In My Hands Today…

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Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? – Seth Godin

There used to be two teams in every workplace: management and labor. Now there’s a third team: the linchpins. These people figure out what to do when there’s no rule book. They delight and challenge their customers and peers. They love their work, pour their best selves into it, and turn each day into a kind of art.

Linchpins are the essential building blocks of great organizations. They may not be famous but they’re indispensable. And in today’s world, they get the best jobs and the most freedom.

As Godin writes, “Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back. It’s time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map. You have brilliance in you, your contribution is essential, and the art you create is precious. Only you can do it, and you must.”

In My Hands Today…

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Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World – Ginni Rometty

Ginni Rometty led one of the world’s most iconic companies, and in Good Power she recounts her groundbreaking path from a challenging childhood to becoming the CEO of IBM and one of the world’s most influential business leaders. With candor and depth, Rometty shares milestones from her life and career while redefining power as a way to drive meaningful change in positive ways for ourselves, our organizations, and for the many, not just the few—a concept she calls “good power.”

Rometty’s “memoir with purpose” combines the experiences that defined her life—personal hurdles, high-stakes decisions, passionate advocacy—with the actionable advice of a coaching session to highlight lessons that shape authentic leadership. Behind-the-scenes stories and practical guidance offer us a blueprint for how we can all use good power to advance our careers, inspire our teams, improve our companies, and create healthier societies.

The book begins with raw, vivid memories from Rometty’s youth and early professional years as she recalls the trauma and the role models that formed her belief that how we lead is as important as what we achieve. She learns early on that good power is a choice available to everyone, even to those without money, status, or impressive titles.

Rometty then shows us how her concept of good power evolved as she grew from a first-time manager to a transformative CEO. Stories told through the lens of five principles—be in service of others; build belief; know what must change and what must endure; steward good tech; be resilient—reveal tools that anyone can apply to achieve real change at any stage of their life and work.

Rometty also encourages us to use good power at scale to bring about urgent societal change. She shares insights from her own journey to create a more equitable world by leading the SkillsFirst movement, which connects underserved populations with family-sustaining jobs by transforming hiring, education, and training.

With heart, humility, and conviction, Good Power offers an inspiring, compelling guide to creating meaningful change in our lives.

Recipes: Kada Prasad

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Today’s recipe brings back lots of memories from my childhood. The aunty opposite my house used to make this as a prasad or offering every full moon day. Aunty would share some with us and I would eat the lion’s share. The last few days, I suddenly started craving this sweet. So I made some and thought I would share it with everyone since it was so yummy.

Kada Prasad is the offering served in the Sikh temple or Gurudwara. Seva, or service, lies at the heart of Sikhism. It is no surprise then that the act of serving kada prasad in gurudwaras also takes from this belief. Gurudwara translates to “the door to the guru”, and it is believed that a guru never sends back a devotee empty-handed or hungry. So, a sweet and divine blessing is offered in the form of kada prasad, which you accept by cupping your hands. Since the prasad is considered a sacred sweetmeat, it is rude to turn it down. Both the offering and receiving of this sweet signifies community service and hospitality—two virtues that are very close to the heart of Sikhs. The ones performing seva by serving food usually dole out equal quantities from a large bowl.

It’s a very simple recipe with ghee, wheat flour and sugar used in equal proportions and water double the amount of ghee, wheat flour or sugar. The resulting halwa becomes kada prasad after it is offered to the Lord, otherwise, it is plain wheat halwa. On to the recipe.

Kada Prasad or Atte ka Hakwa or Wheat Flour Halwa

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup wheat flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 cup ghee
  • 2 cups water

Method:

  • Heat the ghee in a pan and let the ghee melt.
  • Once the ghee has melted and is hot, add the wheat flour and stir constantly, making sure there are no lumps.
  • Cook until the wheat flour is golden and aromatic.
  • Now add in the sugar and mix well. Once the sugar has melted and the paste becomes slightly running, you can start adding the water.
  • Add water bit by bit and mix well.
  • Continue cooking, stirring constantly until everything comes together and the halwa starts to ooze the ghee.
  • Switch off the flame and let it cool a bit before serving warm.

Notes: After making it, here are my thoughts. The amount of sugar was just enough for us who prefer sweets to be less sweet than usual. But if you are someone who likes things to be sweeter, then you can increase the amount of sweet to probably 1.25 cups. When frying the wheat flour with the ghee, do not worry if you do not get the dark brown colour of the halwa. It was the same for me too, only after I added the water, did the sugar and atta caramelise and become darker. Also when adding water, add hot water and add one cup at a time. Let the first cup of water get absorbed into the flour and then add the second cup. I also found the amount of ghee to be slightly too much, so the next time I would make it, I would reduce it to about 0.75 cup.

2023 Week 36 Update

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Today’s quote is attributed to Swami Vivekananda, a prominent Indian Hindu monk and spiritual leader of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born Narendranath Datta on January 12, 1863, in Calcutta, India, he passed away on July 4, 1902. Swami Vivekananda played a significant role in introducing Indian philosophy and spirituality to the Western world and was a key figure in the spread of Hinduism and Vedanta in the United States and Europe.

Swami Vivekananda emphasises the idea that genuine success and happiness come to those who do not seek personal gain or rewards for their actions. What he is suggesting is that when a person acts selflessly and with a pure heart, without expecting anything in return, they are more likely to attain success and happiness. This is because their motivations and actions are driven by a desire to help others or to contribute to a greater good, rather than by selfish or egoistic goals. This quote encourages individuals to cultivate qualities of selflessness and altruism in their lives, believing that such qualities are not only morally virtuous but also lead to a more fulfilling and prosperous existence. It suggests that the most successful people are those who give without expecting anything in return, and in doing so, they find true success and happiness.

I finally did it! This week, I finally reached my destination, south of Bengaluru. After walking from Singapore, I made my way across Malaysia, Thailand, and Myanmar, before reaching India at the border with Manipur. Then I walked across the states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and finally my home state of Maharashtra. Then I walked almost 1000 km across Maharashtra and Karnataka to reach my destination. I have now started the almost 7,000 km trek back home. That’s all for today, take care and stay positive!