesn’t like money? But if I know myself, I will not be able to write about things I don’t care about. This is, actually a good opportunity f
or me to discover different kinds of sites and services that I otherwise would never have known about. If I like it, gre at. If I learn from it, still better and if I earn from it…. what more do I want?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut, if
you think this is going to change the “feel of the blog”…. I don’t think so. I’m too much in love with this pl ace to let its charm go. What I am planning to do, is look at the different sites that are promoting something, and see
if I can bring it here for you. In short, IΓÇÖm going to go on an exploring spree!!!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI invit e you to fasten your seat-belts and join me. And yes, if you find something interesting to shareΓǪ. money or not, letΓÇ
Ös go for it!\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://tinyurl.com/4ql5wk\](http://tinyurl.com/4ql5wk\)“\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http ://[www.payperpost.com/?utm_source\u003dopportunity\u0026amp;utm_medium\u003ddisclosure%2Bbadge](http://www.payperpost.com/?utm_source\u003dopportunity\u0026amp;utm_medium\u003ddisclosure%2Bbadge\)”\u003e\u003cimg src\u003
d"[http://tinyurl.com/2er3eu\](http://tinyurl.com/2er3eu\)" border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.c
om/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plug
ins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Del.icio. us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"h
6amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to digg"\u00 3e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\)" title\u0
03d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://furl.net/storeIt.jsp?t\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21\u0026am
p;u\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP !!!\u0026#39; to FURL"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-r
eloaded/furl.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to FURL" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I sign ed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to FURL"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blinklist.com/index.php?Action\u003dB
link/addblink.php\u0026amp;Name\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21\u0026amp;Description\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21 \u0026amp;Url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed
up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/socia l-bookmarking-reloaded/blinklist.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to blinklist" alt\u0
03d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://reddit. com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+P
PP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to reddit"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://w [ww.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/reddit.png](http://ww.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/reddit.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed u
p for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to reddit" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to reddit"\u003e\u003c/a\u 003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://feedmelinks.com/categorize?from\u003dtoolbar\u0026amp;op\u003dsubmit\u0026amp;name\u003dI
+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;ve rsion\u003d0.7" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d
"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/feedmelinks.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/feedmelinks.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u002
6#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Fe ed Me Links"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e \u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.png\)" titl
e\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!
u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u\](http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmarklet?u\)
u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;t\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;t\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP!!!\)" title
\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware .com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/yahoo_myweb.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PP
P!!!\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003c /a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed
-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;h\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/ne
wsvine.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ekstreme.com/socializer/?url\u003dh
ttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP!!!\)" title\u
003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com /blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/socializer.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\
u0026#39; to Socializer" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e
u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-f
or-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21\u0026amp;description\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title
u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com
/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0 026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003
ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/
\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Stumb le Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbl
eupon.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I sig ned up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mar
k?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dpopup\u0026amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-p pp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Go
ogle Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded
/google.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39 ;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
[squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\](http://squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026
#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/pl ugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/squidoo.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Squidoo"
alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ww w.spurl.net/spurl.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+sign
ed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21\u0026amp;v\u003d3\u0026amp;blocked\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39 ;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins
/social-bookmarking-reloaded/spurl.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Spurl" alt\u003 d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blinkbits.com
/bookmarklets/save.php?v\u003d1\u0026amp;source_url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\) u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to BlinkB
its"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinkbits.
png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to BlinkBits" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up fo r PPP!!!\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php?mini\u003d1\u00
26amp;simple\u003d1\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003
dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003cim g src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bmarks.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bmarks.png\)" title\u003d"Add
\u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Blogmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.bloglines.com/sub/http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/1
7/i-signed-up-for-ppp/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Bloglines"\u003e\u003cimg src\u 003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bloglines.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bloglines.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0
026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Bloglines" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Blog lines"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.netscape.com/submit/?U\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/200
8/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;T\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for P PP!!!\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmar
king-reloaded/netscape.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Netscape" alt\u003d"Add \u 0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.bookmark.it/boo
kmark.php?url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/soc
ial-bookmarking-reloaded/bookmark.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it" alt \u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://sm
igned+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Smarking"\u003e\u003cimg src \u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/smarking.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/smarking.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u
0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Smarking" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Smar king"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.linkagogo.com/go/AddNoPopup?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\u0026amp;title\u003dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I sig ned up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/s
ocial-bookmarking-reloaded/linkagogo.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Linkagogo" al t\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"https://fa
03dI+signed+up+for+PPP%21%21%21" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Live-MSN"\u003e\u003ci mg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png\)" title\u003d"Add
\u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Live-MSN" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to Li ve-MSN"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/
2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003ci mg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\)" title\u003d"
Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; t o FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003dI+signed+up+for+
PPP%21%21%21\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/17/i-signed-up-for-ppp/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39 ;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugi
ns/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to MySpace" al t\u003d"Add \u0026#39;I signed up for PPP!!!\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n",“categories”
:[“Adventure as usual”,“sidenotes”,“blogging”,“buzz”,“learnings”,“money”,“writing”,“usual”,“ready”]},{“title”:"Canyoning
(waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves",“link”:“http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/313333788/”,“author”
:“Raka”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:35:02 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Ram and Kishore, who work with the authorize d dealer for Petzel in India had invited me to join them for this programme on the …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003e\u003ca
rel\u003d"lightbox" href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01157.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01157.jpg\)"\u003e\u003cim
g style\u003d"border:1px solid black;margin:5px;float:left" title\u003d"Kondana Caves" src\u003d"http://www.wide-aw [are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01157-300x225.jpg](http://are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01157-300x225.jpg\)" alt\u003d"View of the Caves from the Rappelling location
" width\u003d"300" height\u003d"225"\u003e\u003c/a\u003eRam and Kishore, who work with the authorized dealer for Pe tzel in India had invited me to join them for this programme on the 14th July. I was working officially with them for th
e first time, and hence excited. The plan was for canyoning, which is basically ΓÇ£waterfall rappellingΓÇ¥ when done at Kondana.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖd been doing \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes
/omdp.htm" title\u003d"Experiential Learning through teambuilding activities" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u 003d"external"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a\u003e training programs for a long time by now, and I was extremely energized by
this opportunity - change in work being rest and all. Really, it doesnΓÇÖt take much to be tempted to the outdoors in t his weather. The beginning of the monsoon, and being paid to get wet and do what I enjoy. What more did I want? Work is
a fun way of life in any case.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlan was to leave Mumbai late in the evening and stay near th e location, but traffic, rain and other events conspired to delay us till we reached the location at 2:30am.\u003cimg st
yle\u003d"border:1px solid black;margin:5px;float:right" title\u003d"Setting up the activity" src\u003d"http://www. [wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01154-300x225.jpg](http://wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01154-300x225.jpg\)" alt\u003d"Setting up the activity" width\u003d"
300" height\u003d"225"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e7 instructors and a driver, a trunk full of equipment was th e staff load. We were expecting about 80 participants. We slept immediately, and woke up almost immediately (it seemed)
at 7am.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA quick breakfast later, we had distributed the equipment load for the hour long hau l to the top of the Caves. We were expecting the group to reach at the rappelling location by 10am, so we had taken alon
g some biscuits to keep us going through the day (it was going to be long) till a late lunch.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00 3eOur plan was to rappel from the top of the Kondana Caves, and we were standing facing the valley.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003eSeen the rain many times, got wet many times, but this time, we stood at the edge of the valley and could see th e rain in the valley, while we stood clear. And then, the wind shifted, and the sheet of rain raced to us, and we raced
for cover. Half the day was spent in fun like that, as you canΓÇÖt see from the photos. I had to put the camera in - the re was no way to protect it. Pit. The pics would have been fantastic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel\u003d"lig
htbox" href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01162.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/dsc01162.jpg\)"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d\
"border:1px solid black;margin:5px;float:left" title\u003d"Sam and me" src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-c ontent/uploads/2008/06/dsc01162-225x300.jpg" alt\u003d"This is Sam - an old friend of mine" width\u003d"225" height
\u003d"300"\u003e\u003c/a\u003eSam (another instructor - not a typo for Ram) and I were working together after 4-5 yea rs, so it was a superb time for us. Talking, flashbacks, catching up with what was current in each other’s lives… an
d he was leaving to the US in a few weeks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt had been raining in torrents since noon. The d rizzle had been there all day, but really, after noon, it poured with a vengeance right until evening.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u
003cp\u003eOf course, the group came late. By then we were wishing that weΓÇÖd had lunch and comeΓǪ… The group reached the rappelling location by 2:30pm, we began the activity late, and we ended the day late. The activity itself was much
enjoyed, though we instructors were literally running against time to get the group completed. For the participants, the view of the valley spread at their feet, the dramatic weather, and the experience of rappelling right through the water
was incredible. ΓÇ£Absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experienceΓÇ¥ as a participant put it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e6 0 participants of the 80 had done rappelling. Whoever wanted to do the rappel, got their moment of glory. In spite of st
arting late, we had somehow managed to work hard and fast enough to not refuse anyone out of a lack of time. And thus, t his rappelling session was finally concluded and we hurried the group back to the road head as fast as we could.\u003c/p
\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn my experience, the group comes for adventure, but they take the whole experience lightly, and ha ve no concern for the reality of the situation. In their excitement, they had no concern for the delay and danger in the
dark. The stream was swollen from the days rain, and the group was unused to the terrain. This was when they realized t hat it was no longer the trickle they had jumped across on their way in the afternoon and finally realized why we had be
en asking them to hurry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOur human caravan slipped and stumbled through the thigh deep water and shivered across to the other side. The road from here on is muddy, but pretty straightforward.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003eIn the beginning, I had been considered the villain when I tried to rush them along, and this is the point where they realized that I had been talking out of concern for them, and not myself, and I found myself happy to suddenly be
the much appreciated hero.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the way down, one of the newer instructors said, ΓÇ£Sir, IΓÇÖv e got a dilemmaΓÇ¥. I asked him what he meant. ΓÇ£Do we go down and have lunch or dinner?ΓÇ¥ he asked with a laugh.\u003
c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI pondered for a bit and shared what I was certain of, ΓÇ£No matter what we call it, IΓÇÖm going to eat like a starving elephant.ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat should have been done in daylight by 4pm ended at
8pm as the group stumbled and groped their way back in the dark.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn reaching down, we decide d to pack up the equipment and wind up the logistics of the programme before freshening up and eating, knowing that it w
ould be twice as hard once the adrenaline levels went down and our bodies figured out that we were tired. Finally…… we sat down to eat misal paav. It was a long time before anyone wondered if the traditional snack was lunch or dinner.\u
003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http:/ /del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/canyoning-waterfall-rappelling-at-kondana-caves/\u0
026amp;title\u003dCanyoning+%28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfal l rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-co
ntent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u00
26#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.com/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhtt
8waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves \u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-relo
aded/digg.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u00 3d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\
-at-kondana-caves/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Technorat i"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.p
ng" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003d"A dd \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href
ng-at-kondana-caves/\u0026amp;h\u003dCanyoning+%28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39; Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-awar
[e.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png](http://e.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall
rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Konda na Caves\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dht
28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves\u0026amp;description\u003dCanyoning+%28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Cav es" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cim
g src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png\)" title\u003d"A
dd \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoni ng (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d\
kondana-caves/\u0026amp;title\u003dCanyoning+%28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Ca nyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aw
[are.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png](http://are.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (wate
rfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mar
k?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dpopup\u0026amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/canyoning-waterfa ll-rappelling-at-kondana-caves/\u0026amp;title\u003dCanyoning+%28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves" title\u003d\
“Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003 d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)” title\u003d"Add \u0026#39
;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (w aterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003cimg s rc\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\)" title\u003d"Add
\u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning ( waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace
.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003dCanyoning+%28waterfall+rappelling%29+at+Kondana+Caves\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://www.wide- [aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/canyoning-waterfall-rappelling-at-kondana-caves/](http://aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/canyoning-waterfall-rappelling-at-kondana-caves/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (water
fall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-con tent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Ko
ndana Caves\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide
-aware/RmtA?a\u003d4CGRal"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d4CGRal\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003d4CGRal\)" bor der\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/3
13333788" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“Outdoor professionals”,“Team Ne ws”,“adventure”,“canyoning”,“caves”,“drizzle”,“experience”,“monsoon”,“outdoors”,“rain in the valley”,“rappelling”,"water
fall",“way of life”,“weather”,“lunch”,“and”,“come”,“the”,“group”,“reached”,“the”,“rappelling”,“location”,“and”,"standing
",“facing”,“the”,“valley seen”,“the”,“rain”,“hurry our”,“human”,“caravan”,“slipped”,“and”,“stumbled”,“jumped”,"t
he",“afternoon”,“and”,“finally”,“realized”,“delay”,“reached”,“the”,“location”,“reach”,“the”,“rappelling”,“location”,"lon
g",“a”,“late”,“lunch it”,“and”,“ended”,“the”,“day”,“late 60”,“participants”]},{“title”:“Power of Positive Thought”,"
link":“http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/312563578/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sun, 15 Jun
2008 11:36:45 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“APJ Kalam never fails to amaze me with the depth of his understanding, insights, and the caring that comes through so clearly …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eAPJ Kalam never fails to amaze me with the de
pth of his understanding, insights, and the caring that comes through so clearly in his words. This article from him is something I truly respect and hold close to my heart, rather than in high esteem. Esteem is cerebral, this truly touches
me, and inspires me to see things in a more meaningful way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓ ÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇöΓÇö\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel\u003d"lightbox" href\u003d"http://w
[ww.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apjk.jpg](http://ww.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apjk.jpg\)"\u003e\u003cimg style\u003d"float:right" title\u003d"A P
J Kalam" src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apjk.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/apjk.jpg\)" alt\u003d"An incredible human
" width\u003d"233" height\u003d"346"\u003e\u003c/a\u003eI remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a ve ry young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are
a powerful programming factor in lifelong success.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne particularly interesting event occur red when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the ra
fters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didnΓÇÖt realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was
fun to be up so high.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. TammyΓÇÖs mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that t
ime a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I rememb er my dadΓÇÖs voice over the wind yell, ΓÇ£Bart, Hold on tightly.ΓÇ¥ So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy scre
aming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when TammyΓÇÖs mother fe
lt the gust of wind, she yelled out, “Tammy, don’t fall!” And Tammy did… fall.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy da d then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image. In fact, people who rely on
internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year- old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-ye
ar-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis concept is espec ially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You canΓÇÖt visualize not doing something. The only
way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that. Fo r example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good,
but I just couldnΓÇÖt get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, ΓÇ£DonΓÇÖt drop it!ΓÇ¥ Naturally, I dropped the ball.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy coaches were not skill
ed enough to teach us proper ΓÇ£self-talk.ΓÇ¥ They just thought some kids could catch and others couldnΓÇÖt. IΓÇÖll neve r make it pro, but IΓÇÖm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positiv
e and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have h ad a longer football career.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHere is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your f
riends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions c arefully. Say to them, ΓÇ£Okay, try to drop the pencil.ΓÇ¥ Observe what they do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost people
release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, ΓÇ£You werenΓÇÖt paying attention. I said TRY to d rop the pencil. Now please do it again.ΓÇ¥ Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain wh
ile their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe point is made.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp \u003eIf you tell your brain you will ΓÇ£give it a try,ΓÇ¥ you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a ΓÇ£no t
ryΓÇ¥ rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they wonΓÇÖt. Either they will be at the party or they wonΓÇÖt. IΓÇÖm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I donΓÇ
Öt know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brown ie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words ΓÇ£IΓÇÖll tryΓÇ¥ come out of my mouth unless IΓÇÖm teachin
g this concept in a seminar.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you ΓÇ£tryΓÇ¥ and do something, your unconscious mind has pe rmission not to succeed. If I truly canΓÇÖt make a decision I will tell the truth. ΓÇ£Sorry John. IΓÇÖm not sure if I wi
ll be at your party or not. IΓÇÖve got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I wi ll not. Thanks for the invite.ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople respect honesty. So remove the word ΓÇ£tryΓÇ¥ from
your vocabulary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive st atements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to s
eventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are concep ts that are especially useful when raising \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/schools-colleges/student-teache
r.htm" title\u003d"outdoor adventure for children" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003echild ren\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAsk yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many
criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction.
u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self
-talk like, ΓÇ¥ IΓÇÖm fat. Nobody will like me. IΓÇÖll try this diet. IΓÇÖm not good enough. IΓÇÖm so stupid. IΓÇÖm brok e, etc. etc.ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, i
magine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue. Here is a list of Toxic V ocabulary words.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNotice when you or other people use them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u
003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993300"\u003eBut\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Negates any words that are stated before it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993300"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003
eTry\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: Presupposes failure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003csp an style\u003d"color:#993300"\u003eIf\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Presupposes that you may not.\u003c/p\u003e
\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#993300"\u003eMight\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u00 3e: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u003cstrong\u003e\u00
3cspan style\u003d"color:#993300"\u003eWould Have\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Past tense that draws attention to things that didnΓÇÖt actually happen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color
:#993300"\u003eShould Have\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Past tense that draws attention to things that didnΓÇÖt actually happen (and implies guilt.)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#99
3300"\u003eCould Have\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Past tense that draws attention to things that didnΓÇÖt actu ally happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e├ÿ\u003cstrong\u003e\u0
03cspan style\u003d"color:#993300"\u003e CanΓÇÖt/DonΓÇÖt\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: These words force the li stener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make withou
t knowing the damage of this linguistic error.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"tex t-decoration:underline"\u003eExamples:\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u00
3e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#ff0000"\u003eToxic phrase\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: ΓÇ£DonΓÇÖt drop the bal l!ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#999999"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLikely result\u003c/str
ong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: Drops the ball\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#339966"\u003e\u00 3cstrong\u003eBetter language\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: ΓÇ£Catch the ball!ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0
03cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#ff0000"\u003eToxic phrase\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: ΓÇ£You sho uldnΓÇÖt watch so much television.ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan style\u003d"color:#99999
9"\u003eLikely result\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/strong\u003e: Watches more television.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cs pan style\u003d"color:#339966"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBetter language\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/span\u003e: ΓÇ£I read t
oo much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books mo re often!ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExercise: Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis
or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yoursel f as they occur and change them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBy A P J KALAM\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003
eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide -[aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Thought](http://aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Thought\)" title\u003d"Add \
u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/w p-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026
#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e
u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.com/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power
-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Thought" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thoug ht\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-re
loaded/digg.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Powe r of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u00
3dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Th ought\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookm
arking-reloaded/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003 d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.n
+of+Positive+Thought" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u 003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u00
26#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Thought\u0026amp;description\u003dPow er+of+Positive+Thought" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg sr
c\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png\)" title\u003d"Add \
u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://w
[ww.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Thought](http://ww.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Thought\)" title\u003d
"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.co m/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Tho
ught\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u0 03c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dpopup\u0026amp;bkm
k\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\u0026amp;title\u003dPower+of+Positive+Though
t" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http: //[www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power o
f Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to Googl e Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to FaceBook
“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\)”
title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u
003dPower+of+Positive+Thought\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/16/power-of-positive-thought/\)" tit le\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware
.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thou ght\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Power of Positive Thought\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e
\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dNE5wih\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?a\u003dNE5wih\)“\u003 e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dNE5wih\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~a/wide-aware/RmtA?i\u003dNE5wih\)” border\u003d"0"\u003e\u003c/a\u00
3e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/312563578\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/312563578\)" height\u003d"1" wid th\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“Social Awareness”,“Thoughts”,“APJ Kalam”,“emotions”,"insight
s",“inspiration”,“people”,“writing”]},{“title”:“HR Professionals and their masses”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:29:43 -0700 ",“contentSnippet”:"I came across a discussion on how to \u0026#8220;deal with\u0026#8221; a woman who wears revealing c
lothes in an office with no stated …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eI came across a \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.citehr.co m/105081-female-employee-wearing-sensational-clothes-office-24.html#post420167"\u003ediscussion\u003c/a\u003e on how to
ΓÇ£deal withΓÇ¥ a woman who wears revealing clothes in an office with no stated dress code.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003 eThe discussion runs into some 24 pages with not a single HR professional seeing the woman as anything less than a probl
em to be dealt with and lengthy ways of dealing with it ranging from firing her to emailing a dress code to all staff, e tc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat I see happening, is that the entire community needs to immediately get this woman i
nto the ΓÇ£acceptableΓÇ¥ (for them) one way or the other. Few people bothered to ask if this woman is indeed productive, collaborative and otherwise functional.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot a single person expressed acceptance for this g
irl.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf this is the state of HR, how to we expect employees to respect women beyond their lo oks?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI see an unconscious process in this community, which I suspect is also happening in ou
r society. People just canΓÇÖt get over their own jealousies or lust when faced with an attractive person to see the per son as a whole. Somehow, they need to drag that person to an ΓÇ£ordinaryΓÇ¥ level. What that person feels doesnΓÇÖt matt
er, because they are not even looking at her feelings here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhatever happened to HR being av ailable for all employees and not just the ones they choose to support? If the position is to be used as ammunition to d
efend what we like and attack what we donΓÇÖt, it is no surprise that one of the members stated ΓÇ£\u003ci\u003eBut some time HR have to be rude , thats a reason why 75 % employee are\u003cbr\u003e\nnot happy with their HR [ Because we forc
e them to behave in a\u003cbr\u003e\nparticular way ].\u003c/i\u003eΓÇ£\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLike I posted there, no one HAS TO be rude. Rudeness happens on its own, when we stop caring about and respecting the person we are speaking
with.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePeople are not idiots. They can sense when a person doesnΓÇÖt care about them, but st ill disapproves of them and has rules they should obey. Really, do you like people who donΓÇÖt care about you, but know
what is right for you?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sad part of this is that it seems to be an accepted part of being HR. How can an HR department be functional, if the H of it doesnΓÇÖt like them? Yet, advice seems to be that to not wor
ry about being rude and ΓÇ£just deal with the womanΓÇ¥.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖd like to share my posts there o ver here:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003eHi,\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven though your organizatio
n has no stated norms about clothes, from\u003cbr\u003e\nyour post, there seems to be an unsaid norm about the same, or you (and\u003cbr\u003e\nothers) wouldnΓÇÖt be bothered by what she wears. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo one in the off
ice (including that girl) is fool enough to believe\u003cbr\u003e\nthat an email sent to all on this subject really appl ies to all, if\u003cbr\u003e\nthat new girl is such a sensation, and it would only serve as a public\u003cbr\u003e\nrepr
imand that came out of the blue, and thus humiliating for her.\u003cbr\u003e\nPlus, if you mean it for her, why pretend its for all?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I were in your place, I would go about things like thus.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00
3cp\u003eFirst, I would meet with the girl privately. I would explain the dilemma I was caught in. On one hand, \u003cb
u003eI respect her individuality and choice to wear whatever she thinks she should\u003c/b\u003e. On the other hand, as
a person in HR, facilitating an atmosphere thatΓÇÖs conducive to harmony is my responsibility.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u0 03eI would explain how I see the impact of her attire (without allocating ANY blame ANYWHERE):\u003cbr\u003e \n\u003cul\
u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWomen\u003cbr\u003e\nstaff show discomfort in her presence - this could and probably IS\u003cbr\u00 3e\nleading to her being looked upon with envy or disapproval, and will\u003cbr\u003e\nimpact her working relationships
in the office and impact productivity\u003cbr\u003e\nnegatively.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMen seem to be attracted. This could have an\u003cbr\u003e\nimpact in terms of being seen as too inviting by the opposite gender\u003cbr\u003e\na
nd thus not taken seriously, which would again impact performance when\u003cbr\u003e\nit came to the value of her contri butions - would men be considering\u003cbr\u003e\nher capability (would they even notice it amid the decoration)?\u003c/
li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis\u003cbr\u003e\nwould lead to working interactions based on a stereotype of her that\u003cbr\u003e\nhas nothing to do with how she actually works. That troubles me, both\u003cbr\u003e\nfor her, as
well as the \u003cb\u003ewell being of us as a group\u003c/b\u003e. On a\u003cbr\u003e\npersonal level, I have little e xperience, and thus comfort with such\u003cbr\u003e\nclothes, and I find it a little awkward (feel shy) and canΓÇÖt get
over\u003cbr\u003e\nthem to see her, as a whole person, which I would like to.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI would ask h er for help on this matter, as I would prefer it for\u003cbr\u003e\nmyself, for her and the group if personal clothing w
ouldnΓÇÖt be a matter\u003cbr\u003e\nfor an official rule to be laid down.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen, if she agre es to help, I would simply trust her, and see what\u003cbr\u003e\nhappens for the next week or so. If she doesnΓÇÖt agre
e, OR if she\u003cbr\u003e\ndoesnΓÇÖt present herself suitably, I would call a staff meeting and\u003cbr\u003e\nshare th at I had observed that there was an unsaid norm about clothes,\u003cbr\u003e\nthough there was none officially, and woul
d explain how I see the\u003cbr\u003e\nsituation currently.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI would explain my bottom line t hat we keep the norm, or it goes, I\u003cbr\u003e\ncouldnΓÇÖt care less, but we make it clear what happens to it. So eit
her\u003cbr\u003e\nwe throw away the norm, in which case I expect the members of the staff\u003cbr\u003e\nto \u003cb\u00 3equit flaunting either their disapproval, or their drooling\u003c/b\u003e, or we could state it clearly and \u003cb\u00
3edefine what constituted appropriate clothing\u003c/b\u003e which everyone would be expected to follow.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThey KEY DIFFICULTY in this issue is not dealing with the girl, but\u003cbr\u003e\nkeeping our own value ju
dgments away from our facilitation of the\u003cbr\u003e\nsituation. \u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003eAs an authority role, we a re expected to be available to all, not just the ones on whose ΓÇ£sideΓÇ¥ we are\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/u\u003e. I say this
specifically, because I sensed you being on the ΓÇ£sideΓÇ¥ of the women.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe clothes are th e womanΓÇÖs responsibility, but the responses and reactions belong to all and not just her.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u00
3eI am very concerned at the state of HR in\u003cbr\u003e\nour community, where judgments are passed so easily, and ther e is no\u003cbr\u003e\nsensitivity for the girl.\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI believe that as HR, we ar
e available to all people and not just the ones we choose to support and attack the ones we donΓÇÖt.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00 3cp\u003eWith recommendations of:\u003cbr\u003e \n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eΓÇ£Shock\u003cbr\u003e\ntreatmentΓÇ¥ - a
re we not laying a role model for women to be looked as\u003cbr\u003e\nobjects in a derogatory manner? And why shouldnΓÇ Öt the girl sue you for\u003cbr\u003e\nthose comments - just because youΓÇÖre in the mood to play Freud?\u003c/li\u003e\
n\u003cli\u003eBy\u003cbr\u003e\nlaying down rules for the entire staff, are we not imposing our sense\u003cbr\u003e\nof ΓÇ£right and wrongΓÇ¥ on them? What makes us so certain that everyone\u003cbr\u003e\nindeed has an issue with what we s
ee an issue with?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHow many\u003cbr\u003e\npeople here have exhibited understanding and ena bling support for the\u003cbr\u003e\ngirl? Is she not a member of the staff that you provide an HR function\u003cbr\u003
e\nto?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSensitivity and caring seems to be a value long lost\u003cbr\u003e
namong members in their superiority and judgments on who is right and\u003cbr\u003e\nwrong and power plays on how they s
hould be ΓÇ£dealt withΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome pages back Shaival hit the nail on the head, without really u nderstanding what she said ΓÇ£\u003ci\u003eBut\u003cbr\u003e\nsome time HR have to be rude , thats a reason why 75 % emp
loyee are not\u003cbr\u003e\nhappy with their HR [ Because we force them to behave in a particular\u003cbr\u003e\nway ]
u003c/i\u003e.ΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo one has to be rude. We become rude when we stop caring about the\u003cb
r\u003e\nperson we are speaking with. Even if employees canΓÇÖt state it as\u003cbr\u003e\nclearly as this, they can sen se it, and really, who likes someone who\u003cbr\u003e\ndoesnΓÇÖt respect them? Do you? Do you like someone who doesnΓÇÖ
t really\u003cbr\u003e\ncare about you, but claims to know what is best for you and then goes\u003cbr\u003e\nahead and i mposes it on you? If 75% employees are not happy with their\u003cbr\u003e\nHR, isnΓÇÖt it high time HR used this feedbac
k to re-create themselves to\u003cbr\u003e\nbe more functional?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖm sorry to say that I am utterly disgusted.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u00
3cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp:/ /www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/\u0026amp;title\u003dHR+Professionals+and+their+ma
sses" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d
“[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\)” title\u003d"Add \u0026#3
9;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masse s\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.com/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u00
their+masses" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d "[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR
Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded
/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
003dHR+Professionals+and+their+masses" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Newsvi ne"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.pn
g" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Pro fessionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmark
let/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/\u0026amp;title\u003dHR+Pro
fessionals+and+their+masses\u0026amp;description\u003dHR+Professionals+and+their+masses" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-cont
ent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u002 6#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u
003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/
15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/\u0026amp;title\u003dHR+Professionals+and+their+masses" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39 ;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/
wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their m asses\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"
\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dpopup\u00
26amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/\u0026amp;title\u003dHR+Prof
essionals+and+their+masses" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks
“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)” t
itle\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.faceboo
[k.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/](http://k.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/\)" title\u003d"Add \
u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/b log/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their
masses\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e
u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003dHR+Professionals+and+their+masses\u
0026amp;c\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/15/hr-professionals-and-their-masses/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39
;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-co ntent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u00
26#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;HR Professionals and their masses\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003 e\u003c/div\u003e\n",“categories”:[“HR”,“State of matters”,“functional not”,“a”,“single”,“person”,“expressed”,"acceptanc
