Now publishing from Flock

Finally got my own laptop. It's not the tablet that I've been looking at for a while, but Dad had one that I could use. $900 that could be better spent on so much more, especially with the much increased price of food items in America over the last two years. The cool thing about getting my own laptop is now I can finally play around with the things I've wanted to for a while. Like the flock browser, which I'm using to blog from right now!

As I move on to the next chapter of my life, I'm also considering moving on from this blog. One that reflects the thoughts and action of the coming two years as an MBA student.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Organic Farm in Gujarat

Pics from our trip to the organic farm near Ahmedabad. We went there at the end of July as part of our closing workshop at Indicorps. The lady who runs this place - Purvi - has a pretty inspirational story herself.

Time to say goodbye

To India, to a changed Ashish, to Bagar, to GDL, to friends, family,
colleagues, community

i leave with a promise to come back, and that i'll do things that
justify the faith you have put in me, and what you have helped me
learn about myself

adieu

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

For exciting opportunities to really make a change at the grassroots
level, join GDL (www.gdl.org.in). Current posts are:
(1) GDL Director
(2) Program Manager - Entrepreneurship Development
(3) Program Manager - Community Leadership

Has anybody used this to learn English?

http://www.lingq.com/

Is it worth delving into? What exactly IS the linguist method? How much is this feature TRULY worth paying for?

mjunctionedge plans to release regional language content

Close on the heels of the announcement of mjunction in Hindi, mjunctionedge, the content & conference division of mjunction is going to offer regional language content (including Hindi). Read the article on Business Standard here.

"We have about 1100 subscribers right now for the English version. With our regional language foray, we expect to reach 5,000 subscriptions by the end of this year. Our consumers are mainly corporates and traders," Oberoi added.

Two reasons why that's interesting - it proves that there is a HUGE market for regional language content. And it AGAIN proves that you have to have a very good reason for people to come to your site. In this case (and the same for any technology project), the laser focus and a value-add application is what makes it successful. It's the same for the farmers who use e-Choupal to a) find prices for their goods and b)transact with ITC to sell their stuff. Or for the fishermen of Tamil Nadu who use it to check the weather forecast and determine the likely place for a good catch & if/when it's safe to be out there.

Again, it proves the old adage that I have learned over and over again as a technologist in the real world: A computer is simply a calculator. If you have nothing to add up, you don't need it :-)
 

Learn a new language

www.livemocha.com

It's an interesting concept - free lessons, but you have to 'earn' points - by logging in frequently, and referring people. What intrigues me is the social networking part - find other people who are learning the same language, and use them as language partners.

I'll see if we can try it here with the students to encourage them to learn English. For sure a lot of to-be volunteers will use it for Hindi. A really good friend of mine is using it to learn Russian. I might use it learn Spanish (again).

But do share your observations/lessons with us, to see if it is worth trying out on a big scale.

Of Homecoming

This article features a good friend of mine, Shubham Rai. We grew up together as kids in a little housing society in suburban Mumbai :-)

 

http://boloji.com/analysis2/0347.htm

 

While the writing may be a little 'buoyant' (just like the article's view on the Indian Economy), the central theme of the confidence of Indian youth is SO true. I remember when Shubham told me the first time about starting this company called rentimental. No joke, I think it was 3 or 4 years ago. I remember being really really intrigued by the sheer positivity and confidence - he was the face of the new emerging economy. In many sense that conversation was a turning point for me: I clearly remember thinking, man, this is another India. My parents would NEVER have thought about quitting their jobs to 'try out' anything.

 

After making that plunge into coming to rural India, that assessment hasn't changed. India, and Indians, are still quite buoyant about the future. In any case, it is refreshing to see Indians move beyond their fatalism and take destiny in their own hands.