Mr. Ramanathan MSS

            The superstar of themed restaurants

Law of attraction, the magnetism of passion, the power of destiny - do you believe in any of these?

 I surely do… 

A few days ago, I walked into Superstar pizza in Saibaba colony to interview an author for my blog series on heroes who’ve taken the leap of faith on the pursuit of happiness… Everything about the place is special; it is a restaurant themed around Superstar Rajinikanth, and … It is so full of superstar!!! 

The walls adorn plates spelling out the names and year of release of Thalaivar’s movies, the pizzas are named after Thalaivar’s movies, the speakers blare Superstar hits and there’s even a Basha auto parked inside the restaurant which houses the cutlery!!!

Fascinated by the uniqueness, the taste and the quality of service, I asked the waiter hesitantly “Can I have the franchisee’s contact details? I want to write a blog” “Sir, the owner of the franchise has come down from Chennai, do you want to meet him too?”, asked the waiter with a smile! “Mannn, law of attraction works!” I tell myself and befriend Mr. Ramanathan, a soft-spoken, candid and down to earth youngster.

The interview:

“So Mr. Ramanathan, tell me about the path you've traversed?”

 “I worked as an IT consultant for 6 years. I’ve always wanted to be an entrepreneur; so one fine day I took the plunge” he said with a smile!

Entrepreneurs have a knack of making complex things sound so simple I wonder…

“Why pizza?” I ask…

“Food was always a passion, hence the industry… A pizza place is easy to set up and manage” 

The smile never fades!

“Why Superstar?” I asked sheepishly assuming it to be an absurd question!

There were very few themed restaurants in Chennai and hence I decided to set up one! 

I’m a die hard fan of Superstar ever since I watched the blockbuster ‘Thalapathi’ when in Kindergarten! Pizza is an international cuisine and Thalaivar is an International celebrity; so I wanted to associate Pizzas with Thalaivar; hence this was an obvious choice! The child in him comes alive with full vigour!

“Could you talk about the journey so far?” 

A few moments of silence… “Maybe he's going down the memory lane” my mind says… 

‘Don’t leave me and go!’, my heart cries…

Thankfully he returned in a few moments and took me along…

“It wasn't easy! The 1st 3 years demanded back-breaking efforts and lot of sacrifices… I made a lot of mistakes, burnt my fingers, but I learnt from my mistakes! 

“Any regrets” I interjected and then wondered if I had cut him off the Arnab Goswami way!

Mr. Ramanathan is a satisfied man… He is proud of the fact that he has generated job opportunities for 45 people! His employees are happy, treated with respect and paid well… Satisfaction and contentment are two very different things! He’s satisfied, but not contented!! He wants to impact more lives by generating more employment opportunities!!!

(A person who has found his HIGHER PURPOSE will indeed be satisfied!)

The dreamer in me prods me to ask “Where will you be 10 years from now?”

“We have a few outlets now, we're growing fast... We’ll be the market leader in the themed restaurant segment” was the confident reply. 

“I also want to take our franchise abroad” he added

(once again, satisfaction & contentment are 2 very different things!)

“How do you ensure quality” 

“Did you get a feedback card along with your bill?”

“Yes, I did”

“Well, we take that very seriously!”

(Feedback is the pizza of champions - I remind myself)

“Let’s talk about Superstar… Have you met Thalaivar? Does he know about your venture?” I fire a dual missile…

“I heard he knows about our venture” he beams…

“I haven't met him yet. I’ll meet him only after making him proud!”

There’s so much clarity & conviction in his voice - That’s the DNA of an entrepreneur, ain’t it?

“What are the qualities you imbibed from Thalaivar?”

1. Humility
2. Hard work
3. Social responsibility 

“Social responsibility! Interesting!! So what do you do towards social responsibility?”

