The Mysteries of our Universe : The Big Bang Theory (Series 1/5)

The Big Bang – When it all begun

Those who have faintly heard about The Big Bang Theory know it is amongst the most fascinating thing to have ever taken place. Its when the universe was born. Before the big bang, nothing ever existed-not even space and time. It drives theorists and enthusiasts absolutely crazy when even trying to imagine that nothing existed before the big bang. So you cant even term the state before the big bang as hollow or empty because even that didn’t exist then. Space and time were created because of The Big Bang.

It all happened in a millionth of a millionth of a second approximately 13.8 billions years ago faster than the speed of light. All matter was contained at a single point called the point of singularity. This point was around ten trillion trillion times hotter than the core of our sun (this is not a type error!). It was infinitely dense and thus the general laws of relativity didn’t apply here. This state was probably a million times smaller than even a pin point. This point of singularity suddenly inflated at an unimaginable pace and within a second the blueprints of our universe was created. It is popularly knows as The Big Bang but contrary to popular beliefs, it wasnt an explosion. Life itself, galaxies, stars, planets, black holes etc all came into existence because of this moment of inflation. Why it inflated and what led to it is still a mystery for all of us.

Source: Wikipedia

The building blocks were created in the first second of our universe. We use seconds or even milliseconds to explain daily phenomena but even that was way bigger to explain the developments in that one second! Therefore, scientists use a scale called Planck Time. This is smaller than you can imagine. To put it precisely it is 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 of a second(42 zeros followed by 1)! Using this scale helps us to understand how the universe was born. Gravity, electromagnetic forces and the nuclear forces, strong and weak were all created as a result of this big bang.

How do our scientists know that the big bang happened?

Georges LeMaitre was the first to propose the big bang that led to the creation of the universe. Edwin Hubble also accepted this theory while observing the universe using his telescope. Light, when stretched appears red. Therefore, when he looked at the universe far beyond us between intervals of time, they appeared to be tilting more towards the red chart by the passing day. This resulted in a profound conclusion. Why was light turning from blue to red as he observed the universe? It could only mean one thing: That the universe was expanding (dark energy, which we shall discuss at a later stage). It was not just expanding, the pace of expansion was accelerating as time passed by. If you think of it, something that is increasing in size everyday must have a point when it all began. If you looked back at time using this theory, it only meant that the universe was smaller in size yesterday that it is today. As profound as it might sound, space continues to be created as we speak. If you continue looking back, there will be a point when it all began.

Source: Wikipedia

Also, the presence of a radiation called the ‘cosmic microwave background‘ or the ‘CMB’ supports the big bang theory. This was the radiation as a result of the big bang and this explosion was so powerful that one can faintly detect the presence of this radiation even today. Scientists use powerful telescopes to detect CMB and have found it consistently spread across the universe.In fact, when we switch on our television channels and find thousands of small dots on the screen because of weak or no signal, that is nothing but the CMB being picked up by our satellites.

Alternative theories exist?

Most scientists and cosmologists are have widely accepted The Big Bang theory as a model for the creation of the universe. We still have some way to go to get really close to the moments right after the Big Bang Way. The basic foundation for answering the greatest question of all : “Did the universe have a beginning?” have already been established. This poses an intriguing question to the scientific community. If the universe had a beginning, will it have an end too?

Without the Big Bang, we wouldn’t have existed. What caused the Big Bang is still a mystery. How did this point of singularity come into existence itself has no explanation. However, most scientists would agree that The Big Bang theory led to the creation of our universe.  That Something smaller than a molecule exploded faster than the speed of light and created the universe around us is puzzling and yet true. This molecule had infinite density and energy which resulted in everything around us-even the unseen forces like Dark Energy and Dark Matter, which we shall discuss later.

Leadership – It all comes from within

What is leadership?

