Fighting over Dalai Lama

Choosing the next spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists will be a geopolitical battle. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama — who lives in exile in India — turns 86 in July. The choice of his successor is shaping up to be a struggle between India and the US on the one hand and China on the other. The Dalai Lama is believed to be a living Buddha who is reincarnated after his death. Traditionally, a search for a child reincarnation is conducted, and once a boy is confirmed, he studies to prepare for his role. The current Dalai Lama was identified at the age of 2. There’s no single method of choosing a Dalai Lama, and the process can be long and complicated. Senior security officials in India, including in the prime minister’s office, have been involved in discussions about how New Delhi can influence the choice of the next Dalai Lama, two officials with direct knowledge of the matter said. India hosts the Tibetan government-in-exile in the city of Dharamsala and only recognised Tibet as part of China in 2003.

(Adapted from “US, India Step Up Fight With China Over the Next Dalai Lama,” by Sudhi Ranjan Sen, published on April 15, 2021, by Bloomberg Businessweek)

When your career is your identity

Many workers in high-pressure jobs find themselves unhappy with their careers, despite working hard their whole lives to get to their current position. Hating your job is one thing — but what happens if you identify so closely with your work that hating your job means hating yourself?

How do you know if your identity has become enmeshed with your career? Consider the following questions: 1) Outside of working hours, is your mind frequently consumed with work-related thoughts? 2) How do you describe yourself? How much of this description is tied up in your job? 3) Where do you spend most of your time? 4) Do you have hobbies outside of work that do not directly involve your work-related skills? 5) How would you feel if you could no longer continue in your profession? If these questions cause you to worry about the degree to which your job has influenced your identity, it can help to start delegating time to non-work activities. Don’t be afraid to start small.

(Adapted from “What Happens When Your Career Becomes Your Whole Identity” by Janna Koretz, published in August by The Harvard Business Review)

A cauliflower empire

Caulipower’s founder and CEO Gail Becker quit her job in 2016 to start a frozen food company specialising in gluten-free crusts. Now at 57, she’s worth $245m. Becker originally took to the kitchen to make gluten-free versions of her kids’ favorite foods after they were diagnosed with celiac disease. But Becker didn’t realise, when she decided to commercialise her recipe five years ago, that she would soon pioneer a cauliflower pizza crust craze. “I was disenchanted with corporate America and decided to quit my job and start a company,” Ms Becker told Forbes in 2020. “I did it at the very kitchen table where I’m sitting and I made my two sons watch because I wanted them to see it’s never too late to bet on yourself.” Ms Becker’s Los Angeles-based Caulipower had estimated revenue of $100m last year. Ms Becker landed a spot on Forbes’ seventh annual ranking of America’s Richest #SelfMadeWomen with a net worth of $245m, thanks to her estimated majority stake in her second act; Forbes values that company at $500m.

(Adapted from “How A Former PR Executive Built A $500 Million Brand Around Cauliflower Pizza Crust,” by Chloe Sorvino, published on Aug 5, 2021, by Forbes)

Not ‘on track’

Pakistan’s railway sector is not “on rails” and the sector seems to be wrapped around a single institution, Pakistan Railways (PR) — managed collectively by the Ministry of Railways (MoR) and PR. The crisis in PR started in the 1970s and continues to this date. The passenger traffic has reduced, freight traffic has truncated, revenues have scaled-down while working expenses have soared. Most of the locomotives are found in warehouses in need of spare parts. Interference from politicians and bureaucracy, and the inability to modernise the 19th century inherited railway asset has led to more mismanagement and rot. Pakistan Railways is the national, state-owned railway company of Pakistan. Founded in 1861 and headquartered in Lahore, it owns 7,791 kilometers of track across Pakistan from Torkham to Karachi, offering both freight and passenger services.

(Adapted from “A History of Pakistan Railways from Pre-Partition Times Till Now: A Historical Review With Key Evolutionary Milestones,” by Danish Bhutto, published in 2021 by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics)

Published in Dawn, The Business and Finance Weekly, August 30th, 2021