“We donate a lot on his birthday”

(How many lives Superstar has impacted, I wonder)

“Your advice to youngsters…”

“The 1st step is the toughest! Take the leap of faith!! If you have the determination to succeed, you surely will!”

(This gentleman is wise beyond his years…)

After clicking a few pics, expressing my gratitude and wishes, I began walking towards the door with so many emotions swirling within… 

    From L to R: Me, Mr. Muthukumar (Franchisee of the Coimbatore outlet) & Mr. Ramanathan 

I look back, wanting to see this magical man one more time..

“Would you like some takeaways Sir?” asked the bloke who served us…

“No thanks, I’m taking away lots already” I patted on his shoulder and left the beautiful place…

Friends, If Mr. Ramanathan can, so can we!

Identify your passion, take the leap of faith, work extremely hard and you too will rise and shine as a star… Nah, superstarrrrr!!!

DIWALI

- KRISHNA, NARAGASURA & MARTIN SELIGMAN...

“Man is a social animal. He who lives without society is either a beast or God” wrote Aristotle! Festivals have been greasing the wheels of togetherness for many centuries…

LET THE FIREWORKS BEGIN:

Diwali is an Indian festival of lights celebrated by some (predominantly the north Indians) to honour Lord Rama’s return after an exile of 14 long years; while to the people of the south Diwali commemorates Krishna’s victory over the despot king Naragasura!

To most folks today, Diwali is simply a beautiful bundle of joy - new clothes, fireworks, get-togethers, loads of sweets (oh yeah, the gym can always wait) and above all - a day off from the boredom of routine! 

There is a child within each one of us and fireworks are indeed an interesting way to keep the inner child alive and kicking!

WHERE ARE YOU OH NARAGASURA?:

In many villages, people celebrate Diwali by burning effigies of Naragasura! In some parts, the rituals are elaborate where they enact a long battle between Lord Krishna and Naragasura, at the end of which the huge effigy of Naragasura is set to fire and people rejoice as the effigy slowly reduces to a pile of ash…

There is indeed a deeper meaning to these rituals! There is both - a Krishna and a Naragasura within each one of us… Love, compassion, empathy and all such virtues spring forth from the Krishna in us! Envy, hatred, anger and all such vices ooze out from the Naragasura in us!

I can hear some of you musing “alright, I understand all of this; But who on earth is Martin Seligman? Was he Rama’s best buddy? Or was he to Krishna what Kattappa was to Bahubali? What does he have to do with Diwali?”

Read on friends…

MARTIN SELIGMAN:

Prof Martin Seligman was one of the vanguards of positive psychology. He expounded a formula for happiness:

Happiness = pleasure + Engagement + Meaning.

pleasure is the ephemeral sense pleasures like movies, good food etc:

Engagement is our profession or vocation that makes keeps us engaged in meaningful pursuits.

Meaning is the higher purpose we define for our lives!

Martin Seligman says that while pleasures make life interesting and are hence essential, the happiness we derive from pleasures is very short lived! The happiness we derive from engagement lasts longer! The secret to eternal happiness is to define a higher purpose for our lives and to live that higher purpose!

In the context of Diwali: the fireworks, sweets, new clothes, the fun and frolic are the pleasure components. Though they add colours to our life (or at least to the sky), the happiness is fleeting!

To make this joy last forever, we need to define a higher purpose to our life! And this is where Diwali attains true significance!!!

Diwali is a reminder to all of us, of the Naragasura deeply rooted within the dark corners of our hearts; a reminder of the arduous battle that awaits us! Diwali is also a reassurance that if we dedicate ourselves to the battle with utmost sincerity, the good in us will eventually win!!!

Friends, let the quest of nurturing all that is good in us and destroying all that is evil in us be the higher purpose of our life!

Ladies and gentlemen, let the fireworks begin!!! 

Wish you all a very happy diwali and an amazing year ahead!!!

SEVEN DAYS IN HEAVEN

“Travel and tell no one, live a true love story and tell no one, live happily and tell no one; people ruin beautiful things” penned Khalil Gibran. 

