Chennai's Birthday 2009

This August 22nd marked 370 years since the British East India company created what is now metropolitan Chennai. The city still projects an image of both a conservative and cosmopolitan metropolis. Even though there are several areas where the city is behind compared to world standards (infrastructure being one) one cannot deny the fact that the city has come a long way and evolved in several areas in the last few decades whether it is spiritual inclination, increasing cultural assimilation from the North and West, increased affinity to tamil language or  increased economical and geographical importance.  The most recent evolution from an administrative standpoint being the proposal from the Local Government  to trifurcate the city, meaning splitting the city into North Chennai,Central Chennai and South Chennai. With the city's population growth rate it definitely calls for a geographical expansion along with better transportation links via metro/light rail/bus and air. Sometime ago there was political debate over whether Chennai needed a Metro or Light Rail. I think the city needs both with its expansion rate.

Five Dysfunctions

I recently had the pleasure to finish reading a book titled 'Five Dysfunctions of a Team'. The simplicity in which the author narrates the various events that happen in a fictional company definitely needs to be appreciated. Even though this company does not exist almost all the characters that appear in this book resemble someone in every company. In reality every team has numerous dysfunctions but the author has tried to emphasize on the most common aspects that cause problems. Another thing I noticed was every dysfunction that is mentioned can really also apply to an individual level in one's own personal life.



Overall,I must say this is a must read for anyone having leadership aspirations or interested in team dynamics (not just for a company but also in a family setting).