e",“stated”,“dress”,“code the”,“discussion”,“runs”,“observed”,“an”,“unsaid”,“norm”,“the”,“office”,“and”,“impact”,"produc
tivity negatively men",“firing”,“emailing”,“a”,“dress”,“code”,“wears”,“revealing”,“clothes”,“rude”,“caring”,“blame”,"wom
en staff"]},{“title”:“10 important changes to transform your life”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/10-
important-changes-to-transform-your-life/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:22:50 -0700”,“con tentSnippet”:"This post could be considered the ultimate guide to professional excellence, or any relationship for that
matter. Why do I call …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eThis post could be considered the ultimate guide to professional exce llence, or any relationship for that matter. Why do I call professional excellence a relationship? Because it is. What y
ou do, is important, but it is how people see it that matters - thatΓÇÖs how it is about relationship.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u 003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGet over your obsession with presenting perfection already. For one, it is too open to inter
pretation, and thus too vague in terms of what needs to be done. Instead, get obsessed with initiative. Attempts to be p erfect block most of our initiative and leave us anxious. Learn to accept that you are doing what you think is best, and
if it doesnΓÇÖt turn out to be so, you then know that for sure, rather than imagining consequences and fearing them. \u 0026lt;ΓÇö this is not as easy as it sounds.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEmbrace the goals you have committed to. This
means, donΓÇÖt take the lazy manΓÇÖs way just because what seems best looks tough. DoesnΓÇÖt matter if it is finding th e strength to run an extra mile for your weight loss goal, or doing extra research to bring in thought provoking perspec
tives for that \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\)" title\u003d"Experiential L earning through teambuilding activities" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a
\u003e presentation. It is about adopting the goal in your heart, and making the effort to stand by it through tough ter rain.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDonΓÇÖt panic. It is those who try who fail, or succeed. Know that you have tried, a
nd respect yourself for it, even if things fail, because failures when accepted and learned from bring great strength an d sure knowledge of what to avoid.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAcknowledge the people you are with. This doesnΓÇÖt mea
n mindless agreement. It is simply acknowledging that they see things in a certain way, or feel strongly about certain t hings, regardless of whether you agree or donΓÇÖt. Accept that they have their own stands which are as valid for them, a
s they are for you.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThrow those approvals and disapprovals out. They do more harm than goo d, because you end up constantly judging people rather than understanding them.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStanding u
p in the face of all for what you believe in takes courage, but is counter-productive, if it means that you end up decid ing for everyone (or attempting to). It helps to present your stand on it, and your feelings about it. ΓÇ£Let us throw a
way the current policy on tea breaks - people are getting lazyΓÇ¥ may not be as effective as ΓÇ£I see the tea breaks dis rupting our schedule, and few of us seem to want tea at that time. Can we re-look at them and see if we can come up with
something that suits us better? I suggest….”\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eContribute, don’t dictate.\u003c/li\u0 03e\n\u003cli\u003eDon’t just agree, act. Agreement is passivity. Action is what causes positive change.\u003c/li\u003
e\n\u003cli\u003eTry and be sensitive to the state of being of the person you are with. A colleague who looks harassed h as a concern you could perhaps help him with, rather than as him to review your latest invention.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c
li\u003eBlame alienates and frustrates - even blaming yourself. Learn to see the person as a whole that is much more tha n a specific action.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot as simple as it looks.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u
003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u00 3dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/\u0026amp;title\u003d10+importan
t+changes+to+transform+your+life" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to D el.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/del
icious.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d "Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u
es-to-transform-your-life/\u0026amp;title\u003d10+important+changes+to+transform+your+life" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39; 10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog
/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to digg"\u
003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14
/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u 0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-
reloaded/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Technorati " alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u0
03ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/10-important-change
s-to-transform-your-life/\u0026amp;h\u003d10+important+changes+to+transform+your+life" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 im portant changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/
wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transfo rm your life\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to N
ewsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com /blog/2008/06/14/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/\u0026amp;title\u003d10+important+changes+to+transform+your
+life\u0026amp;description\u003d10+important+changes+to+transform+your+life" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important ch anges to transform your life\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-conten
t/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your l ife\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia
"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware .com/blog/2008/06/14/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/\u0026amp;title\u003d10+important+changes+to+transform+
your+life" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u00 3cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png\)" title\u
003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.g
06/14/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/\u0026amp;title\u003d10+important+changes+to+transform+your+life" tit le\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u
003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026
#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important ch anges to transform your life\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.
com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/10-important-changes-to-transform-your-life/\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://ww [w.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 import
ant changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform yo ur life\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u0
03d10+important+changes+to+transform+your+life\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/10-important-ch anges-to-transform-your-life/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to MySp
ace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.pn
g" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add \u0026# 39;10 important changes to transform your life\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n","categories
":[“Development Methods”,“Experiential learning”,“review”,“latest”,“invention blame”,“alienates”,“and”,“frustrates”,“pro fessional”,“excellence”,“a”,“relationship”,“bring”,“thought”,“provoking”,“perspectives”,“turn”,“imagining”,"consequences
",“and”,“fearing”,“them”,“lt”,“you throw”,“approvals”,“and”,“disapprovals”,“out”,“strongly”,“perspectives”,“obsessed”,"i
nitiative",“attempts”,“counter productive”,“means”]},{“title”:“Wide Aware is growing”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:13:41 -0700”,“conten tSnippet”:"I see interest in our activities from all kinds of people - corporates, schools and other educational institu
tions, adult …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eI see interest in our activities from all kinds of people - corporates, school s and other educational institutions, adult organizations and clubs, individual people in search of adventure, people wh
o wish for counseling for their \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/schools-colleges/student-teacher.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/schools-colleges/student-teacher.htm\)" tit le\u003d"outdoor adventure for children" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003echildren\u003c/a
\u003e/familiesΓǪ…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts just me, and a whole new array of directions for growth, for making a meaningful difference in peopleΓÇÖs lives. Its a heady feeling. It also scares me on some level, as I donΓÇÖt really
know if I can do all this justice. If I can live up to the belief that people have invested in me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c p\u003eThank you everyone for your continuing support and being there with your suggestions as well as walking with me a
s we venture together into exciting new terrain. This spirit of adventure in you, in me, is what makes this whole thing worthwhile.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\
u003d"[http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\](http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\)
u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\)" title\u003d"Ad
d \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.com/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.w
[ide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing](http://ide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026
#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugin s/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d\
“Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://furl.net/storeIt. jsp?t\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\u0026amp;u\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)” titl
e\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to FURL"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo g/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/furl.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; t
o FURL" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to FURL"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http: //blinklist.com/index.php?Action\u003dBlink/addblink.php\u0026amp;Name\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\u0026amp;Description\u
003dWide+Aware+is+growing\u0026amp;Url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)" title\u00 3d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinklist.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026# 39; to blinklist" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca hr
tle\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to reddit"\u003e\u003cimg s rc\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/reddit.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/reddit.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u
0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to reddit" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to reddit" \u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://feedmelinks.com/categorize?from\u003dtoolbar\u0026amp;op\u003dsubmit\u002
6amp;name\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\) u0026amp;version\u003d0.7" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links"\u003e\u003cimg
src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/feedmelinks.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/feedmelinks.png\)" title\u003d\
"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#3 9; to Feed Me Links"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wide-aw
[are.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/](http://are.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Technorat i"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.p
ng" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is g rowing\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/bookmar
klet?u\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;t\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;t\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\)" tit
le\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-awar [e.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/yahoo_myweb.png](http://e.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/yahoo_myweb.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is gro
wing\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003c/ a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-awar
e-is-growing/\u0026amp;h\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to News vine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/newsvine.
png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is gr owing\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ekstreme.com/socializer/?url\u003dhttp://www
.[wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing](http://wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\)" title\u003d"Add \u00
26#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-conten t/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/socializer.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Soc
ializer" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d "http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026am
p;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\u0026amp;description\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Awa re is growing\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/socia
l-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003 d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbl
e+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"ht tp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39
;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Stumble U pon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dpopu
p\u0026amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+
growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"htt p://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide
Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Google Book marks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://www.wide-
[aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/](http://aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Squidoo "\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/squidoo.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/squidoo.png\)"
title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Squidoo" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing
u0026#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.spurl.net/spurl.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aw
ked\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003cimg sr c\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/spurl.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/spurl.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u00
26#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Spurl" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u00 3e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blinkbits.com/bookmarklets/save.php?v\u003d1\u0026amp;source_url\u003dhttp://
[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\)" title\u003d"Add \
u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-cont ent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinkbits.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Bl
inkBits" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d
"http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php?mini\u003d1\u0026amp;simple\u003d1\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/200
8/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is grow ing\u0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmark
ing-reloaded/bmarks.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Blogmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u002 6#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.bloglines.com/sub/
[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u002 6#39; to Bloglines"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-relo
aded/bloglines.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Bloglines" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39; Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Bloglines"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.netscape.com/submit/?U\](http://www.netscape.com/submit/?U\)
u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;T\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;T\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/ wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/netscape.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39;
to Netscape" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u0 03d"[http://www.bookmark.it/bookmark.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\](http://www.bookmark.it/bookmark.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)" tit
le\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware .com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bookmark.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing
\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003c/a\u003 e\u003ca href\u003d"http://smarking.com/editbookmark/?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-
growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Smark ing"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/smarking.p
ng" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Smarking" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is gro wing\u0026#39; to Smarking"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.linkagogo.com/go/AddNoPopup?url\u003dhttp
://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing\)" title\u003d"Ad
d \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-c ontent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/linkagogo.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to
Linkagogo" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u00 3d"https://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\u
0026amp;title\u003dWide+Aware+is+growing" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Live-MSN"\u003 e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png\)" title\u00
3d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Live-MSN" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to Live-MSN"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com
/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e \u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png\)" title\
u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to FaceBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026# 39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003dWide+Aware+
is+growing\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/14/wide-aware-is-growing/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39 ;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugin
s/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt
u003d"Add \u0026#39;Wide Aware is growing\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n",“categories”:["
Adventure as usual",“Team News”,“Thoughts”,“Wide Aware”,“adventure”,“children”,“education”,“news”,“people”]},{“title”:"T
he earth celebrates",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"pu
blishedDate":“Sun, 08 Jun 2008 05:31:00 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“I\u0026#8217;m turning into a poet. After the scorching , humid summer months, I have heavy rain outside my window as I sit to write …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖm turning
into a poet. After the scorching, humid summer months, I have heavy rain outside my window as I sit to write this. The w ind is strong and brings in a spray of refreshing droplets of this celebration. I can smell the wet earth and see hardly
anything outside the window beyond my jamun tree that literally touches the window, the rain is that strong.\u003c/p\u0 03e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tree seems to be very happy though. Its leaves are fresh and green and wet. It sways in the strong
wind. Blurry beyond it is the road and the people and vehicles on it, getting a thorough washing after months of dirt a nd pollution. As the rain stops, I see a fresh world becoming visible. Gone is the weary drag of everything. The air is
crisp, everything looks fresh. Its time to welcome the monsoon again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.
com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The eart h celebrates\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/soci
al-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u 003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://digg.c
om/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\) u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d
"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Th
e earth celebrates\u0026#39; to digg" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u 003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://furl.net/storeIt.jsp?t\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to FURL"\u003e\u003 cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/furl.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/furl.png\)" title\u003d"Ad
d \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to FURL" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to FURL"\u 003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blinklist.com/index.php?Action\u003dBlink/addblink.php\u0026amp;Name\u003dT
he+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;Description\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;Url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008 /06/08/the-earth-celebrates/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003cimg s
rc\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinklist.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinklist.png\)" title\u003d"Add
\u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to blinklist" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to blin klist"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://reddit.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/
08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u002 6#39; to reddit"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloade
d/reddit.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to reddit" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to reddit"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://feedmelinks.com/categorize?from\u003dtool
bar\u0026amp;op\u003dsubmit\u0026amp;name\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/200 8/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;version\u003d0.7" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to F
eed Me Links"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/f
eedmelinks.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;T he earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.technorati.com/faves?
add\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrat es\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmark
ing-reloaded/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003d"Add
u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://myweb2.search.yaho
arth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d" [http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/yahoo_myweb.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/yahoo_myweb.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#
39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/20
08/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;h\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0 026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-rel
oaded/newsvine.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Th e earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ekstreme.com/socializer/?url\u0
03dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog /wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/socializer.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#3
9; to Socializer" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca hr ef\u003d"[http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\](http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\)
u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;description\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/s
ocial-bookmarking-reloaded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u 003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stum
h+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"htt p://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;
The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon "\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dpopup\u
0026amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrat
es" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://ww [w.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth c
elebrates\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"
u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u 003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/squidoo.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/squidoo.png\)" title\u00
3d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Squidoo" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.spurl.net/spurl.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog
/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;v\u003d3\u0026amp;blocked\u003dThe+e arth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://
[www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/spurl.png](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/spurl.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth
celebrates\u0026#39; to Spurl" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u 003ca href\u003d"http://blinkbits.com/bookmarklets/save.php?v\u003d1\u0026amp;source_url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com
/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth c elebrates\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bo
okmarking-reloaded/blinkbits.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to BlinkBits" alt\u003d"A dd \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blogmarks.net/m
y/new.php?mini\u003d1\u0026amp;simple\u003d1\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celeb rates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Blogmarks
"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bmarks.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bmarks.png\)"
title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Blogmarks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u 0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.bloglines.com/sub/http://www.wide-aware.com/bl
og/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Bloglines"\u003e\u00 3cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bloglines.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bloglines.png\)" title\u00
3d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Bloglines" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Bloglines"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.netscape.com/submit/?U\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/b
log/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;T\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebra tes\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarki
ng-reloaded/netscape.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Netscape" alt\u003d"Add \u0026 #39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.bookmark.it/bookmark.
php?url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth cele brates\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-boo
kmarking-reloaded/bookmark.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it" alt\u003d"A dd \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://smarking.com/
editbookmark/?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+cel
ebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Smarking"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.w [ide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/smarking.png](http://ide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/smarking.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth ce
lebrates\u0026#39; to Smarking" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Smarking"\u003e\u003c/a\u00 3e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.linkagogo.com/go/AddNoPopup?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-eart
h-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Li nkagogo"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/linkag
ogo.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Linkagogo" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth ce lebrates\u0026#39; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"https://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?url\u0
03dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\u0026amp;title\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Live-MSN"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/w p-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Li
ve-MSN" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Live-MSN"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"ht tp://[www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/\)" title\u003d"Ad
d \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-con tent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to Fac
eBook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"htt p://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003dThe+earth+celebrates\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/200
8/06/08/the-earth-celebrates/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg sr c\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u
0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;The earth celebrates\u0026#39; to MySpace" \u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“Wildlife Tours”,“sways”,“the”,“strong”,“wind”,“blurry”
,“literally”,“touches”,“the”,“window”,“celebration”,“smell”,“the”,“wet”,“earth”,“and”,“visible”,“the”,“weary”,“drag”,"hu
mid",“summer”,“months”,“months”,“dirt”,“and”,“pollution”,“leaves”,“fresh”,“and”,“green”,“and”,“wet”,“the”,“rain”,“stops”
]},{“title”:“Phase B”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”
:“Wed, 04 Jun 2008 01:42:29 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“This is an interesting life I have. Just as I begin to believe thin gs are sorted and settled, a new twist comes up. Just as I …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eThis is an interesting life I ha
ve. Just as I begin to believe things are sorted and settled, a new twist comes up. Just as I begin thinking of myself a s average, I see how I am exceptional. This time is no different.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had gone to attend the P
hase B of my professional development programme as a T-Group facilitator with the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Science, and expected to have a steep learning curve full of struggle and difficulties and discovering things that are
not nice about myself to have to deal with and work through to emerge victorious and was prepared for all the melodrama. I was surprised to find myself flowing with the learning, discovering new horizons of learning and awareness.\u003c/p\u
003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am now in the internship that precedes the acceptance by the board members into the professional me mbership and faculty at ISABS. \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile
.gif" alt\u003d":)"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cem\u003eAdd to your favourites\u003c/em\u003e\u003cbr\u 003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://del.icio.us/post?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;tit
le\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wid [e-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png](http://e-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/delicious.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026
#39; to Del.icio.us" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Del.icio.us"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d
"http://digg.com/submit?phase\u003d2\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title
\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.c om/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/digg.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to digg"
alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to digg"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://furl.net/storeIt.jsp ?t\u003dPhase+B\u0026amp;u\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\
u0026#39; to FURL"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloa
ded/furl.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to FURL" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to FURL "\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blinklist.com/index.php?Action\u003dBlink/addblink.php\u0026amp;Name\u0
03dPhase+B\u0026amp;Description\u003dPhase+B\u0026amp;Url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" titl e\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-cont
ent/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinklist.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to blinklist" alt
u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to blinklist"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://reddit.com/submit?ur
l\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase
B\u0026#39; to reddit"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking- reloaded/reddit.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to reddit" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39
; to reddit"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://feedmelinks.com/categorize?from\u003dtoolbar\u0026amp;op\u00 3dsubmit\u0026amp;name\u003dPhase+B\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;versio
n\u003d0.7" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-a [ware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/feedmelinks.png](http://ware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/feedmelinks.png\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#
39; to Feed Me Links" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Feed Me Links"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u00 3d"[http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\](http://www.technorati.com/faves?add\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" title\u003d"Add \u002
6#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/socia l-bookmarking-reloaded/technorati.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Technorati" alt\u003d"Add \u00
26#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Technorati"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/myresults/ bookmarklet?u\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;t\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;t\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#
39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/socia l-bookmarking-reloaded/yahoo_myweb.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web" alt\u003d"Add \
u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Yahoo My Web"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newsvine.com/_wine/save?u \u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;h\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;h\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0
026#39; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-rel
oaded/newsvine.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Newsvine" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#3 9; to Newsvine"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ekstreme.com/socializer/?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.c
om/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Socializer"\u 003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/socializer.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/socializer.png\)"
title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Socializer" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Socializer"
u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://ma.gnolia.com/bookmarklet/add?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008
/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\u0026amp;description\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026 #39; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloa
ded/magnolia.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Ma.gnolia" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39 ; to Ma.gnolia"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware
.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon "\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/stumbleupon.p
ng" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Stumble Upon" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Stumbl e Upon"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op\u003dedit\u0026amp;output\u003dp
opup\u0026amp;bkmk\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Ad
d \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/ plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/google.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks" alt\
u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Google Bookmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http:/ /[www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\](http://www.squidoo.com/lensmaster/bookmark?http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Pha
se B\u0026#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarki ng-reloaded/squidoo.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Squidoo" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u00
26#39; to Squidoo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.spurl.net/spurl.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware .com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\u0026amp;v\u003d3\u0026amp;blocked\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d\
"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/ social-bookmarking-reloaded/spurl.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Spurl" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39
;Phase B\u0026#39; to Spurl"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blinkbits.com/bookmarklets/save.php?v\u003d1 \u0026amp;source_url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"
Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugi ns/social-bookmarking-reloaded/blinkbits.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to BlinkBits" alt\u003d"Ad
d \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to BlinkBits"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://blogmarks.net/my/new.php?mini \u003d1\u0026amp;simple\u003d1\u0026amp;url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003d
Phase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.co m/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bmarks.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Blogm
arks" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Blogmarks"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.blogl [ines.com/sub/http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\](http://ines.com/sub/http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Blogli
nes"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bloglines.
png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Bloglines" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Blogline s"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.netscape.com/submit/?U\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06
/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;T\u003dPhase+B" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003cimg src\u00 3d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/netscape.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/netscape.gif\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026
#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Netscape" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Netscape"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.bookmark.it/bookmark.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\](http://www.bookmark.it/bookmark.php?url\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" title\u003
d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/ plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/bookmark.gif" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it" alt\u00
3d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Bookmark.it"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://smarking.com/editbook mark/?url\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#
39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Smarking"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bo okmarking-reloaded/smarking.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Smarking" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Ph
ase B\u0026#39; to Smarking"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.linkagogo.com/go/AddNoPopup?url\u003dhtt p://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#3
9; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloade
d/linkagogo.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Linkagogo" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Linkagogo"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"https://favorites.live.com/quickadd.aspx?url\u003dhttp://www.wide
-[aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B](http://aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\u0026amp;title\u003dPhase+B\)" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Live-M SN"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/live.png\)"
title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Live-MSN" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to Live-MSN"\u003 e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u\u003dhttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/ph
ase-b/" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/ blog/wp-content/plugins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/facebook.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to FaceB
ook" alt\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to FaceBook"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myspace .com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?t\u003dPhase+B\u0026amp;c\u003dhttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/06/04/phase-b/\)" title\u00
3d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/plu gins/social-bookmarking-reloaded/myspace.png" title\u003d"Add \u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to MySpace" alt\u003d"Add
\u0026#39;Phase B\u0026#39; to MySpace"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“I SABS”,“emotions”,“experience”,“experiential-learning”,“struggle”,“and”,“difficulties”,“and”,“discovering”,“things”,“the”
,“professional”,“membership”,“and”,“faculty”,“a”,“steep”,“learning”,“curve”,“discovering”,“horizons”,“emerge”,"victoriou
s",“and”,“sorted”,“and”,“settled”,“attend”,“the”,“phase”,“prepared”,“the”,“melodrama”]},{“title”:"Human Behaviour Proces
ses",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/05/13/human-behaviour-processes/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"publishedDate
“:“Tue, 13 May 2008 07:43:53 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Those who are in touch with me know that I have a keen interest in human behaviour processes and am actively pursuing my …”,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eThose who are in touch with me know
that I have a keen interest in human behaviour processes and am actively pursuing my self-development journey with ISABS .\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts Summer, and its time for the National Event being held in Goa. After a lot of anxiety
about being able to complete my logs and get them approved in time, I have finally been cleared two days before I am sup posed to leave.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNeedless to say, this is an exercise in pressure to be planning a trip to Go
a two days before departure in the holiday season. Keeping fingers crossed and hoping for the best.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003 cp\u003eThis time, I will be doing my Phase B of the Professional Development Programme. This is going to take two weeks
, and hopefully I will be emerging on the other end intact and wiser.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI am a little anxious about my ability to cope with the intensity of the process work and can hardly believe that I made it this long. Seems y
esterday that I attended my first Human Processes Lab. Time certainly flies when you are celebrating it.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eWill keep yaΓÇÖll posted on proceedings and my condition \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt\u003d":D"\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learnin g”,“ISABS”,“journey”]},{“title”:“Free Outbound Training”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/05/13/free-outbound
-training/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 12 May 2008 15:25:40 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:"One of my more bi zarre \u0026#8220;potential clients\u0026#8221;. I could write an entire book with the entertaining questions I get.\nGo
t …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eOne of my more bizarre ΓÇ£potential clientsΓÇ¥. I could write an entire book with the ent ertaining questions I get.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGot an email from a Sarita Sharma today asking for a quote for a
training programme. Fabulous. I was online and sent one across immediately.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGot a response a sking only for accommodation and food costs and need the outbound training complimentary!!! So now in a world of 20% ext
ra with your toothpaste, thereΓÇÖs this new thing of free outbound training from a training company, while you book a ho tel that is not theirs in any case.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGo figure!\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:["Experiential le
arning",“the”,“outbound”,“training”,“complimentary”,“a”,“sarita”,“sharma”,“today”,“a”,“training”,“programme”,“fabulous”,
“write”,“an”,“entire”,“book”,“outbound”,“training”,“accommodation”,“and”,“food”,“costs”,“and”,“book”,“a”,“hotel”,“the”,"
entertaining",“questions”]},{“title”:“Rock Climbing at Kanheri Caves”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/18/
rock-climbing-at-kanheri-caves/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:40:33 -0700”,“contentSnippe t”:"Its becoming a habit. I have a conversation with someone that sets me thinking and I come here and write about it \
nThis time …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eIts becoming a habit. I have a conversation with someone that sets me thinking a nd I come here and write about it \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_bi
ggrin.gif" alt\u003d":D"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis time it is about Kanheri Caves and what is happening out there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen I learnt climbing, Kanheri was a regular haunt of climbers. On Sundays and
public holidays, the place was literally swarming with outdoor people. A public bus service ran up to the caves from the Borivli station. We used to use that shabby bungalow to hold training camps. Those were the good old days.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eToday, the crowd is hardly there. For some bizarre reason, the authorities have forbidden climbing there . Probably something to do with their weird sense of preservation of ancient monuments.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLetΓ
ÇÖs face it. Rock cut caves that have withstood the centuries and have fairly nothing in terms of paintings or delicate art are not exactly going to crumble when they see climbers. In any case, no one actually climbs the cave walls (mostly
- no promises - climbers are crazy). Climbers sweat a lot, but I am fairly certain that caves will not faint or erode fr om it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSarcasm aside, I see this as a situation changed for the worse:\n\u003col\u003e\n\u00
3cli\u003eThe area has hardly any people any more, and trouble with anti-scial elements is on the rise. Earlier, the abu ndance of the climbers made it a pretty busy area with an abundance of fit and valuable free people who were passionate
about the sanctity of the place likely to come across trouble makers.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClimbers generally h ave a well developed sense of affinity with nature and served as excellent policing of trash throwers and often brought
back stray trash they found in remote spots. Today, you have families throwing garbage all over the place with no one to try and make them aware of the need not to do such things.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe social feel of the place.