On the contrary, “The world is sustained by people who would share rather than hoard for themselves - even elixir that bestows immortality” proclaimed Tamil Saint Thiruvalluvar!

Invoking the blessings of Valluvar and with all due apologies to Gibran, here is our Ladakh travel diary… 

THE PARADISE CALLED LADAKH:

Majestic mountains crowned by snow, beautiful lakes & streams that make you wonder “If the creation itself is so beautiful, how beautiful would the creator be!” and mesmerising Buddhist monasteries emanating a strong spiritual vibe - that’s Ladakh for you! 

Ladakh is one of the 3 main regions of Jammu & Kashmir and is guarded zealously by the Indian army since it is neighboured both by Pakistan and China! Majority of the population are buddhists and the languages spoken are Ladakhi, Hindi and Tibetan.

Majority of the people you come across in Ladakh are people who come there for work during the season which spans from March to October. The lakes freeze and the temperature becomes unbearably severe during the remaining months and hence these people retreat to their natives - be it Srinagar or Delhi. But rain or shine, storm or snow - our army works 24*7 in guarding our country!

THE PILGRIMAGE:

DAY 1 - 13.09.17:

Our journey began on the wee hours of 13th morning when the sun was still hitting the snooze button! 

With lots of excitement and childlike curiosity, we boarded our Jet airways flight to Delhi scheduled at 3:05 a.m. 

We ran around the Delhi airport with our baggages thanks to the confusion about the terminal from which we had to board our 1.5 hour flight to Leh! 

I learnt 2 lessons from the chaos:

1. With expansion/ growth comes complexity! (Coimbatore airport is uncomplicated you see!)

2. Even chaos becomes fun when you are surrounded by lovely people!

Leh is one of the districts in Ladakh and that's where Ladakh would welcome you if you are travelling by flight! Make sure to fasten your seatbelt and brace yourself when you hear the announcement for landing;  else you'll be blown away by the beauty of Leh! Make sure you grab a window seat; the aerial view of Leh is something you would regret missing!

 On reaching Leh we checked into our hotel "The Silk Route"; a nice and cozy place! The staff were friendly, the food was delicious and the owner who resides there went all out to make our holiday a comfortable one! 

We were advised to rest and acclimatise ourselves to the altitude. Leh is 11480 feet above sea level and hence acclimatisation is vital! So our day 1 ended with a short visit to the local market - though small in size, bustling with life!

DAY 2 - 14.09.17:

6 people, 3 royal enfields; destination: Alchi monastery! 

Royal Enfield is the most preferred mode of commuting in Leh if you want to venture out on your own; the rental would hover around 1600/- per day excluding fuel.. 

The 60 km drive to Alchi monastery on the Srinagar highway was an enchanting experience! Alchi Gompa (Gompa is the Tibetan word for monastery or a place of meditation) is the oldest monastery in Ladakh and is so full of spiritual magnetism! 

Thanks to the roadwork in progress, 2 of us lost our way, ventured into the woods on foot, crossed thorny bushes and streams and finally made it to the monastery!

All our frustration vanished as we dug our spoons into the steaming bowl of Thukpa - a must taste delicacy in Ladakh!

Thukpa is a Tibetan noodle soup which is now an integral part of the Ladakhi cuisine.

The next destination was magnetic hill - a spot that is believed to defy gravity! More of a legend than a fact, though you sense an iota of magnetic pull there! Or maybe we didn't enjoy it much as we were busy mending our broken bike! (an adventure is always a package of both good and bad, ain't it?)

