Dinshaw Avari- Trying my Hand at Blogging!

July 23, 2019 This Instagram post from @house.of.leaders got me thinking... There is a growing disparity I see in our daily lives between the those of us who “have” and the rest of our society.  There is a gulf which grows as the years progress. Information technology, medical technology, smart phones, mortality rates and so much more are, without doubt, getting better – yet I believe the standards of life, in general, are getting worse for the vast majority of the world!  As I type this on my laptop in the comfort of my chilled room, @house.of.leaders’ quote glares at me in my face, as I realize 70% of the rest of our Country is withering away in the heat, families trying to get their children a minimal education, so that they can at least read & write, let alone own or use a laptop. We have a roof over our heads; we wear clean clothes and shoes; have access to daily food, electricity, water, education, transport, medicines, justice … all of which we...

July 17, 2019 Can we be both to our children? There are so many people who believe so! As a parent, you should be your child’s friend; but, can you be their “ BEST ” friend?   Should you be? At the very heart of this question is the quote mentioned above- and in my opinion to raise your children well you cannot be their BEST FRIEND .   You can be close friends.   To be a good kid entails us, as parents, TO BE PARENTS .   How can we correct our child if we are their best friend?   How can we teach, encourage, feed, advice, “tell”, scold or do so many other things which, as a parent, you can do but as a best friend you cannot or may not be able to? Practically speaking, even between friends it's difficult (though not impossible), to correct your best friend– however, as a parent you don’t have that worry. However, if you are your child’s best friend & vice-versa, won’t you spoil them to maintain that friendship level?   Would ...

July 12, 2019 We are an inquisitive nation and by extension an inquisitive people 😊 ! Politically, we just cannot stop poking our [long] noses into others’ affairs … and more than that, commenting on the same.   We are ‘holier than thou’! Locally, we must be part of the crowd – we just cannot mind our own business. Socially, not only must we ‘k eep up with the Joneses ’ but we must comment on “them”, their life, clothes, dogs, cats and anything else we are inquisitive enough to bitch about. We’ll stop to see an accident; we’ll mill around the affected; we’ll give our comments on who was right or wrong without even knowing anything about the incident; we’ll even pronounce judgement – all along with no relationship to affected parties concerned.   All because our voice must be heard above the din of another 50 onlookers with exactly the same purpose in mind 😊 ! Oi people!!! ... Get a life!   There’s more to life than inquiring into our neigh...

(Photo Credit- https://wallhere.com/vi/wallpaper/647548 ) July 3, 2019     Of course we … cannot ! Like any other vehicle, if driven responsibly and safely, motorcycles are lots of fun and easier to get around a big city than a car.   Majority of the World’s developing nations rely on this transport. Continuing with my earlier thoughts on this - https://dinshawavari.wordpress.com/2019/02/25/for-the-love-of-motorcycles/ - they are [one of] the bane of my existence! Motorcyclists in Karachi are the most reckless drivers, followed closely by truckers & buses; they don’t follow the rules or the law; they don’t believe in personal safety, let alone another commuter’s safety; and they believe they are the kings of the roads!   Road tests to get them to drive in a specified lane could not even be implemented successfully. Karachi does not have any other reasonable alternative or adequate means of commute – our “metro” is non existent and th...

(photo credit- https://grabcad.com/library/golden-spoon?locale=es ) June 24, 2019 About 50 people have over 26 years of service with our family just at Beach Luxury Hotel (not counting our other hotels) – NINE of whom have been with us for over 40 years! Why would someone choose to work for 50% of his or her LIFE with one family !? Our family’s CORE philosophy stems from my grandfather’s, late Dinshaw B Avari, life & upbringing.   Born in 1902, studied in the Petit Orphanage in Bombay, gave tuitions to support his & his siblings educations, my grandfather was truly a self-made man. He always taught my parents & us – “ Your father was born with a Silver spoon in his mouth; and you’ll are born with a ‘golden’ spoon!   Never forget your roots – never forget what it took to give you your current lifestyle & education ”.   That has always been front & center of our upbringing and in our childr...

(Photo credit- https://www.redbubble.com/people/galaxysalvo/works/16066035-big-brother-is-watching-you?p=poster ) June 17, 2019 In a recent set of Tweets ( https://twitter.com/aamirkazi60/status/1139408694653800448 ), our GM Aamir Kazi, @aamirkazi60, raises some very interesting & pertinent questions on the use of Social Media by employees of companies (for brevity I am only reproducing an extract of some of the questions he poses) - Quote In a recent row of […] the question is- does any organization has the right to spy on any employee’s private life? •Check on our thinking? •Do their employees represent organisations on their social media? What should be the criteria or standard operating procedure while on job? •Does any organisation has any contract letter saying “your social media accounts & personal emails will be checked for foul language and inappropriate content and if found guilty, disciplinary action will be taken against you”- you may lose ...

(Photo credit- “ https://www.anovos.com/products/star-trek-starfleet-insignia-patch ”) June 14, 2019 According to “ https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-government-definition-role-functions.html#transcriptHeader ”, “ Government , …, is the authority that sets rules for a society, helps its members relate to one another and to others, and keeps it running smoothly, securely, and peacefully ”. I, alongwith 6 billion others, will have 6 billion & 1 reasons on what a government’s role is in society. … But, why do we exist?   Why are we living?   Why did “societies” and “cultures” crop up? It is for the promotion of general welfare of those societies & cultures.   That’s what should be the purpose of any government and NOT a 20, 30, 40-page manifesto of the “ideal” society!!!   How much of these manifestos actually materialize in your country? There is NO perfect society or government by a long shot.   H...