The climbing community, the families and the overall busy feel brought an impression of a busy, thriving place with imme nse value to a variety of people. Today, there are few people who dare to go beyond the main area for fear of the isolat
ion, except for couples who use the caves like private bedrooms to make out in.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonkeys ar e a menace there. A busy community makes it less likely for someone to be attacked and hurt. A simple suggestion of not
bringing any eatables to the caves would have sufficed to discourage moneys over time when they realized that there was no food stuff forthcoming. However, the authorities are not interested in anything like that, even after repeated sugges
tions of solutions, complaints about monkey attacksΓǪ…\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI miss the old Ka nheri Caves, where I as a teenage girl could walk around without fear; where we were there to stop tourists from litteri
ng, rather than make occasional visits and be depressed by the litter; when monkeys could actually be scared away withou t resorting to extreme measuresΓǪΓǪ…\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Environment”,“Safety issues”,"Social
Awareness",“habitats”,“trouble”,“makers climbers”,“generally”,“climbers”,“sundays”,“and”,“public”,“holidays”,"in monkey
s",“a”,“menace”,“there”,“a”,“busy”,“community”,“crazy”,“climbers”,“sweat”,“a”,“lot”,“face”,“it”,“rock”,“cut”,“caves”,"fa
irly",“caves”,“kanheri”,“caves”,“and”,“the”,“kanheri”,“caves”]},{“title”:“Public involvement in the sanctuary”,“link”:"h
ttp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/18/public-involvement-in-the-sanctuary/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"F
ri, 18 Apr 2008 10:22:00 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I happened across this article on the net and thought that it was wort h sharing. For once, it doesn\u0026#8217;t speak of dwindling …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI happened across this articl
e on the net and thought that it was worth sharing. For once, it doesnΓÇÖt speak of dwindling populations of animals and effects of pollution, but an astounding initiative.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.newindpr
ic\u003d0"\u003eEco-tourism now includes adventure, anti-poaching - Newindpress.com\u003c/a\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003c br\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003eEco-tourism now includes adventure, anti-poaching Wednesday April 9 2008 12:10 IST\u003c
/blockquote\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBHUBANESWAR: The eco-tourism concept which, till recently, was the buzz wo rd for nature lovers inside Chandaka Sanctuary, has incorporated new elements like hands-on experiences on anti-poaching
activity, protection and adventure tourism. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the visitors could now go with the fore st staff on an anti-poaching drive to sensitise villagers on the importance of conservation of elephants ΓÇö the flagshi
p species of the reserved forest ΓÇö they could also experience trekking along the odd forest paths along with forest st aff and security agency like Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven the sanctuary
authorities have started a dialogue with the CISF officials at Mundali in this regard, says DFO Akshaya Pattanaik, addin g for this visitors would be taken in groups or phases according to availability of accommodation and base camps within
the sanctuary limits. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the nature education front, to let the visitors know the various plant varieties, display boards are already in place at major tourist spots and boards on animals are in the pipeline, t
he DFO says. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eΓÇÿΓÇÿA natural garden containing 30 medicinal plants and 30 herbal species i s already commissioned near the main gate at Godibari. There is also a plan to start souvenir centres at Deras point and
Godibari in future so that tourists can take some memory of Chandaka with them,ΓÇÖΓÇÖ Pattanaik reveals. \u003c/p\u003 e\n\u003cp\u003eThe sanctuary has submitted a proposal of Rs 40 lakh for the information dissemination process which wil
l also include a separate and dedicated vehicle to ferry visitors inside the forest area and to make the entrance point another major tourist hot-spot with state-of-the-art facilities for nature education, he adds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u0
03eWhat I enjoyed reading about this was the proactive feel of the whole thing. Most visitors to sanctuaries feel strong ly about nature and being involved in safeguarding nature beats looking at it hands on. This move is brilliant because i
t achieves several admirable things at once.\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReally, I cannot say it often enough. Its a cheerful, proactive step that is far more tempting than forecasts of doom and entreaties to do some vague ΓÇ£somethingΓÇ
¥.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt delivers a far more real and intimate experience with nature to the visitors.\u003c/ li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIt serves to further develop a sense of responsibility and pro-activeness in safeguarding the en
vironment and creates a belief that it is not impossible to create our bit of impact.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMake s people wiser about the natural life in the sanctuary, the local cultures that live in and around it and the role of th
e government on the scene.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIts viral. I can imagine far more people hearing about this and wanting to do it themselves than ordinary trips. So it should result in a revenue, public support and awareness as well
as regular vigilance in the sanctuary.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFolks at the Sanjay Gandhi Nationa l Park, are yaΓÇÖll reading? Could this idea work to help get the park trash free?\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","categor
ies":[“Environment”,“anti poaching”,“newindpress com”,“eco tourism”,“nature”,“lovers”,“inside”,“chandaka”,“sanctuary”,"a
nti poaching",“wednesday”,“april”,“9”,“2008”,“12”,“ferry”,“visitors”,“inside”,“the”,“forest”,“area”,“and”,“ΓÇÖΓÇÖ”,"patt
anaik",“reveals”,“the”,“sanctuary”,“central”,“industrial”,“security”,“force”,“cisf”,“an”,“anti poaching”,“drive”,“place”
,“major”,“tourist”,“spots”,“and”,“boards”]},{“title”:“Sightseeing with a difference”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/b
log/2008/04/15/sightseeing-with-a-difference/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 14 Apr 2008 23:55:10 -0700”, “contentSnippet”:"This is a paid review. One of the few that I found these days that give me something really interestin
g to talk about on my …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003e\u003ca rel\u003d"lightbox" href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/b log/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/nyc.jpg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/200
8/04/nyc-150x150.jpg" alt\u003d"Sightseeing tours in NYC" title\u003d"Sightseeing tours in NYC" width\u003d"150" height\u003d"150"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a paid review. One of the few that I found t
hese days that give me something really interesting to talk about on my blog.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u 003d"http://www.citysightsny.com"\u003eNYC Attractions\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCitySights NY is a do
uble decker sightseeing tours company in NYC.\u003cbr\u003e\nOther than double decker bus tours the copany offers attrac tion\u003cbr\u003e\ntickets, daily trips to Boston, Washington DC, and Philadelphia as well\u003cbr\u003e\nas shopping t
rips to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat I enjoyed about this site is the sheer number of tours on offer. You have tours for the day or night or a few hours, tours to specific locations, tours along themes,
tours on double decker buses, boats, helicopters…. and even a tour of premium outlets for shopping for a day or even 4 days!!!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJust reading around on the site made me feel like a busy tourist and I found myself
planning things and picking up on stuff that sounded interesting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe links to the descript ions of sights attractions and points of interest are interesting as well. I enjoyed the informal style of writing and t
he immediacy of the writers experience in the words. I could imagine myself being there and enjoying myself. Temptation at its most tempting \u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif\)" a
lt\u003d":D"\u003e or maybe I suffer from chronic wanderlust.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you live in NYC or are pl anning to go there, do try and do some of these things and let me know how you find them and of course, if I go, youΓÇÖl
l read about it here.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Paid reviews”,“Places”,“sightseeing tours”,“nyc other”,“double”,“d ecker”,“bus”,“tours”,“the”,“copany”,“offers”,“attraction tickets”,“a”,“double”,“decker”,“sightseeing”,“tours”,“company”
,“tours”,“double”,“decker”,“buses”,“woodbury”,“common”,“premium”,“outlets what”,“premium”,“outlets”,“enjoyed”,“the”,"inf
ormal",“style”,“enjoyed”,“the”,“sheer”,“number”,“stuff”,“sounded”,“interesting the”,“links”]},{“title”:"Why Save the tur
tles?“,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/14/why-save-the-turtles/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:”
Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:48:22 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I found this page on the greenpeace site, and throught it is importan t for readers here to notice.\n\n \n \n …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI found \u003ca href\u003d"
[http://www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles/why-save-turtles\](http://www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles/why-save-turtles\)"\u003ethis page on the greenpeace site\u003c/a\u003e, and thro ught it is important for readers here to notice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n \u003ca href\u003d"http://
[www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/turtlecoming.jpg](http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/turtlecoming.jpg\)"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.gre
[enpeace.in/turtles/images/tnturtlecoming.jpg](http://enpeace.in/turtles/images/tnturtlecoming.jpg\)" alt\u003d"Turtles arriving onshore"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n \u003csmall\u003e©Bivash Pandav\u003c/small\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsider this
… Olive Ridley turtles rely on an inexplicable, in-built\u003cbr\u003e\nnavigation system that guides them, when it’ s time for them to\u003cbr\u003e\nreproduce, back to \u003cem\u003ethe precise coast \u003c/em\u003eon which they were
born.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow\u003cbr\u003e\nconsider something else… The proposed Tata port at Dhamra threate ns a\u003cbr\u003e\nnesting site that is amongst the last honeymoon suites for the\u003cbr\u003e\nremaining Olive Ridley
s, a highly-endangered species that swims all the\u003cbr\u003e\nway here from places as far away as Australia and the P hilippines.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen\u003cbr\u003e\nyou consider these two facts together, it seems only logical
that Tata\u003cbr\u003e\nwould reconsider its decision to build the port at Dhamra, and build it\u003cbr\u003e\nin an a rea thatΓÇÖs less ecologically sensitive. It seems especially\u003cbr\u003e\nlogical when itΓÇÖs Tata weΓÇÖre talking ab
out.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter all,\u003cbr\u003e\nTata has grown from a national giant into an international pl ayer,\u003cbr\u003e\nwhile constantly stating its commitment to the principles of social\u003cbr\u003e\nupliftment, envi
ronmental justice and sustainable development. The Tata\u003cbr\u003e\nbrand is ubiquitous, present in hundreds of produ cts that have\u003cbr\u003e\ngenuinely improved the lives of generations of Indians; from the Tata\u003cbr\u003e\nsalt t
hat flavours our daily bread, the Tata BP solar geyser that warms\u003cbr\u003e\nour winter baths, the Tata Telecom that manages our communications, to\u003cbr\u003e\nthe Tata cars that ΓÇÿdrive a billion dreams.ΓÇÖ\u003c/p\u003e\n\n\u003cd
iv style\u003d"float:right"\u003e\n \u003ca rel\u003d"lightbox" href\u003d"http://www.greenpeace.in/turt les/images/babyturtle.jpg"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/tnbabyturtle.jpg\](http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/tnbabyturtle.jpg\)" alt\u00
3d"Turtles arriving onshore"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n \u003csmall\u003e©Bivash Pandav\u003c/sma ll\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd yet, in Orissa, we’re witnessing a different side to the same
Tata.\u003cbr\u003e\nA Tata that shuts its ears to reason. A Tata that looks the other way\u003cbr\u003e\nwhen confront ed with evidence. A Tata that cares nothing for the\u003cbr\u003e\ncommunity, and even less for nature.\n\u003cp\u003eTh
e port Tata is proposing to build in Dhamra will directly\u003cbr\u003e\naffect the Olive Ridley turtles. With 150,000 t o 350,000 Olive Ridley\u003cbr\u003e\nturtles nesting in the vicinity, the average number of hatchlings is\u003cbr\u003e
\nbelieved to range from 15 million to 35 million.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.green [peace.org/india/news/ratan-tata-kya-hua-tera-vaada](http://peace.org/india/news/ratan-tata-kya-hua-tera-vaada\)"\u003econfronted by Greenpeace\u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\nTata pro
mised concerned citizens that it would abandon the port ΓÇÿif\u003cbr\u003e\nevidence of turtle presence and the ecologi cal significance of the area\u003cbr\u003e\nwere ever unearthed.ΓÇÖ\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003c
a rel\u003d"lightbox" href\u003d"[http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/dead-turtle.jpg\](http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/dead-turtle.jpg\)“\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d" [http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/tndead-turtle.jpg\](http://www.greenpeace.in/turtles/images/tndead-turtle.jpg\)” alt\u003d"Turtles arriving onshore"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u0
03cbr\u003e\n \u003csmall\u003e©Pratyush Mohapatra/Greenpeace\u003c/small\u003e\n \u003c/div\u003 e\n\u003cp\u003e The \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/releases/evidence-of-turtles-r
are-spec"\u003eevidence was submitted\u003c/a\u003e , but this promise wasnΓÇÖt kept. The \u003ca href\u003d"http://w [ww.greenpeace.org/india/press/releases/tata-s-dhamra-port-eia-serious](http://ww.greenpeace.org/india/press/releases/tata-s-dhamra-port-eia-serious\)"\u003eperfunctory EIA \u003c/a\u003e\u003cbr\u003
e\ncarried out in this area isnΓÇÖt worth the paper itΓÇÖs printed on. Another\u003cbr\u003e\nnesting season has passed us by, with turtle mortality from mechanized\u003cbr\u003e\nfishing agonizingly high. Coming in addition to this annual
death toll,\u003cbr\u003e\nthe Tata port could be the final nail in the turtleΓÇÖs coffin, ensuring\u003cbr\u003e\nthat this area is never safe for turtles again.\n\u003cp\u003eWill this willful destruction be the legacy that Tata leaves b
ehind in Orissa?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Not if you can help it. To write directly to Ratan Tata and ask him to change his mind, simply sign the letter on the right.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:["Environmen
t",“Social Awareness”,“endangered species”,“habitats”,“nesting stie”,“turtles”,“dhamra”,“directly affect”,“the”,“olive”, “ridley”,“turtles”,“confronted”,“greenpeace tata”,“promised”,“concerned”,“citizens”,“350”,“000”,“olive”,“ridley turtles”
,“nesting”,“social upliftment”,“environmental”,“justice”,“and”,“sustainable”,“development”,“the”,“tata brand”,“thisΓǪ”,
“olive”,“ridley”,“turtles”,“rely”,“elseΓǪ”,“the”,“proposed”,“tata”,“port”,“unearthed ΓÇÖ”,“┬⌐pratyush”,"mohapatra green
peace",“the”,“evidence”,“the”,“tata a”,“tata”]},{“title”:“Bringing the open source spirt to business”,“link”:"http://ww
w.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/13/bringing-the-open-source-spirt-to-business/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sa
t, 12 Apr 2008 16:19:19 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I am often asked and even criticized for being over friendly with clien ts. Which service provider explains components of a …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI am often asked and even criticized fo
r being over friendly with clients. Which service provider explains components of a potential invoice and easy ways of d oing parts of it themselves with little effort?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA case in point being \u003ca href\u003d"ht
tp://[www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm](http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\)" title\u003d"Experiential Learning through teambuilding activiti es" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a\u003e programme proposals having pot
ential location contacts and a suggestion that a direct negotiation might work out cheaper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e Or adventure sport clients who are basically enthusiastic youth on the look out for tips getting as many tips as they wa
nt, contacts and advice to organize their trips themselves and so on?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe way I see it, my p urpose is in my skill in the services I provide. I am doing no miracles, but I do what I do exceedingly well. It does me
no harm and gains a lot of good will if my client saves some money on the buffers on hotel charges, or if a group of pe ople manage their own tour. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are clients who donΓÇÖt want the hassle and will still pa
y me to do it, and there are people who go away with information so reliable and unique that the next time they go out, they budget to be able to pay me.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWithin a few years of the creation of this site, I have ov
er a thousand people subscribing to a newsletter that goes out maybe 4 times a year and stays shut if there is nothing e xtraordinary to say.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI see this as a strength which, like the open source softwares, is tran
sparent. I have clients suggesting that I start offering some kind of tour, or recommending me to others. Like the open source softwares, it may be silly to offer this kind of information for free, but it brings me great goodwill and I get
to be appreciated and hired for the things only I can do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeems unprofessional? I see it as warmth and true commitment to my clients needs.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“Wide Aware”,“clients”,“service”
,“provider”,“explains”,“components”,“the”,“open”,“source”,“softwares”,“potential”,“location”,“contacts”,“and”,“a”,"sugge
stion",“work”,“cheaper or”,“adventure”,“sport”,“clients”,“tips”,“contacts”,“and”,“advice”,“transparent”,“clients”,"sugge
sting",“a”,“potential”,“invoice”,“and”,“easy”,“ways”,“4”,“times”,“a”,“year”,“and”,“stays”,“shut”]},{“title”:"Soda bicarb
and improved performance",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/13/soda-bicarb-and-improved-performance/”,"aut
hor":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:18:46 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“I found these interesting posts t hat speak of the effect of Bi-carb soda and improved performance and Magnesium for stress …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI
found these interesting posts that speak of the effect of \u003ca href\u003d"[http://altdirt.com/?p\u003d228\](http://altdirt.com/?p\u003d228\)“\u003eBi- carb soda and improved performance\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href\u003d"[http://altdirt.com/?p\u003d284\](http://altdirt.com/?p\u003d284\)”\u003eMagnesium
\u003c/a\u003e for stress relief which leads me to wonder what will the impact be on people training for sport climbingΓ ÇªΓǪ…\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrecious little research is available to climbers in India, and such information lea
ds me to believe that a more scientific and gym like approach to climbing training could bring major shifts on the climb ing scene.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“Sports”,“bi carb”,“soda”,“and”,“improved”,“performance”,"a
nd",“magnesium”,“sport”,“climbing precious”,“approach”,“climbing”,“training”,“bring”,“major”,“shifts”,“leads”,"th
e",“impact”,“stress”,“relief”,“research”,“climbers”,“speak”,“the”,“effect”]},{“title”:“ChildrenΓÇÖs Summer Camp”,“link”:
“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/04/12/childrens-summer-camp/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sat, 12 Apr 2
008 05:39:46 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“After countless requests by parents for camps they can send their children to, we have finally succumbed and have organized a …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eAfter countless requests by parents for camps t
hey can send their \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/schools-colleges/student-teacher.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/schools-colleges/student-teacher.htm\)" title\u003d"out door adventure for children" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003echildren\u003c/a\u003e to, we
have finally succumbed and have organized a childrenΓÇÖs camp at Kanheri Caves this summer.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003 eThe dates are from the 25th to the 27th of April 2008 and the camp is for children from ages 10 years to 15 years.\u003
c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn terms of activities, the usual suspects are available - \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-a [ware.com/adventure-sports/rock-climbing.htm](http://ware.com/adventure-sports/rock-climbing.htm\)" title\u003d"Rock Climbing Training" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" re
l\u003d"external"\u003erock climbing\u003c/a\u003e, rappelling, nature trails, star gazing, etc. I have uploaded an \u 003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/community/Downloads-req-getit-lid-6.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/community/Downloads-req-getit-lid-6.htm\)"\u003eentry form\u003c/a\u003e with
more information about the camp if you want to send your son/daughter, nephew/niece, kid brother/sister, etc.\u003c/p\u 003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe camp fees are Rs.2,250/- per child and there is no cut off date for admission. However, we have v
ery limited seats - not more than 25 for sure, and the cut off in terms of availability is fast approaching. So, if you have a candidate, it would be in your best interests to hurry up with the submission of the entry.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003eCheers!\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“Adventure news”,“Children\u0026#39;s Programmes”,“Exp eriential learning”,“nephew niece”,“kid”,“brother sister”,“april”,“2008”,“and”,“the”,“camp”,“camp”,“kanheri”,“caves”,"et
c",“uploaded”,“an”,“entry”,“form”,“admission”,“limited”,“seats”,“children”,“ages”,“10”,“years”,“etc the”,“camp”,“fees”,"
summer the",“dates”]},{“title”:“The hidden science of hugs”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/03/13/the-hidden
-science-of-hugs/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:44:48 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:"Ugh, this is an extremely wise post from me based on years and years of actual experience. I have learnt that with hugs, what …
“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eUgh, this is an extremely wise post from me \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo g/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif" alt\u003d":P"\u003e based on years and years of actual experience. I have
learnt that with hugs, what you see, is rarely what you get. IΓÇÖd like to illustrate some of the salient hug species w e see commonly. I say species because after all this time, I have begun suspecting that they have a life of their own.\u
003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Affection hug\u003c/strong\u003e: \u003cfont color\u00 3d"#0000ff"\u003eThis is usually initiated by one participant while the other enjoys receiving it. I like this kind of
hug and its sub-types: protective, funny and emotional affection hugs.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e
u003cstrong\u003eThe Space-War hug\u003c/strong\u003e: \u003cfont color\u003d"#ff6600"\u003eThis is initiated by the d
ominant person in a conversation and stated as an affectionate gesture, but one only needs to look at the poor stiff or squirming or uninterested recipient to know how much affection is being conveyed. Such a hug is basically the dominant p
ersonΓÇÖs way of entering the poor victimΓÇÖs personal space at will. IΓÇÖd call it an attack.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li \u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e The Obligatory hug\u003c/strong\u003e: \u003cfont color\u003d"#800080"\u003eT
his is the beginning-of-meeting, end-of-meeting, when-we-meet, when-we-part variety of hug - like the Italians saying ΓÇ £ciaoΓÇ¥ or Spitians saying ΓÇ£JuleΓÇ¥ - means everything from ΓÇ£hiΓÇ¥ to ΓÇ£ByeΓÇ¥\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u
003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe When-in-doubt hug\u003c/strong\u003e: \u003cfont color\u003d"#ff00ff"\u003eThis hug is commonly seen after a disagreement or confrontation is mediated by a facilitator, when neither party is comfortable e
xploring their experience of the conflict. There is a spontaneous need to hug. Such a hug is also called the ΓÇ£Band-Aid ΓÇ¥ hug.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe reflected glory hug\u003c/strong\u003e: \u
003cfont color\u003d"#ff0000"\u003eWhere you go and hug someone who is very powerful or well-liked, and let the world know that that person is your pal.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe sorry hug\u003c/
strong\u003e: \u003cfont color\u003d"#339966"\u003eWhere you hug someone rather than do whatever they want you to do ( mostly because hugging takes the lesser effort of the two.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u
003eThe I-can-hug-too hug\u003c/strong\u003e: \u003cfont color\u003d"#7319e5"\u003eThe entire world seems to be in lov e with each other and rather than figure out why, you begin hugging people too.\u003c/font\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/
ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOoops! Need to go. Will come back with more info tomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFeel free to share your own pearls of learning in the comments.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“Thoughts”,"f
unny",“learnt”,“hugs”,“ugh”,“an”,“extremely”,“wise”,“post”,“based”,“years”,“and”,“years”,“actual”,“experience”]},{"title
":“Tips for picking trekking shoes you could walk with”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/03/12/tips-for-picki
ng-trekking-shoes-you-could-walk-with/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:24:52 -0700”,“conten tSnippet”:"Many people attend programmes with shoes that slip, are tight, are too fancy to wreck in the mud\u0026#8230;\
u0026#8230;.\nI thought a …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eMany people attend programmes with shoes that slip, are tight, ar e too fancy to wreck in the mudΓǪΓǪ.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI thought a quick post to point people to would help
me by removing the necessity of repeating this information all the time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNE VER wear shoes for the first time when you are walking for hours at a time and canΓÇÖt change them if they get uncomfort
able. Break your shoes in gently (for your feet - shoes donΓÇÖt feel). Use them for shorter trips before heading out for that week long extreme trek.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eALWAYS walk on a variety of surfaces - rough, smooth, marble
, stony, wet, etc. to check for slipping.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuy shoes in the evening when your feet are slig htly bigger than in the morning from standing all day.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe shoes should fit comfortably. B
y this, I mean a soft cushioning around your feet so that they are neither gripped by the shoe, nor rattling from the ex tra space.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e For treks and situations where you expect to do a lot of walking, thick soles
work well.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSome people prefer hard soles, others donΓÇÖt. You will need to find out from experience.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCOTTON SOCKS and plenty of them, please! You donΓÇÖt want to get those nice sh
oes smelly, and your companions unconscious.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFloaters or slippers to wear on the campsite. I mention these and the socks in this list, because they are an important part of a comfortable experience with trekkin
g shoes.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExpensive or cheap is not always the most comfortable. Experiment with different brands and types of shoes to experience what makes you happiest.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Care for your shoes as y
ou would care for a car. Checking condition, waterproofing, cleaning and other small bits of attention ensure that your shoes donΓÇÖt end up surprising you in a way you donΓÇÖt like when in action.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u
003eIf you think this list is silly, try being in my shoes where every programme has a percentage of participants not ha ppy about their footwear (or me not happy with theirs - in the case of high heeled sandals - because the climbing site w
as near a beach), or try getting embarrassed participants to talk about fungal infections on feet when they want first a id.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“gear”,“adventure-training”,“outdoors”,“people”,“tips”,“trekking”,
“shoes”,“slip”,“wreck”,“the”,“mud i”,“thought”,“a”,“quick”,“post”,“removing”,“the”,“necessity”,“tight”,“fancy”
,“people”,“attend”,“programmes”,“point”,“people”]},{“title”:“Self awareness and the self-coached climber”,“link”:“http:/ /www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/03/12/self-awareness-and-the-self-coached-climber/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”
:“Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:33:20 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“In every organization, we have the odd success story of a person wh o rose through the ranks like a comet. As a trainer, the …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eIn every organization, we have the
odd success story of a person who rose through the ranks like a comet. As a trainer, the most popular question we get a sked is how people can be made to perform at full potential.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, there is no answ
er that can be an instant solution - do this, and every person in your organization will be a genius. It just doesnΓÇÖt exist.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo what is it that these stars have that others donΓÇÖt?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e
For one, they have passion. When they find something they want, they go for it. When they find something they donΓÇÖt li ke, they give everything in them to change it. Is it any wonder that they are on the pulse of whatever it is that they h
andle? They either are in love with it, or have created it, or know it in and out in their efforts to cause a change.\u0 03c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother thing these people have is self-driven ambition. Being better than the next employee i
s irrelevant. What they are really competing with is their vision of how they could be at full potential.\u003c/p\u003e
n\u003cp\u003eHow can this be brought into training? A simple answer would be - ΓÇ£It canΓÇÖtΓÇ¥. However, that is not t
rue either. People change. I believe that this is one shift that could at the most be inspired by someone, but the urge to walk the road is from the person walking it. It is not even a decision that a person can make, but a need inside. All
the training in the world can only create some dream of this. Whether the dream fuels action when the person is on his own is what separates the stars from the masses.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere could this journey begin? Right here.