On our way back we visited "The hall of fame" - a museum constructed and maintained by the Indian army in memory of the soldiers who had lost their lives in the Indo-Pak war! It is one place every Indian must visit to be able to appreciate the valour and sacrifice of our armed forces! The museum houses the weapons confiscated from the Pakistan army at different battlefields with detailed descriptions! We had gone around 6:00 p.m and hence were fortunate enough to witness the ceremonial march to remove the Tricolour flag from the mast! The cherry on the cake was the 25 minute video capturing the feats of our army at Siachen, Kargil etc:

DAY 3 - 15.09.17:

After breakfast, we began our bike ride to Nubra valley at around 10:30 a.m. It seemed like the longest journey of my life! It took us more than 6 hours to cover the 170 kms stretch;  thanks to bad roads, extreme climate and altitude sickness! 

Any pain is worth bearing for the privilege of commuting on the highest motorable road in the world! Khardungla pass is the highest point measuring a mighty 18380 feet above sea level! Make sure you stop by and click a few pics but don't hang around too long; the low oxygen level will cause altitude sickness - a heavy head, nausea, dizziness and so on! The pic that you see was clicked on our way back, after acclimatisation and consumption of tablets for altitude sickness; so please don't be fooled by the smile ;-). 

We stayed at the Sand dunes view resort in Hunder, Nubra valley. It was a nice place with spacious rooms and good food but no television or such amenities. But the warmth makes up for all the shortcomings! 

The day ended with a Ladakhi tribal dance - a mediocre experience!

DAY 4 - 16.09.17:

The speciality of Ladakh is the diversity in its landscape; it has both snow clad mountains as well as sand dunes! 

Our day began with a morning walk and a bath in a beautiful 

stream flowing beside the resort. The water was cold beyond description, but when friends join together insanity kicks in and thats when adventures are born! 

The 2nd adventure for the day was our ride on the double hump camel! These camels are very different from the ones we find in the deserts - two humps and pretty short in stark contrast to their Rajasthani counterparts!

On our way back to Leh, we visited the  Diskit Monastery, a beautifully situated, well maintained and a spiritually powerful monastery! The return journey through the mighty Khardungla didn't seem so arduous today - the power of experience or mental preparedness, I know not!

DAY 5 - 17.09.17:

Three days of bike travel had taken a toll on us! We now booked a cab for the next three days (an eight seater Innova with an amazing driver). All the cabs carry a pre-determined tariff card obviating the pain of having to bargain! 

We travelled for around 7 long hours to reach Pangong lake - a picturesque lake made famous by the Hindi blockbuster "3 idiots". 

It was indeed an arduous journey, but worth undertaking! Rough roads do lead to beautiful destinations!!!

We stayed in a tent beside the lake and spent the evening walking by the lake, sitting on the rocks and frolicking... Mountains and waterbodies have a mystical impact on our minds and when both join hands, it is sheer magic!

DAY 6 - 18.09.17:

We embarked on our journey to Tsomoriri Lake, another beautiful lake but still not exposed to tourists! Very few people visit Tsomoriri, partly due to the fact that it is another tiring 8-9 hour journey! But many a times, the journey is more exciting than the destination!

We travelled alongside the Indo-Tibetan border; visited Renzang La memorial where 114 Indian soldiers out of 123 were martyred in a battle against the Chinese forces after gunning down 1300 opponents! Our hearts swelled with pride and we awakened to the fact that our lives are built on the sacrifices of countless brave-hearts like the ones who were martyred here!

            

Walking on a battlefield isn't a very happy experience but is a very holy one! It humbles us, makes us realise the value of love and compassion and above all teaches us about the ephemeral nature of life!

The lake was charming in its own way. Since the place isn't a happening tourist spot, the choices of accommodation are very few! We stayed at Nomadic life camp, a decent enough place for an underdeveloped village.

The power outage was a blessing in disguise! We lit candles and struck deep conversations! As the candle died down, the sun rose up and shined bright... 

DAY 7 - 19.09.17:

Another long day; we returned to Leh - our boot camp! The journey was special for reasons more than one. We spotted the Himalayan Marmot (a large squirrel that lives in burrows), wild horses, mountain goats and black necked cranes (they're migratory birds).

