Prakash Kumar

The power of silence and solitude is not easily felt. For roughly one decade, I have been trying to experience this elusive state. I explored several manners of techniques and tools, yet it continues to elude me. I spent considerable time in the Himalayas, embarked on several long solo journeys both within country and abroad, read countless books and articles, and practiced meditation and yoga. Throughout this journey, I try to develop a non-reactive mindset while continuing to work. What amazes me in this process is that the murmuring self never allows you to rest in silence, even in the deep mountains where you are completely alone. What I come to understand is that the inner self is the primary obstacle to meaningful silence and solitude. I try to work on this realization, observing all sorts of communication with my inner self while trying not to be reactive or repetitive. It remains a work in progress, but the initial results are bit positive. In this process, I learned to mai...

For quite some time, I was thinking about writing on suffering to understand it better. The urge was persistent, living in my mind like an unfinished conversation. But whenever I sat down to write, the words wouldn't come. The picture wasn't clear enough, and I abandoned the attempt, leaving my thoughts scattered and unexpressed. I had a firm belief that suffering culminates in many other forms. When one cannot contain it, it transforms into anger—a volatile energy that hurts both the person venting and the person receiving it. Often, we remain clueless about its origin, watching as pain morphs into rage without understanding the journey between the two. What I came to understand is that most suffering which culminates in anger stems from our unmet desires in all their forms—emotional, physical, and material. The wound deepens when we suffer silently, refusing to reach out for help or support. False or inflated ego plays a larger role here, suppressing our desires until they ...

On Monday January 22, 2024, history was indelibly marked in the hearts of Lord Rama worshippers worldwide as the Ramlala idol found its permanent abode in Ayodhya. This momentous day will resonate through generations, fueled by the unwavering devotion of Lord Rama's followers. The nation witnessed a collective jubilation akin to a grand festival, with major offices closed to honor this significant occasion. Millions of temples in the country in its own way celebrating the Lord Rama  Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya. Today is the day for Indians to become Rammay. Lord Rama transcends being merely a religious figure; he embodies the spirit, devotion, and way of life in India. He is the soul of India. His cultural significance transcends religious boundaries, with Hindus taking immense pride in venerating Maryada Purushottam Ram, whose ideals continue to inspire every Indian. Notably, many Muslims also hold reverence for Lord Ram. The great Urdu poet, Iqbal described Lord Rama as “Ima...

Excerpts from the Diary: November 13, 2014, 6 PM Contemplating the Art of Balancing Desires Struggling with the tumultuous waves of unwanted lust and desire, I find myself at a crossroads where these impulses significantly impact both my professional and personal realms. Despite considerable knowledge and practicing self-control, I am perplexed as to why mastering this aspect remains elusive. I suspect that my tendency towards extremes might be the root cause. It's either complete immersion or total abandonment, with no middle ground. I lack the skill to navigate responsible, manageable desires—a critical aspect of a balanced life. The challenge intensifies when, after abandoning something entirely, I return to it for some reason. The resurgence of lust and desire at such times is overpowering, surpassing previous levels. This cycle of departure and return exacerbates my struggles. The key, it seems, lies in mastering the delicate art of balance. But how does one achieve this equil...

Reflections on the journey through 2023 have been a profound learning into the complexities of life, akin to navigating through a maze of professional, personal, emotional, sentimental and familial challenges. As I sit here in the final week of the year, the external facade of control belied the internal maelstrom that persisted, known only to the depths of my own being. At times I enjoyed this inner struggle to come out of the situation. Throughout this tumultuous but remarkable year, I endeavored to employ every learned life skill and experience to weather the storms, yet often found myself in the throes of inner turmoil, occasionally erupting into harsh external manifestations. While there were moments of brilliance, quietness, and remarkable events, the overarching narrative was one of enduring internal strife, conflict, and confusion.The solitude which I was used to was no where. In the midst of this chaos, I grappled with the struggle to exist in the present moment, wrestling wi...