Right now. There is no rocket science to it. All it takes is being aware of yourself. Being aware of where you excel, w hat could be better, asking for feedback and absorbing it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe most difficult thing in this
journey is probably recognizing failure. Most \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.ht m" title\u003d"Experiential Learning through teambuilding activities" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"ex
ternal"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a\u003e employees today have an inherent phobia of failure. When a situation doesnΓÇÖt wor k as expected, a blame game follows. The brief was inadequate, time fell short, so-and-so goofed up, we didnΓÇÖt have en
ough people…. and so on. Yet, there are also stories filled with pride about old successes where the brief called for guesswork and tarot cards, the project was due “yesterday”, everything that could go wrong went wrong, resources wer
e short…… but the job was done. There is a reluctance to come out and say “the job was not done”, even when it w asn’t, where the simple statement gets replaced by miles of explanations, excuses and jargon, till the original subjec
t of conversation is safely forgotten. This is an option - a comfortable one, but it doesnΓÇÖt work for one who wishes t o be a self-coched climber, because until you know what to fix, there is no ΓÇ£climbingΓÇ¥ possible.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00
3cp\u003eA difficult but necessary move is to strip the sugar coating and speak of the results as they are. Explanations have a valid place in the reflection and planning for changes - NOT in measuring results.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA
nother difficulty is in relating with people. The more we want something, the easier it gets to forget that others aroun d us have things they care about too. One possibility is to step on toes, but unless you donΓÇÖt need any relationship w
ith them (work or personal), its going to come right back and step on yours. It is a conscious choice to explore how thi ngs different people want could fit in together and work out in a way that helps everyone. And guess what, the person to
initiate this would be called a leader, no?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd so on. Its really about being aware and fix ing what doesnΓÇÖt work, and experimenting and taking risks and owning the results. Everyone goofs up. Its the risks tha
t work that make you a star!\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Development Methods”,“Experiential learning”,“corporate-train ing”,“experiential-learning”,“inspiration”,“self-improvement-journey”,“organization”,“the”,“odd”,“success”,“story”,“a”,"
person"]},{“title”:“Prolite Autoglow Ltd”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2008/03/12/prolite-autoglow-ltd/”,"auth
or":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 12 Mar 2008 02:40:33 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Just back from a training programm e for Prolite Autoglow. This company manufactures emergency signs. A family run concern, it …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003
eJust back from a training programme for Prolite Autoglow. This company manufactures emergency signs. A family run conce rn, it is now expanding into a limited company and the family wishes to include their original staff on this journey. Ne
edless to say, its a big shift. The organization has a strong hierarchy, even though there is great warmth.\u003c/p\u003 e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a facilitator, it was a challenge for me to get people to see beyond their roles. Yet, the flexibilit
y with which the participants adapted to the training programme, and their willingness to experiment, once they realized its value had me humbled.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs a professional, this was the greatest change I had witnessed f
rom the start of a programme to the end. It served to reinforce my belief that as long as there is a will, change will h appen and it will be for the better.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe group began with a very strong sense of roles and d
efinite boundaries between the ΓÇ£labourΓÇ¥ and the ΓÇ£eliteΓÇ¥. The people lower down the ladder were not used to provi ding inputs and contributing to the progress of a task, while they excelled at following directions exactly as told. The
ones higher up the ladder were not very experimental in their approach and very often the first option to occur to a ΓÇ £leaderΓÇ¥ was the one the team followed without exploring possibilities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was difficult t
o get people to explore their potential beyond what they were used to doing. Yet, with the coming change in the organiza tion, their roles were headed toward a change.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe experimented with discussions in small gro
ups, examining contributions and their relation with the satisfaction derived from success and a variety of approaches. By the end of the next day, the group was functioning far smoother, and had got used to being aware of how they function
ed, resulting in escalating change and eagerness to take their new learnings even further.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI n India, the \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\](http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/omdp.htm\)" title\u003d"Experiential Lea
rning through teambuilding activities" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a\u 003e scenario rarely uses outbound training as a genuine organizational intervention and objectives are mostly ΓÇ£fun an
d excitementΓÇ¥ with little, if any focus on objectives beyond that. This programme was a low budget programme conducted with an objective to help employees function more ΓÇ£professionallyΓÇ¥ than their usual family run scenario. It was a l
ow budget programme and a leap of faith. This difference is what contributes to results.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is the intention that leads to results, and I am very happy for this group, for they have gained something of far greate
r value than many of the 5 star programmes with jaded participants eager only for their dose of adrenaline and organizer s who would like to justify training budgets while keeping employees relaxed and unchallenged.\u003c/p\u003e","categorie
s":[“Experiential learning”,“adventure-training”,“clients”,“corporate-training”,“experiential-learning”,“company”,“manuf actures”,“emergency”,“signs”,“a”,“family”,“run”,“concern”,“prolite”,“autoglow”,“a”,“training”,“programme”]},{“title”:"MB
TI and the uninitiated",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/12/21/mbti-and-the-uninitiated/”,“author”:"Vidyut Ka
le",“publishedDate”:“Fri, 21 Dec 2007 07:06:26 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:“This time, when I had gone to the ISABS National event, I met a lot of people talking about the MBTI instrument. Without any …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eThis time, whe
n I had gone to the ISABS National event, I met a lot of people talking about the MBTI instrument. Without any disrespec t to Jung, I found the amount of importance given to this ΓÇ£typifyingΓÇ¥ of people rather alarming.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00
3cp\u003eWhat does it really mean if I am ENFP or INFP or whatever? Honestly, I took the test quite a few times online, and got my results as ENFP. I thought that was great, until I did a document search for MBTI on my computer and found co
py pasted results from a test I had done some time in the past out of curiosity. In those, I was INFJ. I read those resu lts in detail as well, and they were pretty accurate descriptions of me in a different mood.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003
eReally, the way we see the world after a date that ended with an engagement and after a board meeting that ended in a r esignation are entirely different. I dare say plenty of answers would change between those two. Yet, there is much impor
tance placed on those tests. An example being two statements made to me by a fellow team member:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp
u003eΓÇ£Oh great! YouΓÇÖre an ENFP - IΓÇÖm a (Something or the other). We will balance each other nicely.ΓÇ¥ Huh? Did sh
e have a clue to how moody I was, and unlikely to balance out people who tended to ΓÇ£figure me outΓÇ¥?\u003c/p\u003e\n
u003cp\u003eOR\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eΓÇ£I wish we knew the types of everyone. It would help us work together bette
rΓÇ¥ And How? We would still be the same bunch of people working together. Does it really take a fancy label to tell us if what we are doing is working or not?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI can understand how tests like this can help people
understand other people slightly better. I canΓÇÖt see how these can be considered anything more than a rough idea - wh ich you get after reading their answers anyway. Just asking someone for their letters would be unreliable, as who knows
how accurate their test has beenΓǪΓǪ?\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“statements”,“a”,“fellow”,“team”,"member ",“alarming what”,“enfp”,“the”,“mbti”,“instrument”,“importance”,“tests”,“an”,“and”,“pretty”,“accurate”,“descriptions”,"g
reat",“an”,“enfp”,“understand”,“tests”,“enfp”,“thought”]},{“title”:“Rythm of life”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/2007/12/21/rythm-of-life/“,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Fri, 21 Dec 2007 06:48:41 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:” What is it about rhythm that gets to us?\nThis is a thought that has been on my mind for a long time now. Rhythm soothes
, …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eWhat is it about rhythm that gets to us?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a thought th at has been on my mind for a long time now. Rhythm soothes, excites and everything in between. Rhythm basically takes us
along. Animals will pause to listen to a tune, cultures around the world have music and rhythm as an essential element. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRhythm brings people together and in sync. HowΓǪ…? Why DOES rhythm affect us so much?\u00
3c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“an”,“essential”,“element rhythm”,“brings”,“people”,“between”,“rhythm”,“basically”,
“takes”,“a”,“long”,“time”,“now”,“rhythm”,“soothes”,“rhythm”,“affect”,“music”,“and”,“rhythm”,“rhythm”,“us this”,“pause”,"
listen",“cultures”,“the”,“world”]},{“title”:“Finally on my PDP journey with ISABS”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/2007/12/21/finally-on-my-pdp-journey-with-isabs/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Thu, 20 Dec 2007 21:53:52 -0 800”,“contentSnippet”:"Isabs is an important part of my life now. I find that I believe in the process of development th
rough T-Groups and the ISABS …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eIsabs is an important part of my life now. I find that I belie ve in the process of development through T-Groups and the ISABS methodology more than any individual facilitator there,
and I would like to become a certified trainer with them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have finally taken my first step in that direction when I completed my ΓÇ£Phase AΓÇ¥ which is the first part of their professional development programme
which leads to the certification of behavioural trainers through the T-Group methodology. This is the only kind of cert ification available for T-Groups in India.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe programme was full of insights and shifts in
myself, as well as the way I see things. Strangely, the more I accept that my emotions and experiences are the property of the group and a part of our learning, the more I can acknowledge them and look at them freely and learn from them.\u0
03c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Phase A comprises of two labs of the usual length and was far more eventful for me than a ll my previous labs. Part of this is also because I was far more ready to understand my behaviours and experiment with s
hifts that could lead to changes I desired. This readiness and acceptance of what I was, as I was led to me flowing and changing freely with very little stress.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI may or may not eventually write about my learning
s, but they are an inseparable part of me now. I am living by them.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“ISABS”]},{“title”:“Uma ng 2007”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/10/15/umang-2007-2/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Mon, 1
5 Oct 2007 00:36:16 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I am just back from another ISABS lab. This is the second time I did my ALH P. This event was very special and very different in …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI am just back from another ISABS lab.
This is the second time I did my ALHP. This event was very special and very different in many ways.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00 3cp\u003eThis was a low budget initiative aimed at making ISABS and the T-Group processes accessible to sections of soci
ety that cannot afford the high budget programmes that usually happen in resorts and are willing to live in basic comfor t.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis was completely different from previous experiences for me. Normally, participants li
ve in comfortable air-con rooms on a twin or triple sharing basis, with separate areas for dining and laboratories. Here , the entire community was accommodated in four dormitories, which also doubled as labs and one of the dormitories was u
sed as the dining room as well.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll through the duration of the community, there was a const ant churning of participants among the group. You sleep with some of them, meet different people at meal times, attend y
our lab groups with still another set of them, prefer some of them for company in the evenings……. a constant shuffle of people you’re with, but no such thing as an isolated space for anyone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had been very
apprehensive about this lack of space, but got so swept in the flow, that I donΓÇÖt remember what exactly it was that I had been apprehensive about.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOk, the food could have been better, the fans could have worke
d, and small comforts could have been missed by some, but the phenomenal community feeling wasΓǪ… indescribable. Peopl e had just knitted together so close, that we had turned into one big family.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was also an
amazing experience to have such a large representation of people from the NGO sector in the community, and a valuable i nsight into perspectives we had never really been very close to.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI may write more about this
eventually.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“ISABS”,“experience”,“initiatives”,“people”,“reaching-out”,“self-improvement-j ourney”,“society”]},{“title”:“Patni Computers again in Lonavala”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/10/02/patni
-computers-again-in-lonavala/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:57:25 -0700”,“contentSnippet” :"Just returning from another programme for Patni Computers. It went well. Far better than we expected actually, conside
ring the …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eJust returning from another programme for Patni Computers. It went well. Far bette r than we expected actually, considering the size and difficulty in managing the group we had experienced the last time.
\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a two day thing. We had gone in expecting a recreation programme, but when we spoke with their representative, we discovered that there were specific expectations from the programme and it would be need t
o give it a training slant to the proceedings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was a difficult call for me to make, as it being a fun programme, participant expectations would not be toward learning. Particularly considering that some of the
senior members seemed determined to take the whole thing as a joke. Honestly, I have no clue how we managed it, but som ewhere down the line, we figured that fun and learning are not mutually exclusive, and then we took off into true experi
ential mode. I had a blast, and from the feedback we received, so did the participants.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it was productive. For a quick two day thing with limited time, we managed to go through quite a bit in terms of behavio
ural learnings.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd I learnt a new lesson. An unruly but enthusiastic group may be difficult to handle, but once channelized, the potential for learning, even amidst chaos is huge as compared with a obedient but
cold group in terms of energy.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“clients”,“corporate-training”,“experie nce”,“experiential-learning”,“news”,“patni”,“computers”,“learning”,“amidst”,“chaos”,“learning”,“the”,“senior”,“members”,
“discovered”,“specific”,“expectations”,“expecting”,“a”,“recreation”,“programme”,“terms”,“behavioural”,“learnings and”,"t
hing",“a”,“joke”,“honestly”,“and”,“true”,“experiential”,“mode”]},{“title”:“Siachen glacier is now open for trekking”,"li
nk":“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/19/siachen-glacier-is-now-open-for-trekking/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"publis
hedDate":“Wed, 19 Sep 2007 00:25:16 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“I saw Charu sir on TV!!! He is on the Army escorted civilia n team. The first goup of civilian trekkers on Siachen left on the …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI saw Charu sir on TV!!!
He is on the Army escorted civilian team. The first goup of civilian trekkers on Siachen left on the 19th September as planned, even as we were wondering if PakistanΓÇÖs opposition would cause it to be canceled.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003
eFrom next year, I bet we will be looking at the same rush of people heading to Siachen that once hit Ladakh and Spiti. I only hope that in that frozen environment, where not much is going to degrade, waste management policies are applied a
nd enforced from the start, as with strict rules to prevent damage to the natural resources of the region.\u003c/p\u003e \n\u003cp\u003eThough, I guess anything will be better than war.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://
[www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200709181861.htm](http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200709181861.htm\)“\u003eRead more\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e”,“categories”:["Adventure
news",“adventure-professionals”,“destinations”,“outdoors”,“trekking”]},{“title”:“The Brand Strength Test”,“link”:“http: //www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/18/the-brand-strength-test/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Mon, 17 Sep 2007
22:36:23 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Paid advertisement \nAnd another one. I\u0026#8217;m on a paid review roll. This one r ocks. If you own any kind of business or …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003ePaid advertisement \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAn
d another one. IΓÇÖm on a paid review roll. This one rocks. If you own any kind of business or service that you are tryi ng to promote, this one is fun and useful. It is the Brand Strength Test - provided by \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.b
randidentityguru.com"\u003eBranding\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aw [are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/brand-guru.jpg](http://are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/brand-guru.jpg\)" alt\u003d"Brand strength test screen shot"\u003e\u003cbr\u003
e\nYou have to answer 12 questions related with your brand identity and you then get scores based on how well different aspects fare. For example, see the above screen shot. Those are my results. You are also offered an hour long free consu
ltation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther areas of the site relate with important aspects of improving your brand ident ity and promoting your business. Paid, of course.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI liked the perky feel of the site. Very w
ell designed - obviously, these guys know how to make an impact. But a flash site…… I wanted to see what happens whe n I don’t have flash. I got a blankish page with some links, and a small notice (that is also there in the flash page)
to click here if the page is blank. Me did it, and went to a bizarre orange and white page with the same information, w hich clashes horribly with the previous and following pages to the text version. Oh my eyes hurt! I wonder why that \u00
3ca href\u003d"[http://www.brandidentityguru.com/noplugin.html\](http://www.brandidentityguru.com/noplugin.html\)"\u003eone page\u003c/a\u003e is sitting there in those g arish colours.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the whole, a colourful experience. I love the purple of the site, and hate
the orange of the solo page (normally I like orange, but not orange and white combination immediately after purple - th ank you. I liked the flash version for its perkiness and the text only version for its readibility (except that page), a
nd the test was fun and brought my attention to aspects of my business I need to consider, even while answering the ques tions and the results made them even more clear.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, I discovered nothing at all that I
didnΓÇÖt know in this experience, so I wonder what I will gain if I were to pay them.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Pai d reviews”,“corporate-training”,“paid-blogging”]},{“title”:“Myngle”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/18/my
ngle/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 17 Sep 2007 22:04:19 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Paid advertisement \nT his is a social networking style site, where people can pay to learn languages. Myngle is still in beta, …”,“content”:
"\u003cp\u003ePaid advertisement \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a social networking style site, where people can p ay to learn languages. \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.myngle.com"\u003eMyngle\u003c/a\u003e is still in beta, but I fel
l in love with the concept. This place connects people from all over the world and helps them learn new languages.\u003c /p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to their FAQs, signing up is for free, but teachers are charged a small amount for usin
g the platform for teaching, though they can upload their profiles for free. Different teachers set their charges and a student can pick up whatever is affordable. Sounds interesting, but one thing that IΓÇÖm wondering about is the credibil
ity of the teachers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI mean, there are no qualifications required to be a teacher here. As l ong as a person can provide valueΓǪ… well, thatΓÇÖs how learning languages is, isnΓÇÖt it? So, you can actually have p
aid informal conversations which we traditionally call practice and do them for free in the real world. I guess thatΓÇÖs the price of having the right kind of person handy in the online world. However, what is there to assure us, that a tea
cher is as good as his charges make him seem (other than hindsight)?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is nothing about that in their FAQs. Also, nothing that can allow for a refund if a teacher is just your average teenager trying to earn
big money and you discover it too late. Or, if there is such a system in place, it is not there in their FAQs.\u003c/p\u 003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the whole, an interesting concept, but a new service with an unknown paid factor, which may or not
deliver. IΓÇÖd say, use it for its convenience, but play it by ear. There probably will be some kind of rating or feedb ack system (its inevitable). Use it to figure out the people you want to learn from.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor tea
chers, I guess this is an excellent opportunity for some handy income sitting at home. All you need is broadband, Skype and a headset (which you also need if youΓÇÖre a student)\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Paid reviews”,“news”,"paid-blogg
ing",“people”]},{“title”:“Thesis writing service”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/18/thesis-writing-servi
ce/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 17 Sep 2007 21:42:24 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Paid advertisement \n Th is is what I was talking about, when I spoke of paid blogging bringing fresh ideas to writing and adding …”,“content”:
"\u003cp\u003ePaid advertisement \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-cont ent/uploads/2007/09/masterpapers-com-thesis-php.gif" title\u003d"Masterpapers"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.w
[ide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/masterpapers-com-thesis-php.thumbnail.gif](http://ide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/masterpapers-com-thesis-php.thumbnail.gif\)" alt\u003d"Masterpapers"\u003
e\u003c/a\u003e This is what I was talking about, when I spoke of paid blogging bringing fresh ideas to writing and addi ng to knowledge. Of course, this is a paid post, but IΓÇÖm glad to be writing this one. Honestly, if I had thought of so
mething like this, IΓÇÖd probably have blogged about it anyway.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI discovered \u003ca href\u0 03d"[http://www.masterpapers.com/thesis.php\](http://www.masterpapers.com/thesis.php\)"\u003eMasterpapers.com - Thesis Writing Tips\u003c/a\u003e while hunting fo
r subjects to review on \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.reviewme.com/?ref\u003d12255\](http://www.reviewme.com/?ref\u003d12255\)"\u003eReviewme\u003c/a\u003e. This was a whole new train of thought. We hear of paid articles and stuff all the time, but a service that will do your resea
rch for you for educational purposes? Its the first I have heard of this (perhaps I should have gotten educated better
u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif\)" alt\u003d";)"\u003e - or
used the internet more for it). I certainly could have done with help like that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot that I ΓÇÖm incapable of writing tomes myself, but IΓÇÖm info hungry. So if there is something that will gather loads of releva
nt info for me, nothing like it. I think the strength of this service is in research. Of course, they say that they will help you write your thesis too. In fact, thereΓÇÖs a page with rates for a variety of stuff they can do for you includi
ng powerpoint presentations, papers at various educational levels, and what not. Sounds like a pretty tempting source of organized information, if youΓÇÖre a freak for enormous quantities of well-researched data to pull from, like me.\u003c
/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe husband is laughing as I show him the site. He wants to know if IΓÇÖm planning to go back to school. Does he know how much research a website needs? Its like being back in school, even for subjects you know about,
when you have to write about them, confirm facts before immortalizing them in your name……. sure, I could do with a research service too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRegardless, folks, if you are still studying, hop over and see if it i
s any use to you. They have provided some samples and stuff to give you an idea of their work quality. I canΓÇÖt say if it is good or not (even though this IS a review) simply because I have never used them, or any other service like them f
or comparison, but I think their site is definitely worth investigating if you need well written documents that need a g ood amount of research.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Paid reviews”,“education”,“paid-blogging”,“website-deveoplment”,"w
riting"]},{“title”:“I saved a life”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/18/i-saved-a-life/”,“author”:"Vidyut
Kale",“publishedDate”:“Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:44:21 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“This is a memory from a long time ago. Way bef ore I figred out the internet beyond checking mail.\nI was living in the high …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eThis is a mem
ory from a long time ago. Way before I figred out the internet beyond checking mail.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI was l iving in the high pastures with my herd of horses. The winter had been rough, and I was just camping out in the high alt
itude pastures where we leave them for the summers, supplementing their diet with some grain, to help them catch on on t heir health a bit faster.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe days were pretty idle. Feeding the horses a couple of times a
day was\u003cbr\u003e\nno pain - they used to come happily enough for the treat. Beyond that…. not much to do. Cooking , enjoying the paradise I was living in, early to bed, early to rise.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOccupation came in an
unexpected way. A gaddi camp was passing by, planning to camp a little higher than the pasture we were in. I recognised the shepherd, and invited him for a cup of tea. When he saw me, he decided to camp near our camp itself.\u003c/p\u003e\n
\u003cp\u003eOver a cup of tea, I realized why.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA filly of his, had been attacked by a bear a week ago, and had been hurt badly. Originally, believing that she would die anyway, he hadnΓÇÖt taken her to a vet. Bu
t she hadnΓÇÖt yet died. She was in a bad way, with her wounds infected, and was struggling to keep up with the moving c amp, to follow her mother. This was creating a problem, as the mare used to keep waiting for her, and slowing the carava
n.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had already gained a solid reputation as an animal lover, and my animals were often a p oint of interet for local livestock owners for the glowing condition I used to maintain them in. Plus, I was gaining a r
eputation as an enthusiastic ΓÇ£onofficial vetΓÇ¥ from the knowledge of animal medicine I used to gather for the well-be ing of my horses in a land where vets were not easily available, and often very far from the place of need.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eHe wanted me to take a llook at the filly and see if there was any hope\u003cbr\u003e\nfor her, as well as see if she could be put down, if there wasnΓÇÖt. I refused flat out to put her down, as I am not of the opinion that
animals should be killed when they are fighting to recover. Plus I lacked the kind of knowledge and equipment it would t ake to put her down. I agreed to take a look and see what I could do for her.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe went out in
to the pasture and unloaded his horses to set up camp and then look for the filly. She was in a bad way. She was sleepin g, exhausted at the end of the pasture without even coming to join the herd, once she saw that they had halted.\u003c/p\
u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe got her up and brought her up to my tent and tied her in front of it. I started to take a goot lo ok at her and see what it was that I was up against.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe was a beautiful, black filly. Three
months old. lovely body structure - she would have made a fine mare when she grew up, if she survived this scenario. He r rump and neck was covered with deep gashes from the bearΓÇÖs claws, and a week of neglect had allowed infection to set
tle in. Most of the gashes had developed pus, and a couple had maggots in them. My whole being recoiled at the thought o f having to clean up this mess.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf I had to save this filly, I had to do it, no matter how r
epulsive it was. I felt a surge of anger at the shepherd for neglecting her treatment like that, and vented my fury in c hoice words, yelling at him and his wife for being callous to the very animals that made their livelihood possible.\u003
c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe filly stood there shivering from the early morning air and her exhaustion.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u 003cp\u003eI made the couple promise to rest in the pasture for at least a week, before I would touch the filly - it was
pointless to begin something, if it wouldnΓÇÖt be sustained. As an incentive, I praised the quality of\u003cbr\u003e\nt he filly, and asserted that she would become a very valuable animal and bring him good money and work very well, if she
was helped to recover. This seemed to strike a note of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI had some anitbiotic injec tions in my animal first-aid kit. I gave her a shot. She hardly noticed. Then I knew, that I had to get over my nausea a
nd actually deal with those wounds, and took a look at my medical supplies. They were minimal. The anti-septic I had, wo uld hardly deal with half the wounds she had before running out. The same with the creams. Now what? I shoved the suppli
es back into my sack, and kept only the bottle of phenyl. The rest would have to be home remidies (which was what I pref erred in any case).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI made a strong solution of tea in a huge pot and used that to clean the
wounds. Yes, I just plunged in, and cleaned them all thoroughly, pus, maggots and all, till the flesh showed clean. Som e of the deeper wounds still harboured maggots - of that, I was sure, so I used some gauze soaked in phenyle on them to
dress them. On the rest, I applied a light film of honey and stuffed them full with crushed garlic.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003 cp\u003eAll done, I walked away from the tent area and puked.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe evening saw a repeat perfo
rmance. On the next day, the maggot wounds were clean too, and they received the honey and garlic treatment, and by that evening, some of the lighter cuts had begun to heal, and the filly was acting more interested in life, and giving me tr
ouble to catch for treatment \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.g if" alt\u003d":)"\u003e But she seemed to understand that I was trying to help, so she flinched and nudged with her n
ose, if it hurt, but never tried to kick at me or hurt me in any way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter that, I taught t he couple how to do what I was doing, and told them that they would have to repeat this till ALL the wounds were healed,
and that the filly could probably begin walking in a day or two.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThey seemed to have got th e point, and the two days were uneventful - so to say (not counting one of my fillies who seemed to be jealous of all th
e\u003cbr\u003e\nattention this one was getting)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe time was up, and the gaddi camp moved o n, and the filly became another memory, until a few years later, when I ran across the same gaddi again. There was a bea
utiful mare in his herd - the one I had treated. I recognised her instantly\u003cbr\u003e\nand was happy for her. The co uple put camp once more, to spend some time with me, and that evening, I was invited to a special dinner, where they tha
nked me with tears in their eyes for saving their beautiful mare.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir animals also looked better cared for, since the last time. I was happy, that things had worked out well, and that they had developed some lo
ve and concern for the living factors in their ΓÇ£businessΓÇ¥\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Animal welfare”,“default_tag _name”]},{“title”:“How to tell if Himalayan trip will not be what the travel agent claimed”,“link”:"http://www.wide-awar
e.com/blog/2007/09/17/how-to-tell-if-himalayan-trip-will-not-be-what-the-travel-agent-claimed/“,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,”
publishedDate":“Mon, 17 Sep 2007 10:37:23 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Heh. This is an easy one for me to write, and if you really think about it, it is all stuff you know anyway. How many points …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eHeh. This is an eas
y one for me to write, and if you really think about it, it is all stuff you know anyway. How many points for betting th at you may not have thought of things like that?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the best ways of knowing if the prom
otion materialΓÇÖs claims and the experience match is hindsight. ducks under the table\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOk. IΓÇÖm serious now. What follows are the real ways to tell.\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCount the number of destinati
ons offered, deduct 2 and divide by the number of days of your tour. If the number you get is greater than one, your tou r is going to be too hectic to really see anything. The lower the number, the better. I like 0.7ish\u003c/li\u003e\n\u00
3cli\u003eSleeping in a new hill station every night is not seeing the \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/him alayan-adventures/himalayan-tours.htm" title\u003d"Himalayan Tours" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"exte
rnal"\u003eHimalaya\u003c/a\u003e. If you donΓÇÖt have the time to do something special in each place, the pace is too fast.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDoes your guide love the place he is showing you? If he doesnΓÇÖt, youΓÇÖre missing
out on insights collected over years of experience - which is something you are paying for when you ask for a guide.\u00 3c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAsk to meet the guide before you pay. If your guide doesnΓÇÖt go all enthusiastic about the p
lace in ways not mentioned on the brouchre, you might as well save the money and travel with a road map and brouchre.\u0 03c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDoes your guide speak the language of the place - even a little is good - but do you have so
meone handy to communicate with the locals?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRead what is being offered in the tour careful ly. How much of it is statistics and luxury descriptions and how much is local information? You can be sure that the sam
e will be reflected in your tour most of the time. So, if you want luxury, or if you want interesting stuff, or somethin g else, reading up befopre paying up can be a good idea.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAsk questions. Before you pay, ma
ke an effort to read up about the place and ask questions in the meeting. Knowledge shows - even if it means admitting i gnorance, but having a good idea on where to find out.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDo the people have a sense of fun?