The art and science of leadership has been of great interest since the olden days. One wouldn’t merely call it science and if that were true, all it needed was a sincere student to replicate this meticulously and get results as if this was the law of nature. One would be forgiven for calling it pure art at the same time too. Certain principles of leadership have shown to produce results in a certain direction. Different leaders have demonstrated different styles and each of them, unique to our universe, had worked wonderfully. Steve Jobs was very dictatorial in each approach and considering the circumstances then, this was novel in itself. Jobs believed in deciding for a customer and presenting them with an option. In his book of business, asking the customer was never going to take you to the path of innovation as customers can only comment on the choices available to them. No customer, for example, in the 1990’s would tell you that the tablet would be the next big thing after the era of smartphones (mobile phones was a luxury in those days). Take the case of watches that was just another accessory until 2013.  This device was completely disconnected from the outside world and the value was of this was a result of the brand, hardware and materials associated with this category. Just when we thought we knew it all, leading companies like Google, LG and Samsung (Apple likes the concept of secrets) announced that this would be the next big platform for a technological revolution. Flashes of vision that predict the next big wave require wisdom, insight and the ability to think in that direction. This ability cannot be manufactured. One either has it or doesn’t. Jeff Bezos of Amazon is another example. He is relentless in his approach for perfection and speed of execution. Leaders like them can inspire their team members, make them believe and put all their might in his direction. You could label them as ‘autocratic’ leaders: their will, vision and passion making a difference to the world at large.

Style of leadership can vary

Lets turn to politics now. Leaders in this sphere cannot afford to be ‘autocratic’ in the 21st century beyond a point of comfort. Their audience expects them to be humble and above all, a great listener. If Tim Cook today wants you to believe in what he believes, chances are you wouldn’t even raise a whisper. Imagine Barack Obama or even David Cameron asking you for his vote in blind fashion and chances are they wouldn’t be where they are. Such leaders are expected to be democratic in the choices they make. Like it or not, they will be held accountable not just for their actions, but for the tweets they post!

Then their are leaders who build their success on social innovation.  Take the case of the Barefoot College, an organization that has made some valuable contributions that few know about. This institution thrives on doing good to the world and the community in which it operates. As part of their mandate, they empower rural communities by imparting the necessary formal skills to make them self sufficient. This self sufficiency also translates to eco systems that are sustainable too. In one of their initiatives, they provided formal training to African ‘grandmothers’ in rural areas to become solar engineers. An average man would balk at the idea of training older women who were largely illiterate and had no no academic backgrounds. But Sanjit ‘Bunker’ Roy, the founder of Barefoot College thought differently. Grandmothers would have very little activity in their hands, having raised their children. Also, these trained grandmothers were largely immobile and would not prefer to relocate to urban areas simply for a higher wage. This will result in something that benefits both the community and provides a source of earning for these women too. Also, the pride of doing good to the society is an addition. Surrounding communities, most of which would remain powerless for hours and sometimes even days could ensure cheap and affordable power solutions within their reach.

Ideas like this require a deep understanding of the world around you. Such wisdom cannot be bought in a library and even second-hand experiences would just give a glimpse of how it was done. Examples like this can give you inspiration, not direction. Success as we all know is unique in itself, and cannot be exactly replicated.

Its all about the voice within

Leadership is all about the the inner voice within. A voice that urges you to change the world around you and make en ever lasting impact.One needs the courage and passion to drive through the rough times as and when they come. The world will make a mockery, people around you will be skeptical and you, for the larger part will be alone in the journey. After all successful leaders in nascent stages are like successful products in the lab.  The world just wouldn’t be able to take note before they are racing ahead of the rest. May be that’s how leaders are made. Their struggles have made them tougher and stronger. Their passion is limitless and they would strive to achieve what they set out for even in the severest of storms ahead of them. They would not just give up.