Throughout my life, I have found myself intrigued by some of the pivotal choices I have made almost on a whim, leaving them to fate and chance. This tendency is not limited to me but it is a common thread among those close to me and in general in the society at large—friends and family alike. We often plunge into decisions without much thought, especially the big ones like education or marriage or career which has far reaching consequences in one's own life, family and society. Recently, I have noticed this pattern among those I know quite well, and the swift outcomes surprised me. It led me to ponder life's unpredictable twists and turns. Yet, despite introspection, I haven't quite found clarity. The debate about fate versus our own thoughtful action in crucial moments lingers. Some advocate for relying on education and intellect,for clear thinking, taking opportunities, and having a definitive life vision.This viewpoint dismisses leaving things to chance or tradition, urg...

Change Management for Hospital Information Management System (HIMS) The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. Charles Kettering Health transformation through digital means is not about technology but about people, changing the mindset and embracing the change. In this context it is most important for any digitally enabled health transformation project to ensure that the change through HIMS implementation is sustainable across all user groups. Core users, such as doctors and nurses, need to understand why the change is happening, how it can benefit them individually, and how it will impact their day-to-day activities. Additionally, it is important to communicate how integrated HIMS will make their work easier. Clear communication and training can help ensure a successful implementation and adoption of the new system. The ADKAR model for change management is a widely used framework for managing change and can be effective in digital transform...

  Digitally enabled health care is a win-win situation for everyone Patients: Registration, appointment, availability of services on a finger click Diagnosis, laboratory, radiology report/data and its tracking, monitoring, storage, use and sharing SMS/Email alerts, reminders on status, information, and related activity. Online payment, expenditure tracking and payment of incentives /subsidies Specific disease related communication /information and follow up. Support group (patients to patients) Service feedback by patients/public Information sharing and seeking specific information Time saving   Healthcare givers: Easy identification/registration of patients through ABHA No. Availability of patient’s health records Easy management of prescription Laboratory and radiology information management and sharing of results Telemedicine diagnosis, monitoring Referral management Assisted diagnosis support system, treatment protocols, case studies etc. Better communication on roster, ro...

Some time back I read an article on improving productivity and came across a fine definition of personal thinking  which all leads to the loss of productivity and slowly affects other sphere of life. To improve productivity we need to understand  and stop these unwanted mind games and idle thought making.  1. Procrastination " I will do it later." 2. Low Confidence " Will I actually succeed." 3. Perfectionism "It is just not good enough." 4. Judgement "What will my network think of me." 5. Competing commitments "If I do this ,will it get in the way of my other Goal."

     Farmers are sitting on protest at Delhi border against the newly enacted farm bills which promises to open up the transaction of primary farm produce with anybody, anywhere and anytime. In short a forward looking reform but without any mechanism to empower farming community to prepare themselves to this level leaving behind the Mandi system and MSP route. I don't understand what was the hurry, first it was promulgated through ordinance and then in a much hurried way passed in parliament. This makes the whole process looks suspicious from the beginning and put this forward looking reform in a mess of controversy. Agriculture is a state subject and having these acts without consulting states  makes the good intention to bad one.  Secondly farmers organizations were also not consulted . In sum total there was no pre-legislative exercise to bring these laws. All major stakeholders were left out of any consultative process before bringing such an important legis...

            Year 2020 is a silver jubilee year for mobile phones in India. It was started in 1995 by a call between Sri Jyoti Basu, CM, WB with telecom minister Sri Sukhram. Since then this sector has not looked back and immensely contributed for the transformation of India in several sectors after 1991 liberalization. It is growing leaps and bounds and currently having more than billion users. But the last 25 years was full of a coaster ride in mobile telephony in India.  Large numbers of companies were involved in providing mobile telecom services because the sector presents a new opportunity but haphazard planning and monitoring, too many players, small and big alike, spectrum allotment and absence of clear enforceable guidelines and lack of capacity of DOT and TRAI in managing the growth has fare share of controversy as well. The sector was marred by lot of controversy and the most notable one was 2G scam and which become one of the reason...