KBTC (Kolkata Bible Training Center) ver 1 is launched today

Finally under the guidance of ICPF and CGPF, KBTC (Kolkata Bible Training Center) is launched. This is an effort to teach laymen The Word Of God. It is a good starting to a much-needed center.

By the Grace of God I am serving CGPF (senior wing to ICPF) as secretary for last 3 years. ICPF is reaching out to thousands of youths every year with awareness programs, campaigns like anti-drug, anti-aids e.t.c. I have learned a lot of things through this opportunity.

Now I am looking forward for the next responsibility as a member of KBTC Board of Management. The current configuration of KBTC follows,

  • Mr. Koshy Samuel David – Chairman
  • Pastor P.S. Mani – Vice President
  • Mr. K.P. John – Secretary
  • Mr. P.O. Kuruvilla – Treasurer
  • Rev. Abraham C. Mathew
  • Mr. Joseph Joy (Members)
  • Mr. P.C. Chacko (Members)
  • Mr. Aji Issac (Members)
  • Staff Workers of ICPF Kolkata Chapter as Invitees

The Board of Faculty consists of:-

  • Mr. K.P. John – Director
  • Rev. Abraham C. Mathew – Dy. Director
  • Mr. Joseph Joy – Registrar
  • Rev K.K. Sunny (Members)
  • Rev V.C. Georgekutty (Members)
  • Pastor P.S. Mani (Members)
  • Rev. Prasad Abraham

The first class of KBTC will be held on 7th of Aug 2006. Asking God’s blessing for this venture.

Indian Web industry growing better

Three years ago I joined web industry with a vision to understand and create better brands. At that time many of friends were not comfortable with this industry. By then India was only known for its cheap labor available to create websites and small programming. You could only find Indians bidding for smaller contracts at much cheaper rate.

The story is changing much rapidly than expected. Now I can see special but regular Web related items on News channels. “Gang of girls” advertisement by sunsilk asking girls to blog, Mblog by Nokia N-series, Rediff mail ads are few examples of the change. Now people talk about blogs, forums more often than those days. BSNL’s recent plans have attracted many to get an Internet connection. I can get a good Internet connection by just paying Rs 500 per month.

I can also see daily newspapers like telegraph, times of India, economic times covering wikipedia, blogspot almost everyday. I also heard that Vonage is planning a launch in India.

PCs going cheaper were an add-on to this growth. Now anyone can get a good configured PC for approx Rs 25,000 ($600). Also India is expanding a government-led program to provide free, local language software to all of its citizens, as it tries to broaden computer use in the country.

Overall it is going better. There is still enough Indian web space vacant for entrepreneurs. Hope to see many more B-schools promoting web as a better marketing platform.

Basic needs of a human being

I am not talking about the needs, which help to survive, like food or water, but the ones, which helps to live. Be it a company, a family, circle of friends or any social network threaded with humans, these basic needs can’t be overlooked. During my Masters at NIMC our Organizational Behavior’s professor asked me a question, “Will you accept a job offer with relatively larger pay package but located in a very remote part of the world?” I think I answered yes but later at this stage I could understand the question very well. These days many of us live in a crowded city, work in an over-managed office but still enjoy no better experience than the job offered by the professor. The reasons behind burn outs, frustrations are highly related to our needs.

These are the basic needs of a human being:

  • Love: Every human needs love in some way or the other. I do not need to explain this as every single book deals with it. Love doesn’t have to permanent or true. It is basic exchange of human vibes. Someone to speak to, someone to laugh with and someone to share with. A relationship with God with faith can define the love. Whenever I am in problem I share it with God and I feel very relieved.
  • Identity and Recognition: This plays a very important role in organizations. In case of family if the love is there then identity and recognition won’t play a significant role. Every person tries to discover his/her own identity at every single stage of life. Big package offering companies that fail to recognize good employees eventfully fail.
  • Urge to create: Every human has an urge to create. No one can control other beyond a limit. As a manager if you think you can ignore this need you are fooling yourself. Organizations should thrive to provide a climate that can appreciate the urge. If you stop creating you start growing old, as old age is nothing but a state of more memories and less desires.


Money only as a good servant:
Is money a need? Yes it is but we need to be careful with it. It is a good servant but a bad master. Let’s not work for money but let the money work for you.

Dynamic sub-domains with PHP

I got this email from one of the php usergroups,

“I have to create subdomains dynamically by php when an user registered in my site. Anybody who knows the script and procedure , please send me ASAP.”

I hate repeating things so better let it go live than bury inside a usergroup. Here I go with the answer.

Step 1: Make the following entry to your apache http.conf
ServerAlias *.domain.com ( do not forget to restart apache 🙂 )
Step 2: Now remember that all the query comes to same doc root. Now you need to catch it using .htaccess and process it the way you want.

Also make sure your dns is able to process your sub-domains properly. These simple steps will make it happen.

Soccer fever is not over yet – experience the online games

If you think that soccer fever is over for all then you need to think again as here are some interesting games based on the recent world cup.

I am listing few of them,

  • Zidane Head Butt Game :

    You’ve seen the head butt, now you can do it. Show ’em your best header.
  • Run Ronaldo Run:

    Pele’s football breathing nation is blaming one person for his substandard performance – Fat little Ronaldo… the pudgy, gap-toothed soccer-rer who wears the magic number 9. Keep Ronaldo away from the burgers and milkshakes as they will slow him down. The end goal of this game is to make Ronaldo run (the one thing he was not doing while he was on the field!) and get to the ball before Crespo does!

  • Rooney On The Rampage

    Control your footballer and score goal after head butting and finally jumping over opponent team’s players.
  • King of Defenders :

    Score as many goals as you can by playing as one of the England’s best player “John Terry” in this nice game.