Self-explanatory.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFind out about other people on the tour and ideally, attend a group meet ing to make your payments to get a good idea of whether you will gel with the group or not.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u00
3eTo find out if an operator is reliable - simply show an interest in an unlikely variety of tours anthropology and pilg rimage, for example. If they want to sell you anything you point at, get out fast. They donΓÇÖt really care what your in
terests are, as long as you buy a tour.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOr come to \u003ca href\u003d"htt p://www.wide-aware.com" title\u003d"Adventures in India" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003
eWide Aware\u003c/a\u003e \u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_wink.gif\)"
alt\u003d";)"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“default_tag_name”]},{“title” :“Ganpati time”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/16/ganpati-time/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:
“Sun, 16 Sep 2007 08:30:39 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Its Ganesh Chaturthi time. This is big happenings near Mumbai and Pu ne. Everybody and his cousin will install a Ganesh idol in …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eIts Ganesh Chaturthi time. This
is big happenings near Mumbai and Pune. Everybody and his cousin will install a Ganesh idol in their home on Ganesh Chat urthi and keep it in their homes for worship for durations varying from a day and a half to 21 days. At the end of whate
ver duration has been selected, the idols are immersed into the sea/river/other water bodies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00 3eIt is a time of great worship and cultural value. Hindus believe it to be an honour (to themselves?) to host the God i
n their home. Even if you donΓÇÖt follow this practice, you canΓÇÖt remain unaffected. You will be invited to go and pay your respects in the homes of those you know. A time of meeting people and great joy.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowev
er, there is the dark side of the Ganpati celebrations. The dark side is the utter litter of broken, half dissolved idol s marring beaches and shores of all water bodies after these celebrations are done. There is a great pride in creating h
uge idols, which are invariably of plaster of paris or fibreglass as opposed to the traditional clay idols, which donΓÇÖ t even dissolve away, like they are supposed to.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Ganesh Chaturthi, IΓÇÖd like my reader
s to take the initiative in spreading the word about the damage done to our natural resources through this practice. It is also completely disrespectful to the God you love for so many days in your home to be lying around like garbage once
youΓÇÖre done with your worship.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have several suggestions I would like to make to Hindus w ho follow this practice, and I hope they realize that Hinduism is an evolving religion, and knowledge and understanding
shaping practices is highly respected, and make an attempt to shift some of the practices to make our environment better . These are inspired by todayΓÇÖs visits to people we respect highly, and you will see why.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e
\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/dsc00273.JPG\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/dsc00273.JPG\)" title\u003d"A paper mache
idol"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/dsc00273.thumbnail.JPG\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/dsc00273.thumbnail.JPG\)" alt\
u003d"A paper mache idol"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an idol in the home of Mr Mahesh Ata le - an outstanding mallakhamb coach (he was my husbandΓÇÖs coach, when Raka used to perform mallakhamb) and a man with
a social conscience. This idol is made of paper mache and painted with eco-friendly paint. When immersed in water, it wi ll dissolve completely within a day - normally, within 8-10 hours. Still, he immerses it in a bucket of water at home.\u
003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother friend and old time guide/teacher is Dr. Milind Chitley. A doctor who is also a mount aineer and RakaΓÇÖs first employer in the outdoors. Raka worked with him for 8 years and learnt much of what he knows ab
out operating programmes from him. Dokya, as he is fondly called, was not at home, but his parents were, and we had come to pay our respects to the decorated big boss anyway, and he was there.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDockya has an idol
made of silver. It is also immersed in a bucket of water and used again next year. Of course, it doesnΓÇÖt dissolve, but that is obviously not what we want with a silver idol \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/i
mages/smilies/icon_wink.gif" alt\u003d";)"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA friend of ours, Nikhil Mhapankar, was among those we couldnΓÇÖt visit due to a shortage of time. He is planning an idol of ΓÇ£panch dhatuΓÇ¥, which is five m
etals - gold, silver, copper, tin and lead. He is planning to recycle some ancestral silver and gold for this to add sen timental value.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/0
9/dsc00279.JPG" title\u003d"A Clay idol of Lord Ganesha"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp- content/uploads/2007/09/dsc00279.thumbnail.JPG" alt\u003d"A Clay idol of Lord Ganesha"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u0
03e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is an idol in the home of Mr Shrikant Warkhedi - the son of respected sculptor Gururaj Warkhedi a nd my husbandΓÇÖs maternal uncle. Shrikant mama doesnΓÇÖt do much sculpting, but makes the Ganesha idol himself without
fail each year, like his father used to. This idol is created and used for worship while it is wet. No paints of any kin d are used at all, and it is immersed in a bucket of water at home at the end of celebrations and the clay is reused for
the next yearΓÇÖs idol.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are other things people do as well. A chawl in the town area uses an intricate water colour painting on a wall, which is simply washed away. Other practices include reusing fibergla
ss idols after repainting them, keeping a stone shaped in a way the worshiper finds symbolic of lord Ganesha, and drawin g the shape with grain, which is later donated.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhatever the method, it is different, expres
sive of caring for the environment and love for the God. I request all readers to promote such ideas among everyone they can. Each year, we have lakhs of idols littering water bodies and devastating the ecology with lead paint and plaster o
f paris. Every person we can convert toward the protection of GodΓÇÖs creation while engaged in worship is one idol less lying demeaningly on the shore.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI particularly request large public celebrations to adopt e
co-friendly practices and become role models for upcoming celebrations. Do it for GodΓÇÖs sake, or environmentΓÇÖs sake, but do it.\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”]},{“title”:“Love the outdoors to death”,“link”:"http://
www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/15/love-the-outdoors-to-death/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sat, 15 Sep 2007
10:54:35 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Honestly, sometimes I feel like shutting down Wide Aware completely and I would, if t hat would stop people from …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eHonestly, sometimes I feel like shutting down \u003ca href\u003d
"http://www.wide-aware.com" title\u003d"Adventures in India" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external" \u003eWide Aware\u003c/a\u003e completely and I would, if that would stop people from ΓÇ£lovingΓÇ¥ the outdoors so much.
But it will not, so the best I can do is to do my bit for the outdoors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat is this bizarr e mood IΓÇÖm in? Its no bizarre mood. It is looking at some photo albums on the net. Lovely pictures of hill forts in th
e Sahyadri, with litter in the foreground.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat struck me, is that it is really no shock to find garbage almost anywhere you head out into the outdoors in India. Its like free decoration of the mountainside. Why
is it so? Because there are so many people who love the outdoors, that they just have to go there. Apparently, once they have seen the place, its done. The place can go to hell for all they care after that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou t
hink IΓÇÖm being anal? Think again. Been to Kondana caves? Why go that far? Been to the National Park? Even with people employed to keep the place clean, the garbage is not under control. The poor playground near the train station is litera
lly swept with brooms every day and all it manages to achieve is soil erosion I guess. The flood of nature lovers doesnΓ ÇÖt end.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDo everyone a favour folks. Stay the hell away from the outdoors, if picking up aft
er yourself is beyond your capabilities. Pick up every bit of garbage you throw whether it is biodegradable or not. Smok ers, donΓÇÖt forget the stubs. and gutkha eaters, the wrappers are not for permanent route marking for hikers to come.\u
003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd yes, IΓÇÖm angry. So would you be, if every spare moment in the outdoors was about cleani ng up the place. And if you donΓÇÖt, please do. Pick what litter you find. Speak with groups you come across and ask the
m to do the same.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlease, while youΓÇÖre at it, pick up the degradable stuff as well. LEAVE NO TRACE. If possible minimize traces people have left too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBio-degradable stuff has an impa
ct on the environment too. Plus, it is going to be litter until it decays, and the place will never be clean, because th ere will be other people throwing bio-degradable stuff constantly. To put it bluntly, shit is biodegradable. Do you like
sitting next to it?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThink of a beautiful location in the outdoors. YouΓÇÖre the only person there. Its untouched. You like? Untouched is only going to be possible when we clean up the place and give it some time
to recover. Not if we keep allowing ΓÇ£touchesΓÇ¥ to remain behind - degradable or not.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI a lmost forgot: \u003ci\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/leave_no_trace.html\](http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Falls/9200/leave_no_trace.html\)"\u003eL
eave no trace!\u003c/a\u003e READ IT, PROMOTE IT, PRACTICE IT.\u003cbr\u003e \u003c/i\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”: [“Environment”,“Social Awareness”,“Wildlife Tours”,“initiatives”,“mountain”,“outdoors”,“people”,“ponderings”]},{“title”:
“Behavioural consulting and big advice”,“link”:“http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/158525873/”,“author”:"
Vidyut Kale",“publishedDate”:“Sat, 15 Sep 2007 07:08:33 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Ugh. I think it is an occupational haza rd for a consultant to feel obligated to have a say on everything, regardless of how …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eUgh. I
think it is an occupational hazard for a consultant to feel obligated to have a say on everything, regardless of how in ane it sounds. The more broke the consultant, the more desperate he is to say something, anything, as advice. I found th
is article on CiteMan.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.citeman.com/overcoming-office-irritati ons"\u003eOvercoming Office irritations\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy response to this was of such magni
tude, that I thought comments wouldnΓÇÖt suffice, and dragged the whole thing here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe arti cle opens with seeming to be about employees being unlucky in their employers and suffering from an unhappy work life. O
k, so far, so good. Looks like we have a subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen, we get into generalities about the e mployers practices and how they are not all bad and also say, ΓÇ£\u003cem\u003ethey will definitely not turn ones workpl
ace a place where one wants to be for a long time\u003c/em\u003eΓÇ£!!!???!!! Does that really mean that the employer wil l want to leave?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen the whole article does a nose dive and turns into that ΓÇ£\u003cstrong
\u003eten tips for career success\u003c/strong\u003eΓÇ¥ tone, with a whole load of advice given without any qualificatio n of circumstance whatsoever. What is happening?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe have ΓÇ£\u003cem\u003eAn employee must g
et himself assigned to a project.\u003c/em\u003eΓÇ¥ Come again? Do employers really leave employees idling around until they get themselves assigned somewhere? Why work at all? Just sit around and enjoy the salary. Then ΓÇ£\u003cem\u003eAn
employee can tell the employer that to keep ahead of competitors he wants to do research and find out the need of custom ers and solution to solve their problems. This will give a chance to step out and speak to people and the employee can i
nteract with people on line or simply get busy on the telephone or go and meet them.\u003c/em\u003eΓÇ¥ No comments.\u003 c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd, hold-your-breath ΓÇ£\u003cem\u003eSometimes it is just not the day when one feels like goin
g to work. If thatΓÇÖs the case and if ones work permits then all one has to do is work from home. Do the work in the sa me fashion as watching TV or play with ones child and send in reports twice in a day. If ones boss resists, explain that
this style of working is helping him get the work done efficiently and could not attend work because of minor health pr oblem.\u003c/em\u003eΓÇ¥ Have I missed something about the \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-progr
ammes/omdp.htm" title\u003d"Experiential Learning through teambuilding activities" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a\u003e world completely? Is being a well taken care of employee about workin
g from home if one doesnΓÇÖt \u003cem\u003efeel like\u003c/em\u003egoing to work? Does the author realize how condescend ing it sounds to be explaining to a boss ΓÇ£resistingΓÇ¥ this working from home thing? Particularly when speaking of eff
iciency as the explanation, while doing the work like watching TV or playing with a kid - as in, not with any major effo rt or concentration?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖm not continuing with this nonsense, because I just realize IΓÇÖm c
opying almost the entire article - each sentence is a masterpiece of ΓÇ£teenager-playing-dream-consultantΓÇ¥, and I just suggest you hop over to the article to believe it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIs this a training article or what? It s
ounds more like something from Cosmopolitan - ΓÇ£\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eTen things to do when youΓÇÖre bored at work\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/strong\u003eΓÇ£\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is really a pity there is no author here to qu
ote, but the link leads to the \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.citehr.com/\](http://www.citehr.com/\)"\u003eCiteHR\u003c/a\u003e. Honestly, I would have expected far better from an HR site, but that just goes to show how the better consultants mint money with competi
tion like this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have news for you, Mr. Author, whoever you are. If the employee can genuin ely think of working from home, opting in for projects when he feels like it, exchange assignments in the name of multit
asking and do any of the many of the things you recommend, it is the employer, not the employee that is unfortunate.\u00 3c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI have just one reply to any whining employee following this nonsense, and even more to the ΓÇ£
trainerΓÇ¥ who wrote this - \u003cstrong\u003eIf you canΓÇÖt stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.\u003c/strong\u003e
u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/corporate-training/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/corporate-training/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ecorpor
ate training\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/corporate-training/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/corporate-training/\)" rel\u003d"tag"
u003ecorporate training\u003c/a\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/158525873\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/158525873\)"
height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“corporate training”,“citeman overcoming”,“office”,“i rritationsmy”,“response”,“article”,“a”,“nose”,“dive”,“and”,“turns”,“teenager playing dream consultant”,“and”,“reply”,"wh
ining",“employee”,“generalities”,“the”,“employers”,“preactices”,“and”,“step”,“and”,“speak”,“to people”,“and”,“the”,"emp
loyee",“feels”,“work”,“if thatΓÇÖs”,“the”,“case”,“and”,“feels”,“exchange”,“assignments”]},{“title”:"Adventure tourism i
n India",“link”:“http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~3/158525874/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"S
at, 15 Sep 2007 02:54:34 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I think this is a rant, but I\u0026#8217;m not sure yet what direction it will take as I write.\nWe were casually chatting with a …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI think this is a rant, but IΓÇ
Öm not sure yet what direction it will take as I write.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe were casually chatting with a fri end/free lance instructor with us, and he was telling us of his experience with another group of tour operators he was h
ired to work with. He is a good outbound instructor, and experienced, but he still doesnΓÇÖt handle groups on his own wh en he works with us. Reason being, we arenΓÇÖt sure of his instincts in an emergency.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd th
e incident he told us about reinforced it. Let us call him ΓÇ£RajuΓÇ¥ for now.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRaju had no b ookings for a particular day, and was hired by a new ΓÇ£adventure sports companyΓÇ¥ in Mumbai. Well, when youΓÇÖre a fre
e lancer, you take what comes along. Heck, when youΓÇÖre a business owner, you still mostly take what comes along.\u003c /p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRaju lands up on the location for the programme, and discovers that he is the only experienced in
structor there. Well…. he has confidence in his abilities, so…. he’s ok with that. Then, he discovers that it is a group of 40 people and throws a fit. How is a person to handle rappelling for 40 people solo in a 4 hour morning sessio
n? The owner hurried to assure him that he had some experience and would help.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWell… when you’re thrown in the water, you swim. Raju begins to set up the rappelling and discovers insufficient equipment. He is
encouraged to ΓÇ£adjustΓÇ¥. Great. He adjusts, and changes the site of the rappel as well, so that the length is shorte r. Then comes the parade. One participant after another. Owner apparently is clueless about putting on the harnesses he
himself owns. Raju teaches him. Very late into the day, they still have about 10 people left. Lunch time is long past.\u 003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticipants are bored from sitting while one person at a time does the rappelling. They are
hot, hungry, and very irritated, because their promised 100ft rappel is now 40ft. At the end of the day, there are compl aints about how Raju is slow. And the bottom line is that these guys are extremely lucky that no one died, but of course
, no one there realizes that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs far as I am concerned, Raju is NEVER going to be a chief in structor at \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com" title\u003d"Adventures in India" style\u003d"padding-righ
t:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u003eWide Aware\u003c/a\u003e. If my chief instructor canΓÇÖt have the guts to cancel an activity when there is a shortage of resources - both human and equipment wise, IΓÇÖm not interested. If I wanted yes me
n, I would hire yes men. I donΓÇÖt. I want an instructor to speak up and make a stand when security is compromized.\u003 c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOf course, such a situation wouldnΓÇÖt come up with Wide Aware in the first place. We maintain a
minimum of a 10 participants to one instructor ratio on our programmes, and it works well. IΓÇÖm not planning on changi ng that. IΓÇÖm hiring a vehicle for transport anyway, so where is the point in being stingy with equipment? If its not n
eeded, it can sit around and come back untouched. Raka would throw a fit if he were expected to handle rappelling or cli mbing without a rope of adequate length sitting around anchored and unused for use in an emergency. And honestly, I woul
dnΓÇÖt expect him to adjust on that either.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat would I or Raka have done in the place of R aju? To begin with, we would have booked instructors and carried the equipment needed for that group size. If something
went wrong, and we ended up being without equipment, we would have cancelled the activity and done something else that c ould be managed safely in the resources we had. Non-negotiable. I donΓÇÖt care if I donΓÇÖt get paid or have to issue a
refund when the option is putting clients in danger.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen we do our mad cap adventures, we a re experienced and know what we are getting into. Clients are paying us to know that for them, and we KNOW that if they
had the experience, they wouldnΓÇÖt be paying us. I think this is cheating and endangering the client.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u 003cp\u003eWhy does anyone want to make such a great profit, or offer services at such a competitive rate, that there is
no basic infrastructure offered?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ministry of tourism is \u003ca href\u003d"http://www. [incredibleindia.org/pdf/Basic_Minimum_Standards_for_Adventure_Tourism_Activities.pdf](http://incredibleindia.org/pdf/Basic_Minimum_Standards_for_Adventure_Tourism_Activities.pdf\)"\u003emaking efforts to regualate
adventure tourism\u003c/a\u003e, but unfortunately, there is nothing yet about \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware .com/adventure-sports/rock-climbing.htm" title\u003d"Rock Climbing Training" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u0
03d"external"\u003erock climbing\u003c/a\u003e and rappelling below 6000m. Is there a rule that says climbing accident s donΓÇÖt happen below 6000m?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut still, I recommend that that moronic operator read this li
nk. One climbing accident is going to make all our clients leery, and honestly, there are less climbing accidents than r oad accidents, but that hasnΓÇÖt factored in potential stupidity. It takes one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCall me para
noid, but IΓÇÖm actually seriously reconsidering hiring this Raju at all, if he finds it ok to operate under those circu mstances. Will he speak up about any problem he sees, or simply shrug it away thinking it is better than ΓÇ£thatΓÇ¥ comp
any anyway? I donΓÇÖt even see that company as a comparison, and I have made it clear to him, but IΓÇÖm going to be keep ing a very close eye on the guy for the next forever, until I find him being more assertive.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003
eI see this as his fault entirely, as the only guy around who knew the game, and allowed that huge risk to happen.\u003c /p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadvent
ure professionals\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/\)" rel\u003d
"tag"\u003eadventure training\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-program
mes/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eeducational programmes\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/ta g/experience/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adv
enture-professionals/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide -[aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/](http://aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure training\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"ht
tp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-programmes/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-programmes/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eeducational programmes\u003c/a\u003e,
u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u003e\u003c
img src\u003d"[http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/158525874\](http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/wide-aware/RmtA/~4/158525874\)" height\u003d"1" width\u003d"1"\u003e","
categories":[“Safety issues”,“Sports”,“Adventure as usual”,“adventure professionals”,“adventure training”,“educational p rogrammes”,“experience”,“raju”,“booked”,“instructors”,“and”,“carried”,“the”,“equipment”,“needed”,“the”,“rappelling”,"and
",“discovers”,“insufficient”,“equipment”,“raju”,“now raju”,“swim”,“raju”,“begins”,“owns”,“raju”,“teaches”,“him”,“a”,“4”,
“hour”,“morning”,“session”,“the”,“owner”,“hurried”,“along raju”,“lands”,“rock”,“climbing”,“and”,“rappelling”]},{“title”:
“Who are you?”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/15/who-are-you/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"F
ri, 14 Sep 2007 15:12:21 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I write and write, and imagine people reading my blog, clicking throug h to something else, reading that. Nameless faceless …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI write and write, and imagine people
reading my blog, clicking through to something else, reading that. Nameless faceless creatures in the dark known to no o ne, except server logs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe only thing I guess I know about you, is that you are probably in
terested in the outdoors, considering that you are here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCould you take a moment and drop me a line about yourself and your interests? IΓÇÖd like to know more about you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://
[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d" [http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e","categories
":[“Experiential learning”,“DEFAULT TAG NAME”,“clicking”,“reading”,“that”,“nameless”,“faceless”,“creatures”,“and”,"imagi
ne",“people”,“reading”,“my”,“blog”,“write”,“and”,“write”,“server”,“logs the”,“here could”,“a”,“moment”,“and”,“drop”,"int
erested",“the”,“outdoors”,“thing”,“guess”,“the”,“dark”]},{“title”:“Indian travellers and bloggers”,“link”:"http://www.wi
de-aware.com/blog/2007/09/14/indian-travellers-and-bloggers/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Fri, 14 Sep 2007 0
3:09:00 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I just love how the net connects people. I was spending some time reading around, and h eaded across to Mridula\u0026#8217;s blog - …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI just love how the net connects people. I was
spending some time reading around, and headed across to \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.gonomad.com/traveltalesfromindia/ "\u003eMridulaΓÇÖs blog\u003c/a\u003e - Travel Tales from India. Most of her recent posts are about Nainital.\u003c/p\u
003e\n\u003cp\u003eHonestly, I hadnΓÇÖt given much of a thought to Nainital, as to many mountaineers, ΓÇ£hill stationsΓÇ ¥ are like the plague, unless they are access points to outstanding trekking routes or peaks. IΓÇÖd been to Nainital, pr
etty much like I go to a railway station. But when I looked at the blog, I felt so connected, that I felt a sharp pang o f regret, that my snobbish attitude had blinded me to the beauty of the ΓÇ£regular hauntsΓÇ¥. There is a reason Nainital
is a well loved hill station, and in my thirst for adventure, I had missed it entirely. Speaking of not bothering to st and and stare!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen of course, I was in a Nainital mood, and found another blog - this time
by \u003ca href\u003d"[http://lokeshshah.wordpress.com/2007/07/16/wild-flowers/trackback/\](http://lokeshshah.wordpress.com/2007/07/16/wild-flowers/trackback/\)"\u003eLokesh Shah\u003c/a\u00 3e and had my fill of looking at Nainital pictures. He has some really nice pictures, and the whole feel of it is one of
familiar fondness.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow IΓÇÖm off to see what else I can find. I have two hours before headi ng off for a climbing session at Kanheri, and I plan to put them to good use.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://
[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http:/ /[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/ponderings/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/ponderings/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eponderings\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www
.[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/ponderings/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/ponderings/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eponderings\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Places”,“Thoughts”
,“destinations”,“ponderings”,“my”,“nainital”,“pictures”,“nainital”,“mountaineers”,“a”,“reason”,“nainital”,“peaks”,"naini
tal",“a”,“nainital”,“mood”,“nainital honestly”,“hadn”,“felt”,“a”,“sharp”,“pang”,“a”,“loved”,“hill”,“station”]},{“title”:
“Outbound management training programmes”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/12/outbound-management-training
-programmes/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:27:53 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Just coming bac k from a successful training programme. This one was for a bunch of new recruits in an upcoming software …”,“content”:
"\u003cp\u003eJust coming back from a successful training programme. This one was for a bunch of new recruits in an upco ming software company. This was one of the most bizarre programmes I ever conducted, yet, it was satisfying in a very me
aningful way.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe participants were fresh from college, and had a lot of ideals, but very li ttle idea of what working is all about. Chaos ruled, and initially, it took some time to get them to believe that outbou
nd training programmes are not office picnics or perks, but the company actually expected them to be learning something out here.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was a time when I was willing to write the programme off as a disaster.\u003
c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe took off in fits and starts. Somewhere down the line, the whole thing clicked in place, when we were discussing happenings in an activity that required a lot of perseverance and their\u003cbr\u003e\nperformance wa
s a dismal failure. Something happened in that group. All of a sudden, there was an awareness that here was something im portant going on.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe tempo picked, and at the end of the three days, I can say that this wa
s one of the programmes where we were able to acheive a lot of constructive change among the participants. It is probabl y not even close to some of the outstanding programmes if discipline and performance in activities is to be considered,
but if we see the magnitude of change we went through, this one has me thoroughly humbled.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eS hows that even trainers have a lot to learn from their own experiences.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wi
[de-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/](http://de-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca hr ef\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-programmes/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-programmes/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eeducational programmes\u003
c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperie ntial learning\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u00