We visited Hemis monastery - an architectural marvel and a serene place of worship! A place where I realised that silence isn't empty but so full of answers!

We also visited the Druk Padma Karpo School - the institution that is run by the person portrayed by Amir Khan in "3 idiots"

We checked into an amazing hotel named Omasila; went shopping and returned dog-tired!

DAY 8 - 20.09.17:

We left for Coimbatore carrying the memories that would last a lifetime! A series of flight delays and cancellations awaited us, thanks to the heavy rains in Mumbai!! Again, when you are surrounded by loving people, you can dance through the storms!!!

Thank you Manish Kankaria, Mansi Kankaria, Kaarthick Balakrishnan, Pawan Pattery and APC Venkateswaran for the fairy tale!!!

We went as friends and returned as a family!!!

HAPPY NEW YOU

Come January and our world – virtual and otherwise is filled with wishes for a happy new year! But the irony, my dear friends, is that our year will only be as happy as we decide to be! Here are 4 steps to a happier you:

THE BRIDGE:

Psychology and Eastern philosophy, regardless of their myriad differences, agree on this profound truth – the body and mind are closely connected at a very deep level! The secret to a happier mind then, is a happier body! 

Countless researches in the last decade declare that exercise releases a specific hormone dubbed ‘happy hormones’. Exercising regularly would lead to a happier you!

Likewise, smile is a sms from your facial muscles to your brain that you are happy! The more you smile, the happier you will be. Remind yourself each morning the wise words “smile is a curve that sets all problems straight”.

DON’T KILL YOUR CHILD:

The lyric of a Rajinikanth movie states that happiness is the prerogative of the children and saints! Sainthood may be an unattainable dream, but there is a child within each one of us! - the one that pops up when you chill out with friends, urges you to learn new things, prods you to be yourself rather than trying to imitate others, and pleads you to live your life according to your terms!

Have you ever met a child that yearns to be someone else? Have you come across a child that doesn’t celebrate itself? Have you ever seen a child that brushes away its inner voice?

The reason most of us are unhappy or aren’t consistently happy is that – in our quest for wealth, fame and power – we’ve killed our inner child! Resurrect your inner child; do something you enjoyed doing as a kid: be it playing on the swing or eating that occasional lollipop! Keep your inner child alive and happy, and your life will turn into a fairytale!

RANDOM ACTS OF KINDNESS:

“If you can make a man happy for a moment, that my dear brother is true religion. All else is farce!” said Swami Vivekananda. Once in a while, do something nice and don’t tell anyone about it! That would increase your sense of self-worth and in turn make you a happy being; nothing can give you greater happiness than knowing that you are goodness personified!

Shantideva, the 8^th century Indian Buddhist monk penned it beautifully “All the suffering in the world arises from wanting happiness for oneself. All the happiness in the world comes from wanting happiness for others” 

Try helping an old lady or gentleman cross the road, feed a stray dog, donate blood – when it comes to helping people, sky is the limit! The next time you see small children running after you trying to sell kerchiefs or stickers, whether you buy their goodies or not, gift them a candy or ice-cream and watch their faces brighten up! 

SILENCE PLEASE:

Lord Buddha attained Jnana when he was seated quietly beneath the Bodhi tree. Archimedes, the celebrated mathematician had his eureka moment when he was relaxing in silence in his bathtub! Had the apple fallen on Newton’s head while gossiping, he would have simply munched it and continued yapping and wouldn’t have uncovered the law of gravity! 

It is in moments of absolute stillness that life reveals its deepest truths and truth alone can take us to the destination called lasting happiness! So resolve to spend a few moments in absolute stillness, dive deep within and discover the hidden pearls of joy!

Friends, the above 4 are the magic wands that would open the gates of joy for you! Focus on a happy new you and every year will indeed be a happy new year! Wish you all a happy new you!!!