Hard work is all it takes

We find leaders glamorous and often fail to look behind the curtains for the real picture. Real leaders are not just about flashy cars, and billionaire houses. This is just a by-product of what they set out of achieve. Had they set out to achieve all of this, we wouldn’t call them our leaders. opulence is just what we would attach to their names. Henry Ford’s first automobile venture, Detroit Automobile company had to be dissolved after it his shareholders lost faith in him.  In his second attempt, he founded the ‘Henry Ford Company’ with the help of a prominent businessman in Detroit named William H. Murphy.  This time too, his partners were focused on profit alone and interfered with Ford’s drive for perfection. Soon, he was forced to leave the company. This was his second failure. Most people thought that it was the end of the road for Henry. But he never lost hope and went on to start another company with the help of another investor named Alexander Malcomson. However, this time around Henry Ford seemed to have learnt the right lessons and Alexender Malcomson was the right choice as he shared a similar philosophy and wouldn’t meddle with Henry’s style of working. The focus was on quality and from there on, this corporation reached new heights and never looked back. Their product named Model T was an instant hit with the masses because it was well made and yet affordable.  His entrepreneurial tenacity soon reflected the culture and spirit of America. All this was a result of Henry Ford having learnt his lessons from failures in the past. We are overwhelmed by the success and glamour that follows leaders like them but it is their struggles and determination that should inspire all of us. Success is like the light that comes out from the sun but it is the perseverance and faith that is the hydrogen within.

MBA programs and the likes can teach you what it to takes be a good leader. They can give you valuable insights on what history and our present has to offer. But they cannot make you one. For if they could, the world would be plentiful with leaders. It has to come from within. Why it appears in the mind and heart of one and not the rest will forever remain a mystery. For if we could predict and replicate accurately, we would have the mind of God.

What matters most

So the next time when you set out to achieve something, just focus on the fact that you have to master the art of perfection in whatever you undertake. Don’t carry the baggage of expectation, possible failures and the goals that lie ahead. Focus on every moment as if it were your only moment to bring something new to the world. More moments and many more like this. One day, you might just be on the list of people the world admires and looks up to.

Links

http://www.fastcompany.com/3002809/be-henry-ford-apprentice-yourself-failure

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Model_T

BJP and Narendra Modi: The new face of India

 

It has been a fascinating year for all like minded Indians like me. I have been following politics for nearly 10 years now with great interest and to my knowledge, I have never witnessed an election that was so intensely fought and where emotions were running this high. This was an election where every instrument played its suitable role, whether it were the social media with the likes of Twitter and Facebook storming us with new information or the media houses, giving us a glimpse into every move of our PM candidates or even the regular voters like us, voicing our opinions on every platform we could possibly get hold of. The last 6 months have been truly an exciting time for even those who don’t take an active interest in politics and democratic affairs. This was also an election that had nearly 100 million new voters – that’s more than the population of many countries around us!

Elections until this one never seemed to evoke enough interest the majority of us. We had to vote only because we were supposed to. All candidates seemed corrupt and drowned in vested interests. Only a few ‘appeared’ patriotic and passionate about the role they wanted to play. Most lacked a vision and the will to execute even if they had one. Lastly, we rarely came across leaders who had leadership skills to unite a country of 1 billion people. We were very content with looking up to sportsmen and business leaders. Politics and politicians for us, was a filthy place where the world was devilish and gloomy. Until now.

Its when Narendra Modi presented himself as a PM candidate. A section of the population with people like me already had entrusted their faiths and convictions in this one man. The rest of us were skeptical of his intentions and motives. This had emanated from the fact that he was a Chief Minister of the State during the Gujarat 2002 riots. After all, being the head of his state it was his moral responsibility to be held accountable. It is important to note that a thousand other riots took place during the Congress rule but never before did an individual come under such severe criticism and was a recipient of so much venom spit on him. But that’s where things started looking bleak and biased when you look at his opponents. Gujarat was on the forefront of economic growth and development. Foreign Direct Investment and business houses seemed to pour in year after year and very soon, Gujarat was the hot-spot of economic activity. This growth and development was spread across Gujarat and the state pioneered many transformational policies for setting up business and industry. The land acquisition rules, for example seemed to simplify the acquisition of land by business houses and were beneficial to our farmers at large at the same time. No riots were ever seen in Gujarat post 2002 which in itself was remarkable considering the plight that its citizens had been through during those murky days.