3d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-pr ofessionals/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/tag/educational-programmes/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eeducational programmes\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"htt p://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e, \u00
3ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement jo urney\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“adventure professionals”,“educational programmes”,"experient
ial learning",“self improvement journey”,“recruits”,“an”,“upcoming”,“software”,“company”,“outbound”,“training”,“programm es”,“humbled shows”,“trainers”,“office”,“picnics”,“or perks”,“the”,“option the”,“tempo”,“picked”,“coming”,“a”,"successf
ul",“training”,“programme”,“place”,“discussing happenings”,“perseverance”,“and”,“their performance”]},{“title”:“Really safe dangerous adventures”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/12/really-safe-dangerous-adventures/”,"author
“:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 12 Sep 2007 03:26:07 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Ah, what do I say, the growth pangs of a young company are torture indeed. I\u0026#8217;m in the process of negotiating a deal for …”,“content”:”\u003cp\u
003eAh, what do I say, the growth pangs of a young company are torture indeed. IΓÇÖm in the process of negotiating a dea l for outbound soft skills training for a BPO. Money is a crunch, and they want the world as always, but whatΓÇÖs more a
nnoying is that they want really safe ΓÇ£high\u003cbr\u003e\nadventuresΓÇ¥.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the clients w ords, ΓÇ£Most of us have never been in the outdoors, so we want to experience something really dangerous and spectacular
ΓÇ¥ and in the same breath, ΓÇ£it shouldnΓÇÖt be too scaryΓÇ¥. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI think they want to have so me kind of a good time in the outdoors, but as usual, the focus is on the adventure rather than the learning.\u003c/p\u0
03e\n\u003cp\u003eThatΓÇÖs fine. I guess IΓÇÖll just need to show them some fancy pictures\u003cbr\u003e\nand some expla nations on actual and perceived risk.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLetΓÇÖs see how it goes.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u
003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals\u003c/ a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/clients/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/clients/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eclients\u003c/a\u003e
\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003 e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure profe
ssionals\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/clients/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/clients/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eclients
u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stu
ff\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“adventure professionals”,“clients”,“general stuff”,“high adven tures”,“in”,“the”,“clients”,“words”,“explanations”,“actual”,“and”,“perceived”,“risk let”,“outbound”,“soft skills”,"trai
ning",“experience”,“dangerous and”,“spectacular”,“annoying”,“safe”,“ah”,“the”,“growth”,“pangs”,“breath”,“scary”,"tortur
e indeed",“the”,“process”]},{“title”:“Cheapoair”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/12/cheapoair-2/”,"autho
r":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 12 Sep 2007 02:42:54 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“This is a paid review, but I have b een looking at sites with cheap air ticket offers for quite some time, and I found the rates …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u00
3eThis is a paid review, but I have been looking at sites with cheap air ticket offers for quite some time, and I found the rates here quite interesting.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.cheapoair.com/travel/travel
_resources/topdeals.asp"\u003eCheapoair Top 25 Deals\u003c/a\u003e  is the site I am speaking about this time. On the whole, it looks like any other flight booking site. The rates are reasonable and the database works fast enough that you
donΓÇÖt site around twiddling your thumbs waiting for something to turn up, like it happens on so many travel booking s ites. And there are handy links on top for group and \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/corporate-programmes/
omdp.htm" title\u003d"Experiential Learning through teambuilding activities" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u0 03d"external"\u003ecorporate\u003c/a\u003e travel, so that you donΓÇÖt have to hunt around wondering what happens in t
hose cases. So that is a plus. Worth bookmarking for the next time you need to book tickets, though I would recommend co mparing sites and deciding for yourself.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat I also liked, were the handy links to travel r
esources, hotel bookings, car hire and other needs related with travelling. So on the whole, it could be a one stop shop for planning your trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wicked temptation in the site is the vacations they have. Well
presented and tempting pictures. The problem being in chosing which of all the places ot go, so a definitely dangerous s ite for your wallet, if youΓÇÖre susceptible to temptation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the minus side, this site is
geared specifically for Americans, with local destinations, international travel and stuff being from that perspective. So, for the regular readers here, out of which only about 20% are Americans, this is a shift of perspective. Local means
different to different people depending on their location, and it feels alien for a non-American.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c p\u003eI would definitely have felt more comfortable with the ΓÇ£DomesticΓÇ¥ being America, so that I donΓÇÖt have to fi
gure out where exactly domestic is.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the whole, a nice, convenient travel bookings site, w ith speed of use and access and a good variety of information available, even if it is nothing exceptional and seems to
be meant only for Americans. I think they could reach out better to travelers from all over the world with that simple c hange.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/booking-services/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/booking-services/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eb
ooking services\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/flight-bookings/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/flight-bookings/\)" rel\u003d"tag
“\u003eflight bookings\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel-services/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel-services/\)” rel\u003
d"tag"\u003etravel services\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/booking-services/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/booking-services/\)" re l\u003d"tag"\u003ebooking services\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/flight-bookin
gs/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eflight bookings\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel -services/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel services\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Paid reviews”,“booking services”,"fligh
t bookings",“travel services”,“turn”,“travel”,“booking”,“sites”,“and”,“flight”,“booking”,“site”,“the”,“rates”,"recommend
",“comparing”,“sites”,“and”,“deciding”,“sites”,“cheap”,“air”,“ticket”,“offers”,“interesting cheapoair”,“25”,“deals nbsp”
,“americans”,“local”,“destinations”,“convenient”,“travel”,“bookings”,“reasonable”,“and”,“the”,“database”,“works”,“fast”]
},{“title”:“Umang 2007”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/12/umang-2007/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"published
Date":“Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:17:58 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Just as I was sad about how I missed the regional event and ho w it would be expensive to now go for a National event, I got the …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eJust as I was sad about h
ow I missed the regional event and how it would be expensive to now go for a National event, I got the newsletter from I SABS that announces a new regional event that is IN Mumbai, very low budget and coming up soon.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u
003eI guess my ISABS journey is destined to go on without delays.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor folks in Mumbai, this is an unparalleled opportunity. The Umang 2007 event is from the 10th Oct to the 14th Oct 2007 and takes place in Malad
- Aksa beach and overcomes one of the major hurdles for the common man to participate - money. Accommodation is dormitor y type, but that is what brings it within reach.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, where I was planning to go, my husband
is also planning to join me this time with his BLHP.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeriously folks, donΓÇÖt miss this one. For more information, go the the \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.isabs.org"\u003eISABS website\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u
003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-programmes/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/educational-programmes/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eeducational programmes\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"ta
g"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isabs/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isabs/\)" rel\u003d
“tag"\u003eISABS\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)” rel\
u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/education al-programmes/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eeducational programmes\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.c
om/blog/tag/experiential-learning/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http ://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isabs/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isabs/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eISABS\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-a
[ware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/](http://ware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e",“categories” :[“Outdoor professionals”,“ISABS”,“Social Awareness”,“Experiential learning”,“educational programmes”,"experiential lear
ning",“ISABS”,“self improvement journey”,“mumbai”,“an”,“unparalleled”,“opportunity”,“the”,“umang”,“2007”,“event”,“sad”,"
missed",“the”,“regional”,“event”,“and”,“malad”,“aksa”,“beach”,“and”,“overcomes”,“regional”,“event”,“expensive”,“a”,"nati
onal",“event”,“destined”,“delays for”,“folks”,“the”,“14th”,“oct”,“2007”,“and”,“takes”,“place”,“isabs”,“announces”,“a”]},
{“title”:“Paid blogging and content ideas too”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/11/paid-blogging-and-conte
nt-ideas-too-2/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Tue, 11 Sep 2007 04:29:04 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“There are pe ople who want to pay for reviews and blogged links for their products and websites and there are companies like …”,"co
ntent":"\u003cp\u003eThere are people who want to pay for reviews and blogged links for their products and websites and there are companies like Review Me and PayPerPost managing this chaotic demand and supply scenario.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003
cp\u003eI see this as a great opportunity for people who want to earn some money on the side. If you have a regular blog , thatΓÇÖs all it takes. Even if you donΓÇÖt, there are loads of free blogging services that you can start from. It is a
ll really about how well you can write.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome tips for those who would like to use blogging f or money:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBe genuine. We all like to earn money, but would you pay someone
for the kind of writing you are doing? Find out about what you are writing for and write with that insight, rather than churn out words to create posts.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePractice. There are ways to warn money from your blog - n
ot every post has to be a paid post (this one isnΓÇÖt). Write about things you genuinely like and present them in a way that tempts the reader with your perspective.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePractice, practice.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli
\u003eRead around. See what other bloggers are writing about. Create relationships, comment, get to know them more as pe ople rather than quick ideas for your own work. What goes around comes around.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse other m
ethods of generating revenue from your blog, so that you are not too desperate about writing only paid posts. Adsense fo r example will deliver targetted ads to your blog no matter what your posts are (of course, no porn and gambling and stu
ff)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePromote your blog. Put links in signatures on forums, emails, etc. Submit to directori es, do link exchangesΓǪ… the usual.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave patience. Signing up for something and earning
from it is a process, not a ΓÇ£push button and get resultsΓÇ¥ kind of thing.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u0 03eWhere to begin generating income from your writing?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoads of places - please note that so
me of the below are affiliate links, but do no harm to you. In fact, clicking the review this post button below will act ually earn you money along with your sign up with PayPerPost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u
003ca href\u003d"[http://www.reviewme.com/?ref\u003d12255\](http://www.reviewme.com/?ref\u003d12255\)“\u003eGet Reviewed At ReviewMe!\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.auctionads.com/refer_%2060d670cda8bd3a4738eb\](http://www.auctionads.com/refer_%2060d670cda8bd3a4738eb\)”\u003eAuctionAds: Increase the
bid on your siteΓÇÖs income!\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePayPerPost is something you can join directly by going to their site, but if you review this post, you will actually begin your account with earning money.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are others as well - Watch out for updates on this post.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http:/ /[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/blogging/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/blogging/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eblogging\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wi
[de-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/](http://de-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wid
[e-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/](http://e-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ewebsite deveoplment\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"h ttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/blogging/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/blogging/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eblogging\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://w
[ww.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/](http://ww.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://ww
[w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ewebsite deveoplment\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[
“Experiential learning”,“blogging”,“inspiration”,“website deveoplment”,“writing”,“paid”,“posts”,“adsense”,“directories”, “link”,“exchanges”,“the”,“usual have”,“patience”,“signing”,“perspective practice”,“practice read”,“around”,"reviewme pay
perpost",“directly”,“post”,“a”,“paid”,“post”,“this”,“words”,“create”,“posts practice”,“bloggers”,“writing”,“about”,"crea
te",“relationships”,“genuine”,“earn”,“money”]},{“title”:“Paid blogging and content ideas too”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aw
are.com/blog/2007/09/11/paid-blogging-and-content-ideas-too/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Tue, 11 Sep 2007 0
4:28:36 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“There are people who want to pay for reviews and blogged links for their products and w ebsites and there are companies like …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eThere are people who want to pay for reviews and blogg
ed links for their products and websites and there are companies like Review Me and PayPerPost managing this chaotic dem and and supply scenario.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI see this as a great opportunity for people who want to earn some
money on the side. If you have a regular blog, thatΓÇÖs all it takes. Even if you donΓÇÖt, there are loads of free blogg ing services that you can start from. It is all really about how well you can write.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSome ti
ps for those who would like to use blogging for money:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBe genuine. We all l ike to earn money, but would you pay someone for the kind of writing you are doing? Find out about what you are writing
for and write with that insight, rather than churn out words to create posts.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePractice. Th ere are ways to warn money from your blog - not every post has to be a paid post (this one isnΓÇÖt). Write about things
you genuinely like and present them in a way that tempts the reader with your perspective.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003 ePractice, practice.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRead around. See what other bloggers are writing about. Create relati
onships, comment, get to know them more as people rather than quick ideas for your own work. What goes around comes arou nd.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eUse other methods of generating revenue from your blog, so that you are not too desper
ate about writing only paid posts. Adsense for example will deliver targetted ads to your blog no matter what your posts are (of course, no porn and gambling and stuff)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePromote your blog. Put links in signature
s on forums, emails, etc. Submit to directories, do link exchangesΓǪ… the usual.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave pa tience. Signing up for something and earning from it is a process, not a ΓÇ£push button and get resultsΓÇ¥ kind of thing
.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere to begin generating income from your writing?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003 cp\u003eLoads of places - please note that some of the below are affiliate links, but do no harm to you. In fact, clicki
ng the review this post button below will actually earn you money along with your sign up with PayPerPost.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.reviewme.com/?ref\u003d12255\](http://www.reviewme.com/?ref\u003d12255\)"\u003eGet Review
ed At ReviewMe!\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePayPerPost is something you can join directly by going to thei r site, but if you review this post, you will actually begin your account with earning money.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00
3eThere are others as well - Watch out for updates on this post.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-awar [e.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/](http://e.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wi
[de-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/](http://de-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:["Experient
ial learning",“DEFAULT TAG NAME”,“directories”,“link”,“exchanges”,“the”,“usual have”,“patience”,“signing”,“writing”,"pai
d",“posts”,“adsense”,“perspective practice”,“practice read”,“around”,“reviewme payperpost”,“directly”,“post”,“a”,“paid”,
“post”,“this”,“words”,“create”,“posts practice”,“genuine”,“earn”,“money”,“fact”,“clicking”,“the”,“review”]},{“title”:"Cl
eartripΓÇÖs white water rafting adventure on the Kundalika near the Tamhini Ghat",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog /2007/09/10/kundalika-tamhini-ghat-kolad-white-water-rafting/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sun, 09 Sep 2007
16:46:43 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“Go on, ask - why would someone who does this regularly find it an adventure? Its all i n the logistics.\nOn the first September, …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eGo on, ask - why would someone who does this regu
larly find it an adventure? Its all in the logistics.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the first September, which is last week (IΓÇÖm always late with these things) Raka and I accompanied a group from Cleartrip.com that we were sending for a
dayΓÇÖs outing on the river Kundalika, and the region around Nagothane.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsidering that the booking numbers fluctuated all the time, and we had multiple pick up points, I just had one of those feelings. Raka and
I were due for a break anyway, so we went along for the ride.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe morning pickups were pred ictably a nightmare and we managed to get out of Mumbai at a record breaking 6:30 with me praying constantly that the wa
ter held. White water for the rafting is really a matter of being at the right place and right time, as the Rafting depe nds on the release of water from the Bhire Dam, further up the valley in the direction of the Tamhini Ghat.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eThe group was excited and quick on their nerves and it was a mission to keep people moving fast (like it always is with high energy groups). With a few pick ups and some miscommunication, we caught the tail end of the water
and I heaved a sigh of relief to see the participants depart on their rafts at the starting point.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c p\u003eThis is when I really stopped worrying and caught up with the moment. As always, this region is a pleasure to be
in, and it was my trip to catch up with people. I was visiting the \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.kamathresidency.com"
u003eKamath Residency resort\u003c/a\u003e after quite a few months, my rafting field staff after even more, and to top
it all, I happened to run into Brig. Sushil Bhasin of \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.empowercamp.com/\](http://www.empowercamp.com/\)"\u003eEmpower Cam ps\u003c/a\u003e right there near the rafting equipment, as he drove by with some guests.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFo
r a moment, I wondered idly, if Raka and I should simply hijack one of the vehicles and go ahead to visit Garudmachi - t he \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.hpmpl.com/\](http://www.hpmpl.com/\)"\u003eHigh Places\u003c/a\u003e campsite - who knew who else we could meet
out there? Instead, we chose to arrive at the ending point of the river run early and wait for the group to arrive and spent a nice hour watching the tiny fish nibble at the banks and clouds doing their best to impress us with added impres
sions of peace.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA couple of groups who had left earlier arrived, and I met yet another old f riend - a rafting instructor I used to know as Kumar when he was a straggly youth figuring out this job, when we did the
pilot run for this route 3 years ago. Now, he looks totally classy with a low ponytail and all that. Honestly, i hadnΓÇ Öt recognized him at all until he came up and shook hands.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoon, out group came, and it was
time to go back to the resort for a well deserved lunch and some lazing around.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen, we lef t for a waterfall nearby, and managed to get thoroughly confused by the route and our own mismanaged communications, and
out hike to the waterfall turned into quite an adventurous and highly enjoyable hike in the area of the waterfall. It w as good fun. Particularly considering that the rain at lunch time had made all the flowing water too muddy to appeal in
any case.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the way back, we hooked up with an online friend of mine - Abhijit Rao and we w ent over to his place to continue into a weekend celebration that didnΓÇÖt end until Monday evening.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00
3cp\u003eAll in all, one of my not-smooth bits of management, but a fun day even then. And yes, IΓÇÖm planning to upload pictures, and it isnΓÇÖt my usual ΓÇ£one dayΓÇ¥ scenario either. The thing is, IΓÇÖm waiting for some pictures from Ame
ya Salvi. Its a new excuse this time.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUpdate: Some photos from my mobile are up, and can be found \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/gallery/v/clients/cleartrip/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/gallery/v/clients/cleartrip/\)"\u003ehere\u003c/a\u003e. Ameya is als
o planning to upload his photos here (one fine day)\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/ta g/adventure/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adv
enture-professionals/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide -[aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/](http://aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure training\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"ht
tp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http: //[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e \u003c
a href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eoutdoors\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href
u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rafting/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rafting/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erafting\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http
://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://ww
[w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals\u003c/a\u003e, \u003c a href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-training/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure training\u003c/a\
u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u00 3e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential l
earning\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eoutdoors \u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rafting/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rafting/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erafting\u003c/a\
u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“Experiential learning”,“adventure”,“adventure professionals”,“adventure train ing”,“experience”,“experiential learning”,“outdoors”,“rafting”,“nagothane considering”,“the”,“booking”,“numbers”,"fl
uctuated",“outing”,“the”,“river”,“kundalika”,“cleartrip com”,“sending”,“accompanied”,“a”,“group”,“september”,“week”,“i”,
“the”,“logistics on”,“the”,“and”,“the”,“region”,“late”,“things”]},{“title”:“Missed the monsoon ISABS event”,“link”:"
http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/07/missed-the-monsoon-isabs-event/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Fri,
07 Sep 2007 06:12:00 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“How dumb of me. I\u0026#8217;d completely forgotten about the annual monso on event ISABS usually has. I wanted to attend, but sigh! …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eHow dumb of me. IΓÇÖd completely
forgotten about the annual monsoon event ISABS usually has. I wanted to attend, but sigh! It already began on the 4th Se ptember. IΓÇÖd completely forgotten about them, and whn I remembered and rushed to visit their site, I found that the ev
ent had already started. IΓÇÖll probably go for the next event. I was hoping for this Mumbai regional one - it works out cheaper than the national events.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI rarely write about this, so the posts are probably buri
ed among others. For the curious, my previous posts about my ISABS journey were about \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wid [e-aware.com/blog/2006/08/31/improving-on-myself/](http://e-aware.com/blog/2006/08/31/improving-on-myself/\)"\u003eimproving myself\u003c/a\u003e after my BLHP - Basic Lab in Huma
n Processes, and then when I was \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/02/09/just-back-from-my-alhp/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/02/09/just-back-from-my-alhp/\)" \u003ejust back from my ALHP\u003c/a\u003e and when I went all sentimental about my \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-
[aware.com/blog/2007/02/19/the-journey-continues/](http://aware.com/blog/2007/02/19/the-journey-continues/\)"\u003ejourney continuing\u003c/a\u003e. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eF or those who are clueless about what I am going on and on about, \u003ca href\u003d"http://isabs.org"\u003eISABS\u003c
/a\u003e is the Indian Society of Applied Behavioural Sciences. They conduct a variety of laboratories (as they are euph emistically called I guess - they are anything but impersonal) oriented toward self-discovery and interpersonal skills i
ncluding facilitation skills with groups. The series of programmes are collectively referred to as a journey in the sens e of self-discovery and improvement.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI honestly recommend these programmes to anyone interes
ted in self-improvement.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/genera
l-stuff/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isa bs/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eISABS\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement
-journey/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/bl og/tag/experiential-learning/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://ww
[w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http:/ /[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isabs/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/isabs/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eISABS\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-awa
[re.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/](http://re.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[ “ISABS”,“experiential learning”,“general stuff”,“ISABS”,“self improvement journey”,“self discovery”,“and”,"interpersonal
",“skills”,“including”,“facilitation”,“skills”,“the”,“annual”,“monsoon”,“event”,“isabs”,“self discovery”,“and”,"improvem
ent i",“honestly”,“recommend”,“cheaper”,“the”,“national”,“events i”,“rarely”,“write”,“my”,“isabs”,“journey”,“isabs”,"the
",“indian”,“society”,“event”,“hoping”,“sentimental”,“my”,“journey”,“continuing”]},{“title”:"Planning hikes in the Sahyad
ri",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/09/07/planning-hikes-in-the-sahyadri/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"published
Date":“Fri, 07 Sep 2007 05:56:22 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Getting out into the outdoors is not as tough as it sounds. Ho nestly, even though I provide the service, I don\u0026#8217;t do any …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eGetting out into the o
utdoors is not as tough as it sounds. Honestly, even though I provide the service, I donΓÇÖt do any rocket science. Most of the enquiries I get are for outings in the Sahyadri from Mumbai. So here, I provide a detailed method of going about
it.\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWhat do you want? Is it a challenge, relaxation, exploration……? What do you want to do when you have this itch to get out of the city.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNarrow it down - For example, if yo
uΓÇÖd thought of exploration in the previous step, go a step ahead. Is it exploring forts, caves, sea forts in particula r, fishing villagesΓǪΓǪ?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFigure out other stuff you want - how would you like to travelΓ
Ǫ. bike trip, local buses, private vehicleΓǪ? What would you like to eat - local food, self-cooked stuff, full-royal r esort mealsΓǪ? Stay where - in nature, resort, caves, local homesΓǪΓǪ?\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOnce you have th
is, youΓÇÖre ready to begin preparing. Simply put together all requirements and make a list of everything you will be ne eding. Fuel arrangements, resort bookings, routes, stocks of foodΓǪ… whatever. Make this list as detailed as possible.