There are plenty more. Soccer fever is yet to be over.

Other Relevant Postings

Rainy Day

On Tuesday I worked late to finish an important DB and complete website backup script including a web doctor. I wanted to finish it the very next morning but due to heavy rain and water logging I was not able to reach office.

70% employees were absent today due to heavy rain. It was difficult to find conveyance. It is still raining (00:23 IST 20th July, Thursday). Hoping to finalize the backup script tomorrow if the God of rains permits.

During this season having pakora’s with a hot elachi tea can be termed as my weakness. Also I prefer hot and sour chicken soup during this season.

ISPs asked to block only at sub-domain level

I just watched NDTV exclusive report on GBB (Government Banning Blogs). Govt asked DoT to ban 4 webpages but ISPs somehow banned the whole domain including *.blogspot.com.

Many have filed cases under RTI. Govt has asked to refine the ban and allow the other blogs.

It is expected that within 2 days the ban on other blogs will be lifted. Now I see a lot of people asking about blogging. This special coverage invoked a special interest towards blogging among the ignorant section of Indian public.

Manager to Leader – Your call

This is an extension of my previous post on Manager vs programmer. Leaving programming was a little difficult for me but then with time I am able to survive weeks without it. I haven’t left it altogether as I keep trying the new technologies with a bit of programming. Also I keep transferring my experiences with code management and optimization to upcoming programmers and leaders.

Leader Vs Manager

This post is an attempt to define the thin line between leadership and management. Is there some difference? Yes there is but not visible to all. In many companies they call top-level executives as managers but in our company we address them
as leaders, "Grmtech Leaders". Let me share my opinion and experience about these look alike but still dissimilar words.

  • Things Vs People: As many say the basic difference is that we manage things and we lead people. Managers are skilled, structured, controlled, and systematic. Leaders have an urge to create; hence they are visionaries, flexible
    and creative.
  • Job Vs Call: Management is more about reputed companies, designation while leadership is a Call. Our CEO Vikas Kedia rejected a reputed company, a designation and a $1,00,000 job-offer to pursue his dreams. Leadership is
    all about believing in yourself and a gut feeling about your intuitions.
  • Management is more refinement but leadership is about revolution: Managers follow the success successfully and help you sail smooth. Leaders can revolutionize the whole concept to create the tipping point. Leaders are
    more risk taking. I knew managers who kept complaining about various company policies but never taken a step to correct it as it was not under their periphery. In other words leaders can bring changes.
  • Inspire vs Instruct: Managers get things done through control but leaders believe in empowering. Leaders believe in stroking the fire within people while managers light the fire under people. Managers seek authority but leaders influence.
  • Leadership goes beyond rulebooks: Most of the companies are over-managed but under-led. Managers often work within the rulebooks and hierarchies, often considering co-workers as just another resource. Leaders often listen to their heart allowing them to take steps to offer extra. Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambai ( ‘Dhirubhai’ is a nickname ), who was enormously large-hearted with those he considers his benefactors during his days of struggle, he has been known to dole out massive sums of money across the table without expectation of its being returned. He cared about his people beyond the rulebooks and 1989 Patalganga flood shows it all. "Apart from began a financial wizard, Dhirubhai is a truly magnificent organizer, and has been able to give his employees the impression that they can unequivocally count on him in times of distress. For example, when an unexpected flood hit the industrial township of Patalganga, and washed out three entire villages on ‘Black Monday’, 24th July 1989, the human factor in the Reliance complex there was the least badly affected, through the factory itself was totally submerged. More than twenty inches of rain fell in just eight hours in an area that had no flood history in the previous 80 years. The downpour was accompanied by winds rising to more than 80 kilometers per hour. Out of 384 people dead and 264 missing, not a single person was a Reliance employee. As many as 1,500 families were rendered homeless, and 1,15,000 people rendered destitute, but none of these were Reliance personnel." read more about Dhirubhai…
  • Leaders Vs Managers == Visionary Vs Missionary: Leaders are visionaries who can see the future and do the needed changes keeping future in mind. They allow present pain for future gain. Managers are there to manage the current functioning and follow the smaller missions.
  • Time based managers to all time leaders: Leaders needs to be ethical, as people not only obey their command but follow them in all aspects. Managers are observed while at work but leaders are followed all time. People try to own their leaders and every unethical work done by a leader leave a visible or invisible scar on people. In today’s era political personalities are more managers than leaders. Mahatma Gandhi was followed even beyond what he asked for. Leader tries to develop character than personality. In order to lead you need to be right there as an example. To manage you can still survive with any example but to lead you need to be one.
  • Transfer of Vision, Excitement, Passion and Knowledge: The post can go on and on with various other differences but I will like to conclude it with one of the most significant difference. The transfer of vision, excitement,
    passion and knowledge. A leader wants to move ahead by transferring knowledge and is not scared of losing his importance with knowledge transfer. Leader is excited and is able to transfer the excitement by showing them the same vision. By making them understand the vision, a leader is able to develop the same passion and commitment among people.

Is this post against Managers?
No, not at all. It is a call for all including the managers. I have tried to explain the thin line separating the men from boys. Managers (rather managerial behaviors) are also required in any company but leaders often are proven as better managers. Developing yourself as a leader doesn’t mean leaving the managerial responsibility; it is about looking beyond the existing territories.

It’s your call

How to access the existing blogspot sites from India

As I have mentioned in my previous post that Government has banned blogspot, geocities e.t.c. This step was taken to prevent any anti-national blogging. From yesterday afternoon even I am not able to access the blogspot blogs. This step was taken as a precaution to prevent any Mumbai blast aftermath. It is giving an additional publicity to the overall issue.

Accessing the banned sites
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