People began to take notice of his work and sincerity when it came to setting up goals and meeting them more often than not. The young generation seemed to associate him with growth, development and job creation. For them, it wasn’t fair to burden him with the baggage of the past and seemed to appreciate Modi’s forward looking ideas. The young generation, often seen as ‘influencers’ began to galvanize support around Mr. Modi. The world was starting to believe him more than they did yesterday. They found him energetic and a visionary. He seemed like the one who would not just build India on merit but also provide relentless support to the left out sections of our society. India saw him as secular not just in ideas and speeches alone but also in the work that he undertook. After all, true secularism is about providing equal opportunity, in work and life to every individual. If one dwells into this philosophy, Modi’s mantra would start looking profound and complete in itself. Those who call him communal ignored that fact that he gave no preference to either the majority or the minority. To him, every Indian is an equal Indian, and that is where India started to unite as one.

Those who call him polarizing are indeed right. Modi did polarize all of us. Where the polarizing line stands will astound many of us. Mr. Modi polarized those those who were forward looking from the ones who still lived in the past. He polarized those tho were willing to accept politics of dynasty and sycophancy from the ones who didn’t. Modi believed in growth, development and prosperity for all and a few didn’t want this to become a reality because it wouldn’t suit them anymore. If this was polarization where the entire country stood for what he believed in and a few felt uneasy with the the fact that India could dream and realize it one day too, then this was a good thing to happen.

Some of us still might to choose to live differently, but BJP and its leader is the new face of India. We don’t believe in the archaic and bigoted concepts of cast, creed and religion. We wouldn’t vote for a leader anymore just because he happened to be from our ‘community’. We want India to be not just a regional but a world superpower. And at the same time, we will be the brightest symbols of non-violence, peace and secular democracy. If we believe in what I just said, that’s exactly what Modi and BJP stand for. We live on the principles of merit and equal opportunity. We would help someone in need but not let someone jump the queue if he didn’t deserve one. We are neither for the majority nor the minority. We are equal and consider everyone around us just the same.

That’s just the candidate we needed. After all, nature has its own unique ways of restoring balance in chaos. Our country was on the brink of something close to that. Neighbors seemed to undermine us and the growth was at its lowest in so many years. Job destruction was often heard more than job creation. We were pessimistic, skeptical, disappointed and thought the Idea of of a prosperous India is far from being realized.

It’s at this inflection point that we resolved to stand in one direction and put back all our differences in the interest of the nation. Only anti-incumbency couldnt have given him a mandate of this magnitude. If we were still living in the past, we would have gifted some more seats to the likes of Samajwadi Party, NCP, DMK or even the RJD. The fact that we didn’t itself should make us be proud of ourselves. Our dream is being realized or at least we can hope for it. After years, India is uniting as one for a common goal: A mission to ensure everyone runs together, and at the same pace. We are not willing to opt for a family only because its ancestors have done some good to us and we are supposed to behave as if we were indebted to them for the rest of our lives.

I don’t know what the next 5 years will bring for all of us but I have started to believe in a resurgent and stronger India and this thought was looking like it was fading at a pace faster than ever. The fact that many of us are rallying behind BJP and Mr. Modi should in itself make us smile. We are so used to negativity and criticism of everything about our leaders that this support should bring a sense of calmness and resolve in us. For once, we voted as Indians and not as pockets of rich, poor, religion, community, caste or creed. India finally has seen the light of the day. This optimism doesn’t stem from the a belief that things have suddenly changed in a week but the fact that we have made the right choices in front of us. The rest, as you all might know is destiny. After all, there is a famous saying by Joseph De Maistre saying “Every nation gets the government it deserves”. If we deserve it, we will get it.