Feel free to ask other travellers for tips.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMost resorts can be booked online or through agents. If youΓÇÖre planning to stay in a village or cave, there are no booking needs of course, but you may wish to fin
d out details on the village or condition of fort etc. Most of this is readily available online.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cl i\u003ePut one day aside for shopping and preparations. Get your act together and be sure to go through your entire list
.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThatΓÇÖs it. Leave on time and have a blast.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u0 03eAs a general guide, if you have figured out transportation, food and accommodation; thereΓÇÖs little that can go wron
g. However, be sure to cross check all information you get, as once out in the rural areas, it is not uncommon to find u nmarked roads, or those that have been too damaged to use, etc. Similarly, a trekker who visited a fort a few years ago
may confidently tell you that the village is 10 min from the fort, when in reality it may be 2-3 hours. Information that seems the same from a few different sources is generally reliable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is probably the onl
y place where an organized trip is stronger, as we have strong contacts in most places we operate in, and checking any c hanges in status of information are a matter of routine. However, many trekkers and regular travellers know enough of th
e place to help verify information.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo why am sharing this? Because my objective is not to s ell tours so much as to get more and more people venturing in the outdoors and developing a love for the land they live
in. If this helps people get into a car and head out of town more easily on a weekend, IΓÇÖve got what I want.\u003c/p\u 003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe people who come to me easily become capable of this within a trip or two, so its no real secret a
nyway. I think they pay me just because they like the company, or would simply like me to handle the hassle reliably.\u0 03c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure\u003c/a
\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e\u003 ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca hr
ef\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“catego ries”:[“Hikes”,“Adventure as usual”,“adventure”,“travel”,“full royal”,“resort”,“meals”,“stay”,“routine”,“trekkers”,“and”
,“regular”,“travellers”,“mumbai”,“provide”,“a”,“detailed”,“method”,“travellers”,“tips most”,“resorts”,“exploration”,"the
",“previous”,“step”,“resort”,“caves”,“caves”,“sea”,“forts”,“condition”,“fort”,“etc”]},{“title”:"Lovely posts, rotten pac
kaging",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/08/20/lovely-posts-rotten-packaging-2/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"publ
ishedDate":“Mon, 20 Aug 2007 10:55:08 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“I was scavenging for ideas to use in my next youth progra mme, and found a wealth of them on blogs. I think I\u0026#8217;m developing …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI was scavengin
g for ideas to use in my next youth programme, and found a wealth of them on blogs. I think IΓÇÖm developing an affinity for blogs. Regular posts, inspiring ideasΓǪ… some people have a talent for looking for the unusual and thought provok
ing in routine life.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is sad to see that blogging seems to have a bad effect on careful wr iting though. Is it only me, or do many outdoor and travel blogs not maintained by professionals have terrible spelling
and next to no punctuation?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI only hope this doesnΓÇÖt rub off on me as I roam around readin g the exciting, but messy world of blogging everything that catches the eye.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e
Powered by \u003ca href\u003d"[http://scribefire.com/\](http://scribefire.com/\)“\u003eScribeFire\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d "[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)” rel\u003d"tag"\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca hre
f\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e\u00 3c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“DEFAULT TAG NAME”,“blogs”,“developing”,“an”,“affinity”,“blogs”,“regular”,“posts”,"
blogging",“catches”,“the”,“eye powered”,“outdoor”,“and”,“travel”,“blogs”,“the”,“unusual”,“and”,“thought”,“provoking”,"sc
avenging",“ideas”,“inspiring”,“ideas”,“terrible”,“spelling”,“and”]},{“title”:“Lovely posts, rotten packaging”,“link”:"ht
tp://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/08/20/lovely-posts-rotten-packaging/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Mon, 20
Aug 2007 10:54:56 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“I was scavenging for ideas to use in my next youth programme, and found a wea lth of them on blogs. I think I\u0026#8217;m developing …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eI was scavenging for ideas to use i
n my next youth programme, and found a wealth of them on blogs. I think IΓÇÖm developing an affinity for blogs. Regular posts, inspiring ideasΓǪ… some people have a talent for looking for the unusual and thought provoking in routine life.
\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is sad to see that blogging seems to have a bad effect on careful writing though. Is it only me, or do many outdoor and travel blogs not maintained by professionals have terrible spelling and next to no punct
uation?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI only hope this doesnΓÇÖt rub off on me as I roam around reading the exciting, but messy world of blogging everything that catches the eye.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePowered by \u003ca h
ref\u003d"[http://scribefire.com/\](http://scribefire.com/\)“\u003eScribeFire\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aw [are.com/blog/tag/blogging/](http://are.com/blog/tag/blogging/\)” rel\u003d"tag"\u003eblogging\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/b
log/tag/blogging/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eblogging\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Thoughts”,“blogging”,“blo gs”,“developing”,“an”,“affinity”,“blogs”,“regular”,“posts”,“blogging”,“catches”,“the”,“eye powered”,“outdoor”,“and”,"tra
vel",“blogs”,“the”,“unusual”,“and”,“thought”,“provoking”,“scavenging”,“ideas”,“terrible”,“spelling”,“and”,“sad”,"bloggin
g"]},{“title”:“Busy with code”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/08/17/busy-with-code/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”
,“publishedDate”:“Thu, 16 Aug 2007 23:08:59 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Its time for my sporadic obsession with the website . These days I\u0026#8217;m trying to spruce up the entire place. I fiddled …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eIts time for my
sporadic obsession with the website. These days IΓÇÖm trying to spruce up the entire place. I fiddled around and learne d new stuff. I found this thing \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.giannim.com/blog/index.php?page_id\u003d13\](http://www.giannim.com/blog/index.php?page_id\u003d13\)"\u003eAjaxWP\
u003c/a\u003e and installed it on the site. It requires a little fiddling around with the theme, but once that is done, it makes the site run much faster, as no doubt regulars here will have noticed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIts a really
neat modification, though IΓÇÖd have appreciated a little more clear instructions. Newbies to code have a duty to mess up everything we touch, and I take that seriously \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images
/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt\u003d":D"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt took me a while to figure out that I h ave to create versions of my theme files for the ajax, and rename them and keep them in the same folder as the rest of t
he stuff. Now that IΓÇÖve figured it out, it seems kind of obvious, but until I arrived at enlightenment, I tried replac ing the files, creating a separate folder, sub-folderΓǪ… you name it, I done it - all except the very obvious - just l
et them be where they are \u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_razz.gif\)"
alt\u003d":P"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther than that, IΓÇÖm reworking almost the entire site now. Trying to generally tweak things around to make them prettier, faster, read better, etc. IΓÇÖm at a stage where IΓÇÖm totally c
onfused, but there seems to be emerging some kind of path through the chaos.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖm in a some what ΓÇ£overreachingΓÇ¥ kind of mood as usual, so IΓÇÖd appreciate any comments, suggestions, complaints, etc that can h
elp me toward better webdesign. Pleeeeease donΓÇÖt wait for me to revamp the whole thing and then show some major glitch IΓÇÖve created somewhere. My abilities are rather limited.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com
/blog/tag/experiential-learning/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http:/ /[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"htt
p://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ewebsite deveoplment\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca hr ef\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experiential-learning/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperiential learning\u003c/
a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u00 3c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/website-deveoplment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ewebsite
deveoplment\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“experiential learning”,“general stuff”,“website deveoplme nt”,“fiddled”,“and”,“learned”,“time”,“my”,“sporadic”,“obsession”,“days”,“spruce”,“the”,“entire”,“place”,“the”,“website”]
},{“title”:“Blister season”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/08/16/blister-season/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"p
ublishedDate":“Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:01:19 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Heh. Monsoons near Mumbai are fun, but let\u0026#8217; s be honest - this is blister time. Whether we go on a fun picnic, or a long …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eHeh. Monsoons
near Mumbai are fun, but letΓÇÖs be honest - this is blister time. Whether we go on a fun picnic, or a long hike, or sim ply roam around in the city. The continual wet feet are quite blister prone.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is why I w
as so impressed with this product - \u003ca href\u003d"http://thegoat.backcountry.com/blog/2007/08/15/adventure-medical -kit-glacier-gel/trackback/"\u003eGlacierGel\u003c/a\u003e I came across as I was surfing. It is a clear blister dressi
ng that protects the blister, and is soft and is transparent as well, so we can keep an eye on the painful spot. The per fect recipe for feeling free to risk our feet and know that we can deal with any blisters that pop up?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u
003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/first-aid/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/first-aid/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003efirst aid\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u00
3ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/interesting-products/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/interesting-products/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einteresting products\u0 03c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/first-aid/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/first-aid/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003efirst aid\u003c/a\u
003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/ a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/interesting-products/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/interesting-products/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einterestin
g products\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“first aid”,“general stuff”,“interesting products”,“thegoat backcountry com blog 2007 08 15 adventure medical kit glacier gel trackback”,“glaciergel url”,“surfing”,“a”,“clear”,"b
lister",“dressing”,“protects”,“the”,“blister”,“blister”,“prone this”,“the”,“painful”,“spot”,“the”,“perfect”,“recipe”
,“the”,“city”,“the”,“continual”,“wet”,“feet”,“blister”,“time”,“impressed”,“product”,“url http”]},{“title”:"Working in th
e outdoors",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/08/15/working-in-the-outdoors/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,"publishe
dDate":“Wed, 15 Aug 2007 01:10:28 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“One of my freelancers was just enjoying a cup of tea with me during some spare time on a programme. He wanted some advice, and …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eOne of my freelancers was
just enjoying a cup of tea with me during some spare time on a programme. He wanted some advice, and I had all the time in the world, unless something went wrong, so we plunged into the subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe had been offe
red a job with another company and was wondering if he should be taking it. He does some freelance work with Hills and T rails, Wild country Learning, us, OET, and some other companies as well, and earns, (like most other free lance outbound
resource people in India) in a very erratic manner. A good month is riches and luxury and some months are a step away f rom being very badly broke. Not that it isnΓÇÖt the same with any self employed person, but I find this particularly of
concern in the outdoor adventure industry in India.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe salary offered in this case was piti ful, but it would be guaranteed every month. On the other hand, this boy would lose his freedom to choose jobs that he l
iked, paid well or even helped him learn and develop. It was a tough decision.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost Indians are not too aware of adventure tourism, and even those aware of it are not always happy to pay big money. Most adventure
businesses do reasonably well, but the pool of freelancers we mint our fortunes on, are not as lucky. Some of us are no w taking care to offer better rates, more reliable working relationships, some security, etc.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00
3eBut on the whole, an adventure instructor in India, is leading a life with its economy also in a desperate rescue scen ario.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost such people are more into the business as it doesnΓÇÖt require any specific quali
fications or skills beyond those they can earn on the job. So they arenΓÇÖt always equipped to have any other profession . They are in a physically demanding profession, and even barring accidents, very few can work in the field as they grow
older. They need to be able to figure out other ways of sustaining and providing for their futures, which is something that doesnΓÇÖt really seem to occur to them.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot having the benefits of a regular income, or
investments through the work place, there is also no source of back up for money. Hardly any invest in any sizeable lif e insurance, medical insurance or even basic ΓÇ£nest-eggsΓÇ¥ for emergencies. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI suggested t
he best I could. I asked him to tell his new employer that the amount offered was really low, and he couldnΓÇÖt accept i t, unless he was allowed to accept bookings from other companies on the days when the company employing him did not requ
ire him. In my opinion, he should have asked for a basic amount per month, with an additional smaller amount calculated according to the number of days he spent in the field. This is what I offer my regulars. Unfortunately, his new employer
wouldnΓÇÖt have allowed that, and I donΓÇÖt have vacancies.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI hope things work out for him. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003e
adventure professionals\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d "tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\)" rel\u003d"tag
"\u003eIndia\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/mountain/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/mountain/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003emo untain\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eoutdoors\
u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/tourism/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/tourism/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etourism\u003c/a\u 003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca
href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure-professionals/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure professionals \u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral st
uff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eIndia\u003c/a\u 003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/mountain/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/mountain/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003emountain\u003c/a\u003e, \
u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eoutdoors\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/tourism/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/tourism/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etourism\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003
d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:["Outdoor profe
ssionals",“Thoughts”,“adventure professionals”,“general stuff”,“India”,“mountain”,“outdoors”,“tourism”,“travel”,“wrong”, “plunged”,“wanted”,“advice”,“my”,“freelancers”,“offered”,“a”,“job”,“the”,“subject he”,“tea”,“spare”,“time”,“enjoying”,
“a”,“cup”,“company”,“and”]},{“title”:“Rafting time”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/07/16/rafting-time/”,"au
thor":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Mon, 16 Jul 2007 06:18:02 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“Its monsoon time again, and the world is a rich green. While we conduct rafting trips all through the year, monsoon is a …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eIt
s monsoon time again, and the world is a rich green. While we conduct rafting trips all through the year, monsoon is a s pecial time, because the river is really full of water. We no longer are slaves to the dam that releases the water for o
ur precious white water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe season is good this year. The field staff have got in another r aft to deal with the work load, and trips are running full. Bookings actually need to be done two weeks in advance to ha
ve any guarantee of getting a place on the raft. And all this, in spite of having enough water on the river to allow an additional late morning run as well as the usual early morning one with the dam water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot b
ad. Raka and I are in a good mood these days. WeΓÇÖre planning to join a group from JP Morgan who have booked with us th is Sunday, and hope that this is going to be a time for us to get away from the city and feel truly like being in the ou
tdoors for fun again.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWho knows, thereΓÇÖs a group from the same company on Saturday as well , and we just might make an overnight trip out of this. Monsoon is certainly not a time to be sitting in the city.\u003c
/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIΓÇÖll see if I can get some fun pics out of this.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www. [wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/adventure/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-
[aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/](http://aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wi
[de-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/](http://de-aware.com/blog/tag/outdoors/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eoutdoors\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-awar
[e.com/blog/tag/rafting/](http://e.com/blog/tag/rafting/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erafting\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/
tag/adventure/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eadventure\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/g eneral-stuff/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/ta
g/outdoors/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eoutdoors\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rafti ng/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erafting\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Wide Aware”,“Thoughts”,“Adventure as usual”,"adventure
",“general stuff”,“outdoors”,“rafting”,“precious”,“white”,“water the”,“season”,“conduct”,“rafting”,“trips”,“good”,"y
ear",“the”,“field”,“staff”,“monsoon”,“a”,“special”,“time”,“releases”,“the”,“water”,“a”,“rich”,“green”,“water”,“longer”,"
monsoon",“time”]},{“title”:“Cricket, cricket”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/21/cricket-cricket/”,"autho
r":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Wed, 21 Mar 2007 09:09:01 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“I am not usually an avid cricket fo llower, but this World Cup has got me, and I am biting my nails from the suspense with the …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003e
I am not usually an avid cricket follower, but this World Cup has got me, and I am biting my nails from the suspense wit h the rest of India, as we wait to see if we even get into the Super 8.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInitially, it all se
emed to be going well, as we won against the West Indians in the warm up match, but then, chaos struck. India lost to Ba ngladesh! Many would say its impossible, but then, this is cricket. India seemed to be not fully there on the field, and
Bangladesh was outstanding, with the result that India is in its current situation and unsure of even qualifying for th e finals.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis certainly was a completely shocking time for both India and Pakistan, when Ba
ngladesh subdued India, without even seeming to be struggling too badly, and Ireland trounced Pakistan so badly, that it has been referred to as sent ΓÇ£PakingΓÇ¥. Both these results were totally unexpected and have shaken the status quo pr
etty strongly, with some devastating results for Pakistan. They are out of the Cup. Fans have been out in the street scr eaming for blood and chanting for death to Woolmer and Inzamam. Worse, their coach Bob ΓÇ£laptopΓÇ¥ Woolmer actually die
d in mysterious circumstances on the next day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI bet the Pakistanis hadnΓÇÖt wanted their wi shes answered so literally. Then followed a spree of resignations from Inzamam himself and others on the PCB in sheer hu
miliation. The final straw comes with the Jamaican police insisting that the Pakistan team cannot leave the country unti l the investigation of WoolmerΓÇÖs death is concluded/they are cleared. Things are going really bad for the poor guys.\u
003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIndia wasnΓÇÖt too far behind, with that bad, bad match against Bangladesh and the completely shocking defeat. The only consolation being that they arenΓÇÖt out - yet. Fans in India were enraged as well, expressin
g their anger out on the streets, burning effigies of players and overall demonstrating how fickle they are, when the re sults of one match can get them screaming for the blood of those they were worshipping a couple of hours ago. DhoniΓÇÖs
home being constructed in Ranchi was attakced by irate fans and armed security was immediately rushed to the homes of al l players fearing similar acts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShame! The defeat hurt. It hurt really badly, but it shouldn
ΓÇÖt result in an attack on belongings or the safety of players families, while they are supposed to be away fighting fo r the honour of their country on the field. This is pure stupidity and could sabotage the emotional well-being of our pl
ayers and destroy what little chances we have of victory after being put into this tight spot after the defeat against B angladesh.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, Raka says that this is IndiaΓÇÖs way. India has often lost first matches
and then pulled up their socks in a hurry to deliver good performances after the shock. I certainly hope it is so. Indi a now needs to win the big one with Sri Lanka after the record breaking win against Bermuda in the next match. The Bermu
da win went a long way toward healing the feelings of the fans and advertisers as well as the scores, in case it comes d own to a battle of run rates.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt also depends on how Bangladesh and Sri Lanka play and what
their scores read like at the end of the day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeeping fingers crossed and eyes glued to the screen!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bangladesh/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bangladesh/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eBangla
desh\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bob-woolmer/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bob-woolmer/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eBob Wool mer\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/cricket/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/cricket/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ecricket\u003c
/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/dhoni/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/dhoni/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edhoni\u003c/a\u003e \u0 03ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/fans/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/fans/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003efans\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d
"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eIndia\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inzamam/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inzamam/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eInzamam\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-awar
[e.com/blog/tag/pakistan/](http://e.com/blog/tag/pakistan/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ePakistan\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/b
log/tag/sri-lanka/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/t ag/team_game/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eteam game\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/we
st-indies/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eWest Indies\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/wor ld-cup/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eWorld Cup\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bangladesh
/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eBangladesh\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bob-woolmer/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/bob-woolmer/\) " rel\u003d"tag"\u003eBob Woolmer\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/cricket/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/cricket/\)" rel
\u003d"tag"\u003ecricket\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/dhoni/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/dhoni/\)" rel\u003d"tag "\u003edhoni\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/fans/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/fans/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003efans\u
003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/india/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eIndia\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inzamam/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inzamam/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eInzamam\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca
href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/pakistan/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/pakistan/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ePakistan\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u0 03d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/sri-lanka/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/sri-lanka/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eSri Lanka\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"
[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/team_game/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/team_game/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eteam game\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http: //[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/west-indies/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/west-indies/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eWest Indies\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http:/
/[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/world-cup/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/world-cup/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eWorld Cup\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Sports”,"Thought
s",“Bangladesh”,“Bob Woolmer”,“cricket”,“dhoni”,“fans”,“India”,“Inzamam”,“Pakistan”,“Sri Lanka”,“team game”,"West Indies
",“World Cup”,“match”,“chaos”,“struck”,“india”,“lost”,“an”,“avid”,“cricket”,“follower”,“the”,“super”,“8 initially”,"an
d",“biting”,“my”,“nails”,“the”,“west”,“indians”,“india”,“wait”,“the”,“suspense”,“the”,“warm”]},{“title”:"From Sangli to
Kule Narshingpur",“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/19/from-sangli-to-kule-narshingpur/”,“author”:"Vidyut K
ale",“publishedDate”:“Sun, 18 Mar 2007 12:04:27 -0700”,“contentSnippet”:“This post will be split into two, as there is p lenty of content. I\u0026#8217;ll focus this on the travel and the people and the …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eThis post
will be split into two, as there is plenty of content. IΓÇÖll focus this on the travel and the people and the next can be about the religious experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGetting from Sangli to Kule Narshingpur is a pain. First,
there is a state transport bus journey to Islampur, which takes about an hour, and then there is the further journey by bus/rickshaw to Kule Narchingpur, which takes another half-an-hour.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe were lucky to find a
luxury bus waiting as we reached the bus station at Sangli, and the journey to Islampur was comfortable and quick. Not much to do, except watch the kilometers tick by, and the wierd little conductor interact with the people on the bus in h
is singsong voice.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis region is all about sugarcane production, and we passed fields with sugarcane standing, or in various stages of being harvested, sugarcane loaded on tractors, bullockcarts, being stored…
… whatever - sugarcane - and loads of it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Islampur, we gave up trying to figure out furt her state transport and simply hired a rickshaw to take us to our destination. The road was now bumpy. I guess the paren
ts in law were not exactly comfortable. Raka was sitting on half the driverΓÇÖs seat in the front, as these rickshaws ar e designed to seat only three, so I guess he wasnΓÇÖt too comfortable either, but I was enjoying the ride through the co
untryside.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/ima ge539.jpg" title\u003d"Thr Krishna flowing behind the temple"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blo
g/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image539.thumbnail.jpg" alt\u003d"Thr Krishna flowing behind the temple"\u003e\u003c/a\u 003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image528.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image528.jpg\)" title\u003d"The lane l
eading to the temple"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image528.thum bnail.jpg" alt\u003d"The lane leading to the temple"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com
/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image526.jpg" title\u003d"Sitting in the math"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www. [wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image526.thumbnail.jpg](http://wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image526.thumbnail.jpg\)" alt\u003d"Sitting in the math"\u003e\u003c/a\u
003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image527.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image527.jpg\)" title\u003d"My father-
in-law and Raka entering the village"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/ 03/image527.thumbnail.jpg" alt\u003d"My father-in-law and Raka entering the village"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003cp\u00
3eNarrow bumpy roads, blocked with bullock cart traffic - pretty heavy - we seemed to be waiting more than moving. Charm ing glimpses of the river, and all kinds of people chattering with our rickshaw man as we passed them. Very charmingly r
ural, if you overlook the not-so-charming ruts on the road.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBullocks and goats seemed to be all over the place. Parked in front of homes having lunch, yoked, pulling carts, being loaded, unloaded…… I’ve nev
er seen so many bullocks in one day.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe reached the home of the pujaris at our destination. Actually, the pujari on duty was someone else, but my parents in law had good relations with another, who wasnΓÇÖt on du
ty, but we stayed with them anyway. I was surprised to find a Marathi family - I was expecting Kannada Brahmins (my in-l aws are Kannada) like in Sangli. Apparently there are historical migrations and stuff involved and the seeming discrepan
cy was a normal state of affairs in such issues.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt least I could understand what was being said. I found myself feeling at home. The family were really charming people, complete with a really charming old widow
grandmother - a typical joint family. \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe visited the temple in the evening, and I have neve r seen such a charming location in this region (plenty in the \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/himalayan-ad
ventures/himalayan-tours.htm" title\u003d"Himalayan Tours" style\u003d"padding-right:13px" rel\u003d"external"\u0 03eHimalaya\u003c/a\u003e). What can I say, IΓÇÖll let the pics do the talking.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href
\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image553.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image553.jpg\)" title\u003d"Mother-in-law and I - wash
ing hands and feet in the river"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/im age553.thumbnail.jpg" alt\u003d"Mother-in-law and I - washing hands and feet in the river"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca
href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image549.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image549.jpg\)" title\u003d"Father in Law washing
feet in the river"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image549.thumbn
ail.jpg" alt\u003d"Father in Law washing feet in the river"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aw [are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image548.jpg](http://are.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image548.jpg\)" title\u003d"Mother-in-Law going to the river"\u003e\u003cimg sr
c\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image548.thumbnail.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image548.thumbnail.jpg\)" alt\u003d"Mother-in-Law goi
ng to the river"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image 544.jpg" title\u003d"Small structure on the bank"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content
/uploads/2007/03/image544.thumbnail.jpg" alt\u003d"Small structure on the bank"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u 003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e \
u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u003e \u00 3ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \
u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/people/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/people/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003epeople\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href \u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ereligion\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d\
“[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\)” rel\u003d"tag"\u003erural India\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d" [http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://ww
[w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.
