KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid

There is a very famous anecdote involving how the Russians and Americans tackled an interesting problem. Let me recapitulate it quickly. After both the United States of America and the erstwhile USSR sent men on to space they were facing a very interesting problem. Pens were not working as there was no gravity in space and the astronauts were not able take down observations. So, the U.S.A spent lots and lots of money (I don't know if it was in millions or billions) in research and came up with a pen that would work in space, in immense depths of sea etc... The Russians on the other hand replaced the Pen with a Pencil.

I cam to know of the second example which I am going to narrate from the telugu movie 'Kalavaramaye Madilo' It seems Ustad Allauddin Khan spotted the great flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia during the later's formative years and directed to him to go to his daughter, Annapurna devi to learn and get polished. So, when Hariprasad meets her, she tells him "You have already learnt something about music and this learning will be a hindarance to what I am going to teach you. You have to unlearn what you already learnt and learn a fresh to shine." Now, How does a person unlearn???? I thought that unlearning is much more difficult than learning. But do you know how hariprasad chaurasia achieved it? Take a guess - He started playing the flute by holding it in the opposite direction!

The leaders of the independent India in the 50's considered the population of India is one of it's greatest weakness. I think everyone was of the same opinion till the 90's. Atleast I thought so while I was a child and held that notion till the days of my under graduation. But, if you ask anyone today, they say that we are extremely rich in human resources and that's one of the biggest strengths on which we need to leverage upon.

Some of the most complex problems can be solved by simply changing the method of attack. Weaknesses become Strengths by a mere change of attitude and outlook.


Today Technology is evolving so rapidly and changing lives dramatically. We do not know where the world is heading towards. Problems prevailing for centuries will be solved in a trice and of course newer challenges which were never even dreamt of  will be posed. But we should try to keep the solutions as simple as problem. We generally try to keep the solutions complicated but most of often simplicity is more effective.