com/blog/tag/destinations/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware .com/blog/tag/experience/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/tag/general-stuff/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware .com/blog/tag/people/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003epeople\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/t
ag/religion/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ereligion\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rura l-india/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erural India\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/socie
ty/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel
u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e",“categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“destinations”,“experience”,"ge
neral stuff",“people”,“religion”,“rural India”,“society”,“travel”,“sangli”,“kule”,“narshingpur”,“a”,“state”,“transport”,
“bus”,“journey”,“journey”,“bus rickshaw”,“post”,“split”,“islampur”,“takes”,“the”,“religious”,“experience getting”,"f
ocus",“the”,“travel”,“and”,“the”,“people”,“and”,“the”,“a”,“pain”]},{“title”:“Finally, my travel account - Sangli”,“link”
:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/15/religious-travel-sangli/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Thu, 15 Ma
r 2007 04:22:42 -0700",“contentSnippet”:“We left Mumbai by train and travelled overnight to reach Sangli. Uneventful, ex cept for a hugely pregnant and very charming …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eWe left Mumbai by train and travelled overnigh
t to reach Sangli. Uneventful, except for a hugely pregnant and very charming lady and husband occupying the remaining t wo berths in our ΓÇ£roomΓÇ¥. We reached Sangli early in the morning and headed to the home of the priest in the temple w
e were visiting. We got refreshed (bath and silk clothes, etc) and went to the temple.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003 ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image523.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image523.jpg\)" title\u003d"My mother in law an
d I on the banks of the Krishna"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/im age523.thumbnail.jpg" alt\u003d"My mother in law and I on the banks of the Krishna"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u00
3e\n\u003cp\u003eThe temple is at a charming location on the banks of the river, that looks pretty nice, but smells some thing awful. The priests actually bathe in it as a part of their ritual cleansing - a thought enough to give me the jitt
ers - it is probably cleaner not to bathe. Anyway, we bathed in a bathroom, so life was good.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u00 3e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image525.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image525.jpg\)" title\u003d"The guruΓÇÖs
samadhi"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image525.thumbnail.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image525.thumbnail.jpg\)"
alt\u003d"The guruΓÇÖs samadhi"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeaving the parents with their God, Raka and I skipped off for a quick tea and food break and discovered a restaurant called Swagat (meaning ΓÇ£welcomeΓÇ¥)
which was amazing for incredibly delicious food, and the lowest bill (Rs.54/- thatΓÇÖs less than a dollar and a half) fo r two people I have ever encountered for stuffing myself till I had vadas coming out of my ears. Overall, pretty good.\u
003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image526.jpg\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/image526.jpg\)" title\u003d"Sitting in the math"\u003e\u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/i
mage526.thumbnail.jpg" alt\u003d"Sitting in the math"\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFloating alon g in the bliss of a stomach full of extremely desirable food, Raka and I returned to the temple to find that the puja wa
s already over. That is really quick and efficient for these temples. We did the obligatory bowing and donations etc and it was time for lunch! I could swear that I couldnΓÇÖt eat a bite, after what we were just returning from.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eFortunately, lunch at the pujariΓÇÖs home involved a significant delay as it was prepared. Then it was t ime to give a ΓÇ£supache vaanΓÇ¥ which is something I cannot describe. Suffice it to say that it is a collection of asso
rted items related with a femaleΓÇÖs fortune in Hinduism, that we gave to the pujariΓÇÖs wife. What I remember is a sari , comb, coconut, betel nut, betel leaves, kaja, rice, dal, jaggery, salt, some money, mirror, etc. Then it was RakaΓÇÖs
turn to give a dhoti and stuff to the pujari, and we were ΓÇ£clearΓÇ¥. Time to eat.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFood was good, except that there was a massive quantity of rice to consume with assorted dals and vegetables followed by sweet r
ice, spiced rice and finally curd and rice. IΓÇÖd had enough ric for a lifetime by the time I was done with that meal.\u 003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter this meal, the only thing possible was sleep \u003cimg src\u003d"http://www.wide-aware
.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif" alt\u003d":D"\u003e and all the four of us crashed for a nap i n unworded agreemment.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\)" rel\u003d"
tag"\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\)" rel\u003d"t ag"\u003eexperience\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"t
ag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\)" rel\u003d"tag "\u003ereligion\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u
003erural India\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etr avel\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edestinati
ons\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/experience/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eexperience \u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral st
uff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ereligion\u00 3c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erural India\u003
c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e", “categories”:[“Adventure as usual”,“destinations”,“experience”,“general stuff”,“religion”,“rural India”,“travel”,"charmi
ng",“lady”,“and”,“husband”,“occupying”,“the”,“remaining”,“reached”,“sangli”,“early”,“reach”,“sangli”,“uneventful”,"mumba
i",“train”,“and”,“travelled”,“overnight”,“a”,“hugely”,“pregnant”,“and”,“berths”,“room”,“the”,“morning”,“and”,“headed”,"t
he",“the”,“priest”]},{“title”:“Sangli, Kule Narshingpur, Kolhapur”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/05/san
gli-kule-narshingpur-kolhapur/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sun, 04 Mar 2007 22:31:59 -0800”,"contentSnippet ":"My parents in law are staunch theists. They believe in the multitude of Hindu Gods and the places they need to travel
in order …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eMy parents in law are staunch theists. They believe in the multitude of Hindu God s and the places they need to travel in order to obtain their blessings. One such location is this trip, which is actual
ly three locations. These are the family Gods of our clan. No matter where we go, these guys are supposed to have their benevolent eye on us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eApparently, my father in law had ignored the Gods for many years, as h
ad his parents, and bad times came on the family, when my husband was young. Then some astrologer told them that their f ortune will change if they go and meet their roots - the Gods who look after their clan. Full of suitable repentance, an
d reverence, they did so, and claim their luck has changed ever since. Health, happiness and money flowed.\u003c/p\u003e \n\u003cp\u003eI am skeptical. Where is this flowing health when my mother-in-law needs to take some 12 pills at one tim
e 2-3 times a day? Diabetes, blood pressure, …. Their explanation is it could be worse. It is a matter of their previo us actions that is causing them to come to these experiences now. Heh. It could be worse whether you believe in God or n
ot.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut regardless of their beliefs and ours, I really respect them for not forcing us to co nform. Except for this one thing. It is quite common in India. Newly married couples go to the temples in their villages
to pray within a year of the wedding and ideally, immediately after. In our case, this didnΓÇÖt happen. We managed to k eep avoiding this tour because we were busy or something or the other. But whoever has lived in India, with Indian paren
ts know, that once the mother decides on something, obedience is inevitable. It is simply a matter of time \u003cimg src \u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif\)" alt\u003d":D"\u003e \u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eRaka and I don’t believe this nonsense. We are both atheists. But we do love our parents, and you know how it is in India…… if your parents insist long enough, obedience is inevitable. We tried all the excuses and expl
anations we could. We didn’t believe, if God is everywhere, what is the need to go to a specific place…. and so on. Unfortunately, this has nothing to do with our debating abilities. The parents believe that it is our divine duty and it
must be done - never mind that we donΓÇÖt believe - do the actions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhatever. We like the r egion and are ok with travelling there, but so many templesΓǪ…? I guess resistance is futile \u003cimg src\u003d"http
://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_biggrin.gif\)" alt\u003d":D"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u
003eSo here we are. Leaving for Sangli tonight. By morning we will reach there. Then it will be a merry go round of temp les and offerings. We will be supposed to show our gratitude to the powers that be for giving us good lives and asking f
or good lives \u003cimg src\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_surprised.gif\)" alt\u0
03d":o"\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis promises to be very different. Stay tuned. IΓÇÖm going to be back on t he 9th and will be writing about this trip.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destin
ations/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/gener al-stuff/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/re
ligion/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003ereligion\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-ind ia/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003erural India\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)"
rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d "tag"\u003etravel\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/destinations/\)" rel\u003d"tag"
\u003edestinations\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag "\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/religion/\)" rel\u003d"tag"
\u003ereligion\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/rural-india/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u00 3erural India\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esoc
iety\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/travel/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003etravel\u003c/ a\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“destinations”,“general stuff”,“religion”,“rural India”,“society”,"travel
",“travelling”,“pleasure tonight”,“meet”,“the”,“family”,“gods”,“leaving”,“a”,“quick”,“trip”,“the”,“village”,“heh”,"d
ays",“the”,“days”]},{“title”:“Spreading awareness about the environment”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/
03/spreading-awareness-about-the-environment/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:58:44 -0800”, “contentSnippet”:"Not only can we do things to save the environment, we can spread awareness about the environment and a
wareness of the choices …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eNot only can we do things to save the environment, we can spread aw areness about the environment and awareness of the choices open to people that they can easily make to create a large co
llective impact.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCreating awareness can be done in many ways. One of the best is actions. Do it, share it, encourage it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother way is sharing information and ideas. Like IΓÇÖm doing
out here, and in my interactions with people in relevant situations.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother great way is to take an initiative. Announce a clean up drive and encourage people to join in and spread the message. Announce a tree p
lantation programme. Approach local authorities for the setting up of a rain harvesting scheme for your locality and sha re your knowledge and experience with other localities.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConfront people who litter and reque
st them to support the environment through their actions and explain why it is necessary.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCr eate motivation and interest in local schools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is so much that can be done. I do thing
s and new things occur to my mind. It is a journey of feeling for this world we live in. Will you do it? Will you travel along?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003e
DEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/default_tag_name/\)" rel\u003d"tag
“\u003eDEFAULT TAG NAME\u003c/a\u003e”,“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“DEFAULT TAG NAME”,“and”,“spread”,“the”,"me
ssage",“announce”,“a”,“tree”,“plantation”,“programme”,“approach”,“local”,“authorities”,“create”,“a”,“large”,“collective”
,“impact creating”,“awareness”,“an”,“initiative”,“announce”,“a”,“clean”,“spread”,“awareness”,“a”,“rain”,“harvesting”
,“scheme”,“drive”,“and”,“encourage”,“people”,“localities confront”,“people”,“the”,“environment”,“and”,“awareness”]},
{“title”:“Minimising pollution”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/minimising-pollution/”,“author”:"Vidyu
t Kale",“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:57:45 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:“Keep an eye on what you are driving, and mak e sure you are keeping its pollution levels law. It is required by law, but its …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eKeep an eye
on what you are driving, and make sure you are keeping its pollution levels law. It is required by law, but its surpris ing how many people donΓÇÖt really care.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvoid using vehicles for going around the corner. T
he walk will do you good.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse shared vehicles and public transport where possible. Use eco f riendly fuels.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeep an eye on what you are using. Many chemical products are harmful for the
environment. Find out the effects of chemicals you use, and explore options that help you do your thing with minimum da mage. Its probably healthier for you too.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAvoid cooking fires. Avoid campfires. Avoid all un
necessary smoke.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDonΓÇÖt sit on the horn when traffic comes to a standstill. Your horn canno t physically move cars along. If itΓÇÖs a jam, itΓÇÖs a jam. If it looks like its going to take a while, switch off your
engine, and have patience. Blaring horns only make a bad situation unbearable. Yeah call me fussy. I call it noise poll ution.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis goes for other noise pollution stuff too. Bizarre loud celebrations in the middl
e of the night, loudspeakers, etc. near hospitals is a baaaaad thing to do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://ww [w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/](http://w.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www
.[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e \u003c a href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003
d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d "[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d\
“[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)” rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u 003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e","ca
tegories":[“Experiential learning”,“environment”,“inspiration”,“self improvement journey”,“society”,“healthier”,“too avoid”,“cooking”,“fires”,“avoid”,“campfires”,“avoid”,“noise”,“pollution”,“stuff”,“too”,“bizarre”,“loud”,“celebrations”,
“fussy”,“noise”,“pollution this”,“good use”,“shared”,“vehicles”,“and”,“public”,“transport”,“keeping”,“pollution”
,“levels”,“law”,“patience”,“blaring”,“horns”,“care avoid”,“vehicles”,“unnecessary”,“smoke donΓÇÖt”,“sit”]},{"tit
le":“Conserving energy resources”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/conserving-energy-resources/”,"autho
r":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:55:56 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:“ThatΓÇÖs a big luxury and need toda y. In Mumbai, a powercut is rare, but in many other parts of India, uninterrupted electric …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003e
ThatΓÇÖs a big luxury and need today. In Mumbai, a powercut is rare, but in many other parts of India, uninterrupted ele ctric supply is rare. Again, it is a matter of using what we have wisely.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSwitch off lights,
fans, and anything that consumes electricity when not in use. Decrease your bills by exploring solar power. Switch to l ower consumption versions of appliances. Switch off all things not needed when leaving home. These measures will help ex
tend the utility of existing power resources as well as save money on electricity bills.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhe n cooking, use gas wisely. A flame that extends beyond the base of that utensil is gas going waste and only charring foo
d on the sides of the utensil. Turn it lower and save yourself some cleaning effort while youΓÇÖre at it.\u003c/p\u003e
n\u003cp\u003eKeep your ingredients ready or easily accessible while cooking, so that you donΓÇÖt cook food unnecessaril
y longer, consuming more fuel and making the food less tasty. Use pressure cookers to speed up cooking and save fuel too .\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSolar cookers are great, if you live in a place where you have sunlight, and an area where
you can place your cooker safely. Food cooks slowly, retains maximum nutrients, utensils are extremely easy to clean, a nd no bills of any sort. Sunlight is free  Solar cookers are extremely easy and inexpensive to make.\u003c/p\u003e\n\
u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u 003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e \u0
03ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u00 3ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement jo
urney\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironme nt\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiative
s\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration \u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003
eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“environment”,“initiatives”,“inspiration” ,“self improvement journey”,“speed”,“cooking”,“and”,“save”,“fuel”,“too solar”,“cookers”,“bills”,“exploring”,“solar”,
“power”,“switch”,“place”,“cooker”,“safely”,“food”,“cooks”,“slowly”,“cooking”,“donΓÇÖt”,“cook”,“food”,“unnecessarily”,"lo
nger",“bills”,“sort”,“sunlight”,“wisely switch”,“lights”,“electricity”,“bills when”,“cooking”,“consuming”,“fuel”
,“and”,“making”,“the”,“food”]},{“title”:“Save water”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/save-water/”,"aut
hor":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:54:59 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:“Hear that dripping tap? Fix it. N ow. About a fifth of the people in the world donΓÇÖt have access to drinking water. IΓÇÖm not …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u0
03eHear that dripping tap? Fix it. Now. About a fifth of the people in the world donΓÇÖt have access to drinking water. IΓÇÖm not asking you to feel guilty about them or supply them with water, simply use what you have wisely, so that it sp
reads further.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDonΓÇÖt leave taps running when washing, brushing, showering, cooking, washin g vehicles, etc. Turn it on, use it, turn it off when its time for soap. You can always turn it on for rinsing. Its not
as much hard work as it sounds, and becomes a habit.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhen you use a tap, you will notice tha t you can turn it a little, for a less powerful stream of water, and open it full, for gushing water. Most of the time,
we donΓÇÖt need that flood of water and sometimes we do. So keep the flow how you need it.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA void the fancy car showers. Your paint will thank you and serve you better, and it really doesnΓÇÖt take that much water
to get a car clean.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBegin rain water harvesting in your locality. Its amazing the amount of absolutely usable, clean water you will ΓÇ£produceΓÇ¥. ItΓÇÖs a sense of achievement that needs to be experienced to be
believed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the outdoors, donΓÇÖt pollute water resources. Cattle and wild animals use the m for drinking water. Avoid using soap in streams and pools. Draw water from the stream for washing in a separate area a
t a distance rather than the stream or pool itself. Keep toilet areas away from water sources.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u0 03eRun your washing machine on full load. Your electricity bill will be the same for both the loads, but you will save t
ime and water.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u00 3eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003
einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003e inspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d\
“tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)” rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" r
el\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" re l\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-j
ourney/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“environme nt”,“initiatives”,“inspiration”,“self improvement journey”,“donΓÇÖt”,“pollute”,“water”,“resources”,“cattle”,“and”,“wild”
,“animals”,“soap”,“streams”,“and”,“pools”,“draw”,“water”,“water”,“a”,“car”,“clean begin”,“rain”,“water”,“harvesting”,"
spreads",“further donΓÇÖt”,“leave”,“taps”,“running”,“drinking”,“water”,“avoid”,“washing”,“a”,“separate”,“area”,“soap”,
“turn”,“access”,“drinking”,“water”,“iΓÇÖm”]},{“title”:“Saving forest reserves”,“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/20
07/03/03/saving-forest-reserves/",“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:49:04 -0800”,“contentSnipp et”:"The next time you redesign your home, keep an eye out for the many very efficient and highly suitable alternatives
for wood on …“,“content”:”\u003cp\u003eThe next time you redesign your home, keep an eye out for the many very efficie nt and highly suitable alternatives for wood on the market and use them where suitable. Repair good furniture rather tha
n discard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProtest initiatives that cut forests for development unless they are a necessity. Insist that all cutting of forests also results in actions that plant trees in other areas.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003
eMinimize use of wood products where possible, and use them carefully and sparingly where not.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u0 03eAvoid campfires for fun when out in the outdoors, unless you need them for heat. The fun is in the company and what y
ou do ΓÇô not in a log of wood burning needlessly in a stiflingly hot place. Spare yourselves the smoke, spare the fores ts the hazard, and leave the dead wood for some needy villager to cook on. Never EVER cut a tree for your campfire. ItΓÇ
Ös not going to be dry enough to burn when you need it, and the tree will be dead by the time you realize that it will n ot burn. IΓÇÖm telling you right now. DonΓÇÖt do it. It will help neither the poor tree, nor your campfire.\u003c/p\u003
e\n\u003cp\u003eIts kind of a part of the forests, but the separate mention is because trees are also in cities, village s, everywhere. Avoid cutting a tree if you can. If you know of a tree being cut needlessly, take action. Plant trees in
open areas where you can.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnjoy the trees and the pleasures they bring, rather than thinking of them as lost real estate. That well-invested real estate is helping you breathe.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"
[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"h ttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"ht
tp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"htt p://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e
\u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e,
u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e, \u
003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e, \u0 03ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement j
ourney\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[“Experiential learning”,“environment”,“initiatives”,“inspiration”,“self improvement journey”,“villages”,“everywhere”,“avoid”,“cutting”,“a”,“tree”,“wood”,“burning”,“needlessly”,“spare”,“the”,“forests”,"the
",“hazard”,“areas minimize”,“wood”,“products”,“well invested”,“real”,“estate”,“cutting”,“forests”,“the”,“efficient”,
“and”,“highly”,“suitable”,“alternatives”,“realize”,“burn”,“iΓÇÖm”,“telling”]},{“title”:“Using paper efficiently”,“link”:
“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/using-paper-efficiently/”,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:"Sat, 03 Mar
2007 08:48:06 -0800",“contentSnippet”:“Using the paper you have, before buying excessive quantities. Old printouts, and other unwanted paper can be stapled together …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u003eUsing the paper you have, before buying exces
sive quantities. Old printouts, and other unwanted paper can be stapled together for a quick notepad to scribble notes o n, rather than use good paper sheets.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePassing schoolbooks to other needy students helps supp
ort their educational expenses as well as decreases the number of new books brought into use. Old notebooks at the end o f the year can be stripped of unused pages to be bound together to make cheap notebooks for rough work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\
u003cp\u003eUse electronic media for mailing purposes, e-greetings, and storing information. ItΓÇÖs faster, more efficie nt and cheaper too. Unsubscribe from all publications you receive, but donΓÇÖt bother to read. Try to subscribe to elect
ronic versions where suitable for the ones you do read. Promote your email address more than your mailing address for co ntact.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eColoured newspaper makes for very interesting looking gift wrapping and some very int
eresting effects can be achieved through selecting the right page to use. A friend of mine marks news items and codes le tters in the newsprint for special secret messages on the gift. Any old water colour works well for colouring the paper.
\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrintouts can be taken on both sides of a paper. This shrinks the size of the paper stack w hen stored or taken along, saves on ink costs, and uses the paper with maximum efficiency.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eW
ashing hands keeps them cleaner than using tissue paper. Old fashioned reusable cloth diapers are far more light and com fortable for babies for use at home in warm climates. Plus they are cheaper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUse recycled pa
per. It looks great for special purposes and creates a responsible image for you.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRemember, we are losing trees because of our very real need for paper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/tag/environment/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com /blog/tag/initiatives/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/tag/inspiration/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/b log/tag/self-improvement-journey/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http
://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http: //[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http:/
/[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http:// [www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e","c
ategories":[“Experiential learning”,“environment”,“initiatives”,“inspiration”,“self improvement journey”,“great”,“specia l”,“purposes”,“and”,“creates”,“a”,“responsible”,“image”,“good”,“paper”,“sheets passing”,“schoolbooks”,“marks”,“news”
,“items”,“and”,“codes”,“letters”,“colouring”,“the”,“paper printouts”,“maximum”,“efficiency washing”,“hands”,"fas
hioned",“reusable”,“cloth”,“diapers”,“cheaper use”,“recycled”,“paper”,“cleaner”,“tissue”,“paper”]},{“title”:"Minimiz
ing plastic in the environment",“link”:"http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/minimizing-plastic-in-the-environment/
“,“author”:“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:46:36 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:“Ouch. ThatΓÇÖs a tough firs t one. Plastic is very useful to us and very harmful to the environment. What can be done to find a …”,“content”:”\u00
3cp\u003eOuch. ThatΓÇÖs a tough first one. Plastic is very useful to us and very harmful to the environment. What can be done to find a compromise my comfort and conscience can live with? Keep the necessity, use thoroughly, discard carefull
y and avoid as far as possible.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWeΓÇÖll need to keep the plastic bags for packing stuff on t reks and monsoon hikes, but use them carefully and reuse them as much as possible, rather than using fresh ones each tim
e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing a biggish purse/whatever bags men use, avoiding accepting the minor carry bags is n o issue. Adding a small cloth bag for emergencies would avoid asking for a fresh one while shopping. We can make sure to
carry a shopping bag when going out for shopping for sure.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLoads of plastic can be recycled . Rather than throw it into the dustbin, we can sell it to the recycle shops ΓÇô kabadiwallahs, bhangarwallas, raddiwall
ahs, etc. That money can be put to good use, or simply into a box to donate to organizations that work for the environme nt.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSpending some time a day at the end of picnics, hikes or on treks to make the places we
visit cleaner. A quick 15 minutes effort by a group can make quick work of the plastic lying around in a natural environ ment and inspire the people watching them into similar acts.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnual get-togethers for outdoo
r groups can be held in places that need efforts like this and a huge gang of members can make their love for the outdoo rs far more concrete through a spectacular and quick clean up of the place.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRemember, the pl
astic that gets through human efforts will lie around defacing the place for over 500 years!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href \u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\
u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca hr ef\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca hre
f\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u 003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u0
03d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href \u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\
u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:[
“Experiential learning”,“environment”,“general stuff”,“initiatives”,“inspiration”,“avoiding”,“accepting”,“the”,“minor”," carry",“bags”,“shopping”,“carry”,“a”,“shopping”,“bag”,“fresh”,“time using”,“a”,“biggish”,“purse whatever”,“bags”,"me
n",“discard”,“carefully”,“and”,“avoid”,“visit”,“cleaner”,“a”,“quick”,“15”,“minutes”,“effort”,“possible weΓÇÖll”,"the
",“plastic”,“bags”,“concrete”,“a”,“spectacular”,“and”,“quick”,“clean”,“sell”,“the”,“recycle”,“shops”,“ΓÇô”,"kabadiwallah
s"]},{“title”:“Saving the environment”,“link”:“http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/saving-the-environment/”,"autho
r":“Vidyut Kale”,“publishedDate”:“Sat, 03 Mar 2007 08:45:29 -0800”,“contentSnippet”:“Saving the environment seems such a mommoth task. It simply leaves people immobile. Where does one begin?\nSome things are easy. …”,“content”:"\u003cp\u0
03eSaving the environment seems such a mommoth task. It simply leaves people immobile. Where does one begin?\u003c/p\u00 3e\n\u003cp\u003eSome things are easy. DonΓÇÖt litter. DonΓÇÖt damage. DonΓÇÖt waste resources. But what exactly does th
is involve? What does the common person do to be saving the environment? Not everyone can research. Not everyone can mak e it the calling of their lives. Not everyone even knows what to do.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYet, we have a huge num
ber of people available, who would, if pointed out, definitely be happy to make small adjustments that together can resu lt in massive change. The key is in identifying exact things, that are quick to do and watch out for, once people know.\
u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf it doesnΓÇÖt take too much time, doesnΓÇÖt involve a great deal of effort, a large number of people will happily walk the path to feel a little more secure about the state of the world tomorrow.\u003c/p\u003e\
n\u003cp\u003eI find that like any other dauntingly huge task, this one seems much more doable when we break it up into bits.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst, make a not of the words/issues that occur on the subject of saving the environm
ent: \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/minimizing-plastic-in-the-environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/minimizing-plastic-in-the-environment/\)"\u003eplastic
\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/using-paper-efficiently/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/using-paper-efficiently/\)“\u003epaper\u003 c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/saving-forest-reserves/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/saving-forest-reserves/\)”\u003eforest reserves
and trees\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/save-water/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/save-water/\)“\u003ewater\u003c/a
u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/conserving-energy-resources/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/conserving-energy-resources/\)”\u003eenergy\u003c/a\
u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/minimising-pollution/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/minimising-pollution/\)“\u003epollution\u003c/a\u003 e, fuel, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/spreading-awareness-about-the-environment/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/2007/03/03/spreading-awareness-about-the-environment/\)”\u003
espreading awareness\u003c/a\u003e……… We can keep adding to these as and when new words occur.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u00 3cp\u003eLet’s take each aspect and brainstorm on it (follow links, or subsequent articles). If you have ideas, please
let me know, and IΓÇÖll add them in, so that we have a ready resource of stuff that is really easy to incorporate into our lives and has the potential to make a huge difference.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/tag/environment/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/b log/tag/general-stuff/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.co
m/blog/tag/initiatives/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com /blog/tag/inspiration/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wide-aware.com/
blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e \u003ca href\u003d"h ttp://[www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e\u003ca href\u003d"http://www.w
[ide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/](http://ide-aware.com/blog/tag/environment/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eenvironment\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.wi
[de-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/](http://de-aware.com/blog/tag/general-stuff/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003egeneral stuff\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www
.[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/initiatives/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einitiatives\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.
[wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/](http://wide-aware.com/blog/tag/inspiration/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003einspiration\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"http://www.w
[ide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/](http://ide-aware.com/blog/tag/self-improvement-journey/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003eself improvement journey\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href\u003d"[http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\](http://www.wide-aware.com/blog/tag/society/\)" rel\u003d"tag"\u003esociety\u003c/a\u003e",“categories”:["E
xperiential learning",“environment”,“general stuff”,“initiatives”,“inspiration”,“self improvement journey”,“society”,“ea sy”,“donΓÇÖt”,“litter”,“donΓÇÖt”,“damage”,“donΓÇÖt”,“waste”,“resources”,“doesnΓÇÖt”,“involve”,“a”,“great”,“deal”,"daunti
ngly",“huge”,“task”,“words”,“occur letΓÇÖs”,“saving”,“the”,“environment”,“saving”,“the”,“environment”,“people”,"happ
ily",“walk”,“the”,“path”,“simply”,“leaves”,“people”,“immobile”]}]}}, “responseDetails”: null, “responseStatus”: 200}